jd1923

@NomadLife what's your progress? I'm up to my eyes in brown with anticipation! 🤣 Anybody else want to know how this one turns out?

Just make everything "good-n-tight" using hand tools and it's hard to go wrong.

Surprised nobody has replied to this, in our rather vocal group! Full timing is certainly not for us! What would I do with a garage full of trucks and tools? Multiple outbuildings, motorcycles and dirt bikes...? Heck, I miss that I don't have a tractor anymore! 🤣 I would think something larger than an Oliver would be more fitting to full timing (now this should get the conversation going)! I'd want a full queen (60x80") to start, not two singles or even a short RV queen, maybe a king. I'd hate to move out and lose our California King (and my garage)! The upside would be having a large bank account in selling our home (not).

It's only been 30 nights for us in our first year. I've showered in 2 times (don't like getting everything wet) and Chris uses it 100%, she loves the bathroom as-is!

I have four 6V lead acid batteries purchased together 3 years ago. When I had them apart, they all read exactly the same voltage to 0.01V accuracy. Actually, with the Victron SmartShunt you can monitor 4 batteries with 2 shunts: Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartShunt IP65 500 amp Battery Monitor (Bluetooth) : Automotive There is an extra wire that can be used to monitor the tow vehicle (TV) battery, or to split a battery bank for two readings. Presently mine is not connected but would like to connect it to the TV battery when installing a DC-to-DC charger (run that wire to the same terminal at the hitch).

I thought to be a "diatribe" you had to be complainin' 'bout sompfin! @MAX Burner yours is not a diatribe. We all want to read more and see more great pics!

The toilet area in the Oliver has more room than in most RVs. When we had the Bigfoot Class C with a large bathroom area, I had to have the door open with one leg in the hallway! Shower height not being tall enough is about the same as other RVs. Just realized why I've taken more outdoor showers (when boondocking) and campground showers since owning an Oliver. At 6' 6" tall very few showers are tall enough.

Try running without this fan. Could be it's upsetting the internal ofridge thermostat. We have the older 3-way and performs well as-is.

@MAX Burner my comment was re the stabilizer Jack being further from the edge (see pics above). We don’t need no schtinken ‘cumulator, REMCO pump Made in USA, variable speed pump, they suggest no accumulator necessary. 🤣

I'm 6' 2" and it seems I just make it lying flat on my back. I believe the inside edge is right at 76" which is 6' 4" but then the other side is curved a ~16" radius so less room for the outside foot (given your head is up at the kitchen side). I'm mainly a side sleeper which makes the length OK but then the 30" seems very narrow. I've gotten used to it after a few trips. Some owners have removed the nightstand and built a platform to create a RV king bed space which gives much more width and some length on an angle. Going this route, you lose the nightstand, seating area, and the hallway which makes it difficult to get in and out of bed.

I believe we have a replacement thermostat, not the original, though I do not know the Dometic model names or numbers. Check the picture. It's set on AUTO and has the snowflake meaning the AC is on. This mode will switch the fan to off when the compressor is off. On this thermostat the AC can be set on at low-high-auto fan settings, there is a separate furnace setting and I believe a heat-strip setting on the thermostat that is not applicable to our unit (or something we've never used). I have it set at 84 and it runs most of the time during the afternoons in the hot AZ sun (it would get to mid 90s in there without it) and will turn off after sunset for the night. When I'm working in there, I drop the temp a few degrees, AND I HAVE TO TURN THE VOLUME UP ON THE RADIO TO HEAR IT!!! 🤣

Just searched for keyword "earplugs" one word and this came up:

Perfect temps up there! That's great that you got away from the heat early this summer and are having a great trip! Colder winter yes, but our summer has come early down here. High of 90 in Prescott today (was 60 at dawn) and 114 in Phoenix, OMG, yet only 82 in ABQ. I've been running mine afternoons, working on furnace ducting upgrade and replacing our microwave with an air-fryer, and eight other smaller Oliver things! Just finished a second coat of stain on our deck (must be done in the shade of the evening). I believe you had the better summer plan! Maybe next year we meet up with y'all up north. Best wishes buddy. 😂

Except for what looks like the plastic seal of a gallon bottle, your filter otherwise looks very clean!

