jd1923

Don't most campsites have 3 connections? A 50A, a 30A plus a standard 120V 15A household outlet. Not sure you need any splitter to wire this cooker to the shore power pedestal. This is what I've generally seen where we have camped.

When water freezes, it just needs a little room for expansion, a little and not a whole lot. Think if your freshwater tank was half full and it gets well below freezing. It would just expand upwards, say another 10%, a slight bulging upwards. Nothing bad will happen, the plumbing will exist as-is. Since there is nothing but air above, with an overflow tube to boot, nothing happens but water freezing to ice. If the tank was 100% full, then tank would fail. When small diameter pipes freeze, they freeze at the ends first. Once the ends have frozen, and the lengths of the plumbing freezes, there is nowhere for the expansion to move and hence the plumbing will crack. If your water pump is half full it can freeze without issue, even at 80-90% full! And btw, when you blow out the lines, running the water pump at least once, it is most likely empty or very close. Fear shall succumb to knowledge. Remember, my friend living in Calgary has worked this procedure annually for more than a decade, where their daytime winter highs are lower than our nighttime lows. Thanks ☺️

Did we all survive the holidays? Minimal political or religious discussions with family members of opposing views? Christmas presents we received and don't know just how to say we'd prefer to exchange this item! These are the little things, and there are greater concerns. It was nice Christmas was on a Monday this year, allowing a long weekend! We were home and as much as we enjoy camping, we have a wonderful home we've built over the years. We enjoy being home with family, and for us this year was just our immediate family. I give thanks to ALL we have! The world today is a troubled place, worse we've seen in recent years and perhaps in our lifetimes. Many of us are "baby-boomers" and we worry for our children. It is extremely difficult in our society for those who are younger today. How can the young today be accepted, afford a home, and be secure today? 🙏 God bless you all, God bless our freedoms as outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America! God bless we have the freedom to exist, to travel and camp, enjoy this life, and live the lives we all love! This is what I am thankful for today and in the time to come. Happy New Year! 🤗

My point on TV alternators was not re limiting factor. The DC-to-DC chargers drawing 20-30-40A and with 4GA cables can pull a lot of Amps. Is your alternator designed for that? Some have extra capacity, what you may call a HD alternator and some do not. if you're investing the expense of a DC-to-DC system, make sure your alternator is up for the task. Back in the day, I had an alternator give out in an old car while on the Interstate. Didn't know it went out, until I heard a backfire and the engine quit (battery charge got too low to run ignition system). We were lucky and coasted off an exit ramp, pulled into a hotel parking lot, where we spent the night, went to the AP store in the morning! Would hate to be pulling a trailer in this situation. Every alternator is rated for amperage, and if there is a higher capacity model, it's the one you want for DC-to-DC charging. Look up your TV on rockauto.com, replacement parts and further down the list premium parts (usually 2 amperage specs). Those running these chargers should keep their eye on the battery/Alt gauge and if you do not have one, add one. @Geronimo John I agree with your written statements re the purpose of both the Shunt and the Solar Charger (SC). I've always seen them integrated. Look again at my Blue Sky pic above to see what I mean. I believe the SC reads the current draw data from the shunt in their charging algorithms. I may be wrong, but in the two systems I've worked with they are always installed together (perhaps not with Victron where everything is modular). We do need an experienced EE in our group! Check out two PDF files (attachments). I installed a Bogart Engineering BMS and SC on my last RV. One doc simply explains the shunt. The other is for their SC product. Check out page 2 for the wiring diagram. They sell their SC with a shunt. @Ronbrink I'm totally jealous of your battery bay installation, cleaned up the factory install, and everything is so NICE, excellent work! Electrical_Shunts_Explained.pdf SC2030 INSTRUCTIONS_041018.pdf

I see now how this thread was split off from another post @Geronimo John started about flexible panels. Like your 'OllieEvolution" story! We totally get it and hence we purchased used to be affordable. Our own Oliver Evolution has been long in only 6 months... We have already added $5K in extras, none of it solar related, but can afford this given our initial cost (new TV A/V system, rebuilt axles, new beds and bedding, improved water pump and electric valves, etc.). Bought a 20-year-old TV too and when I'm done, we will have another $10K into it (already new suspension, wheels, tires, brakes, water pump and timing belt, hoses, all fluids, fuel pressure/temp gauges, tool boxes and water tank, performance chip and next year an exhaust brake). When I get all done, we will have spent 30% the cost of a new diesel 3/4-ton truck. Start small and yes, Evolution! Our solar/battery/inverter setup is good enough for quite a while. LFPs for us will come 4-5 years down the road since our 450 AH of lead acid is only 2 years old. I would like to add the Victron SmartShunt ($130), not thinking we need anything else at this time, but I enjoy reading about everybody's upgrades. I'm thinking I can add the SmartShunt directly at the battery ground like @CnC did for his 712 install, and just leave the Blue Sky shunt as-is (see pic above). What a simple install, since I'm not adding the 712 display, everything is wired within the battery bay with Bluetooth to read battery information. Although, the SmartShunt has a gray lead that can read the TV battery voltage, be attached to a battery temp gauge, and other uses. I could wire this to the black lead, at the +12VDC bus (also shown in pic above), which connects thru the trailer electrical connecter to the TV battery. This should show about 12.6V when sitting and 14V+ with engine running when operating correctly. Just purchased this: Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartShunt IP65 500 amp Battery Monitor (Bluetooth) : Automotive

