Water pump weirdness

[Steph and Dud B]

On the first night of a recent dry camping trip (using water from the fresh tank) my wife noticed a very low hum when she went to bed. I tracked it to the water pump. It wasn't the usual pump noise, it was a very soft, low vibration. I opened a faucet and found no water pressure. Closed the faucet, cycled the pump on/off and had water again with no further pump noise. Thinking about it overnight, I surmised the pump was running dry, even though we had a full tank. I suspected an air leak in the pump intake plumbing. Inspection under the bed revealed multiple loose connections on the intake plumbing side. Some very loose. I also found that 2 of the black tie down straps intended to hold the intake plumbing to the mounting board were just hanging loose off the pipes. No-one at the factory had finished the intake side of the pump plumbing before the pump assembly was installed in the trailer. This was an absolute, and obvious, QC failure since that assembly is done on a workbench before being put into a trailer shell. 

We have had a failure of some sort, from cosmetic to serious, on every single trip in the year we've owned this trailer. In another case, a carriage bolt was stripped and could not be tightened to spec. Even so, it bore green torque pen markings on it from the factory. It was impossible for that bolt to have passed a torque check. A loose 120v electrical splice that melted and charred also bore QC marks from the factory.  None of our previous trailers had this many issues. This may be normal for pandemic-era Some-Other-Brand RVs but is absolutely not what we expected from an Oliver. 

Now that RV sales have slumped, I hope OTT is taking the time to be more careful assembling new units. 

[John Dehne]

Sorry to hear about your issues with your trailer. Oliver has been very good addressing our very minor issues to hull # 901. And we have been very pleased.  I have no problem working and keeping and eye on the systems of our trailer and annually check all electrical and mechanical  connections due to road vibrations helps feed my OCD. Have fun and safe travels.

 

[Rivernerd]

48 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Inspection under the bed revealed multiple loose connections on the intake plumbing side. Some very loose. I also found that 2 of the black tie down straps intended to hold the intake plumbing to the mounting board were just hanging loose off the pipes. No-one at the factory had finished the intake side of the pump plumbing before the pump assembly was installed in the trailer.

Please submit a service ticket, even though you apparently fixed the oversight yourself so your pump would function as it should.  Oliver needs to be advised of this obvious quality control failure.

Based on my experience with Hull #1291, and review of dozens of reports like yours on this forum, Oliver's attention to detail and quality control during production is, at best, inconsistent.  Very sad given the premium price charged.

[Boonter Jeff]

We had several loose water connections.  Having the pump running unnecessarily or low water pressure gave them away.  Not too happy about that.  Much bigger unresolved problem with brake system.  Our only nearby RV place is slammed and we are still waiting to find out what it is.  It could be a combo of our controller on the truck not working, and an electrical problem on one side of the trailer.  Already missed one planned trip.  

[ScubaRx]

49 minutes ago, Boonter Jeff said:

We had several loose water connections.  Having the pump running unnecessarily or low water pressure gave them away.  Not too happy about that.  Much bigger unresolved problem with brake system.  Our only nearby RV place is slammed and we are still waiting to find out what it is.  It could be a combo of our controller on the truck not working, and an electrical problem on one side of the trailer.  Already missed one planned trip.  

Your profile states you own a 2014 seventeen foot Casita, is that correct?

[Geronimo John]

Sure looks like he does.  I hope so!!!!!!!!!

GJ

[SeaDawg]

More importantly,  did @Steph and Dud B find a resolution?

[Steph and Dud B]

15 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

did @Steph and Dud B find a resolution?

Yep. Tightened all the fittings and screwed down the hold-down straps. Very strange symptoms. When the pump is sucking air, you can barely hear it. If anyone keeps getting air in the lines the first time you use your pump on a trip, check those connections.

[SeaDawg]

Water systems are tricky. 

At home, we work on a rainwater collection system, and an 8000 gallon cistern. 

We spent an entire day, checking everything.  Valves, pump, connections, Power. Sediment filters, etc.  Blowing out possible sediment, every way. Checking check valves.

