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I think we’d be voiding the warranty that way as well. I doubt a snap-in twist-lock receptacle is available to fit into the back of the A/C breaker box. Rather than upgrade the band-aid, I’d opt to eliminate the disconnect entirely.

We do the same with the “Dustbuster” to pick up the loose dirt and grit and various grass clippings and such. Since we have a cat box crammed under the dinette, this is the prime spot for kitty litter that refuses to stay where it belongs. I’d be leery of anything that sounds like “wash and wax all” on floors. I had a previous roommate who thought that Pledge was great for shining up wood floors. It it - but it makes them into ice rinks if you try to stop or change direction wearing socks…

I want to charge my Oliver with Blueitti (sp?) battery "solar generator". Is it correct that I need to plug a "ground neutral plug" in one of the Bluetti outlets to make it work correctly?

Wire nuts?! Yikes. My SOP for this kind of hard wiring would be soldered connections and heat shrink tubing. Using a higher quality receptacle for the fridge is certainly an option. Pretty sure even Leviton is made in China these days… As I mentioned, that the battery charger plugs into a single snap-in socket on the back of the A/C breaker box, a high-quality replacement may be difficult to source. Just as an aside that drives home the point of how much vibration that the trailer and everything in it is subject to, I noticed a screw holding the rain gutter above the door had backed out by about a cm. I guess going over the whole trailer and tightening things back up is just one of those things that needs to be done periodically.

I am not an electrician, I don’t play one on TV and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express, so please keep it simple for my simple mind. I have been reading the forum for a few days and I have found posts that talk about and around using a generator solely for charging the Ollie batteries. Is using a generator solely for charging the Ollie batteries a good idea? My objective is to have as small a dual fuel generator as possible, while I am off shore-power to compensate or complement for the 400 Watt solar panels. My larger objective is to be as untethered as possible while traveling. I don’t want to go to a bigger generator to run Ollie in full or partial mode. My Oliver Elite II is on order. It is coming with 390 AH Lithium batteries, 400 Watt Solar panels with charge controller and 3,000 Watt Pro inverter. Is there any special request I need to make to Oliver to create a plug from the generator to the battery to make the connection as clean and simple as possible? Dumb question time – Why couldn’t the generator power enter the battery system via the external solar panel connection?

Many have secured the Norcold AC plug to duplex outlet under the sink with a tie-wrap and perhaps same could be done with the charger plug, as well. However, that may not be as easy due to the ‘snap in’ feature of that inlet, as described. Perhaps the “10-12” unsupported run of power cord” could be secured with a tie-wrap in such a manner as to better secure that connection. In looking at my 2020 OLEll, it appears to be hardwired into the AC panel box with a typical clamp style strain relief fastener and likely hardwired to a main breaker.

Not replace, but repair the connection so it cannot come off again. Is it for the inverter/charger? So a 110V plug like the fridge? If so, it’s not the plug but a cheap outlet receptacle. That could be replaced with a Leviton or a quality outlet not Made in you know where! Cheesy, yes! OTT wired the outputs on our inverter using a residential junction box and wire nuts! 🤣 Hardwire? I’d do that in a heartbeat! 😎

Point well-taken on the replacing the socket and/or plug - and if this one were old or worn I’d agree. However, since this one hasn’t been subjected to multiple plugging/unplugging cycles - which would cause one to be loose or weak - I doubt replacing it would yield any better results. Short of cutting off the plug and hard-wiring it to the source, replacing it would be unlikely to solve the problem or eliminate the need to check on it periodically. Additionally, though the receptacle the fridge plugs into IS a standard duplex outlet, the one the battery charger plugs into is a special one that that snaps into the back of the A/C breaker box, and probably doesn’t have a higher-quality replacement available. Only cutting off the plug and hard wiring it will truly “fix” the issue. Anything less is just a band aid. IMHO - having installed items like the battery charger and fridge plug into a household socket is a pretty cheesy way to handle power on a vehicle subject to vibration and shock as part of its everyday mission. Kind of akin to using household Romex on a boat. (Which I’ve seen done - but not by professionals or knowledgeable laymen.) And correct on the “auto” mode on the Norcold fridge switching to A/C when available. It normally does this. When it stayed in LP mode even with shore power connected is when I went into trouble-shooting mode. The issue was not my failure to understand or select the operating mode I desired.

For the electrical engineers out there: does using a bonding plug on a generator with a floating ground actually do anything to improve safety? There's still no actual connection to earth ground. I always thought of a household ground as a way for stray current to be shunted safely to earth ground rather than finding a path through a person. Why are earth ground and neutral tied together at a household panel? What good is bonding them together without an earth ground?

