#1290 is back in Beaverton, Oregon

[John and Debbie]

Hi Y'all.  Got a little Tennessee in me.  #1290 towed great.  Semis give a little nudge first to the trailer that is felt in the tv steering, but it's not a problem.  I just give them more room.  Winterization was done in Denver and was easy to do.  I boondocked in Evanston, Wyoming in 5° and was comfortable.  The furnace did run all night, but I had it set for 68°.  I turned it down to 64° and the Truma furnace went into maintenance fan speed so it was able to handle a 60° difference.  No condensation!!  That surprised me.  The walls were cool and windows dry.  I didn't open any windows or vents.  I assume there's some way for the air being pushed into the trailer to escape.  Manual reading is next.  My grade so far on Oliver trailers is A+.  It has exceeded my expectations.

John

[Katjo]

That’s wonderful, John! So happy to hear your new Ollie is exceeding your expectations! 

[Mike and Carol]

Great news, John!  The new Truma heater must be a great improvement over our old Suburban furnace.  The learning process will be fun!  Mike

[topgun2]

Welcome home!

Sure enough - your trip back West was an adventure but glad you made it without any trailer problems.

Hope that your tow vehicle ran well after the "operation" in Denver.

5 degrees is reasonably impressive.  I assume that it was only one person in the Ollie overnight given the "no condensation"?

Happy early Thanksgiving!

Bill

[Dave and Kimberly]

   Very glad to hear your assessment John!   Part of the secret is in what you said "Manual reading is next."  It's not reasonable to own an Oliver (probably any RV) and not spend a fair amount of time getting educated on the "systems" in it.   Three different plumbing systems, two different electrical, two different electrical sources, a third if you add a generator.  A refrigerator that operates on three different sources of energy.  A water heater that is has three different settings when it's on.... and its all exposed to a variety of conditions while in use and in storage. 

     Oliver put a lot of thought into all of it... and everything has a reason.   Between some effort to educate yourself and real world experience using it I'm sure you are going to give it the same assessment after a number of years.   The other advantage in getting educated on the systems... is that when something goes wrong... it's not going to happen in your driveway, but rather when you are in the mountains, on the road, far from home... in the middle of nowhere.   YOU have to become the RV tech... unless you want to be cold and go without dinner 🙂 

[rideandfly]

John,

Congrats on your new Ollie and Thanks for the furnace report!

[John and Debbie]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

Great news, John!  The new Truma heater must be a great improvement over our old Suburban furnace.  The learning process will be fun!  Mike

Mike, it has variable speeds.  I like it.  Our furnace in our 2003 Coleman tent trailer was either full on or off.  I doubt it would have kept me warm in sub zero Wyoming.  It was easier to park beside the garage.  Either you or Topgun said it would be easier as it's longer.  Spot on.  Much easier!

John

[Chukarhunter]

Welcome home to Oregon!

[Hokieman]

18 hours ago, John Welte said:

 

I didn't open any windows or vents.  I assume there's some way for the air being pushed into the trailer to escape. 

Not by design on my 2021 John, it’s a closed loop forced air furnace system.   Lot’s of posts on this subject.  Best to do some checking on your new one or else you’re at risk in a confined space when running LP appliances.  That being said, I am delighted the cold weather performance was good for you, and that you are pleased with your trailer.    Looking forward to hearing more.  

[John and Debbie]

19 minutes ago, Hokieman said:

Not by design on my 2021 John, it’s a closed loop forced air furnace system.   Lot’s of posts on this subject.  Best to do some checking on your new one or else you’re at risk in a confined space when running LP appliances.  That being said, I am delighted the cold weather performance was good for you, and that you are pleased with your trailer.    Looking forward to hearing more.  

Thanks for the message.  I haven't read all the manuals yet, but what do you do when running your heater?  Do you have a window open a bit to let air out.  It's quite the learning curve and I thought I was prepared since I had looked at videos, read the forum and Oliver University.  Well, not so much.  I just got a 30 amp hook up by the garage where the trailer is parked.  

John

 

[John and Debbie]

5 hours ago, Chukarhunter said:

Welcome home to Oregon!

Thanks.  How do you get that map?  I went through the same states.

