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Houghton Retrofit Process & Questions
Geronimo John replied to Geronimo John's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I installed the 13.5 KBTU heat pump. It already has a soft start program that ramps up the start. Some folks have the Soft Start installed in addition. No need for it with my Honda 2200. The 2.5 KW and Soft start I believe was a knee jerk reaction to the Yamaha 2000. That unit has an undersized motor and will not pull up most AC's. I ran my old Dometic, which pulled a lot more power than the Houghton, on my Lead Acid batteries with a 2,000 watt inverter. Worked fine. BUT... did not last more than an hour max. I strongly suggest adding a separate A/B switch for the AC unit. Here is my DIY guide for doing so. DIY - Add Air Conditioner Power ATS.docx I also recommend installing a 3,000 watt inverter when your factory 2K one dies. DIY - Renogy 3000 Watt Inverter Upgrade Thoughts.docx The max current draw of the smaller Houghton is well below the Honda (as well as the 13.5K unit) generator's surge AND running amps. Several of us are running the larger units on 2K Hondas. I suspect the smaller would as well. Now for the 800 pound gorilla question: 9,500 or 13.5K Houghton's: With the RELAY & THERMISTOR hacks, the larger unit works exceptionally well as the recycle time and humidity issues are fully resolved. So no worries once hacked. Our 2018 OE2 has a single layer of Reflectix insulation. We camp out West in very hot almost zero shade areas most of the time. We are not in the trailer much during the day, so we may cycle on the unit occasionally, but boondocking it is never left on all day or night. (No shore power and only a Renogy folding suitcase solar). For our use, when I want A/C, I don't want to wait 50 minutes for it to cool down Ollie. Combined the above usage characteristics lead to our getting the 13.5K unit. I have heard, but still do not fully believe, that at some point after our unit OTT doubled the Reflectix insulation. (VERIFICATION REQUESTED). IF VERIFIED, and if your camping is not generally in extreme conditions, and you have solar or shore power, then I would go with the 9.5K unit. Hope the above is beneficial. GJ DIY - Add Air Conditioner Power ATS.docx -
Derek, yes given your location, you should do more research and perhaps go with the 13.5K model. The spec says the 9.5K handles 400 SF and that is larger than an Oliver. I would not base it on what your current Dometic handles, as beside noisy it's basically junk. Replace a Dometic with another, not me. They are a RV parts company is all. Don't do it just because the thermostat is interchangeable. We had a similar Dometic in our 29' Bigfoot Class-C. A ducted unit that did not cool well at all. The fan froze up one spring and I replaced it with a 13.5K Furrion AC, since I got it for under $300 Amazon used! The new unit, after some riveting of the cracked cover (used) and some taping of the ductwork really cooled the Bigfoot, what a difference! With large slide out in this RV, rear queen bedroom, etc. it is a good double the SF and cubic feet of air that the Oliver. I asked @Geronimo John in another thread which BTU model he installed, but I don't believe he's had the time to answer yet. I would like to know what others have installed. I promise you that we would never visit your great state of Louisiana anytime from May through September, LOL, and the west is dry! It's a world of difference. Our summers are relatively nice up here at 5400 FT. Though we do not travel in the summer, since as soon as we leave the mountains, the valley below us is daily in triple digits. Even though Houghton writes you need a 2.5KW minimum generator to run, it also states, "The maximum power input of this unit is 1590 Watts and the maximum current is 14.6 Amps." (BTW, these numbers do not jive, as 14.6A x 120V = 1752, the numbers balance at 109V not sure why?) Both of these numbers fit within a 2KW inverter, so I want the smaller 9.5K unit for the possibility to run off inverter. There is a comment on the RecPro page that 1100W is the most one customer had ever seen. We run a 1100W tea kettle all the time and microwave on inverter, so why not the 9.5K model? Certainly not the 13.5K model. You want to be on shore power, summers in the SE US, likely go with the 13.5K BTU model.
