jd1923

What I mean is as follows... We run our appliances on battery/inverter just as we would on shore power. I don't even like to hookup when hookups are available, not pulling out cables and hoses unless truly needed. I'll charge batteries, fill fresh water and dump tanks when leaving a campsite, given we are boondocking next. Often, I do not charge at all since as we drive away we average +40 Ah per hour towing with the Victron Orion 50A DC-DC charger! 😎 Our system can handle running our Chill Cube A/C, plus the induction cooktop at the #10 setting, while watching TV with soundbar, and if I wanted to push the system I could boil water with our 1100W tea kettle! Although running ALL of these appliances does add up to 3,000W! The Victron Multiplus II can handle it at default settings. It's rated at 3KVA and can run that in continuous mode. One time, I had our hot water heater running on AC, TV and normal stuff running and forgetting the HWH was heating I turned on the old dog Dometic P2 A/C (TG that beast is gone)! In a few minutes after the Easy Start got done with it's lame on-n-off routine, full power to the compressor, the Victron sounded an alarm! When I checked the app it was providing over 280A (3400W). But it didn't shut down, it just warned us, and it ran at that level for a few minutes. Looking at the amperage numbers, I remembered I had the HWH on electric (vs. propane). I hit the breaker to turn off the HWH and the Victron alarm stopped sounding. We did not lose our TV streaming, not even a hiccup in Internet connection of any other electrical need. Sorry, the Xantrex product will not do this. You can search for keyword 'Xantrex' on this forum to find dozens of posts re Xantrex inverters failing, or at least shutting down, error codes present. Yes, perhaps the default low voltage cutoff is set too high, but that's not all of it. The Victron MP2 also has the PowerAssist mode where if connected to 15A source, it will use that and add inverted battery power to carry higher loads like an inefficient A/C unit. So consider this. When connected to 30A shore power (3600W) the Victron can pass through that power and add another 3000W for 6600W total. Of course nobody would need that or do that, but you could run 3 of the worse A/C systems, like the Dometic P2 on that power. We run our Victron inverter 24x7x360! We run 5 Victron devices in the Oliver (MPPT SC, DC-DC, Shunts, etc.) and two more in the truck which can read from the VictronConnect app. BTW, most of us state battery capacity in Ah units vs KWH. Your batteries are 9KWH (750 Ah)? I thought the max OTT Lithionics installation is 640 Ah. It is standard to use Watts for appliance specs, like the 1800W (150A DC) induction cooktop. I'm always translating into 12VDC Amps since the Victron and Epoch apps show +/- Amps.

Geoff adds some new thinking here and a clever solid approach! Using relays/solenoids for high amp connections is a good approach! We keep our our Oliver outdoors, never winterized, parked often but never "in storage." She's been parked a few weeks now and our batteries with rooftop solar are currently at 99% SOC. Needles to say, parasitic draw is not a concern of ours. I believe that adding a cut-off switch to the main 4/0 cabling, adds a point of resistance and possible point of failure. Geoff's solution does not interfere with the main power connection. Just 4/0 hardwired straight to the inverter is a good thing! Yet our friend GJ garages his Oliver for 8-9 months on the mainland while he enjoys Aloha-land! Extra precautions must be made if you're out-of-sight of your Oliver for this duration. Both solutions fit the differing needs of 2 Oliver owners! 😂 I'm old-school in that when servicing any vehicle, the first step in the service manual is "disconnect the ground." This is more trusting than any switched solution! I installed the 4/0 wire with the main ground connection closest to the opening. I can disconnect it in just a minute with only a 1/2" wrench, without rolling out a tray (ours was deleted) or removing the locking cover plate I installed (not shown in picture). Very safe too, since there is really no way to touch the positive lead which is 6" further into the bay. I disconnect rarely, haven't done so since I added the 3rd battery last year. The main ground is right there when needed! Call this the #1 most basic option, no switch required! 😎