@MAX Burner Art, is it truly cool enough up there? National heat wave lately. I imagine it's beautiful after sunset. Running that Penguin in the afternoons? Keep having fun and keeping us posted! 😂

I had written Kevin at SDG a question re the fan modes on the Atmos. He did not answer after being responsive before. Resent the message this morning, was hoping to get written reply I could share but he called me instead. Bottom line, the Atmos runs the fan like the Houghton, meaning whether in cooling or heat pump (all) modes, the fan is always running. Then said he had no feedback on humidity build-up, but the opposite as compared to Dometic and other products. Said because condensate is not collected, but released on the roof, humidity is not created. I would say take his last comment as sales speak! I replied that I was less worried about humidity living in the SW but did not want an AC unit to run all night for no good reason. I don't want to hear it, even a quiet fan, no interest here in white noise! Also, why run the fan all night as a drain on the battery when not needed. We know the furnace fan uses a bit of AHs. There were comments on the Sprinter forum re the heat pump would come on when it got cold later overnight. One mentioned having only one set temp for heating and cooling. Others wrote that didn't make sense, but there was no conclusion. Kevin mentioned the heat pump coming on too. I forgot to ask about two set temps, like for example set at 75 for cooling and 65 degrees for heating. In between these numbers and I want the HVAC system off, no sound, no current usage! It appears regardless of a Houghton, Atmos or other choices, a relay must be installed to turn fan off with compressor may be needed for some. The only good thing about the Dometic Penguin is that in AUTO the fan will stop at set temp. The other option is to click the remote to OFF position at some point when in bed at night.

Taping should not be required for a connector designed for automotive use.

These Wago connectors and OTT also uses SkotchLok connectors which are both substandard re SAE automotive electrical work. Yes, I tape my household connections too, but many electricians do not. Your house ain't bouncing down the road either. There should be NO connections that require electrical tape to stay closed over time. Whenever I run across inferior connections, I will replace with hard crimps or a simple bus with bolted connections, and solder light gauge wires. Check out this photo. I would have already changed these but bigger fish to fry and there's nothing critical in a hardly used USB outlet. Just shows poor installation/lack of design (although in this case, the SkotchLoks could be from a replacement CO sensor). I have seen these connectors elsewhere and they have no business in critical automotive or RV systems. Been working on many repairs and upgrades this summer, so give me 20 minutes and I will fix this too! I hope ours is not like the others here since we have separate fridge and HWH breaker circuits. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

Not exactly! When I've had a bad RV AC unit, after disconnecting the 4 mounting bolts in the interior, we (my son Adam) will climb up rooftop and heave the POS (usually a Dometic unit) to the gravel drive below. I tell my son lovingly, just hit the gravel and nothing else! Sorry @Geronimo John, re your comment, these are closed systems and NOBODY services a leak, you just replace the unit with something better on the market today, as we have ALL been discussing! Truck transmissions are another story! The "Sealed Transmission" 100K+ warranty is merely marketing hype. You better service these, unless you are the guy who trades up every few years (that guy is NOT me). Our '08 Lexus GX 4.7l V8 trans is "sealed" no dipstick, no way to ad trans oil from above... Soon after we purchased of this truck at 160K mile, I pulled the pan, replaced the filter and via the trans cooler hoses, with a funnel/gravity feed, I replaced 98% of the trans fluid. Do this service to yours prior to 100K miles. Toyo gas engines with proper care can last 500K miles, only to be compared to a Cummins diesel! Our GX will outlive me for sure and in another 20K miles I will do the timing belt/water pump service required on all Toyos! most qualified service stations can do this for you, just need to ask! 🤣 We also have a 2000 Lincoln LS (Jaguar platform, bought it 4 years ago with only 11K miles, OMG an awesome small sedan!) with the "sealed trans." I worked that service last fall. It is not any easy service. You need to fill the trans from under the truck, checking level at proper temp at the special drain valve. Use it, maintain it, or lose it. They want you to lose it, so you purchase another. Not me. We don't buy into the deep state of .gov and the companies that are only in it for war and money. Again... 🤣! Love you guys, y'all are great!