John

[SeaDawg]

@John Welte, this may help

I tried it, though, on my phone a few minutes ago, and the website referenced wouldn't create a map. Maybe just on break for the holiday?

Give it a try, and let us know if it works for you. 

Please do choose small or medium for the map size...

[topgun2]

2 hours ago, John Welte said:

Do you have a window open a bit to let air out.

Don't forget about those "out of sight" scupper holes in the bottom of the Ollie.  While each of those holes are not all that big, they do add up to a reasonable open space to the interior between the hulls.

Having said this - I virtually always have at least my bath vent open while camped.

Bill

[Frank C]

21 hours ago, John Welte said:

 I assume there's some way for the air being pushed into the trailer to escape.

Congratulations on the new trailer!   And glad you had a safe trip back home.  Just to clear up a detail though, the furnace doesn’t push external air into the trailer or pressurize the cabin.  The furnace draws in cabin air that travels through the return vent(s) in the cabin, heats it, and sends it back into the cabin through the supply vents.  And it’s isolated from the air used for furnace combustion process.  Older Olivers like mine only have one very large rectangular return vent below the curbside bed that allows cabin air to circulate back to the fan intake on the furnace. I’ve seen photos from recent owners that show another return vent in the bathroom now on the newest trailers.   With all the windows, fans and door closed, there’s actually very little air exchange of fresh outside air coming into the Oliver, only what gets in through the under hull scuppers.  That’s why condensation, just from people breathing, can be such a problem in the Oliver.  We try to leave the MaxAir fan open a bit or crack open a window to get some fresh air exchange to help reduce the buildup of moisture inside the cabin when camping in colder weather while running the furnace.    Someone posted this graphic about typical moisture that will build up in a trailer. 

[Hokieman]

4 hours ago, John Welte said:

I haven't read all the manuals yet, but what do you do when running your heater? 

I usually have the bath vent open and the Maxair vent open a few turns.   Yes, a lot of heat escapes, but we seldom have condensation.   I’ve also not camped in single digit temps yet,  relying on folks like you to figure this out  🤔 Your  heating system is different than the older models and hopefully much improved. 

[Geronimo John]

Frank: 

Thanks for sharing the graphic. 

One and a half gallons of RV Condensation for two while cold camping.  That is huge.  Sure explains the wet beds we at first experienced.

To keep beds dry and CINC-HOUSE happy, I had to make a hard decision.  Either:

• I had to shower & do dishes outside, and also sleep under the awning.

                                   OR

• Or open up the trailer.  

I think CINC-HOUSE was thinking hard about the first option.

We found it best to open the Bathroom window.  The reason for this choice is to draw cooler air in low and as far from the sleeping area as possible.  As suggested above we also crack open the MaxFan just a little.  Being high it will exhaust humid warm air quite well.   An important benefit of this approach is that the make-up air has a chance to mix and warm up before it reaches our sleeping area.  To facilitate this pre-warming benefit, I close the heater vents at the rear of the trailer, and keep the kitchen and bath vents wide open.  

GJ 

 

[Frank C]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

One and a half gallons of RV Condensation for two while cold camping.  That is huge.

Definitely a problem.  And I’ve found that the aluminum inner window frames in the Oliver are a great condensing surface for that moisture in the air in cold weather since aluminum conducts thermally so well.  The inner aluminum frames get really cold while winter camping, even colder than the double pane glass window panes themselves or the fiberglass surface of the inner hull. The edges of the aluminum inner window frames are hidden behind the plastic window shade frames so it’s not readily noticeable, but moisture condenses there on the aluminum frames very quickly in cold weather when you’re breathing, laying in bed right below those left and right rear side windows, and then the moisture drips down to the belly band and then to the beds.  Fresh air exchange definitely helps.  

[SeaDawg]

I'd like to add that this moisture problem is not unique to Oliver, it can simply be more apparent for a few reasons. 

First, the Ollie is built very tight , like our home. 

Second, the built in furniture,  no wood, allows more evidence of moisture,  in my experience. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You can actually see what you're dealing with, instead of moisture collecting in cabinetry and walls. 

Using methods to evacuate moisture is important.  Even something as simple as wiping walls with a microfiber towel, and drying it outside. 

Moistute mitigation is important.  Think about why you have a shower fan at home. 