I'd like to install a Mini Split A/C at home. Looking for my technical friends here who have researched models or installed one in your home. Our home, built in 1980, is still on the original HVAC system (with a few repairs I've made). It's a combined unit up on stilts, attached to one end of our long 4100 SF home. The other end of the home doesn't get much airflow and neither do the bedrooms. I'd like to install a dual-head mini split, one head in our bedroom and the other in my office where I train via Zoom in the afternoons. Both rooms get hot in the summer and it's a waste cooling the entire home low enough to cool these two small rooms (only 180 SF each). It would be OK if cool air flowed out in the hallway too to give the old system some help. Likely the smallest dual unit at 9,000 + 9,000 BTU is enough, or maybe 12 + 12. I see brands that are familiar like Tosot, Turbro and Pioneer, since they make RV units. I also see Senville, Cooper & Hunter, Daiken, Della and others. Any brand preference? I see Senville has good reviews with a 5/10 yr warranty. I'd like to buy from an HVAC distributor vs. Amazon, but each time I find a link the $2K dual unit on Amazon goes for over $3K elsewhere! Definitely need a dual head unit and the 2 rooms are side-by-side on one exterior wall which should make for a tidy installation. Time to drill into our home instead of the Oliver! 🤣 115V would be a close run. I could tap into a bedroom outlet which only has a nightstand lamp on the circuit. For 230V I can add a breaker and run wire from the garage along the soffit. Thinking 230V is more efficient, but not sure. Is R32 the best refrigerant or another kind? Lots of Qs! Any installation or use experience out there? Thanks

Regardless of usage, there is a wattage spec listed on electrical appliances sold in the USA. Pretty sure it's code, so that electricians know how to size wiring and fuses/breakers. Also, part of RV solar planning is to add up the wattage of each appliance and to estimate how many hours per day of usage, and so forth. We use the induction cooktop that @Ollie-Haus made us aware of in an older post. My wife likes it so much that after she was using at home too often, I purchased a 2nd one for the Oliver only (I like our Oliver always ready to go, fully equipped). It's rated at 1800W which is listed on the Amazon title and on the product label underneath. Wattage spec should also be listed in product literature and user manuals. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KSNTSVR/?th=1 I do not get this statement either, "the stove itself." How can an appliance possibly know what it's wired to, or know whether you're on inverter or shore power? We run our induction cooktop often at the full #10 setting, for example to boil water for pasta. Everything always on our Victron Multiplus II, no problem. 😎

As I said, from page 2

Yes, though every Oliver is packed differently! We always have a full FWT. The bottom of our closet is also wall-to-wall drinking water, wine, soft drinks. Very full pantry and Fridge. Back cabinets full of clothes, Attic rather Full, try to keep the rear basement light. Not sure if you have D52 axles and Alcans, but that’s a bit of weight too that is exactly centered! The 580 Lb tongue weight was one measurement taken on the same scale. You can add 600 lbs to the trailer and if centered add little to tongue weight. Tongue weight is light on the Oliver. Reason for WDH on half-ton trucks. Should be 10-15% of trailer weight.

Your answer is on page 2 of this thread.

How many watts is the cooktop rated? The rating should assume full ON.

If only half of degreed EEs had your practical knowledge… Excellent work Geoff! Appreciate your design philosophy too! 😎

Thanks Bill, I'm sure many of us are interested! 😎 No CAT Scales in our county (50 miles to the nearest Interstate), so I take advantage of the simple scale at our Prescott Solid Waste Division (the city dump). I did not get separate TV axle weights. I go one day with TV plus TT and weigh the truck wheels on the scale, then all, then Oliver only. The next day I go back, Oliver detached and I add 220 LBS for Chris and her front seat stuff and our 65 LB Springer! I also used a Sherline tongue scale and measured the same 580 LBS. Your TV is a bit heavier than ours. The Duramax and Allison are certainly heavier than our 5.9 Cummins and Dodge 47RE trans, but the real difference comes from the weight of your truck bed cap that we do not have. You can see how our weights have increased in a couple years, getting closer on TV GVWR. We always have 35+ gallons fresh water in the truck bed and have accumulated more tools and camping gear, even spare hubs for TT and TV! The increased weight comes some from more gear but mainly the many mods and additions I've made in the last 2 years. D52 Axles and Alcan Springs is a good portion of the net increase. I'm getting closer on TV GVWR and not concerned re Oliver GVWR since we now have a 10K suspension on Hull #113! Love your old-school spreadsheet! I cannot write a simple to-do list without my favorite app Excel! 🤣

