New Owner - Used 176 - R-pod Owners Forum

Author

Share Topic

Topic Search

Topic Options

Senior Member

Joined: 31 Aug 2018
Location: Manistee, MI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 344

Topic: New Owner - Used 176
Posted: 16 Dec 2020 at 8:12am

In my 2019 179 the smoke detector is battery operated and the CO detector is hard wired to the 12 v system. If this helps

Jay

179/2019

StephenH

podders Helping podders - pHp

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6289

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 11:09pm

Battery testing just off a charger is not the most accurate. That is surface charge. The one where it sat for an hour or two before you tested is the more accurate test. https://www.autozone.com/diy/battery/how-to-test-a-car-battery-with-a-multimeter

The 12.6V reading indicates a good battery. However, it still would not hurt to take it to an auto place and have them put a load tester on it. That will be much more accurate than just a multimeter.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Rpod_North View Drop Down

Newbie

Joined: 12 Dec 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:23pm

Hi Jato,

Thanks for the feedback and the description of single battery usage. I think I'll go that direction initially, I'm fine to switch leads since it's easy and quick.

I have a spare smoke and CO detector for my house that I just recently bought at Costco so I'm fine to have that additional CO detector function in the trailer. Is it suitable though? For some reason my initial reaction would be that the detectors (propane/CO and smoke detector) both run off 12v power?

Rpod_North View Drop Down

Newbie

Joined: 12 Dec 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:15pm

Hi Offgrid,

Thanks for the comments and the link to the furnace manual.

As mentioned in the above post, I'm still trying to see if the old ones have any life left in them and if not, then will read up on the golf cart battery solution you suggest. Mot sure I would invest in a lithium solution just yet until I do enough trips to better estimate winter and summer usage patterns.

Rpod_North View Drop Down

Newbie

Joined: 12 Dec 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:11pm

Hi Stephen,

Thanks again.

1. Batteries - as a quick initial test to see if they would hold any charge, after topping up with distilled water, I charged one and then the other to full charge as indicated on the battery charger. I picked up a multimeter (as I of course couldn't find the cables for my old one) and tested the battery just off charge, which showed ~12.79v.

The other one, which had been off charge for a couple of hours in 15F temps showed ~12.60v, so I put it back on charge to see what it actually would be when fully charged and to see if it drops much with no load on it. I'll look at both in the morning to see how they fare overnight. I'm curious to see how much overnight exposure in cool temps affects them.

jato

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Feb 2012
Location: Kewadin, MI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3227

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 7:20am

I run my 12v batteries separately mainly because when I purchased the 177, the existing battery had a date of 12/10 on it and when I purchased an additional battery the date on that was 3/11. Probably could have wired them together, many do, but I was chicken about doing that since the dates were a few months off and had no idea if the battery that came with the pod had been used at all or not. Nevertheless, for these past 10 years I simply disconnect the wires off one battery and hook them up to the other, takes less than 2 minutes which is no big deal to me.

Yes the CO/propane detector I replaced with one I found on EBay which is always free shipping. I am one that doesn't support Amazon, but we won't discuss that here.

Smoke/fire detector croaked on me on the 8th year of ownership. The simple 'push the button' to test and listen for the beep, didn't work anymore even with a fresh battery installed. Simple replacement - go to your local hardware, Home Depot or Lowes, or EBay. Easy to find replacement and install.

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."

offgrid

Senior Member

Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290

Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 6:42am

With two 6V batteries you need to leave them both connected in series or you won't have 12V. With two 12V batteries you could use them one at a time, but there's really no reason to, you can just leave them connected in parallel. Disconnect the batteries while the trailer is in storage unless you have them on a charging source, there are some parasitic loads in the trailer that will discharge them.

You don't want to find out that your furnace quits in the middle of a cold night because your batteries went dead. If you find your existing batteries need to be replaced then most folks here would suggest two 6V golf cart batteries as replacements if you want to boon dock, unless you want to spring for the changes needed to convert to Lithium batteries. Battery case size GC2. These are the largest batteries that will fit in the rPod battery rack. GC2 golf cart batteries are pretty inexpensive (often around 110-120$) and provide good service for RV applications. They are heavy though so be careful re your tow vehicle hitch weight capacity.

Here is a link to the Suburban furnace manual:

https://manuals.heartlandowners.org/manuals/Heating-Cooling/Furnace/Suburban/Suburban%20FURNACE_Service-and-Training-Manual-11-05-2015.pdf

1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

StephenH

podders Helping podders - pHp

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6289

Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 11:45pm

S.O.C = State Of Charge.

Battery connection:

6V batteries (3 cells each): Connect them in Series so you will have 12V.

12V batteries (6 cells each): Connect them in Parallel so you will have 12V.

