Bath Furnace Was Not Blowing... No Wonder!

[Nick R.]

Hi Everyone!

In the past, I've seen talk in the threads regarding the low flow from the furnace to the bath vent, well, I experienced that too.  Here's what I found after a little detective work...

Well no wonder!  It helps when you connect the duct together.  Yes, it was never connected, no wonder I only felt a very faint breeze from the bath vent.  This shot was taken looking toward the kitchen sink, directly under the galley sink.

 

The only way I could access this was to remove the plastic vent cover under the galley sink to connect the duct together.  If this had not been possible, then the ONLY way would be to destroy the cabinetry to gain access to it.  This was my first view, not touching anything and snapping this photo after I gained access.

As you can see in this shot, there is no duct sealant or sheet metal screws, only a lone zip-tie that could not have possibly held this together properly.  Notice, I put a plastic bag underneath to get ready to apply duct sealant.

This blue tape was on the duct in two locations, possibly to note that this needed to be corrected before this area was closed up?

Prepping the floor so I don't get duct sealant all over the place.

Here's a look inside through the vent access directly looking at the disconnected furnace vent.

The proper solution... three (3) sheet metal screws to follow. 

Keeping it neat and clean and getting a good bond.

All dry, ready for the sheet metal screws...

Due to the extreme limited space and only able to work with one hand, I had to tape the screws to the vent and use a hand driver to get the three sheet metal screws in the vent.  It was impossible to access the other side however this is more than sufficient, especially with a generous application of the duct sealant and what is to follow...

Ah yes, after the duct sealant completely dried and three sheet metal screws, I wrapped the joint with real duct tape and finished it with a fresh zip-tie to complete the surgery.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen... mission accomplished!

I later purchased some inserts for the vent ducts that allow me to open and close the amount of flow that I want from the furnace in the bath.  I simply adjust the two in the galley to my desired comfort and I'm a warm, happy camper!

BTW, the awesome folks at Oliver Travel Trailers were very kind and reimbursed me for the materials, so we're both delighted with the result!

For anyone experiencing low/no flow to their bath, this is the very first place I would look.  Simply remove the vent cover under the galley sink, carefully disconnect the duct and see if your distribution tee is properly connected.  If it is, I would strongly recommend the adjustable registers that can be purchased for these vents, my Ollie did not come with them.  You only need two (2) for the sink vent and the bed vent.  They are approx. $10 ea.  When I run my furnace, I adjust them and can get a good flow of warm air in the bath.  Problem solved!

 

 

[ScubaRx]

Nice work, very impressive. If I'd have known you were about to tackle this difficult job, I would have loaned you my trained octopus. She can reach anywhere from several different directions at the same time.

[Overland]

Have to agree with Steve - I’m immensely impressed at the dexterity and patience involved there.

Another route that people have used when making repairs in that space has been to cut access hatches in the bottom of the drawer cabinet. Oliver should really do that in construction anyway. It’s easy to do with a router, using the sides of the cabinets as your jig.  They don’t lessen the cabinet’s structural integrity and will save you a bit of weight. Plus you save all that time of training the octopus.

 

If you do that, though, just be sure to cut some ¼” plywood covers for the hatches since things in the drawers can bounce out and end up in that space, and you don’t want to have to search through the hull space for an adventurous fork. 

[jordanv]

You did all of this from that one small duct vent hole on the floor?!

[Nick R.]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:30 PM, jordanv said:

You did all of this from that one small duct vent hole on the floor?!

Yes, and also with the help of my trained octopus! 

[routlaw]

Impressive!

 

[BackofBeyond]

Another Yeomans tale from an ingenious Oliver owner. Great effort.

The downside - Oliver has yet to execute a manufacturing process that reduces variation  to very small percentages . 

This is just one more tale of failure.

This is not a communication error in an inverter, Nor is it a solar charge optimization issue. it is a connect the  part A to part B failure.

Not simple, but every day stuff in modern manufacturing. At $70K plus for a rolling boat - Olive has work to do,

RB

Former Happy Oliver Owner.

