Newbies taking the plunge - Are we missing anything

[topgun2]

9 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

Do I have to remove the suction cup?

Suction cups do tend to lose their suction over time - particularly with the wind and temp changes.  So, unless you don't mind replacing a lost one every now and then, I'd remove it before you travel.

Bill

[Tom and Doreen]

On 3/18/2024 at 1:36 PM, Dennis and Melissa said:

2 hooking up the Anderson to a ram 1500 with airbags suspension that keeps changing levels. Rereading the owners manual on how to do this. not fun. might lead to a different truck.

 

I don't honestly know how the ram 1500 air system works but on my truck I can select "manual" mode to prevent the air suspension from auto-correcting.  The other method is to turn the ignition off thereby deactivating the air pump. 

[Geronimo John]

The Anderson has about a 10 time learning curve.  Once you figure it out, its easy.  Here are some suggestions:

First don't mess with the chain lengths or their attachment points unless you are a professional installer or super experienced in the process. Doing so will surely cause grief.

So, for Hooking up the Anderson tips I have found useful:

1. Always have both side tires chalked.  Ollie going for a down hill ride by itself will be costly.  And could be deadly.
2. Save yourself grief and strive to only  hook up and unhook with Ollie and TV being very straight.  You figure that one out soon enough.
3. Loosen your chain nuts full loose is a starter step. Like FULL LOOSE with half the threads of the nut showing.
4. If you have air bags, to a point, the higher you raise the TV, the looser the chains get.  Raise up, couple up, hook up whale plate, then lower to runnng height, then tighten the nuts.
5. Having some lubricant on the whale plate and locking pins greatly eases install. 
6. I use a can of spray lithium grease on mine.  Have a rag or paper towels handy.
7. If you find stranage stains on your leg or pants .... you know where they came from.  

GJ

Edited March 19 by Geronimo John

[Geronimo John]

5 minutes ago, Tom and Doreen said:

I don't honestly know how the ram 1500 air system works but on my truck I can select "manual" mode to prevent the air suspension from auto-correcting.  The other method is to turn the ignition off thereby deactivating the air pump. 

Safety John says when hooking up, the TV should be off, in park, and with emergency brake set.

GJ

[Dennis and Melissa]

Does the TV in the Ollie support Apple Airplay?

[Dennis and Melissa]

What happens when my heater is on and I run out of propane?
 

[Jason Foster]

7 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

What happens when my heater is on and I run out of propane?
 

If you have two tanks, and the valve is set to auto, it will switch to the full tank.  If you are completely out, the heater will shut off and throw an error code referencing the gas supply interruption.

[topgun2]

14 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

If you have two tanks, and the valve is set to auto, it will switch to the full tank.  If you are completely out, the heater will shut off and throw an error code referencing the gas supply interruption.

And - 

you get cold until you feed that heater with more propane.😬

If you chose to NOT use the automatic feature on the propane valve then you will need to simply move the lever on the valve from the tank that is empty to the one that has propane in it - this is what I do.  Then, the next time you are near a propane supplier - get that empty tank refilled!

Bill

Edited March 21 by topgun2

[Dennis and Melissa]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

If you chose to NOT use the automatic feature on the propane valve then you will need to simply move the lever on the valve from the tank that is empty to the one that has propane in it

This has been my plan.

But 2 things have surprised me.  

1)  After a week, with several nights below freezing, I'm apparently still on the first tank.  If that's true, I'm VERY impressed.

2) I've moved the valve to the middle and stared at the little display on the regulator for 20 min and can't decide what in the world it is telling me.  I guess I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  😛

We are actually headed north this weekend, so more cold nights.  And my wife has found a nearby store that re-fills tanks.  So, we will probably just do that before we head out, and my education will be delayed by another week or so. 😀

As always, your handholding is much appreciated!

[Boudicca908]

2 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

But 2 things have surprised me.  

 

If I remember correctly (!) the reason some people chose not to use the auto-switch is that they might not be aware when the first tank is out of gas so to speak and then they can be surprised when the second one runs out. 

[topgun2]

 

Just now, Boudicca908 said:

If I remember correctly (!) the reason some people chose not to use the auto-switch is that they might not be aware when the first tank is out of gas so to speak and then they can be surprised when the second one runs out. 

Yep - that is why I don't use the "automatic" feature often.

However, if I know that I'm running low on that first tank and the weather is not (or predicted to not be) decent, then I'll place the lever in the automatic position.  This is so that I will not have to get up in the middle of the night when its cold or raining in order to switch those tanks.

