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Everything posted by jd1923
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Furrion Chill Cube β Product Review and Installation
jd1923 replied to jd1923's topic in Ollie Modifications
That would be a great combo, the best of both for sure! IMHO, either is better than an A/C unit that has the standard ON/OFF compressor. Why do these units take 3 minutes to kick in the compressor, BTW. The 9.5K Btu does not bother me and I've learned to ignore marketing hype, Marketing the second oldest profession! π€£ I always thought that's all you need in the small cubic ft space of the Oliver, well insulated, with hard fiberglass walls keeping the cool inside. Regardless of Btu, it appears this unit pushes more cool air than most. I'm going to love the low settings and power reduction Gear settings. We don't camp in Yuma, nor Tampa or Houston in the Summer heat! I'm hoping to rarely exist in campgrounds! Yes, your rationale for quiet is true, but also it's about the huge internal fan operating at much lower speed. A fan turning faster will of course produce more noise. You can hear the difference in the Morton's video. May the Dometic Penguin II rest in peace forever! π -
Furrion Chill Cube β Product Review and Installation
jd1923 replied to jd1923's topic in Ollie Modifications
We watched the Morton's video again (with Chris) and she said "buy one!" So I did. I have not seen a review that does not report this is the most efficient and quietest RV A/C unit in the marketplace! I will install ours this weekend and hope to get a chance to test it some in Quartzsite! π The standing height and no heat pump doesn't bother me at all. I think it has a cool shape and should look cute up on our Oliver! After reading what @CRM had to do with his Turbro, the fact that it's not very quiet, and what Turbro Support put me through, my broken unit will be sold for parts or junked. Lost my patience with it, where normally I would be first to repair it to save $$$. Here's another positive review and he's testing the Ducted unit. The Non-Ducted model is even more quiet and efficient. Can't wait! -
Hope so, not always, but much more often since Chris and I have lived life together! π Of course, very little rain down here, but my HD 3000 PSI pressure washer likely creates more direct pressure than most thunderstorms. I donβt wash the Oliver often, but more than 6 times Iβve pressure washed it and every time I hit the windows at a few angles and observed each weep hole draining and flushed clean. Never a drop of water inside! First two times, I asked Chris to watch inside, but stopped doing that. Iβve replaced the outer rubbers and all tracks are good and supple (considering our heat and always parked outdoors). They work as designed. Iβve got to think if your windows leak, you have a defect of some kind. It could be from manufacturing or installation. Maybe for some, cleaning was ignored for a period of time and the path to the weep hole exit is blocked. Perhaps some have damaged interior tracks or seals in their cleaning process. Who knows, but if it was my issue, Iβd be working to correct it, not mask it or tip-toe around the issue.
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What is Towing "Level" and Does It Matter?
jd1923 replied to Sam Heumann's topic in Towing an Oliver
Welcome Sam! Please add a signature, when you have the time, and we all would love more of your input on our great OTT Forum. I went through similar thoughts when we started towing our Oliver a couple years ago. Our tow vehicle is borderline on requiring the WDH, but the user manual does state to us one when hitch weight is >500 LBS or trailer >5000 LBS. I believe set the Bulldog at the height OTT recommends as Ron stated above. When I hitch the Oliver, the rear of our truck drops 2". Checkout my pics. First is hitched and second is adding the Andersen WDH tightened correctly. You can see in the second pic a good level front bumper of TV to rear bumper of TT! But yes, the WDH does add lots of stress at the ball for sure and likely elsewhere. In two years, 135 overnights and 15K+ miles, I've only felt comfortable with WDH attached. Without it the under-sprung Oliver will waddle through intersections and porpoise over bumps and dip. Until... Recently, I upgraded adding Alcan Leaf Springs rated at 2750 LBS each vs. the OEM 1700. The difference is night and day. I haven't beefed up the TV rear suspension at all, it's just that now the trailer suspension is handing the trailer and not moving the TV all over the road, like the tail waggin' the dog! π€£ Our Andersen WDH is now in storage, until somebody wants to buy one. Better springs will likely give you what you want. It's not whether your hitch is up or down an inch or tension +/- on the Andersen. The other thing is ALL Oliver Owners should purchase is the LevelMatePRO (get the PRO model which can be wired directly, no battery changes needed). Find the most level place you can park, set the 3 stabilizer jacks and get as level as possible (us a sight level in many places like you've down). Then you go through calibration steps on the app. I wired my PRO model out-of-sight, under the rear dinette seat where 12VDC is easily available. We use it every time we're parking the Oliver. I turn the app on from the driver's seat to get the best possible spot. Then Chris get's out and places the Andersen Rapid Jacks under the correct side (when needed). I roll up, set the parking brake, and we're done! π -