That’s a great comment. In reality, the manufactures are producing these things faster than the regulatory bodies can keep up. Merely disclosing a floating neutral is enough to keep them off the hook for now at least. This was first mandated for the generator industry, and It’s ultimately the installers responsibility for how they are connected and used. These power packs have a least off-set the risks with built-in GFCI’s for personal shock protection, but that does not satisfy the long standing rules for bonding that the trailer industry must follow. This is directly related to the trailer “hot-skin” issue that was bandied around for years. They recently codified long overdue requirements for trailer Ground Monitor Interrupters (GMI) that will be phased in over the next few years. Similar to the EMS (except it can’t be by-passed), the GMI’s will prevent the use of non-bonded power supplies, and it will be non-optional for new trailers. We watch with interest how this story fully evolves! Cheers! Geoff

The bonding plug needs to be at the source -- the Bluetti or generator outlets. Not an outlet in the trailer. Because the Bluetti outlet has nothing connected to the ground, the bonding plug cannot join the ground and neutral. Therefor a one-to-three outlet adapter can be plugged into the Bluetti, one of the three adapter outlets gets the bonding plug, another gets the trailer feed cord, and the third is a spare. That effectively bonds the ground and neutral. Bonding at the power source has always been required by code, these power packs just add a new dynamic. Someone had an idea to use the EMS bypass "in a pinch." This isn't risk free, but it would be fine for getting the lights on while finding the bonding plug. The EMS is actually protecting the trailer from an un-bonded neutral that the bonding plug fixes. Keep in mind that these power supplies are perfectly fine for single power cord loads as designed. They are not designed to be connected to a trailer where the wiring system assumes a bonded supply. Cheers! Geoff

Into the outlet on the generator. I believe this is an artifact of the lack of a grounding rod and grounded electrical system on the trailer (which would be totally impractical).

Not really. Lots of people have RVs with no EMS system at all. The EMS cuts off power to your rig if the voltage is too high/low, the wires are not connected properly, or the source has the wrong Hertz (cycles per second). Cheap generators can have all of those problems. Shore power can be wired incorrectly or have voltage issues. Check your specs, but most new Bluetti power stations use a pure sine-wave inverter. That means the power should be "clean" enough for sensitive electronics. Almost certainly safer than plugging into shore power at a campground. I got this from an AI search: "Bluetti power stations are very safe for sensitive electronics. All Bluetti units use pure sine wave inverters. This mimics the clean, stable power of a standard wall outlet, preventing screen flickering, overheating, and data loss for devices like laptops, TVs, and CPAP machines... Avoid ECO Mode: If using a Bluetti solar generator, users on PowerEquipmentForum suggest turning off the "ECO mode" for the most stable and reliable power delivery to sensitive electronics."

Under the red tab on the black breaker box is a little swing arm that needs to be pushed back up into the breaker to make a complete circut. I couldn't get my camera under the breaker to take a pic.

Into an outlet in the Oliver or in the generator?

I needed to do so with my Champion generator.

Thank you, Scotty. As far as needing more room under the bunk, so the suburban would not fit into the aquago metal "box", is that correct? So there is some reorganizing of the space under the bunk? I would probably look to have OTT do the work. Bob

Thanks for trying to help everyone. I wish Oliver would let us owners have and electrical diagram so we can tell where all the relays and circut breakers are hidden. After countless hours of testing and looking around I finally found a breaker hidden at the bottom of the trailer below the negitive ground terminal on the outside of the battery box. There are two switches on the breaker. One is on the front side and easy to see but, the other is underneath the breaker and is a swing arm thats hard to see. That was the one that popped. Everythings is honky dory now. Thanks again for trying to help....I really appreciated it.

Another winter project with help of good friend with "SKILLS" in welding aluminum. Added Bumper box. Thanks to all who contributed on the subjet. I did get endcaps put on and license plate bracket . Before picture. Picture was taken . Will update with better pictures later when snow clears.

Our 2021 OEII came with a 2" hitch mount rack receiver but the installation was (in my view and with respect to a lot of other good work done by the prior owner of our trailer) not quite up to 'factory standard'. In fact the U-bolt-based attachment method distorted the receiver shape just enough to make installation, and especially removal, of our 1Up hitch rack next to impossible. So I sought to improve upon it. After some research I settled on a receiver ostensibly designed for use on certain Lexus GX460 models: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRKR1Q4X Drilling and attachment was straightforward given a drill press, a decent 1/2" bit, appropriate measuring tools, and a center punch. The aluminum is relatively soft and drilling oil was not used. I have not been able to get all the chips out of the interior, but did not try too hard to remove an end cap and access the box section beam interior that way. The hardware is 3 1/2" x 1/2" stainless with stainless and yellow zinc washers. We have not tested the setup on the road yet, but static fitment went fine. The receiver and backing plate are fairly heavy; according to the retailer, about 10 pounds. This item is designed for towing, when attached to a GX460; it is likely overkill for this application, but that's OK by me. A side benefit is the receiver has safety chain mounts through which a cable lock could be passed. I discussed this with Jason and he indicated the factory were considering offering a 2" receiver option moving forward. Our bike rack is 2", our cars and TV have 2" receivers, and use of an adapter was not appealing to me. In hindsight I might have painted it white, or silver 😀 Enjoy! Tim

We have Elite II Pro package with 3 Lithionics batteries. Currently boondocking near Capital Reef Utah. I checked batteries mid-morning with good sun and saw 2-3 amp draw on each battery. I came back after a good day of sun to same draw and batteries down 15% in a day with no usage. Inverter off. Norcold refrigerator on propane. Here’s what I’ve done Restarted inverter Reset inverter breaker (red switch streetside bed) Power cycled batteries Reset all AC breakers while watching amp load - nothing changed pulled each DC fuse one at a time - no change checked all wire connections in dinette by pantry. No loose wires Batteries are taking charge from generator but show same loss as soon as generator turned off. Any ideas where to check next? Thanks in advance Oliver crew!