 

[Nick R.]

22 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

Another Yeomans tale from an ingenious Oliver owner. Great effort.

The downside - Oliver has yet to execute a manufacturing process that reduces variation  to very small percentages . 

This is just one more tale of failure.

This is not a communication error in an inverter, Nor is it a solar charge optimization issue. it is a connect the  part A to part B failure.

Not simple, but every day stuff in modern manufacturing. At $70K plus for a rolling boat - Olive has work to do,

RB

Former Happy Oliver Owner.

 

I agree... I'm just thankful it was something I could do myself.

[Rivernerd]

As I search this forum for technical advice, I keep finding new threads addressing yet more, and recent, production oversights.  This one adds another item to the checklist I am preparing for when I take delivery on my Elite II:  "Verify that furnace air flow to all vents, including the one in the bathroom, is adequate." 

While I laud Oliver for sponsoring this forum, and for leaving exposed errors like this one publicly visible, I surely hope Oliver's QC folks bring their "A" game when my Ollie is built......

[Steph and Dud B]

8 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

As I search this forum for technical advice, I keep finding new threads addressing yet more, and recent, production oversights. 

Some of this is understandable considering the large degree to which they've ramped up production in the past couple of years. New employees to train, altered processes, etc. But it is somewhat concerning. My hope is that the "newbie-camper-due-to-COVID" surge will run down as my production date approaches and the factory will settle into a more comfortable pace and rhythm with a higher degree of QC. But, to be fair, look at all the reports of massive QC failures being reported in the mass-produced RVs of the past 18 months. Still better off buying an Ollie, as far as I can tell.

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

While I laud Oliver for sponsoring this forum, and for leaving exposed errors like this one publicly visible, I surely hope Oliver's QC folks bring their "A" game when my Ollie is built......

Don’t expect perfection.  Your Oliver will be better built than about any other brand trailer out there, but will probably have a glitch or two.  Mine did, I posted about it years ago, got it fixed (at Olivers expense) and have been camping trouble free since.  Oliver doesn’t censor this forum, it’s all about owners helping owners here.  Mike

[Rivernerd]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

Don’t expect perfection.  Your Oliver will be better built than about any other brand trailer out there, but will probably have a glitch or two.  Mine did, I posted about it years ago, got it fixed (at Olivers expense) and have been camping trouble free since.  Oliver doesn’t censor this forum, it’s all about owners helping owners here.  Mike

Mike, your post aptly summarizes the reasons we remain committed to finalize the purchase of our Elite II next year, instead of an Airstream.  We expect we will not only have the benefit of Jason's exemplary customer service, but continuing access to this forum, with its remarkable collection of knowledgeable veterans who generously give their time to share their experience.   That so many of you remain fiercely loyal to Oliver despite the issues with your own trailers "speaks volumes" to me.

[Zach and Margaret]

On 11/8/2021 at 9:44 PM, Rivernerd said:

As I search this forum for technical advice, I keep finding new threads addressing yet more, and recent, production oversights.  This one adds another item to the checklist I am preparing for when I take delivery on my Elite II:  "Verify that furnace air flow to all vents, including the one in the bathroom, is adequate." 

While I laud Oliver for sponsoring this forum, and for leaving exposed errors like this one publicly visible, I surely hope Oliver's QC folks bring their "A" game when my Ollie is built......

I would love to get a copy of the checklist you are making. My delivery is Not until July so I am also starting a list to share on the forum. 

[topgun2]

13 hours ago, Zach and Margaret said:

I would love to get a copy of the checklist you are making. My delivery is Not until July so I am also starting a list to share on the forum. 

There are a number of these types of checklists available here on the Forum that can be found via the "Search" function at the top of this page.  You might want to start with one of THESE.

Bill

[DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI]

I picked up my Oliver Elite II in mid March and camped overnight in southern Indiana. Temps were in the lower 20's. I found the bath heat was blowing but not enough to keep bath warm. It was significantly cooler than rest of unit. That was not totally surprising to us and it is the farthest run from the furnace. Is this what others experience at lower temperatures?