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Houghton Retrofit Process & Questions
jd1923 replied to Geronimo John's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Running off of a 2KW inverter (or compressor as mentioned) is likely a no-go. They list this at the bottom of their spec insert on the RecPro page: This AC unit requires a minimum 2500-watt generator with a dedicated 30-amp service. Using a lower-rated generator may cause difficulty when starting the AC unit or may require a soft starter.* *It is recommended to use a 3000-watt generator with a dedicated 30-amp service.* -
Elite II, new 11 Sep 2023. Freedom XC Pro 3000W model 818-3010 Xantrex Inverter, 3 Lithionics Lithium batteries. upon connecting to shoepower on third stop of trip there was no 120v power availble in the trailer. After checking all the normal points we discovered a loose wire connection under the removable inverter cover, A/C out load wire had come loose. This is the Top Orange Compression Connector. Secured wire and restored 120v power. Note: Inverter is off both at the inverter box and the Xantrex remote panel. 8 Oct 2023. Used battery heat due to below freezing temps. Inverter is off. Two hours later xantrex Control App sends Alert msg. E-08, E-21 and E-16 alerts. Utility Power not available/Qualified due to poor quality of AC power. Output overvoltage. No errors on the Xantrex Remote panel. 22 Oct 2023. Used the inverter, turned on at the remote Xantrex panel. Ran Truma air conditioner for one hour. No other loads on the 120v draw. Turned off Truma air and the inverter. Several hours later Xantrex Control App sends Alwrt msg. The app recorded 14 error codes. In coordination with Oliver Service excellent staff (Jason and Mike) plus an input from Xantrex Tech Support a reboot was completed of the inverter. Inverter has reset and is performing as expected with no error codes under numerous utilizations.
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Thanks for sharing! So far, I’ve been keeping everything except the dish in a waterproof box that sits on my “sofa” near the curbside window. I plug into the overhead outlet, and pass the dish through the curbside window, gently closing the screen and shades… (I have the Twin Bed Oliver E2 with one mattress and one side serving as a sofa/guest bed). I’ve found it fairly convenient, and only use about half the cord to the dish. One day I plan to upgrade my system.
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Thanks for this — I have a similar adapter, bought before I picked up my Oliver. As I look, this (new to me) generator is similar to your description. The friend who gave it to me also gave me a small adapter (I will attach photos if possible). That friend had to depart, sadly, for medical care. So far, I haven’t run down my lithium batteries to the point where I need to use the generator (after doing so once, and then waiting a couple of days for them to rejuice with the sun). But I am not using much, hardly using the microwave and never using the AC… as it gets hotter, my frugality might be confronted by my desire for some comfort.
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As an alternative, even though the ‘neutral bonding plug’ encumbers one of the duplex outlets on the generator one can always utilize the OTT’s external outlet, as needed.
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The issue i have with the “neutral grounding plug” “neutral bonding plug” concept is it ties up one of the two (Champion 2500) Generator 110v Outlets. I just created a 10ft. 10ga. wire with a couple of large Alligator clips on each end, one to the grounding nut on my Gen., and one to a one penny spike i drive into the ground. That way i have an open 110v plug, when the gen is doing its business with the the other outlet. i.e. Run a coffee pot while charging the Batts. I just do not leave the coffee outlet drawing power longer than the brew cycle. You can hear the Gen draw down a bit. A bit Neanderthal, but it works for me.
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The neutral bonding plug goes in one of the 15A standard "household" outlets on your generator and connects the ground lead (the round third prong on the plug) to the neutral lead (one of the flat prongs). Without going into details, this is the setup the EMS expects to see, but most portable generators are not set up that way. Hence the plug.
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I am by no means an expert in this area but I understand that the bonded neutral plug is needed. I have one but have not used my generator yet to charge the batteries or run anything in the oliver. I copied this from a thread on this topic: https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-generator-neutral-bonding-basics/ Also found this in another thread: "Without a neutral/ground plug in an outlet on the generator, no electricity will pass through the EMS" Scott
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Thank you — I ordered it, and I am guessing it won’t come with instructions. This looks like a standard plug. I thought it would be a plug that would accept my Oliver’s 30amp plug. I guess I am going to have to trust YouTube videos to try to understand what this does to change the behavior of my OTT — if and when I trust the information and try to use this generator to boost my lithium batteries. I did find this article useful: https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/en/kb/articles/power-management I still need more information though, to understand what it requires.
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Here is a link you can try - https://www.amazon.com/Southwire-Company-LLC-44400-Generator/dp/B07F4R7BDL/ref=sr_1_3_pp?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ze77urC3E0cv-Sgy2WBsnrvWHUzSct3XLNL2KRQJF5jRV26fObiFrn-fdZ9V6ncjRqGkCLXsrfyTmnKguORXLUfA_JKxet2ICSQxoPvuTc3hCJLLcKRzlYEC5-VZyzT798M5op3pqiInJ11dYfB8Euf6jd4m4F6Blflkk94yVnDsw4Qj1WLAR65hHtvwqhgli8Bs8EMxQE2wC4D8U5kgLaHkVl3BIzxZmMjQLqiyb4A.h0dBUVDPH0kSJAixrF7N_6HAJVNoU0KaEwuMFPX1d_Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=generator+bonding+plug&qid=1716918903&sr=8-3 This seemed to be one a few folks used when I did research on it back in 2022.