It can be very frustrating.  We found, on ours , a faulty float switch, which has nothing to do with the Oliver system,  but  I share your frustration. 

Every connection is tightened, and  retightened. 

I share your pain. We both now have working systems. 

Please share your Oliver challenge with service, via a ticket.

They need to know.

 

 

[Boonter Jeff]

We sold our Casita and bought an Elite II in Hohenwald last August.  Sorry, that I haven’t updated my info.

[SeaDawg]

@Boonter Jeff, if you want or need help updating your signature,  just pm me. Then it will show at the bottom of each post.

It does help others when they know your trailer vintage, to offer appropriate comments. 

Thanks for updating your profile.

[JRK]

Well, I am almost afraid to take my trailer out. I did cancel the last trip because of issues with the trailer on the prior trip. Still have not resolved multiple issues. It has been one consistent problem, usually minor, but annoying. Tired of the drawers not staying closed, and ripping out wood as they fall out, city water connection failure causing leaks, continued electrical issues and no schematic to help trace potential problems-no power to water pump and inverter not functioning - does not power up, rear Oliver light having intermittent power/lighting - flashing on and off while driving, shower hose kinking and too short causing restriction of water flow, what feels like poor insulation - too cold and too hot inside and more. My traveling companion, my girlfriend, wants me to sell it. She has been on three trips, and is fed up. 

[Mike and Carol]

5 hours ago, JRK said:

Well, I am almost afraid to take my trailer out. I did cancel the last trip because of issues with the trailer on the prior trip. Still have not resolved multiple issues. It has been one consistent problem, usually minor, but annoying. Tired of the drawers not staying closed, and ripping out wood as they fall out, city water connection failure causing leaks, continued electrical issues and no schematic to help trace potential problems-no power to water pump and inverter not functioning - does not power up, rear Oliver light having intermittent power/lighting - flashing on and off while driving, shower hose kinking and too short causing restriction of water flow, what feels like poor insulation - too cold and too hot inside and more. My traveling companion, my girlfriend, wants me to sell it. She has been on three trips, and is fed up. 

Sorry to hear about all of these problems.  Can you let us know what you have done to get resolution?

The drawer problem is common in earlier trailers and is easily fixed.  I installed some stainless steel strap loops (from Amazon) at the top an bottom of each bank of drawers, run a tie down strap through them when traveling and they won’t open again.  Is your city water failing or just lose?  It can be tightened with the proper size wrench inserted into the connection.  The shower hose kinking might involve taking off the front of the bath sink to access it.  Not hard to do, you just need to cut the caulk and remove 4 screws.  

I would look for a good RV guy who knows electrical systems, I had some similar issues and my local RV guy found some lose connections behind the fuse panel and was able to resolve everything there.  Check your water pump to ensure the two red wires are connected, if they are the issue might be related to all the other electrical problems.  Intermittent lights flashing while driving sounds to me like something is lose.  If you have specific questions ask away and someone will have a solution.  Mike

[MAX Burner]

@JRK:  Hey, brother - really sorry to hear about the issues with your rig.  Your frustration is noted.

Sometimes these toys of our's are a kin to eating the proverbial elephant - it can be done, but it takes one bite at a time.

Probably preaching to the choir here, but preparing and studying a comprehensive and prioritized list of "squawks" or discrepancies sometimes helps us get our head around the big picture.  Then making a maintenance schedule or just a "punch list" helps even more - after some time and effort, the list gets smaller.  A few other gripes may pop up in the meantime which get added to the others.  This process clearly doesn't reach completion over night and takes patience - in our case, the end of the "to-do list" will likely never happen.  So be it.

Totally understand that if an OTT owner doesn't have the confidence in their rig that it'll perform safely while being towed and systems operate correctly when camping,then trips get cancelled, it'll likely sit in storage - then eventually get sold.  However, many of the fixes for the annoying issues described above are addressed by others on the forum, IMO.  

