Snackchaser

Thanks! And I see how that poor quality photo could raise questions from observant folks. Only the spirit level was installed by Oliver. The bottom item is a 12vDC outlet for a macerator pump. Next is a rotary switch for electric valves that are used for freshwater tank drain, boondocking and winterizing line-ups. It’s described in the post “Electric valve control… with a twist.” Then there is a third water-pump switch for the outdoor shower, or when filling the freshwater tank from the boondocking port. This is described in the post “4-way pump switch for the outdoor shower.” Above that, are labeled LED indicators for the aforementioned pump and valves. Lastly a Levelmate with lengthened thumb screws for easy battery changing. They do look like toggle switches! Then my trusty pliers. . . they actually replaced quick disconnects that I found were too bulky and inflexible for my needs. Cheers! Geoff

Could be a number of different things, but it wouldn’t have anything to do with the circuit breakers or park power. The fault will be at the GFIC outlet, or one of the downstream outlets fed by it. GFIC’s are not overcurrent devices, rather they detect minute circuit imbalances where either the hot wire or neutral wire is leaking current to ground. So one of the most common problems is moisture, usually in the outdoor outlet/box. Make sure the cover seal is good and dry it off as best you can. Another common cause is improperly wired devices, so make sure everything is unplugged. If that doesn't fix it, then disconnect the "load" side of the GFIC outlet and see if it’s still tripping. If so, then replace the GFIC. If it doesn’t trip with the load disconnected, the GFIC is okay and I’d go back to the outdoor outlet and really dry it well. Good luck!

Nice! I think I'd need several sets!

When doing hook-ups or departures from camp, I regularly find myself in need of water pump pliers to tighten and loosen water lines. . . which means digging out the tool box to find them. So I decided to mount a dedicated pair in the outdoor garage where they will be close at hand when needed. After looking at various options for storing the pliers, I settled on a small leather tool pouch from Amazon. It was low profile, could be easily mounted on the wall, and it didn’t take up precious garage floor space. The pouch also had pockets for a small flashlight and pen, which also can also be elusive items when signing in after dark. The tool pouch had a belt clip that was removed, and I stretched one of the pockets to fit my LED penlight. The leather is easily stretched by soaking it in water for about 60 seconds and using a dowel or other cylindrical object to expand the pocket. The leather is quickly dried in an oven at 130 degrees to hold the new shape. I chose a 7” Knipex Plier Wrench for my kit because of its high quality. They aren’t cheap, but the Oliver is deserving, and they are a pleasure to use. There are many excellent choices available for pliers, flashlights and pens. I just used what I already had on hand. Some folks might also be interested in my handy tool for stashing and retrieving things from the unreachable depths of the garage. This is simply a sanded length of 1/2” x 3/4” moulding with an aluminum angle screwed onto one end as a hook to pull things out. Oh, and notice the spring to pull the garage door suspension cable out of the way so it doesn’t get pinched in the seal like mine does. Hope you find this useful! Cheers! Geoff

I don't know about the noises, mine makes just a little noise. The circulation pump keeps hot water in the small reserve tank, so it's turned off to conserve power and gas in the ECO mode. Good luck, Geoff

True. . . but they were terribly misleading because the circuit is energized directly from the battery, regardless if the alternator is charging or not. Think of it like a jumper cable connected to the battery, if you were to brush the red cable against any grounded surface of the vehicle then you're going to have big sparks like a welder . . . before any thermal fuse will blow. A circuit fused at 60 amps has significant potential and I think it would be somewhat negligent not to have a quick and easy means to disconnect it, as is the law in other applications. It’s straight off the battery, always energized, running the length of the vehicle, with a connector exposed on the rear bumper. Most mechanics wouldn’t have any idea what it is, and may not take precautions to avoid it. I love @Tom and Doreen idea of using a high amperage switch instead of a breaker. The switch is more obvious and it would do a better job at alerting someone of a high potential than might need to be shut-off. I’m keenly aware that I’m too forgetful, and I may not always be around. Cheers! Geoff

Yes, the snacks are missing!!! Wifey has been notified and I can neither confirm or deny any involvement in their disappearance!

I also used a Blue Seas MRBF 60 amp fuse, and I added a redundant 60 amp breaker just as a disconnect switch. The Orion output has a #7720 Blue Seas 60 amp fuse block, rather than a breaker. Just as a FYI: A breaker has polarity so it only protects the wire on the load side. In this unique application, you would have to decide if the breaker will protect the wire from the massive Oliver battery current potential, or from the 50 amp Orion charger potential. Whereas a fuse has no polarity, it protects the wire from both potentials.