Thanks Geoff! I was asking for holes in my procedure, and you found one. IMHO, I feel expansion in a P-trap goes 99% upwards, like an ice cube tray, and has not concerned me. We can add a step 13 to the procedure: 13) Add 3-4 OZ of RV antifreeze to each drain (bath, shower, kitchen) and in the toilet bowl (with water). There is no additional maintenance in this step, as p-traps do not need to be flushed and cleaned later like the freshwater plumbing system. You can drive on and use them as-is. Great addition!

Just run the pump while working the procedure. Only if a pump freezes filled 100% with water can it be damaged from the expansion of freezing water. BTW, when y'all get around to up grading your pump, most high-end pumps today can run dry for hours without issue.

Yes, thank you @Patriot for starting this post! I thought I would see a holiday thread here, so I stopped in to see. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all OO and families! We're very happy to be Oliver Owners too, just past our 6-month anniversary! The next 6 months, we'll do less learning and fixin' and more getting out on the road. Hopefully a New Years week outing will work out for us and if any of you will be in Quartzite in Feb, we'll haul down the mountain to meet you! Equally happy to be part of this forum and getting to know y'all! Ho-Ho-Ho

Because we live in the SW, we do more camping over the winter months, spring and fall of course, and none during summer (think Snowbirds RVing in Quartzite AZ). So, we don't truly "winterize" but live at 5400 FT elevation and it can get COLD overnight. Whenever the weather report forecasts several consecutive nights low 20s or in the teens, I'll blow out the water, but we could be heading out next week! This occurs often, 2-3 times a winter. I could not see adding antifreeze and flushing it clean on this basis. If winterizing the Oliver with antifreeze takes you 20 minutes, then using air should take 10-15 minutes. Yep, you need an air compressor. Mine has a 100' hose so I can fill RV tires all the way out on our road. Good time to check tire pressure and overfill your tires 10% for winter parking. This way when you are ready to leave again all you have to do is check pressure, let a little air out. The real difference is when we are ready to head out, everything is done and ready. No flushing antifreeze, just fill the freshwater tanks at home or at the campsite depending.

Confirmed! You worked this out in one day, a question many fear, deliberate over for years! Like both @ScubaRx and I mentioned, weigh your trailer to be sure where you fit on the table. Yes, these numbers are for each tire. The 65 PSI you were told will handle the Elite I, on these tires, at full GVWR of 5000 LBS. Water weighs 8.33 LB/Gal, a 30-gallon tank comes to 250 LBS. A packed fridge, closets, pantry and other cabinets can hold a bit of weight too. I weighed ours coming back from a short camping trip, before we unpacked. I added 250 LBS for fresh water used (we had drained Black and Gray tanks) and 100 LBS for food and drinking water consumed. Mine came to 6000 LBS total on an Elite II, so we can run at 45 PSI. However, there is more weight/tire on the Elite I.