Some people use a battery disconnect switch for when the RPod isn't being used. Some of those have the ability to be a battery A and battery B switch also. With those, people can use one battery or the other. I used to have two 6V batteries (wired in series), which worked well. When I had them, I could get multiple days/nights of use from them. The number depends on the temperature. Running the furnace takes more power so you won't get as many nights. I now have an LiFePO4 battery which should give me about the same usable power as the two 6V batteries did. You do want to keep the S.O.C above 50% for longest battery life.

As for the CO/Propane detector, if it is not making noise, it is likely still good. Smoke detectors are usually good for about 10 years.

Distilled water is the correct thing to add. Never add more acid. Top them off and charge. If they are already out, you can take them to an auto parts store and they will test them for you. Wallmarts and Sam's Clubs can do this also. I think Costco can too.

StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Rpod_North View Drop Down

Newbie

Joined: 12 Dec 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 9:47pm

Hi Offgrid,

Thanks for the post and the well wishes.

1. Generator is a good idea. It can get a tad cold some nights (-5F last night) so it'd be good to be able to top up the batteries if needed. I can toss in in the back of the truck so have the room.

Solar kit for summer would likely be enough for the vast majority of time as not a great need for AC as nights are usually cooler at altitude. There might be the odd day spent in really hot climates but not that often (for now).

2. Inspection - thanks for the suggestion. Will be paying close attention to those common ingress points and make sure to inspect regularly. That is one area where I may also get an RV specialist to consult as I don't want to leave cracks for water leakage. It did come with a cover, so I'll have to put that one to keep some of the winter exposure minimized.

Rpod_North View Drop Down

Newbie

Joined: 12 Dec 2020
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12

Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 9:38pm

Hi Jato,

Thanks for the reply, it's always good to know that others have come from the same background!

1. Voltmeter - I have an old voltmeter around somewhere, haven't ever used it enough to truly get it figured out but looks like now's the time:). I'll use it to test the batteries after I have tried to charge them. The target voltage of 12.72v gives me a good benchmark.

Question: 60% SOC? What does SOC stand for?

2. Charging- thanks for confirming the converter will charge during driving from TV and when hooked up to shore power. These comments are very useful to get a better understanding of the entire electrical system and how everything interacts.

3. Batteries - good advice on maintaining them and some estimates of how many days a person can expect the battery to hold a charge. I'll report back what the batteries read after colder nights and days.

For my next trip, I'll probably do a couple of nights of shore power and a couple of nights on battery power with heat from the furnace. There are some campground open in winter, although my experience so far has been that there was only one other rv in the entire campground.

Question, as I'm planning on using the furnace, I'd like to make sure the CO/Propane detector is working. I'll check the expiration date and make sure it within 5 years old. Do you just order off Amazon and replace? Any other safety issues like that which should be looked at? I assume there is a smoke fire detector somewhere but not sure of the life of those.

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
JR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 344	Topic: New Owner - Used 176 Posted: 16 Dec 2020 at 8:12am
	In my 2019 179 the smoke detector is battery operated and the CO detector is hard wired to the 12 v system. If this helps
	Jay 179/2019

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 11:09pm
	Battery testing just off a charger is not the most accurate. That is surface charge. The one where it sat for an hour or two before you tested is the more accurate test. https://www.autozone.com/diy/battery/how-to-test-a-car-battery-with-a-multimeter The 12.6V reading indicates a good battery. However, it still would not hurt to take it to an auto place and have them put a load tester on it. That will be much more accurate than just a multimeter.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Rpod_North Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Dec 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:23pm
	Hi Jato, Thanks for the feedback and the description of single battery usage. I think I'll go that direction initially, I'm fine to switch leads since it's easy and quick. I have a spare smoke and CO detector for my house that I just recently bought at Costco so I'm fine to have that additional CO detector function in the trailer. Is it suitable though? For some reason my initial reaction would be that the detectors (propane/CO and smoke detector) both run off 12v power?

Rpod_North Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Dec 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:15pm
	Hi Offgrid, Thanks for the comments and the link to the furnace manual. As mentioned in the above post, I'm still trying to see if the old ones have any life left in them and if not, then will read up on the golf cart battery solution you suggest. Mot sure I would invest in a lithium solution just yet until I do enough trips to better estimate winter and summer usage patterns.

Rpod_North Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Dec 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 9:11pm
	Hi Stephen, Thanks again. 1. Batteries - as a quick initial test to see if they would hold any charge, after topping up with distilled water, I charged one and then the other to full charge as indicated on the battery charger. I picked up a multimeter (as I of course couldn't find the cables for my old one) and tested the battery just off charge, which showed ~12.79v. The other one, which had been off charge for a couple of hours in 15F temps showed ~12.60v, so I put it back on charge to see what it actually would be when fully charged and to see if it drops much with no load on it. I'll look at both in the morning to see how they fare overnight. I'm curious to see how much overnight exposure in cool temps affects them.

