Galileo

(And yes - I’m demanding! Otherwise I would have opted for the $12,000.00 “Coleman” trailer instead of the $70,000.00 Oliver!) 😋

I’m familiar with Wondercide products and have used them on occasion for flea control. That said, I still don’t like to douse myself with any kind of repellants. I just feel “dirty” when wearing them and I’d have to shower before going to bed.

I’m familiar with the Thermacell “technology” in that a certain former female acquaintance of mine had several of the cordless butane curling irons. The used the same cartridges. They’re quite rudimentary in that there’s no real pressure regulator - just a tiny, TINY orifice that controls the amount of gas that is allowed to make it to the “burner”. Two or three uses into my using the Thermacell “lanterns” one quit working (heating) entirely - even with a new, full cartridge. Sure enough, the faint hissing sound you’d normally hear when turning the device on was missing. My guess is that the tiny orifice became clogged. Interesting, in that between the time the unit was new, with a new cartridge, and the time it quit working - there was no way -I- could have introduced anything into it that would have clogged it. The cordless curling irons suffered the same fate - multiple times. That, and I didn’t find them to be that effective even when working. I also thought it was kinda dumb to power a light with batteries, while butane supplies heat. (Guess nobody told the Thermacell folks that a butane powered light would also generate heat…) I was even using rechargeable batteries to attempt to minimize cost and waste. Yes, there are mostly good reviews, but I see MY one-star review has a fair amount of company. YMMV I guess.

We’ve snagged a Campground Host gig at Glacial Lake SP in Starbucks, Minnesota for the last part of July and all of August. (Go North young man - in summer!) Im thinking now about mosquitoes now, as they find me particularly appetizing apparently. The park management says mosquitoes “aren’t that bad” that time of year (but flies are) so I’m just kinda worried. I loathe smearing myself with repellants, and have yet to find a really effective trap or repeller. I had two of the Thermacell “lanterns” that @Ronbrink seems to like. I didn’t find them very effective. They’re also a little expensive to feed since you need repellant pads, butane cartridges, as well as batteries to make the light go. There is a newer Thermacell unit, but it also needs refills every 8 hours. I’ve used a “Dynatrap” with some success - and they still get pretty good reviews from Popular Mechanics (I think). Since we’re going to be there for ~6 weeks, I don’t mind making an investment. Prolly gonna get a stand-alone screen room, but was hoping for an option that wouldn’t restrict us to an 8’ by 8’ safe zone. Suggestions that don’t require I bathe in DEET, pyrethrum, or any other noxious elixir? I don’t want to nuke the local ecosystem - but if it’s them or me…..

We spent three days at Flamingo National Park in the Everglades. Their cut little “meter” showed 3 out of 5. I forget the captions, but they implied it was only “moderate”. IMHO, they mosquitoes were intolerable. You COULD NOT do anything outside many hours of the day without becoming a blood donor. It’s a very neat ecosystem - manatees, osprey, gators AND American Crocodiles. But, I won’t ever go back. I don’t like being a part of the Everglades food chain.

I guess if detector false alarms are common enough, the switch makes good sense. I’m sure some safety expert somewhere is shuddering at the thought of people selectively disabling their CO/propane detector. The “reminder” I have that my detector is inoperative is the replacement sitting on the counter goading me to install it.

Pretty sure the power monitor that the Oliver comes equipped with will tip you off if the outlet is wired incorrectly. All those flashing red lights in the aft cabinet above the television must be good for something! 😋 Seriously, if it detects a fault, it won’t even let power in from my experience. I also carry a little receptacle “analyzer” that you can plug in to a 15/20 amp receptacle. It will tell you if it’s properly wired and grounded. I don’t have one for a 30 or 50 amp receptacle, but assuming (!) that a 30->20 amp adapter will let it analyze a 30 amp circuit. Add the 50->30 amp dogbone and you should be able to check anything. (I’m sure an electrician will jump in to correct me on the above if it’s not true!) https://a.co/d/e6M4b1m So far, the only faults I’ve detected are the floating ground from a portable generator, and the missing ground when plugging into a friend’s home outlet.

