jd1923

I realized Chris had taken a picture of the lone Joshua tree, looking down at Wikieup and the Sonoran Desert below. He somehow drifted away from his family on the other side of the range in the Mohave!

This is why I did not recognize the wiring in your earlier photo. Also, you have your inverter in this compartment and mine was installed by OTT under the rear side of the dinette. @Ronbrink Unless you purchased yours new, somebody must have added that galvanized threaded pipe mount! I can't imagine a purpose for such a large ugly mount in that location. Glue or tape everything possible, stay away from penetrating the hulls, except if you need to run wires. @mountainoliver has an excellent example and description here! I installed the standard PI EMS (that did not come on older hulls) under the dinette, no mounting plate, laying on the insulation using only carpet tape to seat it. The heavy cables also hold it down and it is a large sealed box having its own base (I have a thread on this install).

On our last day, we went back to Wikieup to drive up a very special road. Off US-93 head west on Chicken Springs Rd. We don't drive endless miles of dirt much anymore, after dozens of dirt bike outings over the many years we've had our Arizona home. We drove up about 4 miles to take pics, collect a few rocks, "you got some splainin' to do, Lucy!" The road is a well maintained Mohave County road, 4x4 unnecessary, but airing down for the washboards would be a good idea. A ways up and off this road to the south you can reach Alamo Lake too, the back way behind the Arrastra Mountain Wilderness. I read about this route in, "the Back Roads ARIZONA, 40 scenic trips." Believe it or not, when you hit paved roads again it will be on I-40, way south of Kingman, where the Interstate turns again west towards Topock, AZ! From the book, "The Joshua tree is the emblem of the Mohave Desert just as the giant saguaro is the emblem of the Sonoran Desert. As you drive over the mountain, you'll see both saguaros and Joshua trees--the two deserts are overlapping." Just 3 miles up this road, we did see one big Joshua tree. It looked lost by itself on the side of the road! Burro Creek has 100s of saguaros and we saw 100s more driving home until we hit elevation, the climb up to Prescott (saguaros flourish at 2000 ft +/-). After enjoying this area so much, and being so close to home, we will get here again and hope to drive the distance (must install an onboard compressor)! Any of you getting bored of Quartzsite? Check-out Alamo Lake! It's under 2 hours, take I-10E for a short to US-60E to Salome, turn left at Wenden, AZ and straight north to the lake. Elevation there is only 1200' so it should be near as warm as the Q. It appears that campsites are available: Alamo Lake State Park | Arizona (azstateparks.com)

Our Oliver is older, and I believe yours might be too, since you mentioned Blue Sky equipment. I do not recognize the picture @mountainoliver showed, meaning hull 113 does not have such wiring. Hard to say since neither of you have a signature line with hull numbers. I added two pics, the first to see overall location under the streetside bed, and then look at the close-up and you will see the black wire I disconnected hanging loose. Afterwards I just taped it and laid it down below. it's the only black wire without the big yellow fuses (for the stabilizer jacks). First check to read 12VDC on the black at the trailer plug. Then disconnect this wire, test voltage again. You should read an open circuit, meaning zero volts. This will ensure you pulled the right wire.

With your longer hose, you'll need to position the shower head where you want it, I purchased this item, not for dishes, but first for showers: JONKEAN Chrome Handheld Shower Head Holder with 2 Hanger Hooks, Strong Adhesive Shower Head Holder, Adjustable Shower Wand Holder Wall Mount, Bathroom Waterproof Shower Handle Holder No Drill Need - Amazon.com The white plastic shower wand holder slides up and off of a clear flat mount, so when towing or not using it comes off and fits nicely in the shower opening. It's available as a 2-pack, so the second mount can be positioned elsewhere, like attached to camping stations as shown above. I will put my 2nd mount lower to rinse feet, our dog, maybe a large grill pan, though we wash most dishes inside. The second item is a suction cup version which should work well on polished fiberglass: OUO Suction Cup Shower Head Holder Handheld Showerhead Bracket Adjustable Shower Holder, Removable Handheld Showerhead & Wall Mounted Suction Bracket - Amazon.com

I read the second option was coming. If it is now available, and two 300AH units fit in the Oliver battery bay, CERTAINLY purchase your option #2. You have the redundancy mentioned by @mountainoliver AND 600AH OMG, for only $200 more! Spend another $200 on $2000, 10% more and you can likely boondock through a WEEK of RAIN! I'll upgrade to this Epoch solution in 1-2 years. Please continue to post along the way until you are finished. We have the same Blue Sky, since our hulls are of similar vintage. I too hope there is not much additional investment. Thanks, and best wishes, JD

I've been told these are in our Owners Manuals, but mine is a 2016 and I do not see any schematic drawings in the manual for 2016. You have a 2023 and perhaps they would be in the PDF version of your manual online. What I've done is collect drawings other members have posted in this forum, every time I see one! When I copy a drawing of a newer OTT, I'm never sure the systems in my Oliver will be exactly the same, but they help. Hopefully others in the know will chime in.

