KarenLukens

I was doing some more reading on that site and here's the big problem with the Zamp, it doesn't give you the batteries percentage of charge. I love being able to look at a monitor and see it saying 100% or 75% or the actual percentage of battery available. To me this is most important and this most important figure isn't part of the Zamp monitor like it is in every other monitor that I've seen. That's why I was saying that I miss the Trimetrics monitor because that monitor tells you everything. The Blue Sky Monitor tells you everything also :) This is a good site - http://www.enerdrive.com.au/battery-monitors-window-power-system/

Then here's some comparison info - http://www.enerdrive.com.au/mppt-vs-pwm-solar-controllers/

It's been in the low 70°s here and the fridge is on gas. The sun is bright but because the Zamp system is an older pwm style it does not work under a canopy of partial shade at all like your Blue Sky System does. We're not using any power but the batteries still drop a bit every day because we're still running the Solar controller, smoke alarms, fridge main panel, etc., but nothing else during the day because the trailer just sits here while we are working on the house. If we had the trailer parked in full sun out in the open, the Solar would keep it charged but the trailer would be rediculously hot. Basically mppt systems add 30% more power then the pwm systems and are designed to get the most out of the Solar panels even in shade. We've been in this trailer for over 4 months straight now and always keep learning more. If we leave the Solar panels and the wiring alone and pull out the Zamp pwm controller and monitor, then put the Blue Sky controller and monitor in like you have, being parked under a shade canopy will not be an issue because the Blue Sky System is designed to work better, up to 30% more efficient then the Zamp system and it will absorb the maximum amount of power from the sun and charge the batteries by 10am just like yours. After being side by side with our pwm system and an mppt system, the drawbacks of the pwm technology are made really clear. Your Blue Sky System is one of the best cutting edge systems available on the market, there's really no comparing it with the older Zamp system because they are from 2 different era's of solar advancements. "Maximum Power Point Tracking is electronic tracking - usually digital. The charge controller looks at the output of the panels, and compares it to the battery voltage. It then figures out what is the best power that the panel can put out to charge the battery. It takes this and converts it to best voltage to get maximum AMPS into the battery. (Remember, it is Amps into the battery that counts). Most modern MPPT's are around 93-97% efficient in the conversion. You typically get a 20 to 45% power gain in winter and 10-15% in summer. Actual gain can vary widely depending weather, temperature, battery state of charge, and other factors." - https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/batteries-and-charging/mppt-solar-charge-controllers.html

So they would only install the Zamp pwm... Kinda takes away from the meaning of Legacy Elite doesn't it, especially when people plan on changing out their mediocre controller at pick up... We paid $2000 for this set up to Oliver if I remember right because I thought it was the Blue Sky mppt. Why did you pay for them to install their solar? Why not just have them run the wires? My friend Mark put in his 400watt flex panel set up on his Bigfoot himself and when he was parked here next to me, he was charged back up to 100% by 10am every day in partial morning sun, while I usually ended up running the generator for an hour after a full day with lots of sun to top our batteries off. I've got to say, right now, I wouldn't recommend for anyone to buy the Solar Upgrade Package because there are much better systems available elsewhere. With the Blue Sky or another mppt, we wouldn't need to run the generator at all here. And now because I'm running the Renogy Solar Suitcase along with their Zamp, I'm doing fine. There are plenty of other state of the art Solar systems available if Blue Sky was giving you guys that much problem. I really don't think that the Zamp pwm system belongs on our Oliver Legacy Elite trailers because in today's world, it's flat out sub par, hands down, and our trailers are too good for this old school system. Stick with any state of the art true mppt system and keep the Oliver name the true best of the best in every way, Legacy Elite trailer :) Reed

