jd1923

We're home now but I ran ours overnight just to see. I only put a gallon of water in the bottom, and nothing in the freezer. I placed two RUUVi sensors, one in a basket in the freezer and another on the center shelf in the fridge. They read 12 and 47 F the next morning. Maybe this is common with RV fridges, and most people do not notice. Though my test was not valid without food and running longer. We traveled 3 weeks Apr-May, and it got water bottles pretty cold during the day while we were out and certainly cold when left overnight. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will measure temps next time out. Given you're still traveling and need a quick fix... Not being familiar with the Isotherm, does it have a small freezer in the top of the fridge like most models? What if you remove the freezer compartment door? And maybe the door shelf in front of it. The cool would sink to the bottom and the warmth from below would rise and perhaps signal the thermostat to keep the compressor running longer. You would lose a freezer but perhaps get a colder fridge. It might be worth a try, and you could always reinstall the parts later.

Got everything done today on the air fryer installation. I put quarter-round along the base and 3M 3350 to seal all the edges and seams. Found a decent piece of angle aluminum as a trim piece to make the bottom opening look better and remounted the faceplate.

If you look at my photo above, the wiring looks like automotive grade 14 AWG, though I have not measured it to be certain. 14 AWG wire has ampacity of 15A (16 AWG is 10A). 65W / 12 = 5.4A Given @rideadeuce has installed his and of course he has the Victron app, he could check amps before, then plug in an iPad and check the negative change in amps to verify actual usage numbers vs. theorical. I believe you'd be OK, but if 'twas me, I would upgrade the dinette area to the 65W and run new dedicated wiring to a dedicated fuse, since the fuse box is <2 FT away. Ampacity and voltage drop over cable length. The run to the overhead streetside bed is a long run and who knows if OTT has these outlets shared with anything else on the same run (wiring and fuse). There I would install the lesser wattage model for phones (20W) like the one I linked above, to be safer. We normally charge our laptops at the dinette anyway or via the 110V outlet at the nightstand and we charge our phones over the bed to be handy, so this arrangement works well for our usage.

Many of us read most of the new posts anyway, but to signal another member you can quote them or put the @ symbol in front of their forum name like @CnJTravel and members will see a notification when they login or they may have activated alerts. You should see two notifications since I quoted you and referred to your name. Also, read this section to add a signature and other housekeeping: How to Join and Use Oliver Travel Trailer Forums - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) Of course, cushion replacement is not for you, but I wanted others to know of it. I believe we will buy those, just before we set out on Fall travel. Replacing all the cushions in the standard layout is a lot. We have already replaced our beds. The automotive cleaners are a form of dry cleaning. It is a lot of work for all the surface area you have, and it may not be thorough, may leave an odor. I would strongly suggest you talk to local carpet cleaning companies. Some would refuse this kind of work, but some do upholstery cleaning. Ask re that. You want the company that has the van-based system where the hot water is pushed into the fabric as is it vacuumed out. They'll have the small upholstery head for cleaning and first will spray with an appropriate cleaning solution that you could discuss. Depending on your location, if humid you will have to bring the cushions into an air-conditioned space for 1-2 days to allow them to fully dry. That's what I would do.

Thank you @Allen Lee Rohner, and wow what a trip! One day sooner and we would have met. Hope to visit with you at a meet someday. You have a lot of states to fill in on your map now, Arizona, California, and all points in between from Illinois and back!