Excellent rundown, thanks Mike! You did mention previously about needing "a new SeeLevel display and a modified comm cable" but I didn't get it fully until now. With your helpful information, I just bought 4 Ruuvi tags! I went with the eBay listing sited above at $20/ea, $100 total taxed and shipped. Wrote the seller back to say if they were not legit Ruuvi, which he promised, he'd be paying for the return shipping label along with a refund! Elsewhere they're $40 each. I'm thinking one on the rear wall in the basement by the incoming water lines, one in the fridge, one in the cabin on the wall right next to the thermostat (are these thermostats capable of displaying actual temp vs. set temp?) and a 4th extra placement TBD. I now have the Mopeka Pro's on my shopping list for the propane tanks. They have a neat kit that includes 2 sensors and 2 plastic insulating rings for the tanks: Amazon.com : Mopeka Pro Check Universal Bundle - 2 Pro Universal Sensors and 2 Tank Halos - Wireless Propane Tank Gauge Sensor - BBQ and RV Must Have Accessories Monitors Outside Propane Tank Levels in your Camper : Patio, Lawn & Garden Thanks again! I did not know the right direction for temp and tank sensors and learning here these products integrate with the Victron Cerbo GX will future-proof my purchases. For now, I'll download Ruuvi and Mopeka Bluetooth apps to read these sensors.

We entered a campground post but thought we should be in Where's Ollie too! Burro Creek and other Central AZ places to visit! - Campgrounds & Parks - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) One the way home from Burro Creek, our Ollie made a stop in Kirkland, AZ. Had lunch, decent burger and great homemade salad with blue cheese dressing, at the Kirkland Cafe. I Had been there before, about 4 years ago on a motorcycle cruise with our son and Chris really wanted to stop this time for the experience. The place is huge inside, hunting trophies on the walls, a stage and dance floor. First opened in 1923, you can only imagine the grandiose of Arizona when there where copper mines busy everywhere, and much greater population in these backroads areas. Herb and Barbara are the owners, they bought the property in 1991 (the year Chris and I met). It will be our 30th anniversary this year and they will have their 67th this year! Think about this, they married in 1956 when I was 1 year old -OMG! This couple is amazing. Barb served us and cooked our meal. Herb was not in, but I met him last time, and he has the stories. We hung out with and talked to some bikers from the valley and as far as Montana, many beautiful HDs on the lot (should have taken the pic when we got there). They advertise an RV Park too, usually empty, but they'll hook you up, just ask!

Thanks Bill, I will do this soon enough and modify as @Frank C demonstrated: Bathroom Vanity Cubby Modification - Mechanical & Technical Tips - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com)

It does, thanks Rich. Yours is a much newer model, looks like maybe a Truma furnace. Mine was born with Suburban (I think) and was replaced with an Atwood in 2018. I'm thinking the ductwork must be run the same direction. I can remove the kitchen drawers to take a look and likely the issue is under the bathroom vanity. Mine has really cheap flex ducts (see pic), not the black look of yours, that appear more substantial. I upgrade the water pump and the water valves to motorized valves, Next I should run new ductwork wherever possible. Your pics show me the reason why I have so much bangin' plumbing noise, under BOTH sinks. Why the black tape EVERYWHERE! They really could tie stuff down with proper hardware!

LOL, we went big first in a 39' Fleetwood Discoverer Class-A, then a 29' Bigfoot Class-C and now just getting into an older Oliver! It climbs the AZ highways and dirt roads nicely. I'll get use to the small bed with time! 🙂

The check valves are shown in the OTT drawing to be directly inside the hulls at the City and Freshwater inlets. I found them to be along the back wall which can be seen in what I call the Oliver's trunk (see pics, btw a bad place for these lines to be and will freeze more quicky with these large brass valves, a strong conductor will release internal heat more quickly). When you blow out the lines, you are pushing compressed air in the proper direction of the backflow preventer (aka check valve), so no associated issue. There is not another check valve at the water pump. The backflow preventer has several purposes, but in an RV without one the water pump would continue to cycle continuously. The backflow preventer creates a necessary close system to build require pressure in the plumbing system. I have a thread on using compressed air to winterize. I have a thing about using chemicals when working, done 20+ brake jobs w/o Brakleen and the like, even when THEY claim to be environmentally safe, yeah right! We blow our tanks dry and refill several times each winter, since we camp from fall to spring and not during the summer. It's too hot down here! We use and need a good furnace and could care less about the Dometic cooling albatross sitting on the roof! I might remove it one day (fill a 14x14" hole) and mount 2 more solar panels! Glad it was your thread we hijacked! 🤣

Honestly, I did not find the vent until reading this and previous replies! Thank you. When @AlbertNTerri was first to reply and I read the upgrade post from @Minnesota Oli and I was like Oh Man, don't think I'm ready for that extensive upgrade, and we don't live in Minnesota! Good news, I had to go look and hull #113 has a vent there, yes! I would have noticed it during our short trip if it had worked at all. Get up to pee in the night, furnace on, bathroom cold! I've worked inside and outside this trailer for months now, but no work on the bathroom to date, but it looks like that vanity panel is coming off soon. While I'm in there I have to tie down the PEX plumbing or whatever bangs around in there making loud noise when the water is running. I will test it this week, but pretty certain it is disconnected at the outlet of mostly blocked along the path. I will close the one by the beds to divert more air forward. Does any know the full duct path from the furnace to the bathroom vanity?

