jd1923

Same question answered in another thread.

I do not know of a 400W suitcase with a built in SC. The built-in ones are usually 100W maybe 200W tops. When the SC is in the panels for a 12VDC system the output amperage is much higher. If you want a 25 FT extension cord 10 AWG may not be enough and a pair of 8 AWG cables that long would be very heavy and expensive. The 400W suitcase is only viable with an internal SC, IMHO. We don't have any information to advise you properly, since you have no signature information re onboard solar, inverter, battery type and AH, travel location, etc. What works in sunny Arizona might not work as well in New England. Read the many great examples here to get ideas. Also, anybody local to you who can splice/crimp wire can install one following a documented example.

Sherry, which part of Florida do you live? Prayers to your family and ALL who have suffered Helene. Hope Milton is not as devastating!

I believe the Zamp port is rated for 20A and can purpose any suitcase, given you install a Solar Controller (SC) internal to your Oliver. When the SC is built-in to the suitcase or installed externally, the 20A port will be insufficient. Solar panels are high Voltage and low Amperage, but SCs convert to 12V at higher amperage. We went with the Renogy 400W since I felt less would not be worth the time. The 400W is pretty big and 30 LBS. Many go with this model and BTW Amazon used is what I got. It had a scuff on the handles is all saving $80! These are only 16 LBS: Amazon.com: Renogy 220W Lightweight Portable Solar Suitcase, Foldable Solar Panel with Kickstands for RV, Camping, Blackout, Off Grid System : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry Even the 400W Renogy runs at 10A with 11A being the short circuit current (max current at point of failure, see picture). The highest I've seen on a sunny Arizona day is 366W and often we get 20-23A charging. This means 20AH when that is your hourly average and we get 10+A from the rooftop solar. With 600AH batteries at 50% SOC, an average or 30A charge will take 10 hours to recoup. This is why I went with the max 400W suitcase. Info on my installation here: Renogy 400W Suitcase Victron MPPT with Custom Solar Port Installation - Ollie Modifications - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com)

We were afraid of that. Too bad you didn't stay up in Prescott longer where it's been low 90s instead (but only in the afternoons). We got a first chance to meet fellow Oliver owners and so much enjoyed our day together! Safe travels, Ken and Mary Kay, and see you at Inks Lake!

While you have drill in hand, source another padlock, a long-shackle lock for this mod! Mark one end of the paddle nut and where to drill when it's mounted and tight. Then remove both parts, hammer the one side flat and drill both on a workbench vise. These simple deterrents will chase the common thief away, thinking the can pry a battery door or merely lift the LP cover, not prepared with more sophisticated tools.

Likely you will just leave the wiring you have at the thermostat and control box. The "telephone" connector has often been used for plug-n-play electronics, so consumers do not have to do any real wiring. It is a 4-wire connector where sometimes just 2 or 3 of the 4 available wires are used. The old "twisted pair" landline telephones only used 2 of the 4 wires (black/red and yellow/green). Four were used only when there was a second line into a home or business. I have spliced these phone cables to change the terminal on one end. If you do the wires are of such fine gauge they should be soldered.

I just purchased these as a backup set for travel (links below): WARNING: I was contacted (offline) by a knowledgeable Oliver owner that the claim "Made in USA" may or may not mean made with USA milled steel. Hard to know with marketing copy today. I called TruRyde 3 times this week to get confirmation. Three times I got voice mail without getting a call back. I called again asking to have somebody paged, get somebody on the phone, but the receptionist could not get that done. I decided to take a chance on a pair with U-bolts at $170 OTD. Any Chinese set with U-bolts comes to approx $100 so perhaps I wasted some money if these are not USA steel. At least these have bronze bushings vs plastic. My 4 leaf sets still visually appear to be in good shape, manufactured in 2015, no idea the miles on our hull. TruRyde® 4 Leaf 25 1/4" Double Eye Trailer Leaf Spring with Bronze Bushings 1750 lbs. - SW4B-BR | Southwest Wheel® Be careful is you buy a leaf/U-bolt set as these sets come with U-bolts for 2 3/8" axles. Our hull has 3" axles, standard on 5,200 LB axles: SOUTHWEST WHEEL® Southwest Wheel® U-Bolt Kit for 5,200-7,000 lbs. 3" Trailer Axle - APUBR3BX | Southwest Wheel®

I would have kept 1-2 of the old ones still in decent condition, just to have something. If I installed 4 new ones and one of them breaks in the next few years, install the spare to get home. Then study the leaf spring thread and upgrade!

Any chance you have a picture of the SoftStartRV installed? I have one installed in our Dometic P2 and would reuse it if possible, given it's in working condition. Another question: why is soft start necessary for this more efficient A/C? I understand you have a 2KW Xantrex. Would it be necessary with the 3KVA Victron MP2?

Excellent work Ron! You know I had asked, "why couldn't the Dometic thermostat be kept as-is for furnace mode only?" Perhaps it's safe to say in future installations, the installer should remove the AC wiring from the control box but keep all DC wiring as-is (including the freeze sensor wire). Mount the Dometic control box within the Atmos cover as you have demonstrated, and the furnace mode will work with the OEM installed Dometic thermostat. With your pioneering efforts, I and others will be able to work this as part of the initial installation. 😂

May be difficult to fit with the wide round body, but if it does it would be a great lock. A thief with a crowbar may not also have bolt cutters. If the thief has bolt cutters, you will want this lock if possible or the 5/16" hardened shackle which is a LOT harder to cut than a 1/4" one. Yep, let us know and thanks.