FYI, We have yet to encounter a discrepancy that either a call to the OTT factory or a shout-out to the forum that couldn't be solved - there have been dozens.

For example here's a couple ideas for keeping drawers closed while towing:

1. Search for this title - this fix uses bungees and stainless steel tie-downs:

"Kitchen drawers. - keeping closed"

2.  This one uses Raingly tie-downs and nylon straps:

Enough "apple pie and Motherhood"...

Hang in there - you'll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel; it might even be a rear Oliver sign!

[Wandering Sagebrush]

A bit off topic, but the kitchen drawer hack reminded me of a great small company for things like footman loops, bungee cord, webbing and related hardware.      
 

Strap Works in Eugene, Oregon.

[johnwen]

Hi, JRK

I'm not sure how the Elite1 is constructed but on my Elite2 my outside shower hose will wrap around the stabilizer strut and when it does my hose only comes out part way.  So maybe that's what is happening to you.  I put a couple strips of duct tape on the strut and frame under the bed access panel to prevent the hose from popping up and wrapping around the strut.  It is a little too short anyway, I agree.  Sorry to hear of all your issues.

Best of luck,

John

[Cameron]

Given the number of issues and the level of your frustration, I wonder about the feasibility of taking it back to the mothership and letting OTT staff  do a complete service. Most of the issues are probably still under warranty. I realize it might not work due to your schedules and  the downtime waiting in Tennesee, but it sure beats throwing your hands up and not camping or selling it. I agree with other folks that there's a learning curve and you've got to look at each issue individually. When I picked up #841 in July 2021, I sort of assumed that everything would be perfect. Far from it. There were a bunch of problems in the first six months that I had to deal with, but everything worked out thanks to OTT service and this forum. It kinda stressed me out. But now I'm feeling that I'm over that hump and haven't had any problems in a while. 

[dewdev]

JRK

As previously stated you could take the Oliver back to OTT for resolving all your issues at once.

As far as the kitchen cupboards, the new Olivers have drawer tracks (that hold the drawer in place) that have a "soft close" feature that keep the drawer closed (kinda of like a soft lock).

If you are handy, you could replace the existing bottom drawer tracks with these new "soft close" tracks. I think you could buy them from Olliver or they sell them on Amazon. 

Good luck. You will fell better as each item is corrected.

[Steph and Dud B]

@JRK, I see you have a 2021, so it should have the extra latch on the drawers. Silly question, but do you give the drawers a little push in before you leave - to engage the latch? Also, we had one drawer that opened. It was my wife's plates/bowls drawer. The contents were too heavy. After we redistributed the load all the drawers stay closed now.

As I've posted, we've also been frustrated by many issues with our Oliver, but there is hope. We just returned from 2 weeks of dry-camping and had no issues with the Oliver at all! It worked perfectly. It took us a year to get here but we're hoping the teething pains are over.

[John E Davies]

12 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

@JRK, I see you have a 2021, so it should have the extra latch on the drawers. Silly question, but do you give the drawers a little push in before you leave - to engage the latch? 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Boudicca908]

The kitchen drawer latch (not latching) is one of the issues I've encountered as well. The first time, I called OTT service and Mike walked me through the fix over the phone (how to remove the drawer from the hardware rails, how to check the latch and how to fix it -- THANKS MIKE!)... In my case, the latch was missing a screw and replacing that screw fixed the issue. But I find it tricky to get the drawers 'secured' back on the rails (making the rails snap into place on the drawers). In a month, I've had to fix latches on 3 drawers; each time they seem to be missing at least one screw that holds the latch securely in place (thanks @John E Davies for the latch photo provided above). Maybe they need to be using longer wood screws? Or glue and screw? My friend taught me her brother's "fix" for re-installing screws into small holes in wood when they basically won't take a bite: put wooden toothpicks and wood glue into the hole, let them set, cut the exposed ends off flush, and then screw back together. So far, so good. 

I've never had anything come out of my drawers, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm going to have to visit the hardware for extra screws to finish securing these drawers. 

