jd1923

So, I had the one overnight mentioned above, where the Chill Cube made the cabin much colder than the set temp. This was a one-off, not experienced again. I had it on AUTO MODE and AUTO FAN that time. I noticed it switched itself to DRY MODE during the night. We were in the desert valley at 20% RH outside and a very comfortable 40% RH inside. When we got home, I ran the Chill Cube 24x7 for 8 days and nights unplugged, on batteries/inverter only! This time I set to COOL MODE, fan in AUTO MODE. The cabin started at 90F and it was 88F outside. I set temp on the Chill Cube at 76F and the Chill Cube kept the cabin at 76F daily for most of the week, got down to 74 on day 7 and 72 on day 8, as ambient temps got lower. I ended the test after 8 days, since it got cold again up here again (highs low 70s, lows high 40s). We're having a wonderful long spring in the AZ High Country! In the first 24 hour period, we used 60 Ah. This would be -10% SOC only for those of you with 600 Ah. Day two was about the same. Ambient temps lowered a little and on Day 3 we ONLY used net -15 Ah! These numbers include the 320W rooftop solar adding about 12 Ah every sunny hour of the day. The next few days were the same, only using about -2% SOC per day. I believe the Chill Cube will get colder than set temp ONLY when A/C is not really needed, like overnight in the desert where it gets cool outside. Next time when sleeping on a cooler night I should just turn it off. Our lovely spring temps will end soon. I'll run a similar test in 60-90 days when it gets very hot even at high elevation. Last 3 summers, I had the Oliver plugged in with the Dometic P2 set at 80F. It would run nonstop during afternoons with near 100F highs. Without A/C the Oliver could get to over 110F sitting in the sun outdoors, not good. We could hear the LOUD P2 from our deck 100 ft away. Last week while the Chill Cube was running, I thought once Chris had turned it off. I was outside walking around and behind the Oliver and I could not hear the A/C running at all! When I entered the cabin, I could hear the Chill Cube on its very lowest fan setting. In Auto FAN it will run slower than the LOW FAN setting, very low and quiet! 😎

Camping (Boondocking) northern Minnesota? Check out Kenny! https://youtube.com/@kennyofalltrades?si=6CfmBy2YHWxDcnbk

Take the Oliver with you! https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/route.shtml https://www.alaskaferry.com/FerrySchedules/ShippingVehiclesToFromAlaska

Thanks again, Bill. I would use glue or VHB tape and cover (hide) the existing screw holes. Also with 1/8" stock, add something like Geoff suggested. Maybe use aluminum stock vs. "wood cleats" for better strength and durability. Drill mounting holes through both after everything is glued in place. This way your mounting screws can grab the cover sheet and the metal behind.

As you know, the junction box sits on top of the HWH a couple inches below the fiberglass bed platform. Not like water can spill UP there, but it could be from humidity over time in the basement. Our Oliver has spent life in dry climates, but not that Boerne TX is a particularly humid location. I'd like to see a third picture, from someone who lives somewhere humid. And yes, it's quite a contrast.

Bill, thank you for making me feel better! Now I'm happy ours is still fully working after all these years. I just remounted the bezel and speaker while listening to a CD that with the volume up sounded pretty good. You and I are both going to need that 3D printer! 🤣 Geoff, what does it take to program a detailed shape? I say this because the DV1200 is mounted by the 4 outer screws into the Oliver fiberglass. When you go to a smaller box there will be nothing to screw into. Good that the new units are likely half the weight. Maybe a plastic sheet thick enough to screw into and support the weight and/or a bracket or base the radio can sit on. Not so simple. Should the sheet be black or white?

That would be an easily accessible location. Another idea, a less conspicuous spot, might be around the corner on the wall near the TP holder.

You may need one of these. I’ve found many steel parts in spots I couldn’t even see! https://a.co/d/0dLcMRie

One post was re our hull. I got very lucky finding a local independent, referred by my auto body guy, who is quite meticulous himself. My price was considerably lower, but it's not just about price. Having good responsible local resources is best when available. Now I have a local go-to guy, making it easy whenever our Ollie needs a sprucing up! But we're rather far from the great state of Maine! Though I believe @ripple963 has the right idea in asking. Keep looking! Finding a local company was on my mind for two years as she got more and more pasty white! If not in Maine, maybe you'll find a great company in nearby New Hampshire! 😎 That great state of Tennessee is too far for most of us!

So, I had this on my to-do list since Mike started this thread... What a difference in two hulls of the same era. Maybe the junction box on hull #135 took some water at some point. You can certainly see corrosion in Mike's pictures. Or maybe Mike got the bad installer on this one, right after the guy messed up something else on hull #113! Inside our junction box it's just perfect, clean as can be, everything tight! I didn't touch a thing, just replaced the cover, and for me this is not an annual inspection item.