Never posted in this section of our Forum before, yet after reading the topic it seemed appropriate for this post! After what you will soon learn we enjoyed a breathless day today. In a way it's about our story, how we found Prescott AZ some 30 years ago on weekend side trip, off my regular Motorola business trip to Phoenix, and we had a great weekend! Fast forward 10 years later and our family did a 3-week car trip west to find a new place to live somewhere west, leaving comfortable surroundings of Northern Virginia. We left VA heading to Houston and had Christmas with Chris' daughter. The rest of the family left to San Antonio, the Alamo of course, Sante Fe and Taos NM, other stops and had a New Years HomeAway rental for a week in Flagstaff. Flagstaff was cold, sitting on I-40, a transient town for those to-n-from California and visitors to the Grand Canyon. We did day trips to Sedona of course, Cottonwood and the Verde Valley and it only took one more day in Prescott to know it is the place. Closed on our N VA home in Hamilton VA, June 2005, and moved to Prescott. I thought of living west most of my life. Attending High School in DuPage Co IL and all there was to do was drive west through miles of flat cornfields, with nothing to do, nothing to see. Our friends here and elsewhere come back from trips to Italy or South America and say, you got to go! Others ask, why are you not out on the road more in your RV (or now the Oliver)? When we lived in Chicago, everybody had to leave the city as often as possible. "Escape to Wisconsin" and "Say Yes, Michigan" were the local sayings, meaning "get outta Dodge!" We moved from the city to North Barrington, IL. 50 miles out! I started liking staying home on weekends. Actually LOVED doing yardwork, of all things (though I'm a weedwhacker and not a planter). I felt bad for the people who needed the escape to Wisconsin, as where we then lived, we were halfway there. Hmmm. Why do I want to leave a place as great as Prescott AZ? It is the greatest small city in Arizona, carefully selected over time. It is the ONLY city of any size in Arizona not on an Interstate. Think about that fact!? Literally 50 miles SE to I-17 or 50 miles north to I-40 and I-10 is a whole 110 miles away. You got to want to go to Prescott to drive by here. It's not Phoenix or Tucson, thank goodness and it's not the desert valley, nor the snowy higher elevations. We had an amazing day today. Played pickleball and won 5 out of 6 games. Adam joined the club today and he met many good people. Always do a spa after sports. For 6 years, I've been trying to figure out how to mod a camper with a hot tub. 🤣 Drinks on the deck and we cooked dinner together (I'm in charge of drinks, Adam and Chris are very good cooks). We have GREAT weather up here. I'm going to end with pictures from our night, all from tonight. It was spectacular, most are from our deck, and a few are front of house. Monsoon season started early this year, and we will have another dozen crazy evenings over the next few months! Many of you would pull your Olivers for days, to experience such a camp as we have right here at home. PLEASE COME VISIT as all of you that I know here are certainly always welcome. We have partial hookups too! I promise to pry my older fingers off the weedwhacker and the other tools I love, just long enough to get 45 days away in the Oliver during our upcoming 2024-2025 season. Hope to meet many of you during the October Texas Meet. God Bless y'all on this Sunday.

Curious is good! I would think the fan would cause a few amps and your Blue Sky monitor showed earlier a -2.3A draw. just keep your batteries charged in the meantime. It's great that you are visiting OTT Service, and they are and ALWAYS have been GREAT people! Have them do a full diagnostic and report and be happy to pay for their service. Love to see their report! There is nothing technical keeping you from this appointment. After that do NOT do any upgrades on-the-spot, but only required repairs. The Blue Sky solar charger TODAY, can be replaced with a modern Victron, for pennies on the dollar! Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) - Charge Controllers for Solar Panels - 100V, 30 amp, 12/24-Volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden You do NOT, how many times can I say the word NOT, NOT at all do you want AGM batteries in the day and age of 2024!!! (and do not buy 100AH BB batteries either). I upgraded the batteries my Bigfoot RV back in 2019 to AGM, since yes 5 years ago LiFePO4 were for the rich and famous (obviously that's not us). You can get one (1) 300AH Epoch battery for $1100 today, or 460AH for $1,399 (I suggest this option) and that's likely all you need. We here, Oliver Owners, the great people of this forum can help you with this. I'm planning so many solar/inverter/battery upgrades. And I will tell you, first stay conservative, read and learn, and I or @rideadeuce or @MAX Burner (the DC-to DC expert) and SO MANY OTHERS... will having you lovin' your solar/inverter/battery system ASAP or as soon as you may prefer. I respect your thoughtful posts. God Bless and cannot wait to meet you at an Oliver event. PM me with any questions. Best wishes, JD