That's one way to say it. Another way is to say, "to winterize, expel all water from the plumbing system using compressed air." I do understand OTT does not advise this procedure, I've heard and read this several times, but I've never been very good at reading directions or listening to advice (some say an attribute of the good engineer). I have used this method for years in other RVs and just worked this yesterday on our Oliver. This is more complex in the little Oliver than say on our past Bigfoot Class-C RV, because of having four (4) hose water inlets. Please allow me to list my procedure and please comment if you believe I missed something, where there may still be some water in the system. I learned this from a Bigfoot owner, on the BOCI forum, who lives in Calgary BC Canada. He uses no antifreeze where of course lows are sub-zero for several months of winter. 1) Park your OTT nose uphill and start draining the Fresh Water tank. 2) Drain Hot Water Heater (HWH) and set HWH bypass valve 3) Reduce air compressor pressure to 50 PSI and use an air to hose fitting (see pic of one I built with spare parts). The fitting must be connect to the hose first, unless yours has a shut-off valve. 4) Turn your water system draw valve to the Winterize/Sanitize position. 5) Open the kitchen faucet both hot and cold sides 6) Connect the compressor airline to the rear Sanitation inlet (a few seconds is all required). 7) Change water valve back to Normal Camping Position. 8) Connect the compressor airline to the City Water inlet (a few seconds is all required). 9) Connect the compressor airline to the Fresh Water inlet (leave it connected). 10) Go inside and close the kitchen faucet. Then open each faucet separately. The toilet, then hot and cold, one at a time, for the bathroom sink, and kitchen again. Run the water pump at some point to expel internal water. Go outside and do the same for the outside shower. Go back inside and check each faucet again. They should all blow water mist when the lines are mostly empty (empty enough). 11) Close Fresh Tank drain when empty. Finish up with the HWH and reset the bypass valve. Get everything back to Normal Camping Position. 12) Empty Black and Gray tanks. Connect airline to Black Tank rinse, or at least remove cap to release water in this line. 13) Add 3-4 OZ of RV antifreeze to each drain (bath, shower, kitchen) and in the toilet bowl (with water).

Wow, lots of good comments here. Thank you @Ronbrink for starting this. Many thoughts to follow... Yep, the rooftop batwing panels detract from appearance, but I would not be without them. It was a cloudy day in AZ yesterday. I was in and out of the Oliver all day, ran the furnace, was testing a water pump install, ALL interior lights on, inverter on, my TV monitor streaming news in the background, and finished the day with a 98% charge. Love this solar setup and all the standard LED lights that draw minimal power. First time I've heard of an RV with a considerable LiFePO4 battery bank not fed by solar! But as @SeaDawg reminded us, we all have different needs. Installing DC-to-DC chargers, make sure your vehicle has a HD alternator! Diesel trucks usually do as the Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins always had one coupled with a dual starter-battery system (setup this way for the electrical demand of adding a snowplow and other heavy draw accessories). Look to see if you have or can purchase a higher output alternator (buy OEM or the best name brand possible). You do NOT want to starve your TV ignition system and ECM of required voltage. I do understand the claim of the DC-to-DC products is that it regulates the draw, but if a HD alternator has more available power, it will charge your house batteries more quickly. Many half-ton trucks will come new with a standard alternator, with a higher amperage model available. An alternator install is normally a half-hour task. In our travels, I like to plan only 2-3 hours driving between stops, so the DC-to-DC charger has less value in our use-case (so many feet of dual 4 AWG COPPER cable makes this a costly upgrade in today's market). Those of you with OTT installed solar wanting additional panels, do NOT count on a cheap panel to have a smart solar charger. Does OTT actually install the exterior solar port wired DIRECTLY to the batteries? No, no, no, this is crazy as it should be wired to the internal solar controller. You can have multiple electrical sources inputted to a solar charger, but you do not want multiple solar charge controllers working in parallel! They could overcharge and how can you monitor current draw and battery life (%)? Many controllers are rated for 30A, as this one from Victron. The Victron design is made to wire multiple units together for 30A-60A-90A... as many as you need (with some design maximum). We are running the OTT installed 25A Blue Sky controller. If I was to install additional panels, adding an exterior bodyside input terminal (like OTT installs), I would replace the Blue Sky with this Victron controller for the solar on the roof and add a second Victron controller for the moveable panels, which would then allow up to 60A total of solar power. Amazon.com: Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 100V 30 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller : Patio, Lawn & Garden Those of you w/o OTT installed solar, install one of these controllers (or another brand) under the streetside bed. Install a bodyside quick-connect terminal wired to the controller and cabling from the controller to your batteries. Then you can buy ANY solar panel w/o (or bypass) a built-in controller. I've had large rigs and given solar attached we rarely have used a generator, so we're going w/o one (we keep our fire ring in the front bin!). Keep in mind, we live SW and do not summer camp requiring A/C. We have the OTT solar panels, I was told 380 watts, but not sure. We have newer (4) 6v 225AH lead-acid batteries, so this adds up to 450AH at 12VDC (225 AH at 50% discharge). The ample combination of batteries and solar (with accurate monitoring) is key to modern RV life.