Normal highs in Prescott AZ (at 5,400 FT) late September/early October are high 70s. We had those temps a couple weeks ago and I thought fall had begun, summer was over. Instead, we've had more than a week of highs in the 90s and it will take until next week to drop again. City of Prescott has broken high-temp records every day for the last week. I've been in the driveway, sun burning down (sun here hotter than the dry air) installing an 180A HP alternator which turned into a bigger job replacing lower radiator hose and all heater hoses (9 of them on a 2001 Dodge Cummins). Another half day should be done tomorrow. At least when I duck back into the garage it's better. Should have moved some stored vehicles to get the Ram into the garage. Just thought it was going to be a quick alt swap, a two-hour job! When I got the old alt out, I noticed how I could get to the lower hoses (can of worms).🤣 We are always 20-25 degrees cooler than the Phoenix Valley and the desert down to Yuma, Lake Havasu, etc. Flagstaff and the White Mountains, all at 7,000 FT, can be up to 10 degrees cooler than us. Looking forward to the cool down next week and camping in the White Mountains!

That’s a good point! First time I did it on the Class-C we had, don’t remember the projectile part, but I was soaked in calcium goo from belly to shoes!

Yes thanks Dave, releasing the pressure is key. I did not realize such pressure in the tank since I had not had the water pump turned on in weeks, but pressure was still there. Yesterday, I drained it again since it had so much calcium buildup the first time. I had tested the HWH on electric and on LP (then tested all LP appliances ahead of our upcoming trip). I released the pressure, not at the faucet, but at the relief valve top of the heater. Removed the anode slowly and did NOT get wet at all, yay! I made another tool for rinsing the HWH. The anode, with all its weight, is not easy to level and thread properly. I recently replaced the anode with a new one. I sawed the anode off the old one to create a simple drain bolt. This is handy for when you just want to fill the HWH, heat the water, and drain again.

And recently you invested in LiFePO4! Hopefully, where you drilled will fit a lock. If not, there is always the other side of the tray.

I noticed the existing hole in your picture the other day and then forget about it when I asked the question. Once fished through to the exterior bottom, the rest is straightforward. It's great there is an existing hole and thank you for your help!

Yes, planning where to drill is not trivial. Choose your padlock before you drill. You need a short shackle lock (measurement D in photo) so that it will fit between the wall of the battery bay and the tray. Mine was very short at 0.91". The shackle is actually longer (7/16" on mine) than this measurement with the section inside the lock, but you will angle it in to insert. My lock is 5/16" thick (measurement E) so a 3/8" hole allowed for the insertion angle. I kept drilling with bits 1/16" larger dia until I could just pass the lock through. Drill your hole center of the tray slide. Measure in centered just less than the inside width of the lock (measurement C). Getting all of this right is key. I don't plan on unlocking this often with LiFePO4 batteries. Also, I can now remove the ground cable to disconnect 12VDC without opening the tray. Hope this helps!

Leaving to the Texas Rally next Wednesday. Five nights in the Arizona White Mountains on the way followed by 3 nights in Ruidoso. Highs should be 65F at 7000 ft, lows about 40F. We dislike the heat, reason why our Oliver has been parked for maintenance and mods for the last 5 months. Central Texas should be warm, daytime highs in the 80s, but hopefully not too hot since we still have that noisy Dometic Penguin.

Leaving next week for the Texas Rally. Ordered this interior fan today and should have time to install it in the next few days. Ron, how did you connect this interior fan to available 12VDC?

We often do a one-night stay, where we stay hitched, still need to level. BTW, camp these days anywhere near the border, stay hitched in case you need to leave in a hurry Not a good time to Boondock south of Tucson or anywhere from McAllen to Del Rio, TX! I stopped using the 1” blocks everywhere but the front jack where we may need a few inches or over a foot. I’ve gotten to where I only want to use the levelers up or down 6” at the most, usually less. Love these for the back levelers. Magnet on and down a few inches. When we leave, I only go up enough to free the block and leave the leveler at that height, it’s high enough! 🤣 OMG, everything is so expensive these days! Thank you .gov. I bought ours at $60 on eBay last year: https://a.co/d/aWFURPk

Looking forward to understanding this. SDG recommended to replace the Dometic thermostat with a simple furnace thermostat. That's what I was told when I called SDG. I've been wondering why I could not just keep the Dometic thermostat where only furnace operation would be controlled, the other functions would be null, wires taped open. This assumes you control the Atmos via the Atmos remote. I have this model thermostat:

You should post what fridge make/model. Yours will be a newer model than ours. It may not help, but first cut all power to it for 10 min or more. Trip the 120VAC breaker or no shore power, LP doesn’t matter. Pull the DC fuse or all DC battery power. Ours has a 40A DC circuit breaker for all DC circuits (have a flashlight ready). This will force a reboot. If it goes back the same way, likely the switch panel or a control board could be bad.

Revived an older thread here with an easy mod. Our $1800 Epoch mod is the largest single-dollar addition we've made to our Oliver. Tried to change the Southco latch with a model that has the cut key. though all keyed alike is not cool. Don't like the round key model, as it looks like it could be opened with a screwdriver. One reseller said 88 days for shipping on the Southco cut key model M1-20-81-78 (88 must be the default code for lots-a-luck). This only took me only a few minutes today. The tray steel is very hard, does not drill easy which is a good thing. Started small and finally drilled a 3/8” hole. The tray will only slide out an inch when locked. I tacked a 4x6" piece of 1" Styrofoam in the corner of the battery door so the padlock will not bounce around when towing. Had the old lock in a parts drawer for a zero-cost mod!