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3227	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 7:20am
	I run my 12v batteries separately mainly because when I purchased the 177, the existing battery had a date of 12/10 on it and when I purchased an additional battery the date on that was 3/11. Probably could have wired them together, many do, but I was chicken about doing that since the dates were a few months off and had no idea if the battery that came with the pod had been used at all or not. Nevertheless, for these past 10 years I simply disconnect the wires off one battery and hook them up to the other, takes less than 2 minutes which is no big deal to me. Yes the CO/propane detector I replaced with one I found on EBay which is always free shipping. I am one that doesn't support Amazon, but we won't discuss that here. Smoke/fire detector croaked on me on the 8th year of ownership. The simple 'push the button' to test and listen for the beep, didn't work anymore even with a fresh battery installed. Simple replacement - go to your local hardware, Home Depot or Lowes, or EBay. Easy to find replacement and install.
	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."

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 15 Dec 2020 at 6:42am
	With two 6V batteries you need to leave them both connected in series or you won't have 12V. With two 12V batteries you could use them one at a time, but there's really no reason to, you can just leave them connected in parallel. Disconnect the batteries while the trailer is in storage unless you have them on a charging source, there are some parasitic loads in the trailer that will discharge them. You don't want to find out that your furnace quits in the middle of a cold night because your batteries went dead. If you find your existing batteries need to be replaced then most folks here would suggest two 6V golf cart batteries as replacements if you want to boon dock, unless you want to spring for the changes needed to convert to Lithium batteries. Battery case size GC2. These are the largest batteries that will fit in the rPod battery rack. GC2 golf cart batteries are pretty inexpensive (often around 110-120$) and provide good service for RV applications. They are heavy though so be careful re your tow vehicle hitch weight capacity. Here is a link to the Suburban furnace manual: https://manuals.heartlandowners.org/manuals/Heating-Cooling/Furnace/Suburban/Suburban%20FURNACE_Service-and-Training-Manual-11-05-2015.pdf
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289	Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 11:45pm
	S.O.C = State Of Charge. Battery connection: 6V batteries (3 cells each): Connect them in Series so you will have 12V. 12V batteries (6 cells each): Connect them in Parallel so you will have 12V. Some people use a battery disconnect switch for when the RPod isn't being used. Some of those have the ability to be a battery A and battery B switch also. With those, people can use one battery or the other. I used to have two 6V batteries (wired in series), which worked well. When I had them, I could get multiple days/nights of use from them. The number depends on the temperature. Running the furnace takes more power so you won't get as many nights. I now have an LiFePO4 battery which should give me about the same usable power as the two 6V batteries did. You do want to keep the S.O.C above 50% for longest battery life. As for the CO/Propane detector, if it is not making noise, it is likely still good. Smoke detectors are usually good for about 10 years. Distilled water is the correct thing to add. Never add more acid. Top them off and charge. If they are already out, you can take them to an auto parts store and they will test them for you. Wallmarts and Sam's Clubs can do this also. I think Costco can too.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Rpod_North Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Dec 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 9:47pm
	Hi Offgrid, Thanks for the post and the well wishes. 1. Generator is a good idea. It can get a tad cold some nights (-5F last night) so it'd be good to be able to top up the batteries if needed. I can toss in in the back of the truck so have the room. Solar kit for summer would likely be enough for the vast majority of time as not a great need for AC as nights are usually cooler at altitude. There might be the odd day spent in really hot climates but not that often (for now). 2. Inspection - thanks for the suggestion. Will be paying close attention to those common ingress points and make sure to inspect regularly. That is one area where I may also get an RV specialist to consult as I don't want to leave cracks for water leakage. It did come with a cover, so I'll have to put that one to keep some of the winter exposure minimized.

Rpod_North Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Dec 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Posted: 14 Dec 2020 at 9:38pm
	Hi Jato, Thanks for the reply, it's always good to know that others have come from the same background! 1. Voltmeter - I have an old voltmeter around somewhere, haven't ever used it enough to truly get it figured out but looks like now's the time:). I'll use it to test the batteries after I have tried to charge them. The target voltage of 12.72v gives me a good benchmark. Question: 60% SOC? What does SOC stand for? 2. Charging- thanks for confirming the converter will charge during driving from TV and when hooked up to shore power. These comments are very useful to get a better understanding of the entire electrical system and how everything interacts. 3. Batteries - good advice on maintaining them and some estimates of how many days a person can expect the battery to hold a charge. I'll report back what the batteries read after colder nights and days. For my next trip, I'll probably do a couple of nights of shore power and a couple of nights on battery power with heat from the furnace. There are some campground open in winter, although my experience so far has been that there was only one other rv in the entire campground. Question, as I'm planning on using the furnace, I'd like to make sure the CO/Propane detector is working. I'll check the expiration date and make sure it within 5 years old. Do you just order off Amazon and replace? Any other safety issues like that which should be looked at? I assume there is a smoke fire detector somewhere but not sure of the life of those.