Ollie wash while traveling. Truck wash?

[Mattnan]

Beacon needs a Bath. 

Our Ollie was getting dirty and after a trip into White Sands today our Ollie has caked on gypsum sand.  It looks like plaster.  Same for our truck and wheel wells.  In Florida we found a pull through self service bay and that worked ok.  I am not finding one of those here in Deming, NM.  Most Campgrounds won't let you wash your camper or vehicle.  Has anyone used a truck wash.  I have no idea how they work and if it is a good solution.  Once again looking for advice.  Thanks 

[topgun2]

At the end of my 2 month western trip late last summer I tried a Blue Beacon truck wash.

Not bad for the price but if I do it ever again I'll only have them wash the Ollie or wash the Ollie and the tow vehicle separately.  The reason for this was that the "soap" that they used dried on the tow vehicle before they got a chance to wash/rinse it off and this left a very difficult to remove film.

Previously I've used those do it yourself spray washes and even though they take time and some effort I personally prefer them.  Particularly if I have my own cleaning pad which I almost always carry.

Good luck!

Bill

[Steph and Dud B]

When our fifth wheel was covered in all the oil from our oil pan (another story) we took it through a Blue Beacon and they did a good job with no damage.

[Mattnan]

Thanks all for the advice.  We stopped in Wilcox AZ at a truck wash that had decent ratings.  Just wanted to get the caked on stuff off.  They did a decent job and the Ollie and the truck look much better.  Far from perfect but much better.  I opened the basement door and found some of the stuff in the handle for the tank drain valves.    Thanks again.

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Mattnan said:

I opened the basement door and found some of the stuff in the handle for the tank drain valves. 

Sounds to me like you could use a bit more weather stripping around that basement door?

[Mattnan]

Possibly,  that stuff even got inside my truck fuel door 

[John Welte]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Sounds to me like you could use a bit more weather stripping around that basement door?

Does the Ollie come with weather stripping around the outside doors? 

[John Welte]

4 hours ago, Mattnan said:

Thanks all for the advice.  We stopped in Wilcox AZ at a truck wash that had decent ratings.  Just wanted to get the caked on stuff off.  They did a decent job and the Ollie and the truck look much better.  Far from perfect but much better.  I opened the basement door and found some of the stuff in the handle for the tank drain valves.    Thanks again.

"We stopped in Wilcox AZ at a truck wash that had decent ratings.  Just wanted to get the caked on stuff off." 

What does it cost for a trailer wash at those places?   Do they do it or is it like a self serve car wash?   Hopefully they're careful around the solar and other attached items. 

[Stevon]

I’ve washed more than once at a normal self service car wash. Most have a taller bay that you can definitely fit in. While on the road I don’t try to get it spotless, but sometimes I just gota get some of that dirt n bugs off. 

[Mattnan]

It was $50 for my truck and the Ollie.  They did a decent job!  There was not a good self wash option near us.  We are certainly not in show room condition but much better.  I would use this type of service again.  There were 4 guys doing the washing.  They were pretty careful and I did give some initial instructions.  

[Jim_Oker]

That gypsum is super fine. When the wind kicks up there it looks like fog hanging in the air above the dunes.

In this shot, the wind was ripping - I'd guess 30+ MPH gusts and pretty steady 20 MPH ish between gusts. The glow on the edge of the dunes is a thick layer of suspended gypsum. Above that, running up to and well above the top of the shot is less dense suspended gypsum - the fog bank. 

And in this next photo, maybe around an hour later, the wind had died down to maybe 5-8 MPH but you can still see a lot of gypsum in the air where it shows up against the mountains in the background (the lighter haze against the bottom of the mountains). I picked my lens for this shoot while i was in the car, and even then was fast and careful about changing that lens on so as to try to avoid it infiltrating the inside of my camera. 

[Jim_Oker]

BTW the dunes are spectacular and clean if you catch them during or soon after a big blow. It was a treat for photography to get this experience on my last evening there, after four prior days shooting sunrise and sunset there in which a big part of the challenge was finding good sense didn't have obvious footprints all over them. And the edges of the ripples and the dune edges were softer/muddier looking than this last evening. Thanks for sharing your experience - it makes sense driving out to the end invites the gypsum into all the nooks and crannies. In my case that was a rental car company's problem. I think they're used to it. 