I went down the same path, had brackets like this on my Amazon Wishlist! Also thought of 'Z' brackets and other removeable options. The folding option was not going to work for us because we just purchased 12" tall mattresses from Brooklyn Bedding (a Phoenix AZ company, see rvmattress.com) and with the taller mattress the shelf would not fold down 90 degrees. Then when I found this great steel shelf the magnets seemed the way to go. Wish they had a 30" shelf, to hover over the 30" wide mattress, but choices were 24" or 36". Thought for a day or two of buying the 36" length and cutting it down to 30" but I would have had to get a machine shop to cut this steel exactly square so that it would look right. My advice, choose your shelf first and then select the mounting. Yes, VHB either way and purchase 3M 4950 VHB. I had another 3M VHB, black in color and thinner. I used it to mount the aluminum bar to the shelf, but it is not as strong, so I did not believe it would support the shelf. I wish I could post a video of me taking this shelf on and off. When the magnets grab, it loudly clicks into position, and you can feel how strong the mount is. If I was to do this again, with the same parts, perhaps 5 magnets vs. 6 would be the perfect recipe.

This is the simple reason an EV truck is not a good TV, and likely will not be in our lifetimes (thinking those of us now at retirement age). But what if solar technology gets to the point that the TT can carry enough capacity to feed the TV? You would need a DC-to-DC charger is reverse! Then I'm in for an EV TV! Technology for technology's sake? I like to see application. But could I afford one? That's like political/government types thinking that everybody who drives an older car today can just buy an EV. They are not cheap. A $16 Range Extender means $16K in batteries and yes, they take space and GVW. "Can the charge cord reach you with TT attached?" Another good point. I only see charge stations at some hotels. Perhaps they're more prevalent along the Pacific coast. I wonder, who is paying for the electricity? RV parks would need dual hook-ups. Commuters will charge overnight without concern. Having a commuter EV that doesn't create emissions, need oil changes, and other maintenance of the internal combustion engine is where the EV will shine.

That's good enough reason and we all enjoy frequenting here for many reasons. Thanks Mike! ☺️ Some of my writing can be merely for exclamation, e.g. "Why are we talking about this here?" Didn't mean it literally, so please take no offense! This has been a fun post, even for us EV detractors! I've mainly seen stainless steel fab'd in the restaurant industry, where they curve the counter ends using a press and bend/shape SS panels to make exhaust hoods, etc. I didn't watch the video either and these fenders must be more than SS, as most stainless is relatively soft, and not at all "bullet-proof." You got me thinking of the DeLorean, after I posted that picture. I ended up watching some of Back to the Future which I had not seen in 30 years! 🤣

Anybody wanting to make a similar kinda mod?... You set all the magnets in the mounting position you prefer on the metal shelf, then clean all parts (and the cabinet edge to which it mounts) with alcohol and then apply the 3M tape on the magnets. Now you are almost there, Ready, Set, Go, no, no WAIT! All you have to do is push the shelf correctly into position! Better be straight, only one chance with VHB tape. Or there is another way. You can take hours to measure and tape each individual magnet, or why not make a CAD drawing first? 🤣 I would say that if you want to do it my way, practice the mounting movement a half dozen times, prior to taking the second side off the tape! Somehow, I got it level right up to the counter edge. Gotta love it! Wish my new water pump and valve switches install would go as smoothly!

Put these fenders on a Tesla truck! (but then it is electric) 🙃

OMG, this truck is so, so ugly IMHO, and btw I love Elon Musk! Love him for his independent thought and relenting consciousness, his SpaceX and Tesla products, and buying Twitter upon disaster from his own personal funds, to stand up for OUR right to free speech! He is certainly one of the great thinkers and leaders of our time!!! 😂 Sorry but stainless steel can be stamped, fabricated and formed like any other metal (see the DeLorean pic). Give me a sheet of SS metal in my garage and I can bend it, hammer it and shape it, though it is more difficult to work with than basic steel. However, if your requirements require bullet-proof panels, then this is another discussion. This guy should cancel his "Cyber-Truck" purchase. Why are we talking about this here? If OTT was thinking this direction, we would just have an ordinary Airstream! But their metal is not bullet-proof and looks like cr@p after a few years. 🤣

Yeah GJ, you got me! I'm used to old trucks and having owned 5 gas engine trucks through the 80s and 90s, not a one of them got more than 12 MPG, city or highway. I'm behind on auto technology, and some of these high torque v6 engines are getting impressive. I guess I never cared much since I bought my first diesel Ram exactly 20 years ago (New Years Eve 2023). What range or MPG does your F-150 3.5 EB get pulling an EII, driving out west? I will tell you that on that same trip, the stock 2001 2nd Gen Ram Cummins got 19 MPG (some I-40 Interstate, but more mountain county roads and city). Our beautiful '08 Lexus GX470, with the Toyota 4.7L engine got only 13.8 MPG on the same trips. Under the Christmas tree is an Edge Juice w/ Attitude for my Cummins. The Level I setting should get better fuel mileage for around town. Level II is supposed to increase torque for towing. Levels 3-5 are for the crazies that like to burn rubber, run tractor pulls and blow diesel smoke! I'll enter a post on this later.

