Shakedown weekend questions |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Topic: Shakedown weekend questions Posted: 31 Jul 2017 at 4:30pm |
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Thank you. I wanted to err on the side of caution.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 31 Jul 2017 at 3:47pm | |||||||
There is. If there wasn't, your pump would just send all the water out the city water fill. Under the city water fill cap is a screen, remove that screen, and WALLA!! a one way valve. In fact, when winterizing with pink stuff, the little nipple of the one way valve is supposed to be.. well.. "manipulated"... to allow pink stuff back up that line to protect it and the valve. |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 31 Jul 2017 at 3:10pm | |||||||
If the pressure isn't too great with the city water connection, turning off the city water and using the pump from the tank is a viable solution. I don't know if I would run the pump while city water is connected. It might cause a backflow issue with the city water connection if that is lower than the pump pressure. I don't think there is an anti-backflow check valve in the city water connection. |
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2654 |
Posted: 31 Jul 2017 at 2:40pm | |||||||
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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YODT
Newbie Joined: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Posted: 31 Jul 2017 at 1:26pm | |||||||
Re: #1 no pump necessary while hooked up to city water.
The last (and only so far) time we took our 179 out we stayed one night in an RV park after boondocking for a week. The city water pressure wasn't too good (with a regulator on) so I turned on the pump and we were able to shower. Does that do any harm? Is that getting water from both sources at once?
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 12:27pm | |||||||
There are some vehicles which can supply sufficient power to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator on 12V. However, they seem to be in the minority. Unfortunately, you can't take someone else's experience with a different vehicle and apply it to yours. I learned that the Escape we had would not supply sufficient power. I have not tried with the Frontier we now have. I need to find a meter that can measure not just voltage, but current to see if sufficient power can be supplied before I will try running the refrigerator on 12V. Since Propane works great, I would much rather arrive at the campsite with fully-charged batteries. It is a learning experience for all of us. It is better to learn early before you arrive for a several-days of dry camping only to find out your batteries were not charged because you tried to run the refrigerator on 12V while en route.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Laureensnyder
Newbie Joined: 20 Feb 2017 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 12:16pm | |||||||
Thank you- you have all helped a ton. Somehow I missed the whole "don't run fridge on battery" deal. Fortunately, Ive only done short tows with it that way so far.
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voisj
Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2016 Location: San Luis Obispo Online Status: Offline Posts: 471 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 12:52am | |||||||
Welcome to the pod world!
Stephan and Jato covered it pretty well, but here's my 2 cents,
#1 no pump necessary while hooked up to city water. #2 If you turn off the battery switch you will not charge the batteries. #3 My meter says 12.4 while fully charged and 13.4 while charging from shore power, and 12.7 while hooked to my running truck. #4 You can charge from the running truck while parked, But it will take awhile, leave it in park. #5 Never run the fridge on 12v (even while towing) unless you have to because you are out of propane, and have no shore power. It will kill the batteries fast(4-6 hrs) #6 I have a second tank mounted up front and get 10 to 12 days from one tank. Then I just fill the empty one when I have a good opportunity to do so. #7 In my F150 there was a fuse in the glove box in a bag that says "trailer charge electrical" on it with instructions on where to plug it in. Some dealers will pre install it. Simple test, turn on the meter you installed and start your truck and it should jump up a little (.3 or so). If the fridge was on 12v you will not charge the batteries because the fridge uses as much power than the F150 truck supplies. I have run my truck to charge batteries once when I left the fridge on 12V. Ran it for an hour while using no power in the pod. It took it from 12v to 12.2. Using jumper cables would help considerably. The truck charging wire is only 10 Gauge and cables are much larger. I have 2 G24 12V batteries and I get 4 to 5 days when fully charged being a little careful. With 2 6V gcb you should last at least 5 days. If you plan to be out in the sticks for that long you might want to consider a small charging generator/inverter or solar panels. Good luck and enjoy! rgds John
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 02 Apr 2017 at 8:31pm | |||||||
That is correct. When you are connected to city water, that supplies the pressure and the pump is not needed. Be sure to use a pressure limiter on your city water hose to protect the water lines.