 

[SeaDawg]

What a delight to see these as the first posts I read this morning.  Your photos are absolutely beautiful !  Thank you so much for sharing them.

[Mike and Carol]

10 hours ago, John Welte said:

Does the Ollie come with weather stripping around the outside doors? 

Yes.  I have increased the insulation on the basement door and put insulation on the battery door so that they both now make a very tight seal.  Mike

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

Yes.  I have increased the insulation on the basement door and put insulation on the battery door so that they both now make a very tight seal.  Mike

Everyone should be reminded that you can’t block the air vent holes if you have standard lead acid or AGM batteries, doing so is very unsafe. OTH it is good for lithiums in the winter, since they need to be kept warm when it is really chilly outside.

https://rvnerds.com/2017/11/01/electrical-myths-part-4-agm-batteries-dont-need-venting/

John Davies

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

Jim, those dune pictures are gorgeous.  How did you deal with gypsum inside the Ollie? I have severe dust/ smoke allergies and that scenario would be horrible for me. I would never willingly get myself into those conditions, unless I knew I could stay upwind. It’s one reason I made HEPA filters for the windows. The gypsum crystals are OK, it is the dust that is bad. …. https://www.lafargeholcim.us/sites/us/files/atoms/files/gypsum_sds_english.pdf

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[topgun2]

Just to make absolutely sure that everyone is clear on this subject - 

John Davies is absolutely correct with his statement above with regards to the battery compartment door!

However, additional insulation and weather stripping can be applied to the basement door in order to improve the seal around both the outside shower, the dump valves and the basement compartment itself.  I simply used another layer of Reflextix on top of the layer that comes standard and then added window weather stripping around the entire outside shower/dump handle area.  Many owners will have to adjust the length of the door lock when doing this.

Bill

[John E Davies]

20 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

 I simply used another layer of Reflextix on top of the layer that comes standard 

That can help a little if it covers up areas that the first layer missed, but the Reflectix manufacturer states that multiple layers do not increase the R value, which is just R1. You must have a physical air gap between the layers to increase that figure. I suspect that when you stack them, so that they touch, the heat transfers through conduction, and a gap prevents that from happening. Imagine holding your hand close to a frigid window, then pressing it hard against it, the difference is pretty intense. That is why the Oliver double hulls work.

This is definitely drifting off topic.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Mountainman198]

There is a tall self serve wash in Deming across from the McDonalds. I have washed my Ollie there twice this Season

[John Welte]

8 minutes ago, Mountainman198 said:

There is a tall self serve wash in Deming across from the McDonalds. I have washed my Ollie there twice this Season

Crazy question,  but do you get up on top and wash,  or does everyone use a ladder and use a long handled brush to get the top.   I bet it's slick up on top. 

[topgun2]

38 minutes ago, John Welte said:

do you get up on top and wash,  or does everyone use a ladder and use a long handled brush to get the top.

A couple of times a year I'll do a fairly through job on the top and (mostly) use a ladder to reach all that needs to be reached without actually climbing directly onto the roof.  For all other washes I use a ladder and long handled brush/mop.

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

4 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Everyone should be reminded that you can’t block the air vent holes if you have standard lead acid or AGM batteries, doing so is very unsafe. OTH it is good for lithiums in the winter, since they need to be kept warm when it is really chilly outside.

Yes, good point.  I replaced my 4 AGMs with 2 Lithiums (and have a third being delivered Saturday -woo hoo!).  I also plugged my vent holes that are covered with the nice chrome covers on the battery door.  Now, when I wash the trailer everything stays pretty dry (staying on topic 😊).  Mike

[Mountainman198]

4 hours ago, John Welte said:

Crazy question,  but do you get up on top and wash,  or does everyone use a ladder and use a long handled brush to get the top.   I bet it's slick up on top. 

I am height advantaged so can get the wand and brush up pretty high. 😀

[Mike and Carol]

1 hour ago, Mountainman198 said:

I am height advantaged so can get the wand and brush up pretty high. 😀

Yes, you are!!

[ScubaRx]

8 hours ago, John Welte said:

...I bet it's slick up on top...

You can bet your sweet bippy it is, like unto a water slide. I have some commercial scaffolding that I set up when I need/want to work on the top.