 

 

 

[John and Debbie]

On 11/22/2022 at 5:43 AM, Mike and Carol said:

Great news, John!  The new Truma heater must be a great improvement over our old Suburban furnace.  The learning process will be fun!  Mike

Hi Mike, I spent a few hours in the trailer reading the main manual again.  Tomorrow will tackle the optional features manual.  Specifically, since I have it parked by the garage plugged into 30 amp service, I believe that I am supposed to run the lithium batteries to 75% soc or something like that while unplugged from the 30 amp service and with the solar panels turned off  and then turn off the batteries. The manual will cover that unless you know the answer off the top of your head.  I do have a propane leak that set off the LP/CO monitor so have a gas detector ordered.  Once I find the leak I can fix that.  My wife was less than thrilled that a new expensive camper has any problems less than two weeks into ownership.

John

[John and Debbie]

On 11/22/2022 at 1:57 PM, SeaDawg said:

@John Welte, this may help

I tried it, though, on my phone a few minutes ago, and the website referenced wouldn't create a map. Maybe just on break for the holiday?

Give it a try, and let us know if it works for you. 

Please do choose small or medium for the map size...

I couldn't get it to work either.  I was going to add the states that I have gone to with the Ollie.  I have been to many more, but I think the intent of the map in our signature is to highlight travels with the Ollie.

John

[Rivernerd]

1 hour ago, John Welte said:

I couldn't get it to work either.  I was going to add the states that I have gone to with the Ollie.  I have been to many more, but I think the intent of the map in our signature is to highlight travels with the Ollie.

The site referenced by JWalmsley didn't work for me either.  But this site did:

https://www.epgsoft.com/visited-states-map/app/visited-united-states-map.php

Good luck!

With regard to management of LiFePO4 batteries during storage, if you have either the Lithium Pro or Platinum package and shore power where you store your Ollie, Mike Sharpe with Oliver Service has advised that you can leave the batteries in the trailer, with the trailer plugged into shore power, for the winter.  Doing so relies on the internal heaters in the 315 Ah batteries and the external heater installed by Oliver under the 130 Ah batteries to keep them above freezing.

That is my plan, although I also plan to do the discharge/recharge cycle specified by Lithionics once after 3 months of storage, out of an abundance of caution.  I will then reconnect to shore power for the balance of the winter.

But, there are different opinions on this topic, as highlighted by this thread.  Read it and draw your own conclusions:

 

[Patriot]

Congratulations on your new Ollie and safe maiden journey back home!

Patriot 🇺🇸

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, John Welte said:

The manual will cover that unless you know the answer off the top of your head.  I do have a propane leak that set off the LP/CO monitor so have a gas detector ordered.  Once I find the leak I can fix that.  My wife was less than thrilled that a new expensive camper has any problems less than two weeks into ownership.

John, my lithium situation is very different and I haven’t really done much to learn about the new installations.  I don’t really do any long term storage, a month or two at the most.  I just park the trailer, turn the batteries off and call it a day.  They are usually at or near 100%, which isn’t a problem for short periods.

Hopefully the propane leak is just a lose connection somewhere.  Even new expensive campers bounce down the road constantly testing plumbing, propane, electrical and anything else that can work lose!  Mike

[Frank C]

10 hours ago, John Welte said:

I do have a propane leak that set off the LP/CO monitor so have a gas detector ordered. 

Note that there are some things that can trigger a false alarm on the propane monitor.   A lot of aerosol sprays like air fresheners, hair spray, etc. will trigger it.   Our propane alarm will trigger anytime I use Lysol spray anywhere in the camper.   Did your alarm trigger shortly after you used any type of cleaner or spray in the camper?

[Hokieman]

On 11/24/2022 at 8:45 PM, SeaDawg said:

Using methods to evacuate moisture is important.  Even something as simple as wiping walls with a microfiber towel, and drying it outside. 

Moistute mitigation is important.  Think about why you have a shower fan at home. 

In addition to having some vents open, we usually keep all the shades open during showers, cooking on stove, and also while sleeping.  If not, we often get condensation on the inside of the windows.  We will shut a shade or two if bright lights are shining in.  This option might not appeal to some who want privacy, or sleeping in past sunrise, but it does help keep the windows clear.