Slow Fresh Water Drain; Dewinterizing
jd1923 replied to Gliddenwoods's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
We set our furnace at the 40F min on our thermostat. Yes, this uses some LP but the furnace is in proximity to most of the plumbing. I would worry more with any kind of space heater, and weβre all about NOT moving beds! But I donβt do it because I think my compressed air winterizing isnβt 100%. I do it since barely a week goes by where Iβm not in the Oliver for something and donβt want the interior sub-zero! At 5400 ft elevation, we get a lot more overnights in the teens than in Texas or other SW locales. -
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Slow Fresh Water Drain; Dewinterizing
jd1923 replied to Gliddenwoods's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I blow ALL the lines, but many here are concerned with this practice since it is not OTT recommend (they used to and then legal got in the way of practicality)! To me it takes me 10 min (half the time) when we get home from a trip and not draining or fussing to get ready again. I use compressed air in my garage every day, so it's right there and ready. To clear the Fresh Tank inlet is a straight run from hull to tank, so there should not be (false) concerns of damage to the water pump or anything else. See this procedure which I wrote up a couple years ago. BTW, step #13 was suggested and I added it but I don't believe it's necessary and have never done this step. I've never used RV antifreeze in three RVs we're owned. -
https://www.pellandent.com/Half-Inch-Glass-Vinyl-Seal
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Slow Fresh Water Drain; Dewinterizing
jd1923 replied to Gliddenwoods's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I donβt use antifreeze, only compressed air (OTT does not recommend this). With antifreeze, yes use it in your plumbing since that will empty sooner or later into your gray tank. But do not pump antifreeze into your Fresh Tank! The tank is very slow to empty and difficult to rinse clean. Just blow compressed air to empty the fill line and drain the tank. Two seconds of air while you're waiting 30 min on the tank. No worries next season, just fill 'er up and go! π -
Hub Caps coming off
jd1923 replied to Mark Meadows's topic in How to Join and Use Oliver Travel Trailer Forums
There are a lot of us towing without the center caps for this reason, starting with @John E Davies who suggested it many years ago. I wish they made flatter centers for Nev-R Lube axles. The standard centers stick out 4 1/2" made deep for the old-style conical bearings. I believe they detract from the look of most mag wheels. I just added these emblems to dress ours up a little! I won't have to read "Nev-R Lube" anymore. Just search for "70mm emblems" and there are hundreds to chose from. -
I canβt see with windows locked shut how anything can get damaged. Should a violent thunderstorm damage our window tracks too? And I donβt get why weβve never had a drop of water leak to the interior and many of you have leaks, mildew, etc. No idea how you know your weep holes are clean, open and functional without running water! Can the βcleaningβ process be creating the problem? Definitely replace the exterior rubber if it has shrunk at all. $100 in rubber, I replaced all with black stock first year of ownership.
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Pebble Flow trailer and Rivian in the wild
jd1923 replied to taylor.coyote's topic in General Discussion
Yes, that would be me and about 99% of truck owners! We purchased an older, used Oliver at half the price of a new one, and an older truck for the sole purpose as the tow vehicle. Iβve made MANY upgrades to both vehicles and total money invested would just pay for an averagely optioned new GM EV truck! Then there would be near another $10K in AZ sales tax. I understand the power/torque EVs have and other benefits. If I was a young man, Iβd buy one for daily use. I'm not sold on practicality as a tow vehicle, especially in the West where 200 miles towing is just the first half day on the road. In a similar vein, I would LOVE an electric dirt bike (not an e-bike). Seen the Varg bike, for example. Way faster than my Honda! Ride mountain roads in pure silence, Wow, it would be great! Bought my Honda in 2003, completely rebuilt it 5 years ago, new tires, HD Springs, hand guards and other accessories. It does all I need, paid for years ago and itβs a great ride, perfect for me. That $15K Varg would be cool though. π€£ -
I found the OEM springs to be under-sprung, too soft for the near 7K top-heavy load of the Oliver. Mine used to waddle left and right and porpoise up and down at the hitch. I needed the WDH to keep the Oliver in control when towing. With our suspension upgrade, both D52 axles and HD Alcan leaf springs, the Oliver is towing straight and even, no more waddling, no porpoising. The tow vehicle suspension no longer has to compensate for the weaker trailer suspension. So cool. π
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We don't use e-bikes (hoping somebody else would comment). If you have the fat-tire kind you'd be good to get around town. Lot's of dirt, sand and gravel and a paved service road from Dome Rock to town. I would think it would be easier to get around vs. parking a truck at the big tent.