Agreed and thank you! Living in Arizona, I've taken this chance at times on the back roads. It is only water and out here most of it evaporates in minutes. The sight of a Trooper is also extremely rare out of Phoenix, or off the Interstates. I certainly would not think of this if we still lived in IL, VA, FL or TX! Some of these states the cops are very strict! (not here) I should just wait until we get home. You really need the rear of the trailer downhill to empty it fully (backing into our driveway is downhill and it drains into a wash). And yes, the tank has an overflow to breath the tank. I do open the faucets to start emptying the lines and then blow them out afterwards.

Thanks again @mossemi! The only question I still have is how did you integrate your tank level data to the Cerbo GX? Did you use Mopeka or Ruuvi sensors (if so, how are they mounted)? Werw you able to tap into the OTT tank level wiring or panel? Or another method?

This is our emergency water!

This is great information thank-you! I did not know of any of these brand name sensors, except for other SeeLevel products. More interested in Mopeka and Ruuvi. Were you able to get Mopeka sensors under your fresh, gray and black tanks? That would seem a challenge! Or do they work side mounted? I see they have LP tank sensors too which would be a nice future addition. On the Ruuvi sensors, I found 3 types. This one on eBay is half price compared to other sources. I emailed this seller asking about legitimacy, and they replied first thing this morning; "These are the real Ruuvis!" This one is white and round and other models are gray and look to have mounting holes. Please comment, thanks again. Ruuvi Bluetooth Sensor 4 in 1 Temperature, Humidity, Air Pressure and Motion | eBay

Some associates enforce company policy, and some have a better understanding of Total Customer Satisfaction!

When we returned from having lunch in Wikieup (posted above), we just wanted to hike nearby the campground to get down to the creek at a couple of points. The first two pics were taken hiking towards the bridge and then down to the creek. The last one was taken from the bridge on the campground road.

The first night the sun truly lit up the Burro Creek Bridge (Burro Creek Bridge spans farther than most in the Southwest - AZ Wonders). Picture taken is zoomed in from our campsite #6. The next morning you can see the moisture of the creek swirl out of the canyon to form paisley shape clouds surrounding us (sorry no pics of this). The day became cloudy, partially clearing later leading to a most spectacular sunset!

Thanks @AlbertNTerri I found it and thank you @Minnesota Oli. Wow what an extensive upgrade, very well done! Yep, the only way to the bathroom is the long way around. And yes, our hull #113 is from 2016 and unless I overlooked one, I only see two curbside ducts in the back half of the cabin. If we lived in Minnesota, first I'd move to Arizona (we lived our first 45 years in Northern IL) but kidding aside, this extensive mod would be necessary up north. Great ideas here. Love the new furnace plate with the added 2" outlet and I had no idea they made 2" duct hose. Food for thought and yes will always share mods. Thanks again!

In the 6 months since we've been Oliver Owners, we've only had the chance to get out twice (mostly work, home, family, maintenance and mods, on the TV too)! We did a summer trip in July and finally got out last week for a few days. Heading out again in two weeks and have a longer trip planned for April. This was the first use of the OTT furnace, besides testing it. Are there really only two hot air ducts? Why is only the back half of the Oliver heated? Am I missing a heater duct somewhere in the bathroom? Under the dinette would be nice. I always have trouble with the (lack of common) sense of most "Design Engineers." The closet gets cold too! We left both bath and closet doors open overnight but it didn't help much. I entered this post under mods, since I'm going to be doing something about this! Not sure what as yet (add a ventless LP heater in the bath?). Why flex ducting, when proper rigid ducting could easily be used? Shoot, the tanks are likely warmer than the occupants and we don't want strong heat in our faces when sleeping. This very small cabin should be warm throughout. And we live in AZ! How do you winter camp in WA state or Montana, or anywhere in the Midwest or Northeast? Sheesh! Please advise, thanks.

Was Texans for near 10 years (2006-14) if that counts! Best state in the union for business, earn a good living, putting your children through school, high school and college sports, cost of living and many more reasons! Ran the TX to AZ roundtrip dozens of times! Our son's middle school tennis coach taught us a term we still use today. She'd say, "All y'alls" gather round, and we couldn't wait to hear what's next! Where but in Texas do middle schools have tennis teams? Yes, football of course. Our son played 1-2 tennis tournaments monthly in just about every city in Texas, from Abilene to Houston, Wichita Falls to Laredo and everywhere in between! He later played for a division 3 Texas university. We just loved traveling everywhere in Texas, our fondest memories. Welcome to the club and enjoy your new Oliver!

I open our fresh tank drain valve (and faucets to breath), on some back road, every time we're driving home from a trip. New freshwater next time out.