Bill

[topgun2]

7 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

1)  After a week, with several nights below freezing, I'm apparently still on the first tank.  If that's true, I'm VERY impressed.

All of this is a function of how cold and how high you have the temp set inside.  I seldom use the heat because I do not camp much during the winter.  However, during my two months fly fishing trips in the summer, I routinely only use one 20 pound tank every 6 to 8 weeks.  Most of that is running the fridge and on rare occasion heating shower water.

9 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

2) I've moved the valve to the middle and stared at the little display on the regulator for 20 min and can't decide what in the world it is telling me. 

If you move the lever to point towards one or the other of your tanks and close the other tank, the "window" under the lever will tell you if you've got propane (green will show) or if you are empty (red will show).  However, the key is to close the tank that you are not using.  This prevents the valve from "automatically" switching from one tank to the other.  Yes, the automatic feature will still try, but, since the second tank is closed, no propane will flow out of it until you open that tank's valve.  When the tank in use finally runs out, the "window" should turn red.  Simply move the lever towards the other tank and open that tank's valve (the window should turn green).  If you do nothing - ie leave the lever pointed in either direction and leave both tank's valve open, the automatic valve will automatically switch to the tank with propane in it no matter which direction that lever is pointed.  Therein lies the problem.  Because at this point it is up to you to remember to check your tanks for how much propane is in them such that you don't totally run out without realizing it.

Hope this helps!

Bill

[Jason Foster]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

All of this is a function of how cold and how high you have the temp set inside.  I seldom use the heat because I do not camp much during the winter.  However, during my two months fly fishing trips in the summer, I routinely only use one 20 pound tank every 6 to 8 weeks.  Most of that is running the fridge and on rare occasion heating shower water.

If you move the lever to point towards one or the other of your tanks and close the other tank, the "window" under the lever will tell you if you've got propane (green will show) or if you are empty (red will show).  However, the key is to close the tank that you are not using.  This prevents the valve from "automatically" switching from one tank to the other.  Yes, the automatic feature will still try, but, since the second tank is closed, no propane will flow out of it until you open that tank's valve.  When the tank in use finally runs out, the "window" should turn red.  Simply move the lever towards the other tank and open that tank's valve (the window should turn green).  If you do nothing - ie leave the lever pointed in either direction and leave both tank's valve open, the automatic valve will automatically switch to the tank with propane in it no matter which direction that lever is pointed.  Therein lies the problem.  Because at this point it is up to you to remember to check your tanks for how much propane is in them such that you don't totally run out without realizing it.

Hope this helps!

Bill

All this and I focused in on the rarity of Bill's showers. hmmmm

[Jason Foster]

1 hour ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

This has been my plan.

But 2 things have surprised me.  

1)  After a week, with several nights below freezing, I'm apparently still on the first tank.  If that's true, I'm VERY impressed.

2) I've moved the valve to the middle and stared at the little display on the regulator for 20 min and can't decide what in the world it is telling me.  I guess I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  😛

We are actually headed north this weekend, so more cold nights.  And my wife has found a nearby store that re-fills tanks.  So, we will probably just do that before we head out, and my education will be delayed by another week or so. 😀

As always, your handholding is much appreciated!

If it is on auto, the display will turn red and stay that way only when the tank you were using runs out.  It is up to you to check it.  When I know my tank is running low, I check it every day then get it filled when the display turns red.  If you are a bit absent minded, then leave it on manual and the furnace shutting off and the camper getting cold at 3am will be a good reminder.

[Steph and Dud B]

On 3/20/2024 at 4:08 PM, Dennis and Melissa said:

Does the TV in the Ollie support Apple Airplay?

The Vizio that came with our 2022 does, after a software update.

[Steph and Dud B]

3 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

I've moved the valve to the middle and stared at the little display on the regulator for 20 min and can't decide what in the world it is telling me. 

Don't put it in the middle. Point it at the tank you're using. If you see red in the display, the tank the lever is pointing at is empty.

If you don't want auto changeover, leave the other tank (the full one) turned off. When you see red and your appliances stop working, close the empty tank, flip the pointer to the full tank, and slowly turn that tank on. 

If you do want auto changeover leave both tanks open. With both tanks open, a red indicator tells you that the first tank has emptied and you are now running on the second tank. Flip the pointer to the second tank, it'll turn green, then shut off the first tank and get it refilled. Repeat the process when the second tank empties. 