We didn’t blow that fuse - but had to pull it when the original CO/Propane detector started throwing false alarms - at 3am of course. No fun being awakened without real cause, being deaf for 5 minutes, or having to dislodge the two panicked cats from the ceiling. And yes, it’s not an ideal location for a fuse. I was loathe to replace the failed detector - still supposedly WELL within its stated service life - with another unreliable one. So we ordered this one. https://a.co/d/3SUEvPm It sticks out a bit further, and it’s brown instead of white (which I actually like) but it has the advantage of actually having a readout that shows the propane or CO PPM that it’s detecting.

Though it’s an old thread - looks like it’s already been re-opened. If anybody cares, these are the blocks/pads/stands we’ve been using for a few years now: https://a.co/d/6SwIden They’re rock-solid and spread the load out on softer surfaces. The main reason I like them is because at about 6” tall, they REALLY reduce the amount you have to extend and retract the jacks. All three of them. That not only reduces wear and tear - it really saves quite a bit of time when setting up or departing. Especially nice if you happen to arrive during a monsoon. (Which I got to do just last week!) In especially very un-level spots, I’ve had to skip the stand under the tongue jack to be able to drop the nose of the trailer enough to achieve level. Usually one of those “Oh Hell!” moments when you realize you’re out of jack travel and you have to jack the tongue back up, back up your TV again, retract the jack, pull out the block, extend the jack, move the TV -again- and re-level. In that case, I keep a lightweight “racing” floor jack for the purpose. A quick lift, pull out the block, and lower away. I also have three 12x14” 3/8” thick aluminum alloy plates to put under jack feet when on very soft surfaces. They’re actually company name plaques from former employers…

Quite true. Never thought of that. I suppose if optimum flow rates are important to you, then this would be a factor. I would opt for ball valves in my land-based plumbing for this reason. I was always a little surprised that conventional valves had such small, restrictive passages. I’d bet that with all the fittings, valves, check valves, pump, accumulator, etc - there are already a ton of restrictions in Ollie’s plumbing system.

Pros of SharkBites is that aside from a tool that cuts a nice, square end on the PEX tubing, you don’t need other tools. (You can use an appropriately sized open-end wrench to depress the locking ring on a SB connector should you need to remove it.) Cons - high cost. Conventional PEX connectors require a specialized crimping tool - though one that lets you use a ViseGrip Plier as the oomph will save you a few $$$ over a dedicated PEX crimping tool. If you don’t get a good, leak-free connection with a conventional PEX crimped fitting, you have to cut it off and start over. You can often salvage the connector by carefully cutting off the crimp ring. For a “lean” repair kit, you could probably get by with a 1/2” tee, elbow, and two straight connectors and a couple of feet of tubing. I haven’t priced SharkBites lately, but I’d guess that the above - plus the tubing cutter - could be had for about $50. (I remember SBs costing $10-$12 each for 1/2” ones - but that was two or three years ago.) You’d probably spend that much on a decent PEX crimping tool by itself. As someone else already mentioned, installing PEX “below deck” in cramped quarters can be a bear. (I think I just talked myself into SharkBites!)

Though I have never used SharkBite fittings, they used to sell very well at the hardware store I used to work at - in spite of their relatively high cost. You mention “permanent” in your comment. I’ve know of folks who used these all over their homes - including inside walls(!) That's something that would make me a little nervous. That said, people tend to regard them a permanent. Being “old school” - I’ve never even used PEX. Soldered copper for me. Of course, not so practical in an RV. I don’t keep any plumbing spares so far. I guess if/when the time comes, I’ll have to hope I’m near enough to a hardware or home improvement store to get some PEX fitting, tubing, lock rings, and a crimper. I do recall that there is a crimping tool that utilizes your existing ViseGrip pliers to supply the power. That should save you a bit of $$& over buying a stand-alone PEX crimping tool.

He was pretty messed up for a while, but he recovered. Sadly, he passed away from an unrelated illness a year or two later. There may be a lesson there someplace.

Looks like you have the second A/C power connector!

I didn’t know I was whispering sweet nothings….

I think I found an answer: select a picture that works in this application. Done!