John, good discussion! The Orions protective features are based on voltage rather than amps, and alternator voltage will drop in an overcurrent current situation. Thats one of the Dropout Voltage functions, it protects the alternator from overcurrent. The Orion allows you to adjust the Dropout Voltage enough to compensate for cable voltage drop, but not enough to lose the alternator protection or engine-on detection features. I was pleasantly surprised when getting 35.8 amps output from the Orion, but it is capable of 40 amps. With the 42 amp input, it equates to 85% efficiency, where Victron claims 87%. The difference in my output / input amps can be attributed to both efficiency and cable voltage drop because even with #4 we are undersized. Okay I see whats going on, you have a “non-isolated” Orion! So the b- current is divided between the #4 wire and your frame. Those angry pixies will always take the path of least resistance, so as you rightly pointed out, the wire is taking 75% of the load because the frame resistance is higher. I hadn’t considered that because I use an isolated Orion and it carries the full input current on the wires only. I don't think it's a problem for you, if anything, it's helping. Humm? The 50 amp Orion is non-isolated too, so JD would be well served to buy an additional 12' of wire for the truck b-, and get a performance boost at little extra cost🤙 Good stuff man!

Geronimo, JD, I also have the 30 amp Orion with around 90' of #4. With the TV at idle, and the lithium batteries around 60%, the average TV input to the Orion was 42.5 amps, and the Orion's output to the battery was 35.8 amps. Decent efficiency! Amperage flows equally in a loop, so the B+ and B- will always be the same value. Knowing that, the 25% difference that you were seeing between measurements was most likely due to the Orion auto adjusting the battery charging current, or changing the output current due to low voltage, or even the smart alternator searching. It's really hard to get a consistently stable amp reading with all that going on. The Victron smart shunt has a log feature that might provide a better overall picture of its performance. You have 18' more wire than me, and that will increase resistance and voltage drop more than it may seem. It sounds like you might also have some added resistance from using the frame through the hitch for B-. That can cause the Orion to reduce the output amperage, which reduces the voltage drop, which brings it back within the default set points. So it might help to change your Orion's default “Start Voltage” from 14 to 13 volts, and the “Shutdown Voltage” from 13.1 to 12.8 volts. I get into more detail in my post "More DC to DC charger Installation Tid Bits." You might also re-check the battery type settings while you're at it. A cooling fan would be good for the 30 amp Orion, especially considering it ramps down 3% for every degree above 104 F. I described a way to install fans using a 104 degree thermo switch so that it doesn't create a parasite draw. It's also in the afore mentioned post. FYI, I was checking into adding parallel wires with the existing #4 for a 50 amp Orion upgrade. Geez, I'd have to add at least a #1, but better a #1/0 to stay within acceptable voltage drop. That's a lot of trouble and expense so I'm going to stick with the 30 amp for now. I'm very pleased with its battery charging performance, but not so much for running the AC. Hope you will find this useful! Cheers! Geoff

What is your cell phone speed without the Pepwave for comparison? The DC to DC charger will not work in reverse, otherwise it would charging the truck battery. The Victron is still a good option when using the Starlink supplied 50’ cable, which is really desirable when trying to find clear sky view when camping around trees. Starlink now offers a 16’ USB cable for in-motion use that would be a better option for the truck.

Awe thanks, but you probably know more about it than I do! There is great information about using a Pepwave with Starlink on the YT channel “Mobil Internet Resource Center.” People primarily use them for better reliability and stronger WiFi for increased speed, and they would certainly supplement the 50 GB Starlink roaming data plan. The Starlink Mini’s built-in router is not as powerful and the speed decreases the further away it is. We usually get 100 to 150 mbps with the mini compared to reported speeds of 300 when using aftermarket routers, which is about the same as our Gen-3 dishy at home. However, 100 mbps is still a respectable speed. We’ve exceeded the 50 GB limit a few times. So we just pay for the extra GB’s as we go. The real expense is the extra snacks and cocktails for internet mooching visitors 😉 I seen Starlink dishy’s laying flat, but not a Mini so far. Not to say it wouldn't work! I think orientation is more important for them because of the small surface area. The kickstand and pole mount are angled and the Starlink App lets you know if they’re not pointed in the right direction. Which seems odd to me because the Mini is approved for mobil use and Iv’e wondered how well that works considering they're directional??

I too have been annoyed by the Levelmate’s short battery life, and the auto shut-off feature doesn’t seem to work. It’s now mounted with thumb screws for quick battery changes. The On or Off label helps because it's hard to tell the switch position, and I usually have a spare battery taped to it too! It was originally mounted indoors and I’d always be calling wifey to turn it on. Now it’s in the basement closer to the jack controls and I’m more likely to turn it off there.

I was reminded of my favorite post in this forum by @Dave and Kimberly and @Ronbrink about the Solar Tax Credit. With their information, we amended our 2022 tax return and received a handsome refund check for 30% of the cost of the lithium package. In case you're unaware; I believe you could do the same! Our friends did! The entire system cost is eligible, batteries, solar panels, chargers, inverters, shunt, wire, and all the associated bits and bobs. We didn't have to submit receipts, just have them available. With 30% of the $3400 spent and the DC to DC charger cost, you're looking at some serious change brother! It would pay for that DC to DC charger with properly sized wire, some new tools, and a night on the town with the misses. 🤙 Cheers! Geoff

Very Nice! My EDC since February is the Streamlight 88812. Roughly the same shape, and they both look like little Storm Shadow missles! 😄 I've also carried a Benchmade 470 Emissary almost every day for around 15 years. Love it! Cheers! Geoff