1 hour ago, Jason Foster said:

When I know my tank is running low, I check it every day then get it filled when the display turns red

Same. I've used auto changeover for 24 years and never run out of propane (knocking on wood). I check the indicator and put a reminder in my phone to get the empty tank filled at the next opportunity.  

[Dennis and Melissa]

Our first two weeks have been very hectic. As you can see below, we’ve added a couple of states. And they’re cold ones. It was 18 last night.

We have a number of questions. I will post here when I get more time. But for now, here is the really important one.

How do you know the temperature inside the Oliver? 🤷

[Mike and Carol]

36 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

How do you know the temperature inside the Oliver? 🤷

Go to Walmart and get a thermometer. Our first one sat on the counter or dinette and told us the inside temperature and had a sensor that would tell us the outside temperature.  You can also get ones that have multiple sensors that can be placed in between the hulls, for instance in the water pump area.  We also have one that is on the wall.  Tells us the inside temperature, the date and day of the week (we’re old and forget which day of the week it is when we’re out camping 😂).  Mike

[topgun2]

10 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

 You can also get ones that have multiple sensors that can be placed in between the hulls, for instance in the water pump area.  We also have one that is on the wall.

I'd recommend the multiple sensors - or at least one that has the ability to add multiple sensors to it.  And having humidity levels is important too.

The first reason for this (for me at least) is that you want to know the temp and humidity level inside the main cabin.  The second is that I want to know the temp and humidity outside so I know how to dress.  I place two sensors outside for this purpose. If you are camped such that the front of the Ollie is facing the sun and place the sensor under the "dog house" then that sensor will tend to read too high due to the sun warming the front of the Ollie first.  Therefore, I place the second sensor under the spare tire cover in the back which in this circumstance will tend to give me a more accurate reading.  Next, if you are camping in cold conditions, it is helpful to know the temps in the basement area such that you can direct more heat down there to avoid frozen plumbing if necessary (as Mike points out above).

An expandable system gives you the option of experimenting to see just how many sensors works for the camping that you normally do.

Bill

[Boudicca908]

11 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

How do you know the temperature inside the Oliver? 🤷

My habit last year was to read the thermometer that is mounted on the wall -- but maybe it isn't accurate enough. Also, @topgun2 makes excellent points about the location of thermometers outside for accurate reading. 

[Steph and Dud B]

We have a thermometer with 2 extra sensors. One goes in the fridge, the other either outside or in between the hulls.

For remote monitoring we also have a Govee WiFi sensor that we can check from anywhere through our hotspot.

[MAX Burner]

11 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

How do you know the temperature inside the Oliver? 🤷

Upgrade to the MicroAir T-stat - gives a nice BIG readout of set temp and current inside temp.  If other upgrades are on your radar screen, such as a Victron SmartShunt, it's app will give a reading of the compartment it is mounted in, which is convenient to know in 18F climes.

Concur 100% w/ @topgun2 & @Mike and Carol's solution sets...  In addition, you might consider a Bluetooth unit like this:

...that can be mounted, say in the "dog house" near the LPG bottles for OAT, and another in an identified "coldest" compartment (ie: basement/garage, under vanity sink, near water pump, etc.).  The BT app is easy to use capturing historical data for future planning....  

Tons of options - just have fun making you own mods and upgrades.  It might become somewhat addicting.

Cheers!

Edited March 26 by MAX Burner
typo

[MAX Burner]

12 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

For remote monitoring we also have a Govee WiFi sensor that we can check from anywhere through our hotspot.

HA!  Beat me to it!  Excellent suggestion.

[Dennis and Melissa]

I have a 2 inch thermometer clipped to my backpack. For years, I have checked it before getting out of my sleeping bag. Apparently, I’m not as sophisticated as y’all. LOL. TYVM

 

[Dennis and Melissa]

And now, for a match weightier question. Literally.

We have towed about 2000 miles now. 500 at 50 miles an hour. Because the owners manual on the truck said so. Most of the rest on interstates at 60 miles an hour because we are trying to be wise and stay in our comfort zone

 

Most of this felt just like driving a car. Some exceptions: wider turns, slower, acceleration, etc.  Perfectly wonderful. I even discovered that I can see all the Ollie's tires in my rearview mirrors. I am a pretty happy camper.

 

We hardly noticed any additional swaying from passing tracks or windy highways. But I’m not comfortable with the Anderson hook up. I’d really like to know if I really need it.

How stupid would it be for me to disable it for the next 500 miles?

FWIW I’m already at the stage where I manually loosen and tighten the chains. And I have no expertise whatsoever. Just guessing. 

Edited March 26 by Dennis and Melissa