OBI Dweller Review and Discussion

[CowboyKyle]

New Dweller 13 owner here. Opened up the AC compartment to get the AC controller and found one of the AC ducts was not connected. Reconnected the duct and used the Red-Green method to seal and connect (Duct Tape). Took out the draws on the closet side and found light coming from the wheel well area. Sealed this with Duct tape also. This could also be a major dust issue.

From Ft. Worth Texas

You probably haven't figured it out yet, but that isn't going to be enough to make you comfortable, in Texas, in July. Even with the top down. I wish I could say this was speculation, but it's not.

 

[CowboyKyle]

I would like to some AC options too. Did anyone see the latest ROA video on the MDC campers ? I really liked the idea of having some gas struts on that back bedroom wall setup.

I'm planning to install a roof top AC on mine this spring. Where are you located?

 

[CowboyKyle]

Hey all! Has anyone had any problems with the bar you use to push the roof up losing it's alibilty to stay tight? Not sure how to explain it but one side has lost the ability to click into place and stay that way. Pretty upsetting seeing we've only used it 10 times or so now.
Also has anyone bent the back side flap of the back bed extension? Ours bent slightly right where it latches with the side locking bolt and now the bolt won't slide in to lock it. Not sure if I should just hammer it out or just talk to the rv place and see if we can get a new side piece under warranty. We're also not sure how it got bent so we can avoid it in the future.

And a word of warning. If you're going to be doing offroading with low hanging branches you might want to find a way to make sure the wire that runs from the awning to that black box doesn't catch on branches. On a small windy mountain road with lots of branches hanging over the road we ripped off that black box on the side and the wires are all frayed now and hanging.. lesson learned!!

We're on the last leg of our 3,000 mile roadtrip and all in all our dweller has been doing well.
We definitely need to get a torque wrench though for the torturing the lug nuts after each trip. I know someone said they torqued theirs to 140 lbs? But ROA said 90 lbs per sq ft or whatever the measurement is. Does anyone know the correct #? Our little white dots aren't lined up but I'm not stressing it right now.

A few pics from our trip.

@LaBlaze do you have a pic of what you mean?

I experienced the same. I used white gorilla tape to keep it out of the way.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Re: Lithium Battery Upgrade question

I‘m looking to upgrade to three 100ah batteries on my D13. Is this just a straight drop-in procedure or do you need to upgrade the wiring for the lithium batteries ? I‘m aware of the change needed for the solar controller for the change from the AGM batteries to Lithium batteries. Is there any other things that need to be considered when making this upgrade ?

I'm late to the party, so it's probably already been answered. It's a slippery slope. You CAN simply drop them in, but if you go with better batteries, then you have room for better components. DM me if you want to know more.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Just swapping both the solar+inverter to Lithium mode.. The inverter/charger kinda sucks, and won't charge until you hit basically empty, so I'd recommend setting the charging voltages manually in it so you don't end up totally dead after 4-5 cloudy days in a row.

https://www.renogy.com/content/R-INVT-PCL1-20111S/R-INVT-PCL1-20111S%20Manual.pdf

~Page 22 in the PDF, you want to set the battery to user-defined, then set option 94 to ALb, then set your charging voltages in 26/27.

I put in some cheap Weize 100ah LiFePo4 batteries and they've been fine so far, but they are cheap and kinda sus. If they fail I'll probably move to something more reputable, but so far so good (~6mo or so)

The only real drawback is measuring voltage to determine state-of-charge for Lithium batteries sucks. Having a shunt to actually measure input/output is way more accurate and I'll probably be spending a bunch of time re-wiring most of the trailer to fix this in a month or two.

I agree with this post, and it's why I'm swapping to all Victron.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Anybody that has done the lithium upgrade, group 31 fits the stock battery trays right? I measured but I just don’t want to pick up the wrong thing.

Thinking about 3x of Timeusb 12V 140Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery with Low Temp Cut Off, Built-in 100A BMS, Group 31 Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery, Max.1792Wh Energy, Perfect for RV Home Backup System Off-Grid Trolling Motor https://a.co/d/2WpZovH

Also wondering if we’re to connect the AC outlet to the inverter to run the AC off grid, what wiring upgrades would be needed. I can always put bigger gauge battery cable but is it “needed”?

no upgrades needed. It'll run it until your batteries are dead.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Batteries were delivered yesterday, they are charging in the garage now and will be installed once this arctic bomb cyclone gets the hell out of Texas
I watched about 3000 Youtube videos on all the brands and they all seem about the same. The extra 120AH in the same footprint really sold me on these vs. 3x of the 100AH ones especially when the price was so comparable. It's like having a 4th battery without a 4th battery.

I would be slightly wary of any without low temp protection. Even in Central Texas I won't often need it, but since the Dweller will sit unattended regularly, I didn't want to risk not having a low temp cutoff and damage the cells. The Redarc management system you're talking about may negate the need for the integrated BMS to have low temp protection, I don't know much about them.

I was thinking, there really shouldn't be a need to do any wiring upgrades when using the factory inverter. I'm not going to be adding any additional draw above the existing limitations.
I'll re-assess the need in the spring. For now, just want to get the batteries loaded up and take it for a test drive. The 200 watt suitcase solar addition should be delivered in the next couple of days.

If one has the gumption to swap to all Victron, you can use Victron programming and sensors to gain low temp protection.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Our inner bathroom latch fell off. A+ half a thread per screw holding it in.

Same thing happened to us. I went with slightly longer screws and double sided 3M tape. Seems to be holding good.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Has anyone considered a roof top AC. I have seen the Opus and the MDC have them. It appears to to be the same type trailer. They are using the Dometic penguin 2

Yes. I'm installing one in the spring.

 

[CowboyKyle]

Do you worry about carbon Monoxide seeping in your camper?

How is it different than an onboard LP generator?

 

[lostoldtruck]

Has anyone considered a roof top AC. I have seen the Opus and the MDC have them. It appears to to be the same type trailer. They are using the Dometic penguin 2

I installed an A/C on the roof , had to make whole to fit the same size of A/C unit , the i used this unit.

RecPro RV Air Conditioner 13.5K Non-Ducted | Quiet AC | 110-120V | Cooling Only |​

 

[CowboyKyle]

I installed an A/C on the roof , had to make whole to fit the same size of A/C unit , the i used this unit.

RecPro RV Air Conditioner 13.5K Non-Ducted | Quiet AC | 110-120V | Cooling Only |​

I'd love to pick your brain! I'm getting ready to buy the same one. Houghton brand I assume? I'll even pay you for your time, if necessary.

 

[lostoldtruck]

I'd love to pick your brain! I'm getting ready to buy the same one. Houghton brand I assume? I'll even pay you for your time, if necessary.

The only thing i would do different would get the unit with the Heat and air unit just in case for a back up heater. Sure I can tell you what i did, I am from east texas. let me know

 

[USR103]

Yes. I'm installing one in the spring.

Any concerns with the roof structure? Any areas not to cut. Will center at best.

 

[lostoldtruck]

Any concerns with the roof structure? Any areas not to cut. Will center at best.

I used the opening over the Bed . It was a larger hole then the a/c had to add some material to make hole smaller. I have pulled the trailer about 1500 miles with no issues with A/C moving believe me i have checked it often. My research i found the roof will hold 600 lbs the a/c was less than a 100 lbs