This is my thought on the Oliver seat cushions. Our Oliver is 8+ years old and cleaning is not enough as the foam has lost its cushion. We also have the twin beds, so we're only talking the dinette. These are the best and most expensive I found on Amazon and btw Chris' nickname is Red! Amazon.com: RSH DECOR: Deep Seating Cushion with Pillow Back | 24” x 24” Seat | Sunbrella Performance Fabric | Water and Fade-Resistant | Outdoor Chair Cushion Set for Patio Furniture | Canvas Burgundy : Patio, Lawn & Garden

I had a few minutes to check this prior to our Sunday after Church pickleball. No luck on this one. Ever since the SmartShunt addition, I have no real reason to check my Blue Sky Panel. It's dead and needs resetting (power down for 10 min). Problem is with the work I've been doing lately we have two 10" mattresses on that side and they're heavy and I can't move them for a couple days (see pic). I tried holding down most combinations of these buttons and nothing worked. However, I believe you have enough to go on from my last post for troubleshooting.

Chris, a few things seem strange here. Why did you bother cleaning up/changing battery cables when your plan is to replace these soon with LiFePO4 batteries? But either wiring configuration (many are possible) will not create a -2.3A draw. You either have the +/- cables right or wrong. From your schematics it appears you just changed where the main red + cable connects. This is not your issue. How is your Blue Sky panel live with the solar off? I could check mine again later today, but I'm pretty sure when I throw the OFF switch left of the solar controller there are no lights on the charger itself (your picture shows no lights there) and the status panel should be dead too, no live LCD screen and charge status light. I would think the new PD converter/charger should be designed as the old one, in that when there is no shore power it is OFF, completely off. If not, this is a bad design. You can test this by simply removing the battery cables top right of the PD unit. I assume the yellow is the Bat- and the Red is Bat+, so to be safe remove the yellow first. Either way be careful not to arc current here with your tool. Lastly the Blue Sky system has its own shunt (top right in your picture showing the solar controller). This is what gives you the -2.3A reading. We have the same setup, hulls 110 vs. 113. I believe this shunt monitors the solar system, but not every +/- to the batteries due to its location. I have added a full system shunt at the battery ground (which you should do with your LI upgrade). I have not studied this fully, but I could see if my Victron SmartShunt is getting the same amp reading as the Blue Sky panel shows. I stopped looking at the Blue Sky panel since it is at knee height and now I use the Victron App. Buy one of these for your LiFePO4 upgrade: Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartShunt IP65 500 amp Battery Monitor (Bluetooth) : Automotive Another thing to try, is if you have a multimeter with the clamp end, put the clamp around your battery cables, the main cables leaving your battery back, red or black is fine, one will show negative the other positive but the same number. This is your total system draw (not just Blue Sky). This is what the SmartShunt measures since all grounds are after the shunt. When I have everything OFF and it's dark outside, the reading is generally -0.26A which runs the CO monitor and the Xantrex on standby and that's it. I can see if my Blue Sky panel and SmartShunt are showing the same numbers, but by the time I can get out there today it will be after dinnertime for you!

They replace the existing socket. Check under your dinette seat and you can easily see what to do. I have a picture of mine (have not upgraded yet). You only need to pull two spade terminals (blue wire +) and then there is a threaded ring. To get to the one over the bed, you will have to pull the rubber liner in the cabinet. The picture shows the ones in our older hull have screws left and right. The ones Mike shows above do not have these. I may have to patch the screw holes or perhaps there is a trim ring on mine that could just stay. There are many models of these depending on your needs. The one @rideadeuce linked above has a 65W USB-C required for iPads. If you are only charging phones, 65W may be overkill (I do not know if extra wattage can hurt a phone). This one has two 20W USB-C posts and a USB3: Amazon.com: USB C Car Charger Socket – Newest 58W Lengthened RV USB Outlet 12V Socket Dual 20W PD3.0 USB-C and 18W QC3.0 Car USB Port with Button Power Switch for Boat Marine Motorcycle : Cell Phones & Accessories This is a most simple install. A good way to get started and soon you will do more complicated tasks!