[Mike and Carol]

8 minutes ago, DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI said:

I picked up my Oliver Elite II in mid March and camped overnight in southern Indiana. Temps were in the lower 20's. I found the bath heat was blowing but not enough to keep bath warm. It was significantly cooler than rest of unit. That was not totally surprising to us and it is the farthest run from the furnace. Is this what others experience at lower temperatures?

We don’t rely on the bath vent for much heat.  I’ve had the panel under the sink off a couple of times (for other things) and didn’t see any kinks in the duct.  I haven’t felt like tracing it back to the furnace.  We keep the bath ‘door open and our electric heater by the nightstand blowing toward the bath.  If we don’t have shore power we still keep the bath door open and it stays comfortable with the furnace.  Mike

[Imelda]

I would like to know to access the plumbing under the bathroom sink. Is there a post somewhere I missed describing how to? I am still chasing down my bathroom faucet low water pressure.

[SeaDawg]

@imelda, this has been discussed several times.

Here's a link to one good thread, among others.

Good luck, and kudos on your willingness to tackle so many projects on your own.

 

[Imelda]

Thank you. I am learning a lot and this forum is very helpful.

The pressure has improved some with the white vinegar flush but it's still not 100%. I thought this might be the way to access under the bathroom sink but it looks like a lot of work so I might try a few more things before I go this route. 

Quote

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Cutting into the lav front plate is a bit of work, but not particularly onerous. It's really a question of what you would like to see, and gain.

[Imelda]

I was wondering if there are any filters back under the bathroom sink there that are blocked. it's odd that both the hot and cold water at the shower faucet have low pressure while the kitchen faucet (I just replaced it) and toilet are good. I replaced the dura facet shower head and with the white vinegar flush and soaked it in CLR - it is better but not great and I can likely live with it. I am going to start using the Camco water filter you recommended but I am not sure it will filter the high calcium we have here in N Texas. I may need to add a water softener. I will try a few more options before I remove the panel to get to under the bathroom sink.

It seems I have had a lot of minor problems with my Oliver for only owning it for 2  years now. So far I have been able to fix them. Before I had a big horse trailer with living quarters that seemed to be a lot more durable. I guess it had to be well built to haul several thousand pounds of horses down the road.  I had been told travel trailers are not that well built so that is why I choose Oliver.  It interests me to fix problems. The Oliver service dept. are responsive when I ask for help but there are things I have pointed out to them that they can definitely improve on. The forum is great and I appreciate all the help. 

[bhncb]

14 hours ago, Imelda said:

I will try a few more options before I remove the panel to get to under the bathroom sink.

There isn't anything else inside the vanity that can't be cleared with vinegar. The only reason to go inside would be to replace the faucet or extension hose.

Have you observed how the waters flows from the hose with the shower head removed?  Since the toilet fill is okay, and the supply connection for it is (or used to be) just before the end of line where the shower faucet connects, your problem most certainly is with the faucet. Then, since both hot and cold are affected, the restriction must be between the mixing valve and shower head. Wherever it turns out to be, use 100% vinegar and soak for a longer time.

Two things I always check before hooking up are electrics and water hardness. West of the Mississippi, there has only been one campground where I didn't use my water softener.

[Imelda]

Thank you for the suggestions. When I remove the shower head, the flow is still low coming out from the shower hose. So I am thinking to pour the 100% vinegar or maybe CLR down the shower hose and see if that clears it up. My concern is that either the 100% vinegar or CLR might damage any rubber grommets in the shower hose or anywhere else it might get to. What do you think would the vinegar or CLR be safe to use?

Imelda

[Jim_Oker]

56 minutes ago, bhncb said:

Two things I always check before hooking up are electrics and water hardness. West of the Mississippi, there has only been one campground where I didn't use my water softener.

What do you use to do the test, and what do you use to do the softening? thx

[Liana]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:59 AM, DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI said:

Is this what others experience at lower temperatures?

yes, it's quite chilly in there on cold nites