Sorry, tire pressure is not a matter of opinion! ☺️ Every truck, trailer and RV owner should measure the weight of each axle on a scale, then review the tire manufacture's load chart for your specific tire. Over-inflating is not being safer. It causes poor handling which is a safety issue, and internal damage (trailer construction issues, etc.) from excessive vibration. Under-inflating is certainly an issue as FMC learned 20 years ago over their Explorer fiasco. I weighed our EII during a camping trip and it came to right at 6K LBS. According to Michelin, I can run the tire minimum of 40 PSI (BTW @John E Daviesrecommends 42 PSI). The GVWR of the OTT EII is of course 7000 LBS and we should likely plan on running at load. Notice that at 50 PSI in the table, the dual rating is 3530 LBS, times 2 equals 7060 LBS. We are not running dually's, But tandem trailer wheels are very close (4 times the single rating comes to 1940 x 4 = 7760 LBS. OTT EII trailers should be run between 40 and 50 PSI, not higher as OTT and other RV manufacturers recommend (purely for liability reasons). I've been running mine at 48 PSI, and I will likely go lower to 45 next time out. The OTT Elite I has a GVWR of 5000 LBS on a single axle. I do not know the full specs, but let's assume the tires are the same Michelin model and size. The table shows that 70 (4880 LBS) is required (given these assumptions). The full 5000 LBS GVWR comes in right at 72.5 PSI. If you are pulling an Elite I empty, at 3700 LBS dry weight, 48 PSI would do! Say your EI weighs 4400 LBS, then 60 PSI is correct. If the EI has these same tires, pressures should run from 48 PSI empty to 72 PSI at full GVWR. BTW, this is MORE important in single-axle trailers and even more so for your tow vehicle. I'll take a blowout in my trailer (even with the resulting damage) over a blowout in the TV any day! Weigh your OTT and TV, check the load tables and run at correct pressure for your load, not what the sticker says. Agilis® CrossClimate® | Michelin Truck (michelinrvtires.com) Can we now end the tire pressure threads?

EVs are for commuters, grocery-getters and soccer-Moms living in cities and suburbs, where every 24 hours you know exactly where you are going to plug-in (at home)! And it is in the cities where lower emissions are needed. No interest at all over here. Used my diesel truck recently to drive to Las Vegas for work. There and back, went 580 miles, on one tank of fuel. Try that with a gasser or worse yet an EV. Figure we will get a good 480 miles a tank towing, though so far we have only taken local camping trips. Camping with an EV TV? Which one are you going to plug in? 🤣 Tesla cars look odd enough to my old eyes. This truck looks worse. Couldn't they spend a little more fab time and round out those wheel wells? Really bad lines! Yuch

I used 3M 4950 VHB on the paper towel holder too (first pic), love the stuff! If I wanted the shelf magnets removed, it would take 20-30 minutes to remove and clean up.

I was able to install this without any permanent scar to the Oliver. The magnets came with screws, instead I used 3M 4950 VHB. The earth magnets are staggered for strength, and I taped an aluminum bar to the shelf (see pic) so it would not slide down. It sits on the upper 3 magnets. It takes a good pop to remove the shelf! Took more time thinking than the work to install. Figure the shelf will sit between the mattress and the nightstand when we are sleeping. Nice budget on this mod. Shelf, magnets and tape from Amazon. Amazon.com: DIY CARTEL Made in USA Linear Floating Shelf - USA Manufactured Steel - Industrial Heavy Duty Metal Wall Mounted Modern Farmhouse Rustic Designed Shelf (24-in X 8-in Powder Coated White) : Home & Kitchen

Coming from 30-40 ft RVs, the Oliver kitchen is just a little small. And we love our big breakfasts and dinners, married a great cook! At first, I was thinking we need a shield, something to protect the bedding from cooking spatters. Newer Olivers have their 2-burner stove turned 90 degrees, but now we're glad ours is facing the cook. Next thought was why not a shelf instead. The shelf would need to be removeable for bedtime. This is the result of a few ideas.

Thought I would bump this. Love the pics! I searched for "drawers" in post titles and there it was, of course by @John E Davies! Thank you, John. My problem is with a herniated C3-C4 disc, I cannot stand to contort my neck anymore to look under tables, dashboards, etc. Too many decades of car repair and installation work and years sitting at computers, I guess. I wanted to look back there, given another JD post on loose plumbing, and we're installing a removeable kitchen shelf. I'll make another post on that. Thanks again JD! ☺️