Thanks @rideadeuce I did find your build thread. Earlier I thought it was just about the Epoch install. It appears that yours and many other hulls have the Xantrex 2000 in the rear and mine was installed under the dinette. I only have the Blue Sky solar controller back there. If I can fit it up front it will make the wiring easier and shorter vs. new cable to the rear. Anyway, just a long-term plan for now...

Mike, I know you did the Epoch battery upgrade. Did you ever install a Victron MP2? I've been under the dinette rear seat a bit lately. Wasted my time on adding a KISAE ATS since the Victron MP2 has an internal ATS. I just spent an hour or more figuring out this same scenario in my head and came back in the house and searched for the term 'Multiplus' and found your post. We came to the same conclusion, as what you wrote above appears correct to me. You only need L2 for AC circuits you do not want to run off battery. I do not fully understand the L2 output, because if it is a pass-thru why do they mention 40ms? But for the Oliver, with 920AH in batteries and soon you will have an efficient Atmos A/C, you could connect the MP2 L1 output to the entire 120V AC panel, just as the wiring coming from the EMS powers the full panel today (you can see this wiring in the picture). The MP2 is 50A capable and we have a 30A panel and shore power connection. I would imagine with this setup you could run the A/C and microwave at the same time and perhaps more given enough battery SOC. I just measured mine. So, the Xantrex 2000 will come out and the Victron ATS and junction box (not visible), and the KISEA top left in the pic will all be removed. The PD charger can also come out of the panel, and I figured a larger cooling fan could go there and maybe a 3" vent at the top of the dinette seat. With all that removed, the space on mine is 20" wide, 16 1/2" tall and full depth is 11". The MP2 measures 14.3" tall, 10.2" wide and 8.6" deep. There is just enough space to wire it vertically as suggested, with maybe enough room for cabling out of the bottom and no extra room on top (should be 4"). There is ample space to mount it horizontally and with a vent and fan. It would be cool if an external fan can be controlled by the MP2 as it has so many ports, some programmable. For me funding an A/C upgrade, LI batteries and the MP2 will take a while, but I believe it is a great plan to pursue.

Wow pretty, and you already have it nicely outfitted on day 1! 😂

It is very likely your model being less BTUs and a newer perhaps more efficient design. Our Oliver is a 2016 and the Penguin could be a 2015 model, nine years old. Mine started at about 1400W for a few minutes. It also had an easy-start install in 2018 at OTT. When it got to 1800W, 5 min and about 90 outside, I did see an error code a couple times at 12V, and our Xantrex is also older, and it only has the small LCD readout on the inverter, remote is the ON/OFF toggle only. Looking forward reading re your Atmos install and @rideadeuce Mike has a mid-July date for installation at the dealer. We'll also read soon of @Geronimo John adding final touches on his Houghton install. I'm going to wait out the summer re an A/C decision, in fact it could be as late as next spring. Even after installation of an efficient A/C system, we need LiFePO4 to make running on inverter a reality. Wonder if an inverter pulls more amps with LA vs. LI batteries? Maybe that's some of the wattage difference too.

I had thought about your suggestion and thank you. Thought it would be difficult to implement. You'd need a fan and encased wiring to resist temps 400+ degrees, plus the power source. There will be air flow in front and both rear corners. Depending on air movement in the cabin, one side will take over with a chimney effect, pulling from the other sides. That and this insulation designed for ovens and kilns should do it. I need to wrap up a few details and will report back later after a good test. 😂

I was putting off the work of insulating the opening. I had never done such a task or worked with ceramic insulation before. Turns out this material worked well: Amazon.com: CeraTex 3180 Blanket with Aluminum Foil Facing, 8 LB Density, 1/2" x 24" x 60" (5'), 2300°F High Temperature Insulation for Kiln Stove Furnace Glass Fusing Pizza Oven : Arts, Crafts & Sewing After cutting the main section, top and rear in one piece, I used 3M spray adhesive to get it started and it worked better than I had expected. I finished with a power staple gun with 3/8" staples to secure it. I was afraid that the staple gun would pierce the foil layer of the insulation, so at first I used some electrical tape to help and then realized it was unnecessary (red tape at bottom). Then I cut the two side pieces which had a curved rear, following the curve of the Oliver upper shell. I placed these in position and used a Sharpie to mark the vent holes and cut these out with scissors. Glued and stapled the left side and went without glue on the RH side, since the thermostat cable is behind that one and I may need to service that with an A/C upgrade. Really happy in how it turned out, which is often the case after days of contemplation! I have one trim piece to fabricate which will hide the 2x4s below the oven and then remount the bezel from the original microwave, and she's done! Last step and pics tomorrow.