What controller are you putting in? And was the Blue Sky not an option anymore? Or was it not an option that you wanted? I'm having a hard time understanding why I ended up with an old pwm Zamp system over a good quality mppt... I shouldn't be having to add an auxillary Solar System to my new Solar System, that was supposed to be state of the art. Unfortunately I'm really feeling like Oliver went cheap this year, while jacking up the prices. I paid the extra money for better than 2016 equipment, but so much has changed on the interior and now the Solar package that they switched to is showing its disadvantages also. Their Solar package add states that there's no need for a generator but I think that was in the past when they put in a quality mppt, before they cheapened the system... or down graded to the Zamp anyway while taking "State of the art quality" out of the Oliver... I started the generator again today but just to top it off. The Renogy Solar Suitcase is holding it steady, next I will be turning off the Zamp system and seeing how far I can push the 100watt Renogy system.

The open input is there, another panel is going to have to wait until we are done with the house, but it's a needed accessory. Being that we park in partial shade most of the time, an mppt is coming in the near future. We're fixing one thing at a time and still waiting for the water tank fix approval and the drawers, but we are adding it to the list. I would really like to see a comparison between the Zamp pwm system and the Blue Sky or another mppt just because for me, it's a learning curve. The only things that we have running are the fridge, the Zamp controller and the 2 alarms that I know of, so that doesn't seem like enough of a draw to take it down .2amps during the day. Then we run a CPAP at night for Karen along with lights here and there, but it doesn't drop at night... The biggest draw is during the day when the controller is running and I'm pretty sure now that the controller is our ghost draw being that we don't drop at all at night, yet we drop .2amps during the day, so actual controller draw really is something else to look into... :)

We were gone all day working on the new house again, so I wasn't here to change the angle of the Renogy panels, so I set it up for the afternoon sun before we left at 9am and we went up to 12.3vdc tonight, so we are gaining once again :) I was looking on the roof today though and if you have the need like we do, a 400watt roof mounted system would be a good upgrade option to get. I'd rather have more panels and still be parked in the shade myself so the added 100watts makes just enough of a difference and once again our Renogy Solar Suitcase has paid off. Because we plan on traveling a lot more now with Goldilocks, we are moving into the small 1 bedroom guest house and down sizing from the 4 bedrooms main house, where I have lived for the past 30 years... When we were children, it was our weekend cabin, then in 87, I moved in full time and raised our family here. It's lots of work but Karen and I don't need the big house anymore and so our niece will be in the big house with her family and be here to take over the homestead, which will allow us to travel without any worry. Today we gutted the guest house and started super cleaning it and as I sit back and reflect on our accomplishments this year, between Goldilocks our little Oliver and our little house, life is becoming peaceful once again.

Good Luck you two :) Have a safe and enjoyable trip!

We wanted the trailer as level as possible, so we went with a hitch that put us right at 23.5" and we could drop it a couple inches more still to make it perfect. On ours, 22" would be as close to dead on and I prefer it to be slightly low in the front over high, when we are just stopping somewhere quick over night. Unless your tires and suspension on the trailer are different, I would shoot for right on 23" or a little less. 24" to 26" would be too high on ours.

Steve, I totally agree... The Blue Sky was state of the art and one of the options that made the Oliver stand out as a true "Legacy Elite" type of trailer. Personally, what I have seen this year is the price go up and the quality and options like the Blue Sky Solar, the shower in the bathroom, the drawer hinges, the stripped out screws, just to name a few, we've all seen the quality go down. I thought that we were getting the Blue Sky when we ordered and I had read the instruction manual from front to back, 3 times so that I would know it inside and out when we picked up the trailer. A lot of people here this year are scratching their heads because we expected the best of the best, a true Legacy Elite trailer that earned it's name. Oliver will still make things right, I'm sure but I didn't plan on rebuilding cabinets, putting in a working water system, modifying the drain system to drain, or having to add an auxillary Solar System like we did today. They really cut the corners this year, and it really shows... We're still waiting for the new drawer latches that were supposed to be here and this has turned from weeks into months. John figured out a working water system but we're still waiting to hear back with an approval to install it from Oliver. Different people are having a lot of different quality control issues and I think that the cutting of the corners this year has cost them more then they planned on. Truly, I would love to have the Blue Sky System myself because the Zamp is made so basic that any idiot can watch it flicker... I paid for a State of the art new MPPT System and ended up with old school technology that came out in 1997 back when we had Bill Clinton for a president... Real Old School!!! But anyway, we work with what we have right? Eh... No... We make it the right way the first time... It's going to cost me but I still want my state of the art system that I paid for. We didn't get home until 10:30pm tonight but the good news is that we are sitting at 12.2vdc, so we gained a tenth today with the Renogy Solar Suitcase being positioned in the sun, most of the afternoon, instead of losing 2 tenths, so I'm thinking that it will be at 12.4 tomorrow night but only time will tell :) Reed