If Geoff ever sells their Oliver, the buyer will have to be another EE! 😎

Awesome, now 37 pages in a dead heat with “Where’s Ollie!” 🤣

Not, something miscommunicated! Your D52 axles are labeled 3500 only due to the OEM installation of 1750 LB springs. They are the same D52 axles. With an Alcan upgrade you’ll have a 10K LB suspension, but 3500 axle labels and 7,000 GVWR legally per the DOT sticker on the body.

Wow, all day long and no replies here on our 36-page Alcan thread! 🤣 Robert, you have a newer hull, so I assume you have D52 axles. Those with D35 axles should upgrade at the same time (my build thread below). You want to install everything NEW; D52 axles, Alcan 5-pack leaf springs, a new EZ Flex kit and new shocks. I had installed new shocks the year before, so after they tested good, I reinstalled them. I wish somebody would come up with a HD replacement shock (I've looked)! The Bulldog shocks are likely better than the OEM Monroe 555001 shocks, but they are both light duty shocks designed for 1750 LB springs. I wonder if the Oliver would tow any different without these shocks, given the HD Alcan springs. I'd like new HD shocks with similar min/max length specs but heavier, larger diameter shaft, piston and casing. Do differently? I would purchase the full Dexter EZ-Flex kit with HD shackles and wet bolts. I purchased the wet bolts from Alcan and new EZ-Flex center links only. I do love Alcan Springs, but their shackles and wet bolts are not splined so do slip, so not as good as the Dexter wet-bolts that come with the EZ Flex kit. Another route would be to look at a MORryde substitute for the entire EZ Flex kit. That's all I see, more info here =>

We don’t setup a waste line at campsites. We're never in one place for more than 5 nights and I don't deal with those fancy waste ladders which I associate with Class A RVers, who stay long with full hookups! 🤣 Instead we dump on arrival (often coming from boondocking) and on departure. When dumping, you must have the Oliver up in the front AND on the curbside. I use the LevelMate at the dump station to bring the front up a good +2" over level. Some may not know, the gray tank is on the curbside, with its outlet drain facing the streetside. If your Oliver is any lower on the curbside, your gray tank can be quite full after you thought you dumped tanks! I use an 8" Anderson block to lift the curbside jack so that it is at least +1" above level. Tanks are then fully emptied. This picture was taken at a dump station in Cedar City UT. I had to back in, so there was no other approach. You can see all what I had to do to lift the front! What's not pictured is the curbside jack is also lifted. Isn't RV life wonderful?! 😎

Our 2016, about the same thing. I reinstalled a replacement cable, but to do it properly I would have to reroute the waste drain plumbing. More here =>

Just replaced the Blum slide on our nightstand drawer. This item is the OEM part replacement. Maybe I should have bought the 6-pack, LOL! The nightstand drawer and 5 kitchen drawers all use the 18" length, the short drawer uses the 12" Blum slide. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G7LQ3PQ4/?th=1 Lately, the drawer would open during travel so I suspected something was wrong. After removing the drawer (squeeze two orange levers underneath), I found the old slide was truly worn out. When fully extended the end would drop a couple inches. Not good! The new slide is in and now again it works great. But per the subject of this thread, OTT installed these slides with only three screws per slide! 😒 The slides are rated to carry 100 LBS, but three short #6 screws are certainly NOT! A couple year backs, working on a kitchen sink leak, I doubled all the screws on the kitchen drawers and went up one size. At the time, I forgot to do the nightstand drawer. The slides all wobbled a bit when unloaded with only 3 screws and I now contend it was the lazy installation that allowed this drawer to shake and eventually wear out the slides. These slides are substantial but need to be installed properly! BTW, Blum supplies 20 wood screws in these kits! 20 screws for 2 slides and 2 brackets not used for our application. I installed 8 screws on each slide! Why not? Blum certainly intends more than 3 should be used! I put 3 in the same holes to hold each slide in place and then drilled small pilot holes and screwed in 5 more (see pic)! Now this should last my lifetime. 😎 I suggest removing all your Oliver drawers, having at least 6 mounting screws per slide, 12 per drawer minimum.