I’d be curious to learn how the pedestal ends of RV “shore” power cables fare. Do they have the overheating issue? Do they occasionally charge or start on fire? Since the 30 amp receptacle on the pedestal likely gets a lot more use - and abuse - than the RV end - I would expect it to be an issue as well. I haven’t come across any burned-looking 30A receptacles in three years of camping at dozens of campgrounds across the country and into Canada. That’s almost counter-intuitive as they are exposed to a lot more hands, plugs of many different manufactures and condition - as well as the “attitude” effect of people often not treating other people’s stuff very carefully. Then again, I think the straight push-in style receptacle/plug are more rugged and intuitive than the twist-lock. I’d say all of the above is a factor as a reason sometimes mentioned is “Great, but what can you do about the pedestal end of the cable?” To which I’d say “Nothing really, but it seems to be less of a problem than the twist-lock end, and if something is gonna start on fire, at least it’s not on the side of your camper!”

Hopefully something Oliver beefed up on later hulls!

Thanks Bill, I’ll probably edit a picture - maybe splice two together - to make up a profile pic that puts the items I want to accentuate on either side of the stuff that covers up the middle of it.

Yeah, I’d say you called that one right. I just mentioned that I like to keeping things OEM - and it spiraled from there. 😋 Hopefully, people looking for info on Andersen Hitch will have sensed the (major) drift and stopped reading long ago. It’s kinda the nature of conversation though, right. You’re right of course - I never cared for Belgian beer until I tried DeKoninck at the brewery.

That sounds like it would help somewhat, but see how both my and KatanaPilot’s name is plastered across the center of the profile picture? That’s what I’d like to remove or reposition to be able to see the picture. Otherwise, a landscape or skyline picture would be the only kind of picture suitable for that use.

We’ve stayed at Rock Cut SP. Camp Reinberg too - that’s a nice one. That area is still too congested with too many jerk(ahem) drivers to be somewhat safe for a recreational motorcyclist IMHO. I was thinking of getting another bike in rural NE Texas - until I heard the brother of a coworker riding his Harley got wrecked by a (wait for it) feral hog.

We do the same with the inside switch. More to conserve propane though. I probably only use hot water once a day - usually less. We generally take our showers at the campground facilities, or at a health club depending upon how long we stay in a given place. I haven’t been turning off the switch on the outside. I guess I never thought about it. Nobody addressed it during our delivery process. I guess I’ll have to read the manual!

It is a challenge for some folks - typically men - who often derive their identity from their profession. I don’t think that ever applied to me. I worked to live, not lived to work. My old day job changed, the company changed, and I realized I didn’t belong there anymore. I was happy to accept an early buyout and “retire” at 50. That company is now a shadow of its former self. (Think of a big Chicago based media company that used to have a “tower” on North Michigan Ave.) Corporate wife and I escaped to rural Texas to get away from Chicago winters, congestion, pollution, and politics. Became hobby farmers. Changed our lifestyles dramatically. But, we were still too tied-down to the property. It “owned” us - so it had to go. We enjoyed 10 years of the best organic pork, poultry, and veggies. The freshest eggs - but - we moved on. Will we do this forever? Probably not. We may end up in a “tiny home” (without wheels though) but probably keep up the international travel. Can’t beat Italy and France for food and wine. The UK & Ireland for beer. Scotland - well, you know. (Actually, the food is really better than most people are led to believe!)

We have similar backgrounds. I too was the “new car prep” guy at the Buick dealership. Radios, cruise controls, defrosters, and everything else to make sure the salesman could get the car out the door. I did the motorcycle thing too. Rebuilt the engine on a ‘77 XS750-D including a big-bore kit. Funny, in the year 2000 - an 815cc motorcycle was pretty “small”. I had the smallest engine in the advanced motorcycle safety course I took before I got back into riding. I ended up selling all the bikes - I got tired of every driver on the road in Chicago trying to kill me. I’ve even been known to buy “broken” stuff off eBay to fix and own it cheap. It’s amazing how many people can’t (don’t) read instruction manuals and think something is broken - or can figure out how to put batteries in properly.