We have the King bed in back and it came with the cushions also that turn the whole thing into a circular sofa/ dinette. We have a full time bed also and have the extra cushions in storage. We'll never use them either :)

And then at 12:25pm the Zamp maxed out at 17.2amps and the Renogy at 5.7 which is roughly the 3 to 1 ratio that we are looking for with the 320watt system over the 100watt Suitcase. We started at 12.1vdc this morning, so tonight will be the tell all, being we either need to start the generator or we don't.

OK at High Noon the Zamp is putting out 13.2amps at 12.9vdc and the Solar Suitcase is putting out 4.6amps at 13.5vdc, so maybe between the 2 systems, I can keep the batteries charged up enough in partial sun during most of the day to make some headway. Both systems are working fine down under the trees.

I've got about 1/2 an hour before full sun hits, the Renogy Solar Suitcase is hooked up with Coleman leads... Lol, which are reverse, so I checked the polarity just to make sure. Anyway, even in partial sun because it is pointing straight at it, the 100w panel is putting out .6 amps, roughly the same as the 320watt Zamp system was with no sun on it yet, and the testing continues :)

Yup, the inverter is off. Oliver went to installing the Zamp system over the Blue Sky system saying it was easier for the customer... I don't know the price difference but the Zamp is old school pwm with basically no settings other then battery type... The panel's are clean but not in full sun, but still, it's losing instead of gaining with everything turned off inside. There's definitely quite a bit of ghost power loss to lose .2vdc daily with the Solar on. I'm heading up right now to grab the Suitcase because I can point it directly at the sun and see the difference. Testing time :)

No word from Oliver yet John... Wait on the Solar and check some out at Bandon. My friend Mark will be there and he's a good guy to talk to about solar and you can check his out then. He used Velcro and put up 4 of the 100watt flex panels with the Trimetrics monitor and controller, it's a good looking system but I don't know if the flex pannels will fit on the Oliver roof. Lots of earthquakes lately, this guy has the info always -

Last night I thought Karen was getting up but, she was still sleeping next to me. I knew that Riffles couldn't move us that much so I went back to sleep. This afternoon I found out that I had felt my first earth quake in a trailer ever. They weren't big, but the trailer rocked just like one of us was getting up but a whole lot of movement. We've only felt a handful of earthquakes here in the last 60 years that I can remember, but last night was a first for our Goldilocks :) We are still boondocking in our woods, I moved Goldilocks forward about 10' so that the Solar panels get a few hours of direct sun and it's doing ok but we still need to run the generator every few days. I have a lot of sun hitting just off of the street side of the trailer but I just don't want to park her in the sun, so tomorrow I'm going to hook up our Renogy Solar Suitcase directly to the batteries and see what that does compared to the Zamp system. I cleaned the panel's last week but they just don't seem to be meeting my expectations for the amount of sun that we are getting and being that we are using no power during the day for the last few days. Tonight we are starting out at 12.2vdc after a full day of charge with everything turned off. So we started out at 12.4vdc yesterday and instead of gaining, we still lost more. The fridge is on propane, all fans are off, the temp is in the high 70's, so where's the power going? So I will see what happens running both, then I will shut down the Zamp system and see how the 100watt Solar Suitcase does.