Geoff, thank you for addressing the speakers too. It's nice OTT is installing white-clad speakers in newer hulls. It's odd that advertised 6.5-in speakers are closer to 5.25". Maybe the outer dia of the grille is 6.5". On ours the circle for mounting screws is 5.4" dia and ours came with Jensen speakers. They're quite heavy and solid and to my ear still in good working condition after 10 years. Only OTT has the uncanny ability to drill holes and then drill more holes! I could insert a half dozen pics showing drill-happy installs!🤣 Shame we must do extra work to account for lazy work. You fabricated a very nice trim plate to cover it up! 😎 WARNING! If you have an older hull like ours, the IRV62 may not work for you! The cut-out on ours is 9 1/4" wide and 6" tall. The picture on the IRV62 Amazon listing shows the face is 8 1/4" x 4 3/8". Given this the IRV62 would fall right into the massive opening cut in our hull. No wonder ours is so ugly, it's BLACK and 11" x 7" HUGE! (picture shown w/o outer bezel) Yesterday I was working in the Oliver, fixing a couple of drawers, replacing the Blum undermount drawer slide on one and new orange latching ends on another. Because of your post, I thought to fire up the Furrion, listen to a local FM station while working. Yes, I needed the flashlight on my phone and it took me 5 minutes to figure out the interface! When we travel, Chris is usually the one to operate the Furrion stereo. She will pair it to her phone, or sometimes at dinner she will play a travel CD she burned for our trip. Kudos to her for learning to operate this crazy box. Your IRV62 looks much better and you can just look at the front panel picture to see the simple buttons make sense, are intuitive. If they only made one in white or gray! When searching online for wall mount RV radios, you'll find nothing but BLACK! I did find a Jensen model that would fit the larger opening cut into our hull. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082VXFC7W/ In our 3-zone system, Zone A are the front speakers, Zone B for the rears and Zone C is not wired to anything. Yep, for the 4-speaker Oliver configuration two zones is all you need. It would be nice if Zone C was wired to two exterior speakers. But, the Oliver really needs a special zone! One that when eating dinner the speaker over my head is not powered on! Just bad placement. I would rather they had mounted both left and right front speakers above the closet. And sound from the rear speakers pointing down is lost in the bedding. Speakers left and right of the attic door would certainly produce better sound. The radio outer bezel popped off easily with a plastic pull tool. Then 4 screws and the entire radio pulls out. I also removed a speaker grill. Maybe paint would lighten up the look some. Though I'm cautious when it comes to paint. It goes on easy but you're stuck when not satisfied with the result! Much ado about nothing here, at least for me and for now, as I will likely leave well enough alone. 😒 I learned a bit though. Thanks again Geoff, and enjoy your new IVR62!

This must mean your ducting is detached from the furnace somewhere, or you have a large hole in the ducting. It's a pain when traveling, but you'll need to get under the curbside bed again to fully diagnose and correct. Most of these furnaces have forced air coming out fore and aft of the furnace. Check there first and then follow the ducting forward. If you can't see it quickly, run the furnace while you have the basement open and you should feel a lot of hot air blowing somewhere! We'll be thinking of you, as you head north and it gets hotter and hotter in Arizona. Have a great trip! 😎

Yeah, you noticed in my picture that I stacked an 8" Anderson block plus five 1" blocks for 13" total height. You want the height in the blocks so the jack only extends a few inches. These Barker jacks will extend 18" but I only want about half the length showing.

Do you believe this to be a measure of correctness? I wish OTT always installed accessories correctly in our hull, but their installers made several mistakes. When I first read "button toward the front" I also thought of the power button. But they show a sketch pointing at the release trigger with the wording, "position toward front of coach." If someone posts a different orientation, regardless of it being "installed at the factory" it would still be wrong. I thought the same thing for about 50 ms when I had the new flat fan sitting on the curved Oliver roof. Then I realized, one good rainstorm while highway towing and the butyl would blow out of the large front gap and you'd have rainwater all in the bathroom. Butyl works best for sealing thin gaps. You could 3D-print gaskets with a tall front and rear, if you have that capability. I wrote gaskets plural since the fan must be concave on the outside and convex inside. The plastic frame will curve in place, tightening it little-by-little patiently. I took the day to work ours slowly. A hot sunny day helps to soften the plastic.

By Pony Express do you mean Amazon? Are you sure it is a Dometic brand part. I'm with you in wanting to hear the 'click' like the original part. If not Dometic brand, time for another Amazon return and get the part from eTrailer, Camping World or some legit RV store. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Dometic/DOM93FR.html A lot of hose clamps these days have 7mm screw heads.

Yep, that's what I did, per the instructions. It makes sense the button is forward, so that it clasps the fan up front where it takes wind when towing. Once you get to installation, the curved shape of the Oliver hulls makes it difficult! All exhaust fans are designed to be flush on a flat roof and ceiling. Torque down the screws gently, little-by-little, taking your time so the plastic frame will curve. Too bad Oliver doesn't have a small flat area for this fan in the design of their hull molds.