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Much later … I have been reading various posts about this “neutral grounding plug” “neutral bonding plug” and have tried without success to access the Amazon products linked in several posts. The product links are outdated (I guess) and one leads to a Xantrex Remote Control. Can someone please give me a more specific description of the plug, and where it’s supposed to be inserted? I was expecting to find mention in an OTT video or OTT knowledge base article, but so far I’ve failed to find it or specific information on changes (if necessary) to my Xantrex settings, so I can recharge my lithium batteries with a Pulsar Inverter Generator 2000i (a gift to me, so it’s all new territory). Thanks for any assistance here.
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From time to time members of the Forum have asked how they can "bookmark" a particular thread for future reference. DavidS did a post several years ago that basically suggested using Apple Notes for this purpose. Another way of doing this basically within the Forum is to "follow" the thread (click on the dark blue box at the upper right of the thread and then click on "Do not send me any notifications" After that all you have to do is follow Wandering Sagebrush's advice posted above and you can see all the "bookmarks" that you have created. Bill Thanks to WS for starting us down this road and another thanks to Jason (W) for basically suggesting this method.
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Trailer batteries not being charged by TV while under way
DavePhelps replied to DavePhelps's topic in General Discussion
Thanks JD for all your input. My batteries are the Lifeline AGM's and they have been great. In fact, I may just replace them with the same when the time comes as they have completely met our electrical needs over the years and have some advantages over the lithiums like cold weather charging, TV charging, and cost! The 30 amp automotive fuse for the fridge's DC heating element is seen when you remove the lower fridge vent/access cover. It's green as you can see in the pic below. Inside the black box on the left are two cartridge fuses: a 5A ac heater element fuse and a 3A control system fuse. We bought a fridge button guard from RV Widget Works as it is very easy to bump into those fridge selector buttons and change a setting. Happened to us a few times and since putting the guard on, no problems. http://www.rvwidgetworks.com/Photo-Gallery.html Thanks again for your tips and insights. Dave -
has anyone tried the new Dometic fresh jet 2200?
Going replied to Roadlotus's topic in Ollie Modifications
Just read this thread and now I am really excited I have a far less expensive option than Truma. Thanks for the post! We were at the rally but did not attend the service question and answer with Jason. Was this topic discussed? It appears from this thread, the Dometic Freshet 3 is a direct plug and play to its noisy older brother. I did not see any posts saying anything electrical needed to change. I also never saw if anyone answered the wattage required to start/run with a generator. Does anyone know that answer? Hull #246. -
You know my feelings on the Oliver light. Permanent solution is remove, rebed with butyl, and add mechanical fasteners/ screws. Butyl is a wonderful, pretty much permanent sealant, but not an adhesive. That said, loctite marine sealant, fast cure is what we've been using as a polyether flexible sealant adhesive for a number of years, ollie and boat. No yellowing in Florida sun (yet.) Polyethers play well with fiberglass, wood, and plastics. Def no to 5200. Either of the 3m 4000 or 4200 are difficult to remove, later, imo, though 4000 has better uv resistance, so I've read. Pick your poison. And, add an eyebrow of rv Eze gutter over the light, as a bonus. The loctite product is "reasonable" at about $17 at lowes or Depot. Do read the date code. It's sometimes out of date at big box stores, and then it's tough to work, and useless.
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So, if you were to land mount, for example when trees are over the Oliver, do you have an additional long cable, external terminal and a stand for it? Would be a pain to remove the rooftop cable. Another Q: what is the model of your thin solar panel? Link? Is it connected at the junction box for the stock panels? I could envision two of these left and right angled some to better catch the winter sun.