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Chris, most of us went with the 5-leaf version. I'm VERY happy with them! The HD springs create a much better towing experience where the WDH is not longer needed for me.
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Yep, or each time we get home. To wash the Oliver, I use a car soap foam-sprayer and first I get the entire Oliver soaked in soap suds. Then I mount the pressure washer gun and clean the entire body. I hit the windows with the pressurized water and you can see the dirt coming out of the weep holes. When you see clean water coming through you're done. I've asked Chris to go inside to see if anything gets wet inside, but it never does. She'll clean the interior window tracks as needed with a damp dust rag. I use a battery-powered leaf blower to get most of the water off the Oliver, preferring not to rub/towel dry. Hit the windows with air too. Now that we're ceramic-coated she cleans up nicely and quickly!
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Toilet leaks water from the little holes around the rim
jd1923 replied to Steve Gorman's topic in Introduce Yourself
I'm reading this like it's slowly filling on its own, without the foot pedal valve being actuated, when pressurized by City Water. Extreme calcification is likely the cause and what Bill @topgun2 mentioned, some kind of vinegar decalcification process is necessary throughout your plumbing system, and also clean the filter at the water pump, soak all faucet aerators in CLR, etc. But at this point, you have your toilet fill valve crusted up enough so it will not fully seal. Looking at the picture it's hard to know if it is a serviceable unit. If not you will need to replace it with something like this: https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Dometic/DOM93FR.html Your first step is to get off City Water. Fill your fresh tank and use your water pump. This way when the pump is OFF it will not fill the toilet bowl! This would get you home or give you time for the repair. Then when you can, remove the foot pedal and the valve. See if it can be disassembled for cleaning or read the part number for correct replacement. -
Installing Pioneer Inverter AC
jd1923 replied to Treasure Coast Vault's topic in Ollie Modifications
Maybe a parent company? Not sure. The Pioneer and Turbro Greenland are same (or similar) Inverter A/C models. The Gree Eco-Cool, the Tosot and what was the Atmos are all the same (or similar) models, with standard on/off compressors not variable-speed inverter compressors. These are very quiet dual-fan models. -
Pebble Flow trailer and Rivian in the wild
jd1923 replied to taylor.coyote's topic in General Discussion
Sold our Bigfoot Class-C for an Oliver! Their trailers are very popular, especially in Canada. I was on their forum for 3 years, added inverter/solar and other mods to our BF. The one and ONLY reason to own a Ram is to tow behind a Cummins! Hemi 1500 not. π Our range is 500+ miles, 400 fully loaded, towing on mountain roads, based on using 30 of a 35 gal tank. Take 50A charge from campsite for free? Not cool. We camp 2 of 3 nights without hookups. Agree with @taylor.coyote re range anxiety. Finally with 900 Ah LiFePO4 house batteries we have no SOC anxiety! Fill up the TV tank, have two 30+ gal water tanks full, waste tanks empty, no worries for 7-10 days in the wild! π -
Final touches on the battery door to seal the vent openings and insulate the door... I put a bead of clear silicone around each hole. Then pushed in the 1" rubber disc into place (pic1). The silicone oozed through the perforated openings as I wiped off the excess with many small pieces of paper towels. Final step was to clean the silicone from the outside with paper towels soak in rubbing alcohol. Then I used some bubble insulation that came in a recent shipment. The lines you see are carpet tape to hold it in place (pic2). The insulation is only 1/4" thick and now the door is nicely tight when locked.
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If I had a hole in my tire as big as the LARGE size, I'd buy a new tire! They are also not long enough for the heavy tread of LT tires (the large size is only 1/2" deep). I'm not going to try them. I like the simple rubber ones that have been around since the good ol' days. With them, you push them in so there's material inside of the tire which creates the seal with air pressure. These may creep out, nothing but adhesive keeping them in. Just an anal engineer's take. π
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Here's a picture of our hull showing the gray tank waste valve, joining the main waste drain, coming from the right from the black tank. For reference, look top-center of picture to see the carriage bolts of the streetside stabilizer jack. The gray tank will only fully drain when the curbside is positive in height wrt to the streetside. After 2 1/2 years, I have a few thousand Oliver pics showing every before and after picture in doing my restoration work. This one was taken after replacing three (3) Oliver waste valves. π
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Furrion Chill Cube β Product Review and Installation
jd1923 replied to jd1923's topic in Ollie Modifications
Geoff, if anybody could do it... It would be you or me or perhaps another one of our highly capable OTT Forum compatriots! π I've never looked seriously at 12VDC A/C products, thinking they are designed for the Van-Life sorts, but who knows... I truly like this special Furrion model and I could spend money refunded to... π Happy New Year to you and your family. I would relish the day where we could camp, our families together! JD