The only insight that I have is that it looks like you're plugged in to shore power... If you want to test it and it is plugged in to shore power, then unplug it and let it sit for a day or 2 and then take a pic... If you're planning on boondocking a lot, then take a generator and don't worry about the solar at all. No solar is not a reason to put off a trip :)

The extra Solar port was not mentioned as an option to us... Honestly after 4 months on the Zamp, I've got to say that I really miss the Trimetrics monitor... I also have the Renogy 100watt Solar Suitcase and I am finding that we need it daily if we park under the trees where we get partial sun most of the day and full sun just off of the street side. Still, I only need to run the generator for an hour every other day, but if I had that option, I would be using it. I keep meaning to call Zamp to see if I can just connect our Suitcase directly to the batteries, without damaging their system but overall, I really miss being able to see the battery percentage and everything else that the Trimetrics offers... http://www.loveyourrv.com/bogart-sc2030-cc-and-trimetric-tm2030-rv-installation/

Hi Steve, basically it's all about time and effort. We have to add another 5 minutes to pull the bed apart and put it back together to get to the valves. It's just an unnecessary step. We either fill from the back of the car or usually wheel the can to the back after lifting it out of the car parked in front. It's an 8 gallon container. As is, I move Karen's Art gear, extra blanket, etc... from the bed, pull the topper over to the center of the bed by the corner, pull out the long bed cushion and lay it over the topper to hold it in place and uncover the valve access cover, remove the cover and place it on top of the cushion, reverse the valves, go outside, put the hose in the water can, go back inside and start the pump, go back outside to hold the hose in the bottom left corner of the tank until totally empty. Usually about 4 minutes later the 8 gallon can is empty, then either transfer the hose to the next can or go back inside, shut off the pump, switch the valves back, slide the cover back in place while holding the red handle up, put the long bed cushion back, lay the topper over, tuck the sheets back in, put the blanket back on, straighten the bed, put the Art supplies back in order, put the spare blankets, books, etc... back in place. Usually it will take 20 minutes if I use 4 cans of water. With gravity flow, you put the 8 gallon can in place, put the hose in, pump 3 times and 1-1/2 minutes later you go to the next can. 4 cans is 6 minutes then add a minute for starting the siphon 4 times for an empty tank and you have 20 minutes with the pump / 7 minutes with gravity. For us it's either just move a tank for gravity, or move and tear apart the bed to get to the valves to use the pump, then go inside and outside to still deal with the water can. Usually I do it alone, unless Karen is here, then she turns the pump on, which adds a second person for the pump and inside. Gravity is quick and simple :) Reed

Depending on how tall you are, adding anything to the shower floor may make it to where you can't stand straight up. Definitely test it first. I have to tilt my head sideways after brushing my teeth and rinsing with nothing on the floor. Karen bought the teak wood shower floor and we gave it away because I couldn't stand up in there anymore. Then she went to rugs, which we pull out when showering.

Our old one came with a second level that was cut to fit the sink, which doubled the thickness but it stayed in place. So we left the top nice for show and turned it over to use the bottom as our main cutting board. Like this, just a standard RV sink cover/ cutting board.

We boondock a lot and leave both tanks open, I check the gauge every week or 2 and go from there. If it's still green in 2 weeks, I'll plan on filling them both in another week. Or I just plan on filling them every other time that we go out to dump the black tank unless we are using the propane Campfire a lot because that will run a tank out in around 20 hours of use. You can also use the condensation mark or tap on them, but being we live in ours full time, I plan on filling up every 3 weeks. My personal estimate for us is one tank every 2 weeks and so far I have been right on, not having them take over 11gallons so far. So I fill the empty and top off the other basically every 3 weeks. Reed

Just buy the Back up Camera placard from Oliver. I bought my own camera as well but Oliver put in the button and placard, so they have them already for theirs.

Welcome Rodney & René :) You've made the right choice.