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This is a new development. I don't like to travel with my propane on, and have always traveled with my fridge (Dometic 3 way) in DC mode. Up until now, I have always arrived at camp with 100% trailer batteries (I have the two 6v AGM's in series) and a cold fridge. This last trip, when I got home, there was a pulsing noise from out of the black box located behind the lower access/vent panel for the fridge. When I turned on the overhead lights in the trailer, they pulsed in sync with the refir. Batteries were down to 74%, and fridge was up to 40 degrees. After checking all the fuses I could locate (all good) I took my multimeter and checked the 7 pin plug on my TV, which read 14.43 V, so that is not the problem. With the trailer now plugged in to 120V ac, batteries charged right up to full pretty fast (13.68V after resting). I then checked the fridge on AC, no issue. Then on DC, no issue, and no pulsing noise anymore. Then on propane, no issue. Somewhere, between the trailer's 7 pin connector and the trailer batteries, there is a problem, the batteries are not being charged. My Elite is a 2015 model and I hear that the charge wire from the 7 pin plug goes straight to the batteries, but not sure. Anyone know the color? I've seen diagrams where it is black or red.... There is a black wire coming off the batteries but it seems to go to my Blue Sky charge controller. Thought I'd ask here first before calling Oliver. Also, being new to DC systems, I assume it is best practice to disconnect the batteries, and the solar input before diving in to the system? Of course, I'd disconnect the AC as well! Thanks for any ideas, always appreciated. Dave
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MS AI says the dimensions by model are as follows: (Suggest independent verification) GJ When I had to replace my OTT OEM toilet due to a 25 cent part breaking and no available parts, my research yielded the below info. I chose to go with the low profile elongated seat 321 Full Timer. Hope this is useful. GJ MODEL 311 Part Timer 320 Full Timer (Wrong P/N - My Error) 320 Full Timer 321 Full Timer E-Trailer # DOM67FR DOM87FR DOM87FR DOM99FR DESCRIPTION Low Profile Round Stand. Height Elongated Stand. Height Elongated Low Profile Elongated SOURCE: OEM PROVIDED May 2018 E-Trailer OR# 113709215 Shipped to Idaho, 83255 Dometic Warranty Replacement Need this model COLOR White White Same White STATUS Plastic Flush Rod Failed. Discarded in Idaho upon receipt of E-trailer replacement. Replacement toilet purchased. Flush ball seal not centered. Leaked water & sewer gas Still in original unopened box. DEPTH 19" 22" Same 22" HEIGHT 14.25" 19.25" TILT! Same 13.5 The 5" step between the toilet mounting surface and where you feet go is why just about all of us under seven feet tall need the low profile model. For more efficient printing, I have transformed the above into my DIY format. DIY - Dometic Toilet Replacement Specifications.docx
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The Calgon water softener is basically a water softener in a box or bottle. Way back I used the liquid and don't recommend that due to the propensity for spills and the weight. But their powder is good stuff for carrying in our RV's Softer water in the tanks makes the detergent more effective. Better Dishwasher pods have water softening chemicals therein. So it becomes a trade off between using less dishwasher pods with Calgon or just using more dishwasher pods. Either way, it gets the job done. if you have real hard water, then I would lean towards Mike and Carol's approach. GJ
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I don't know whether you bought this new or used. I buy mostly used vehicles and there are often wires disconnect for various reasons. I have disconnected wires at a fuse box intentionally when I retire some device, but then I would also label and tape down the wire. You really want to know what it is that you are connecting. Given you bought this new, you would think all wires should be connected. However, the wire could be from a standard wire harness for an option you did not purchase. The only way these would get disconnected is from somebody working down there or perhaps placing something lose in the area. These spade terminals do not fall off by themselves from regular use of the trailer. If you want to connect this without knowing what the wire powers, it does not matter to which terminal it is connected. It's all a 12V bus bar. What matters is the amperage of the connected fuse. Without knowing what it powers, it would be impossible to know the correct fuse amperage. Are slots #14 or #15 labeled with fuses inserted? That would help to determine purpose. Perhaps somebody, not only with a 2022 model, but with the same 12V accessories you ordered, can help. I suggest opening a Service Ticket, providing this picture, asking first the purpose so the panel can be labeled properly and then where it should be inserted.
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UPDATE: Turns out there were 2 loose wires dangling under the dinette at the fuse box. I connected the pink wire and the Furrion Stereo came on. However there is a dangling sky blue wire. Front of fuse panel has 1st eleven slots filled with fuses #12 was empty, and #13 had a #5 brown fuse. On the backside of the panel, the 1st 13 places had connected wires. Then there is a dangling sky blue wire. Anyone with a 2022 E2 could someone check their fuse box front and rear and see where the sky blue wire would be connected. It would have to be slot #14, #15, etc. Thanks, John
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I submitted a ticket to Oliver and Mike Sharp replied back that the only fuse is the #10 in the fuse box, no inline fuse. I'm going to talk to Steve Landrum, he has smaller prongs, so we will check. I will look at the backside to look for another fuse.
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I too was concerned, so before proceeding I crawled into the basement and there is just under a 1'x 3'x 1/4" backer plate that the approximately 1' spare tire mounting plate is through bolted to with 4 - 1/2" bolts. Since the spare tire does not rest on the bumper box when hung on mounting plate (there is a couple inch gap between the tire and the box), the addition of the bike rack actually adds back the support of the Oliver cover by resting on the bumper box. In addition, I added the two ratchet tie down straps to absorb any stress of the assembly pulling away from the camper even though I didn't detect any movement when pulling on the rack. The weight is now being carried by three points (the massive mounting plate, the rack resting on the bumper box, and the angled ratchet straps). We stay on good roads when we travel, but I will still be checking everything regularly. I will update my post after a few trips to report what I experience. Thanks, Joe/769