Next step was to drill the vents. I went 1/4" or so down from the ceiling of the opening and as far back as possible. One the left side, you could only go so far back because the entry door area is further in for the flat door frame vs. the other curved walls. Both sides took careful measuring. Used a 2 3/4" hole saw from the inside first for positioning. After making the center mark, I drilled through with a 1/4" drill. This way I could place the hole saw mandrel into the hole and make sure the hole saw was in the best position. I used the vent on the outside, to also see that the larger outside vent surface had adequate room. Here are the results.

First step was to center the Emeril Air fryer. It needed to be raised about 3/4" or more, so I set it on two 2x4s with cutouts, hole drilled to hold the legs. This gave me the lift I need and a way to secure the oven. When I got the mount ready, I merely used some wood glue below and was able to then move the oven a little to get it exactly square. The next day after the glue had set, I added a couple wood screws to secure (the 2x4 in the rear was part of the original microwave installation).

Thanks again @bugeyedriver and @SeaDawg. I cut vents today and got most of the upgrade finished! I went with these which I had already purchased for my heat duct project to vent the closet and basement areas: 3 Inch Vent Cover, Hon&Guan 3 Soffit Vents Exterior Round Soffit Vents with Built-in a Fly Screen for Bathroom Office Home-2PCS - Amazon.com There were metal versions, but I thought metal would conduct heat and maybe scar the external fiberglass.

First time I "quoted" my own post! It took 11 days to get an answer... I sent an inquiry through Epoch's Contact Us page and received no answer. I emailed support@epochbatteries.com with the same question and nothing... Three days later I called their support phone number and got a young guy on the phone. He did not know, but said they had one in the shop, and he could measure. After looking 5 minutes for a tape measure without success, he said he would find one and call me back soon. He never did. The article re LI batteries suggested buying from an American (Las Vegas, NV) reseller for US support. I emailed them today and they replied, same day and corrected their website page same day, the same mistake that Epoch.com has on their page and will likely be there for some time. Here it is now corrected, and it appears the better reseller: 12V 460Ah - Heated & Bluetooth - LiFePO4 Battery - Epoch Essentials ~ Current Connected The Epoch Essentials 12460ES battery is only 8.6" wide (as the User Manual stated, but the web page had width and height numbers reversed). This means two (2) of them can fit side-by-side in the Oliver battery bay with the sliding tray removed (I'm removing mine regardless to lose weight and gain height in the bay to get my arms in there for service). Great deal to get 920AH of LiFePO4 batteries for $2,798 total. The reviewer was correct in suggesting an US-based company to provide good local customer service. For many 460AH is quite enough and at $1,399 is an amazing deal! One of these does fit in the OEM sliding battery tray. Heck with the tray, I want two! Looking for Epoch to offer an additional 15% off like they offered for their Black Friday sale last year (coming soon)!

We coulda paid double for a new one! I’ve been working on ours daily… And she keeps gettin’ betta!

Thanks Mike, for sharing this. I’m buying two on your recommendation. Love the USB-C for fast charging! I always cut the caps off these outlets prior to install, like I already did to the ones in our Oliver that we use. Not enough time in my day to fiddle with these caps unless it’s on a boat or my side-by-side necessary to keep the dirt out!

Thanks Bill. Sometimes when a vinyl floor gets wet or left overly dirty over time, it’s the old glue that can get smelly!

All in all, with 540W solar, Lithionic batteries, and I'll assume a 3000W inverter (?) you have a GREAT solar/battery/inverter system! Just learn how to read state-of-charge (SOC), meaning batteries % full, and plug in your suitcases (occaisonally) when the rooftop solar does not keep SOC high enough for your needs.