[jd1923]

Well, given this thread has well deviated from "water pump weirdness" so I'll add my observations! 🤣 30 years ago, when we first moved from a city home to a country home, I explained to the family, when you hear something, say something!
Good job btw, your wife hearing and reporting the faint sound!

I cannot stand the minimal water system in our older OTT! Slow trickle in the shower, while the kitchen sink is good. I rinsed the HWH twice already and my whole driveway was full of cr@p! I'll vinegar rinse the plumbing soon. Removed both faucet heads, they're now soaking in CLR.

I rebuilt the water system in my last RV, adding silencing tubes and a water small accumulator. The job turned out pretty nice, so one could flush a toilet late at night and not disturb the spouse sleeping. OMG, why do they always install the water pump under the bed? (Same in class-c and many class-a RVs). I understand many of you have newer models with an accumulator.

I recently found this product and would love to install it, but the 2-gal tank is really way too big to fit for anywhere under the bed. Killer product though! Amazon.com : SEAFLO 55-Series Water Pump and Accumulator Tank System - 12V DC, 5.5 GPM, 60 PSI, 2 Gallon Tank : Sports & Outdoors

This pump (made in the USA vs. Mexico, Yay!) runs at 60 PSI, approx 10% greater than the original, running at 55 PSI. Engineering spec limits are always much greater than +10%. So, I can replace our old crawdad (see) pic, with this amazing product! (P.S. look for my upgrade post, sooner or later). If I could only fit this tank, I would be able to take a 2-gal shower after Chris goes to bed, without cycling the water pump - amazing! Yep, she sleeps on that side. But this size tank will not fit. 🙃

I just purchased the pump alone to increase water flow from 3 to 5.5 gal/min (using less current, 4A vs. 7.5A), now priced used for only $75, (Amazon Used Like-New usually means damaged packaging only, and if bad, request a replacement). I will have to find another accumulator or install 2-3 of the little ones in series. Great deal for anybody needing a water pump or a backup pump, buy one now, seriously:
Amazon.com: SEAFLO 55-Series Diaphragm Pump - 12V DC, 5.5 GPM, 60 PSI : Industrial & Scientific

We already have an extra 35-gal freshwater tank in our TV. We might need another tank with near 2x GPM flow - lol! Don't we have fun with our babies?

[MAX Burner]

11 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

My friend taught me her brother's "fix" for re-installing screws into small holes in wood when they basically won't take a bite: put wooden toothpicks and wood glue into the hole, let them set, cut the exposed ends off flush, and then screw back together. So far, so good. 

Very ironic/timely comment here.  

A few months ago, we experienced the launching of our middle right galley drawer onto the deck after perhaps taking a few windy curves a bit too fast and having WAY too many cooking pots/pans inside of it.  The forces ripped the locking mechanisms from their mounting positions underneath the drawer held there by two (IMO) very small wood screws.  

The "toothpick temporary" fix was executed in situ while camping that afternoon.  Until just yesterday, we removed all the drawers to inspect for potential water damage as suggested by another forum thread, only to find that the toothpick fix was not holding.  So we removed the short factory-installed drawer screws and replaced them with 3/4" wood screws that reach into the drawer fronts.

It's suspected that the factory builds the drawers, installs the rail hardware before they attach the drawer fronts - makes sense to use shorter screws that don't penetrate the drawer box.  But who knows?  The longer attachment screws are just another effort to achieve a "peace of mind" knowing they'll last a bit longer.  IMO, the longer screws with the Raingly Footman Loops/straps make the drawer system more bomb-proof when towing.

My $0.02.

[mossemi]

1 hour ago, MAX Burner said:

The forces ripped the locking mechanisms from their mounting positions underneath the drawer held there by two (IMO) very small wood screws.  

Are you referring to the release handle used to remove the drawers?  The reason I ask is because Oliver has been installing an additional locking devise, as pictured in a post above, to their drawers for several years.

Mossey

[MAX Burner]

@mossemi:  Yes, the orange and black release handle…