Not powering up is NOT the same thing as it taking too many watts overloading an inverter! Given it "does not come on" (at all), it's simply not wired to a circuit supplied by the inverter. If an appliance wired to the inverter pulls too much amperage, your inverter will start making noise and will shut down when overloaded, but it certainly will "come on." What were they thinking at OTT! And BTW, a 2000W inverter by definition will run an 1800W appliance! Given the True Induction cooktop is rated at 1800W, and it's a 2-burner cooktop, then each burner is rated at 900W. If OTT had wired the cooktop properly, you could certainly heat up water for coffee on one (1) burner and run the fridge at the same time! You will be well under 2000W! 🤣 Get OTT to wire this properly! I would just DIY, as I suggested in an earlier post, but you have to be concerned of warranty issues. We have the LP cooktop of course, but like Bill mentioned also have an induction cooktop that we plug in indoors or out. We also do not use our LP stove stove to heat coffee water (unless battery SOC is LOW). We love these products! 😎 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KSNTSVR/?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Aigostar-Eve-Electric-Cordless-Boiling/dp/B07D3R7RZT/ https://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Pour-Over-Coffee-Stainless-Filters/dp/B0CSQLHFW9/

Got this working yesterday, using the screws supplied with the light on top and hardware I had in the shop to attach the bottoms. It looked hodgepodge today. I really should fab a proper bracket, but for now I just wanted to fix its appearance. Went to the local HW store and got four short 4mm countersink screws and two Nylok nuts and washers. I had to countersink the brackets further to get the screws flush. The assembly is much better, but now that the light is taller, I noticed two things. The base bracket looks cheap now that you can fully see it. And the height is right at the belly line where the hulls meet, so visually it's not good. It looked better shorter, but now the light is where you need it. If I was to do this again, first I would use the great idea @Steph and Dud B made above; to grab power and use the light switch on the jack. Second I would fab a proper bracket a bit shorter than this one and push it forward a couple inches to get the required angle. Then it's not up against the hull belly line and will look better. It's too late for me re the first idea, but I'll do the latter when I source the right stainless steel stock. Looks like one of those Star Wars robots! It's all the light we'll need to hitch-up and load or unload the truck in the dark when necessary. We now have proper exterior lighting on all four sides! 😎

Our old Furrion jumbo heads sure are ugly! Your new iRV62 looks sooooo much better, even with the large faceplate which has a clean look! Excellent work cutting out the plastic sheet plus the aluminum sheet for added strength. The wiring should be the easy part. You're 90% there! 😎

Difficult to find a taller bracket spread 2 3/4" (70mm). But this item gave me an easy quick fix. Brought the light up 1 1/4" taller and no more shadow. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT7221NZ/?th=1

Many of us envy your annual trip, at least I do! But it's been proven, I just cannot fish! 🤣 How many consecutive Wyoming fishing trips will it be, Bill? (this year included)

Home for the Summer! 🤣 Come see us if your heading one state further West! 😎 Got electric and water for you, free dump station down the street, and lots of great camping around town and in the Prescott NF! (no bighorn sheep though, how cool!)

One exception may be Dan. @DanielBoondock ???

I've pumped from our 35-gal aux tank in the truck about 30 times. Only once it would not pump. My son was using the Oliver and he's new with RV stuff. He kept trying the water. Normally, when we here a first gurgle from the pump, we stop and refill the tank. Yes, when you loose prime, water will not pump regardless of the valve configuration. To fill water that one time, we had to tow to use a pressurized hose. I filled the FWT, then primed from the boondocking port and finally attached the hose to the City Water inlet to prime all faucets, the HWH and toilet. I wanted everything full! Also, we pump often when the truck is attached or at a distance, so I connect the 10 ft plus 25 ft hoses we carry, from truck bed to boondock port. Length of hose has not mattered in our case. However, OTT installs a basic water pump which we replaced with a REMCO US-made variable speed pump, with a little PSI and GPM bump over th OEM pump. 😎