You got to get a leveling device. Now that we've had one since fall of '23 I would not want to camp without it! Too bad I did not know of this choice, or perhaps its new on the market. I like it made in the USA (even the great state of NC for you locals)! Many of us have already gone with the LevelMatePRO. It is a bit more expensive, though it has two features I do prefer. One is you get all directions on one screen and do not have to switch to Roll vs. Pitch screens. The other is it can be hardwired, installed out of site and out of mind. I have mine under the dinette where it was easy to connect to 12VDC, no battery replacement and 2 AAs makes the Beech Lane product pretty big. Either model is a GREAT improvement. It reads easily from the driver's seat. Love how quickly we find the most level spot and level. Given these details, if this was available when I made my purchase decision, I would go with Made in USA regardless!

Follow-up from Kevin and SDG --

Update from SDG on the Atmos 4.4 --

You all know I'm quite DIY-capable. However, I looked at the value in our older used hull in that it had two solar panels mounted on top, the cabling routed, the Blue Sky solar charger and Xantrex 2KW inverter all integrated and installed in working order. I have not yet had to change a thing there. Someday soon I will add lifepo4 batteries and need to reset the charging curve and perhaps later add another panel and/or a DC-to-DC charger. I did add an EMS that was not standard back in 2016. It's not easy working in the basement area of the Oliver. It's not like working on a truck where you can get it up on a lift to access many repairs. Always leaning into the basement openings is not at all fun. I have sore arms and rib muscles from leaning over that ridge for the mattresses! Think of getting under the pantry and behind the battery bay for this kind of solar/inverter installation, let alone the run to the roof. Buying the right used unit can be very helpful. Recently we had a hairline crack in the LP line to our Atwood furnace. I believe it was due to two frame welds breaking underneath and then pushing them back up to weld (LP lines attached to the frame). I removed the LP T-fitting below, but there was no way to remove the entire line without removing the furnace. My arms would not even fit through the opening behind the furnace. My plan was to cut off 2" of the copper LP line and somehow re-flare it under the body. I had to push the line from above, front side of the furnace and then pull from underneath, repeat that and repeat that until I achieved the required length below. It was amazing that I got my tubing cut-off and flaring tools between bottom hull and the aluminum frame. A whole lot of patience and about 2 1/2" hours later the job was done. (Would have been happy if that was the only thing I accomplished all day yesterday!) Wow, a big to-do is now off my list. 😂 Very happy not to do a solar/inverter install from scratch on our Oliver! I did that in a Bigfoot Class-C in 2020. There I could drill down, standing on a flat roof, down into a wall cabinet, through a race to the battery bank down below. Ran inverter connections under the truck through the chassis frame... Not on an Oliver. You should see how OTT installed the Dish Satellite on our hull. They did not go through the upper hulls front to back (dish up front and TV in the back). They ran the cables down, visible in closet to the basement area below, then runs towards the black tank and follows the drain all the way to the rear basement, then up to the attic. There must be 60 ft of coax with multiple connectors. It's like they added it after the build, not an option integrated to their build process. The Oliver is a great TT that's not real easy to work on for major upgrades (but will keep doing so as needed)!

If mine were to ever loosen (they are likely nicely tight now from some internal corrosion), I would match the thread and replace with automotive Grade 5 bolts. Torque them per the bolt size with thread-locker on them and forget about them going forward. T-bolts are designed to remove easily, but these are fixed panels.

Our hull has the Dometic Penguin II, and I believe it being an older hull has the 13.5K BTU model vs. the 11K of newer hulls. Our electrical panel has a 20A breaker for the AC. Can we assume my hull has 12 AWG wiring? (14 AWG should have a 15A breaker.) 14 AWG wiring can be an issue re voltage dropat high fan compressor running in any replacement unit.