Do NOT turn off the cut-off switch when towing! You need the battery to be active for operating the brakes if the break-away switch is activated. Also, the batteries will not charge if the switch is off. They are electrically isolated from the system. Only turn the switch off if you are storing your R-Pod with no shore-power available to prevent the batteries from being drained by things like the LP/CO2 detector which is on constantly when the battery is connected.
See this post: battery-issues
You can connect the Bargman (round) connector and let it charge that way but faster is to use jumper cables from the vehicle battery to the R-Pod's batteries. It will charge faster because the jumper cables can carry more current. In any case, the truck does not need to be in gear. It just needs to be running. You don't want a run-away truck, do you?
One word: Propane! Running it on battery will run your batteries down in less than 8 hours (been there, done that). Many vehicles do not supply enough power to both run the refrigerator and charge the batteries (tried that also). Propane is best unless you are on shore power. Then you can switch to AC, but switch back to propane when you unplug from shore power.
I carry a spare propane tank with a tank foot to keep it from tipping over and rolling around. I had thought of doing the modification for 2-tank setup, but so far, just carrying a spare tank has worked. Plus, it gives me a propane supply for my Coleman Grill-Stove so I don't have to carry a bunch of 1 lb. bottles.
Some people have said there is a breaker or fuse (look in your glove box) that has to be installed to activate the wire that carries the 12V power to the bargman connector. I don't know specifically. This is an area where you should consult your owner's manual. Even if it is connected, some vehicles do not have a large enough wire to carry sufficient current to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator. At best, it may be able to run the refrigerator, but then you would arrive with batteries no better off then when you started. That is why it is best to run on propane. 1-1/2 hours of towing should have made a difference if there were no significant power drains while towing provided the F150's wiring for charging is active.
I had a bunch of them when I was new to towing. It does not seem like it was that long ago. This forum has been a great resource. Some of your questions have been answered. The Search function can be your friend to help you locate answers. It is how I found the post to answer your battery charge state question above. Welcome and enjoy making memories with your R-Pod. My wife and I have had some adventures with ours. We are waiting for it to be picked up to be taken to the factory for repairs from an accident in December (ice and wind). We are looking forward to it being repaired so we can get back out there and have some more adventures. |
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3257 |
Posted: 02 Apr 2017 at 7:32pm | |||||||
Welcome Laureensnyder.
#1 you are correct. I wouldn't have known that until I hooked up to our homes water supply to find out. We normally bookdock or camp where water hook-up in not an option so our water pump has gotten a good work out over the past 6 years. #2 Do not know as I do not have a shut off switch on my batteries. They do charge as you drive along and the charging unit in the pod will charge them while hooked to shore power. #3 Being basic I look at the idiot panel on my 177, when it goes to 1/3 SOC I change out my 12v battery to the other 12v battery. They are 6 years old and still performing well. I am sure someone else who has a voltmeter will chime in and give you the specifics you are requesting. In fact if you do a search, that topic has been addressed numerous times with well thought out answers. #4 Just run your truck, pod doesn't know if you are in gear or park. #5 Always run your fridge on propane! Your battery will go to toast in 8 hours or less running on batteries. I experimented once using one of my deep cycle 12 v batteries and it lasted for just over 4 hours before being nearly totally dead. #6 We have twin 20 lb cylinders. A 20 lb. cylinder lasts a long time as the fridge and hw heater are stingy users. If you use the furnace a lot, then you will find yourself replacing more often. If camping in really cold weather 40 degrees and less the tank may only last 10 days or so depending on how warm you keep your pod inside. As for us and we do a lot of camping in the shoulder months of April-May and September-October we normally replace one 20 lb tank/year. #7 I always run my fridge on propane except when I am pre-cooling it before a trip and am hooked up to my house for power. I allow 24 hours for the fridge to cool significantly before putting food in that has come out of my home's refrigerator. Again, there are experts on this forum that will be able to tell you from their experiences what to expect if you are traveling with the fridge on battery power. With the draw the fridge takes on the battery I would expect minimal change after traveling for only 1.5 hours. |
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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