Another Chill Cube customer here however I've not installed it yet. I waited until the heat pump version came out to make my purchase. I didn't see the no drain system as a problem. I have a small window unit at my vacation home that uses the same method of throwing condensate on the condensing coil for additional evaporative cooling. It sounds like a waterfall when it starts but has never dripped. Now, I realize I'm making a big leap of faith the Cube will work the same but I'm not too worried if a little condensate flows off the trailer. We're still rocking lead acid batteries and don't have an inverter. My goal wasn't energy conservation as we're usually plugged in or occasionally on a small generator at lunch stops. My goal was quiet and humidity control in the trailer. My hope is when the Cube ramps down to a constant run state, it will achieve both. Fingers crossed

I presented an almost exact idea to Seabiscuit at the 2025 OTT Ralley. You need to add a screened bottom to allow fumes to sink down and out and provide up draft ventilation. I personally would keep side penetrations closed unless running the generator. Also top to shield rain unless running generator. The Honda generators are weather protected.... not weather proof. Found that out the hard way.... You may want to give them a call to see where they are/are on the idea presented to them at the rally. GJ

Those two were LOOSE when the “last” diesel auto mechanic opened that access panel. He tightened them. And he taped the wires underneath, near the hole in the axle. And he connected the ground wire on one of the truck batteries (all mentioned in my original post). The issue resolved for 3 days. Then driving over aged highway macadam and it started again. My brother mentioned the potential for the slightest bit of low voltage to mess with computer components in the truck. Today I reopened the vanity access panel, looked around, took photos, buttoned it up again. Didn’t change anything. Noticed there are actually two junction boxes in there, street side one much harder to access; I opened the curbside junction box. Those two black ground wires still looked tight. Tomorrow morning I move to new location (more rural). Confidence level is low. Two mechanics looked at the ground bus bar under the dinette, after I pointed out where it is located, but I don’t know if anyone was certain about which wires on it were/are associated with the 7-pin cable and/or the brake wiring. And I shared the wiring diagrams (such as they are) in the manual. One tested the individual elements of the 7 pin head (trailer side) and said he didn’t think the issue was there, it was functioning. Will do this in Cimarron, where my friend can help me.

I don’t want to offend anyone, but I have an entirely different view on this issue. It might be time to pull in the reins on the piece-meal fixes and take a fresh look. At lot of the advice provided is based on conventional auto electrics and trailer wiring. But things are much different with today's vehicles. There is changing technology with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) switching, and the way it interfaces with modern LED lighting, and the low-to-ground switching of your Chevy that requires solid grounding. High resistance grounds and shorts can be hard to locate, and they can cause ultra low currents that will be detected by digital systems of new vehicles. These include grounds and shorts that might only appear under heavy loads, such as from your brakes. The heavy loads can cause insulation breakdown and arcing that might not be otherwise detected. The flickering lights you mentioned might be an artifact of your 2023 truck’s older PWM system and a separate issue, or it could be caused from a poor ground. It could also be caused from a failing brake controller for example. I agree that it’s most likely a trailer wiring issue, but I wouldn’t go rewiring the 7-pin or axle wiring just yet, or renting a u-haul with a 4-pin adapter because you will not get definitive answers. Unfortunately, new grommets will not help at this point either, the wires were already taped. The breakaway switch amperage will be ambiguous too. A direct short would smoke the wire, a high resistance short would be lost within the range of 9-12 amps for the 4 brake coils. But there are enough clues to point to a potential ground issue, so a ground check would a good start for most DIY folks. The trailer is grounded to the TV in 2-ways. Through the hitch ball, and via the 7-pin ground wire. The ball ground can be iffy, so the wire ground is important! You can see the black ground wires in your junction box picture, they are connected to studs that are grounded to the trailer chassis. A good place to start checking. Use a multimeter on ohm’s setting. Find a good ground on the TV for grounding one of the meter leads, and then start checking ground points on the trailer with the other lead while jiggling wires, including those on the axle. You will need two people, and maybe jumper cables to extend the test lead length. You should have fairly consistent low ohms readings. You might get lucky and find a loose connection. However, it sounds like various technicians have already checked for obvious problems, so at this point you are really in the territory of an Auto Electric specialist with proper logging instruments to test for intermittent problems and the ability to accurately trace circuit continuity. Auto electrics is a field of it’s own, and they are far more knowledgable that the dealers and regular mechanics. Just my two-cents. Good luck! Geoff