Two things I don't want. The Oliver bathroom is the most comfortable bathroom we've had in an RV. One exception: I wish the sink/vanity top came out further so that I could actually get my face over the sink (on my mod list). Sitting on the can is truly roomy! Our first RV was a Fleetwood Discovery Class-A. I had to have my right leg out in the hallway to take care of business. OMG, on a WIDE 39-ft Class A! 🤣 Now that we're comfortable in a 7-ft wide trailer, without slides, I would never again want to tow an 8-ft box. That's what this new entry is, just an 8-ft BOX. Sorry, I've towed too many. They take wind and they're awkward in lane changes and on backroads. You feel every semi-truck passing and need towing mirrors on the TV. Bottom-line, one will not replace our Oliver! I tow the Oliver like I'm not towing! IMO, one thing OTT could-a/should-a done from the start was to make the hull only a few inches longer, to allow room for two 80x30" mattresses without the radiused rear corners! For me at 6'2" this would add significant comfort in a minor change. They guy that sold us our Oliver is 6'5" go figure!

Can't live without them along with the LevelMatePRO! I always smile and snicker when I see the 5th-wheel and camper guys with their manual jacks, large 1/2" impacts in hand. 🤣

Tom, you are absolutely correct! 😎 Changing a tire or working any suspension maintenance like in this maintenance thread, only "the belt" is needed, no suspenders necessary! 🤣 I would wager the floor jack I purchased used 40 years ago is much more capable than what most of you use at home (see pic below). When friends come into my garage, a first comment usually is, "Wow, where did you get that?!" It was already decades old at the time, nicely rebuilt at a hydraulic service shop in Chicago. It's an 8-ton floor jack with a 6 ft reach, a pump handle that comes up to your chest with a release lever at that height. It also has a kick pump that's so cool, it gets you started or by itself can lift a lighter car with ease. 10 auto restoration projects, 40 brake jobs and more! This beast has always been appreciated. But I'm still using the Oliver lift jacks alone for everything Oliver. Tom mentioned the one exception which is axle replacement. Our Oliver hull was lifted by the stabilizer jacks. I used the floor jack to lift the axles and you can see a bottle jack that I needed once to get a stubborn leaf aligned to the shackle opening. Tools are a man's best friend, when the right tool is chosen for the task at hand. I have this bottle jack and a single jack stand in the TV toolbox, along with enough tools to do most emergency repairs to the TV on the road. Haven't needed them thank goodness, working a lot of preventive maintenance when home and being lucky! Like my belts to keep my jeans in place, never wore suspenders!"

Actually, the angle to which I took the photo just makes it look level. Not much level ground up here, including our driveway! The wet-bolts were very difficult to line up when mounting the leaf springs due to the sloped driveway. There is NO WAY I would have used other jacks and jack stands (even if it was level ground). But with our driveway sloping down back to front and right to left, with wind always coming over our ridge, the built-in jack stands are the only safe way to lift the hull. Trust these jacks, rated to 3,000 LBS each, bolted to the frame (given OTT did not forget to finish the weld as was found in our hull). These jacks and their mounts can be inspected in the basement. The ONLY reason OTT does not advise using the built-in jacks is liability indemnification (since there is no science behind their change in procedure through the years). If the Oliver Owner get's in an accident using aftermarket equipment, OTT cannot be liable. Q: What's best for you? A: Using the built-in jacks. Q: What's best for OTT? A: When customers create product damage or bodily harm it's not created by their product, or anything they installed. Use a 3rd-party jack stand on the "Jack Point" and your hull comes crashing down to the ground, causing damage to the hull? OTT can claim no liability, but operator error. On older hulls the “jack points” as shown are the jacks! The hulls and jacks haven't changed, just the legal position has changed. From the 2016 manual below (two screen-prints). It's the proper way to change a tire, or lift the wheels for any maintenance task! 😎

Agreed, and sorry. I meant when changing from rubber to steel stems. When you are included in a safety recall, that's different. Find another shop at a decent price.

The best jack, the quickest and safest jack, is our built-in Barker VIP 3000. 😎 When upgrading axles, I would not support the hull in any other way. I'm not using jacks on wheels or bottle jacks on a trailer that can move. I added a jack stand underneath before I got under it. If the jacks can do this, they can be used for any maintenance. I had it sitting like this for 4 days by the time I got the old parts out and new axles and leaf springs installed.

For sure! Best to install new valve stems with new tires! That way your not paying for mount & balance twice, just parts cost. I’d leave them alone for now but get the Colby stems Ken showed above in case of failure during travels. They are now in my toolbox and I have steel stems on truck and trailer. Hope I don’t need them, but any kind of stem can fail. It’s good insurance! 😎

On our OEM suspension, with the weak 1750 LB Dexter springs, the axles would droop, so such devices would not work. So, why carry one? Just use the Oliver stabilizer jacks to change tires and for other service! 😎

Yeah, we run our inverter 24x7x365 but it is nice when all the lighting is low-amp running on 12VDC. 😎