new 172

Lunarpodule, as a fellow 172 owner we had similar problems. I found that my L P gas tank had not been purged properly, the guy at the fill station let about 1/3 out and filled it. after you know the tank if filled properly run both burners of your stove for a few minutes, then light the hot water heater with gas (make sure water heater if full) once the water heater runs ok the fridge should be no problem as the water heater is the further most link on the gas line. I take about 5 gallons of fresh water in the tank while enroute, fill up at the camp sight to save weight. Your HRE should have risers. try rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to remove the glue on the microwave. little problems will work their way out. the bottom line is the pod is small but packed with a lot of good things and you can have a million dollars worth of fun for a few thousand dollars.

Welcome.  Good handle, I tried talking my wife into covering our pod in craters with a lander sitting on the back window, but she wasn't buying it.  

Another explanation for your stove issue is your LP tank wasn't purged properly.  The first fill (and sometimes years later) the tank needs to have the air purged by opening the purge valve during the fill process.  Usually this means paying more for that fillup since you waste some LPG in the process.  

Don't worry about taking your water with you, while it is ~250 more pounds I haven't found any measurable difference in mpgs with or without the water.  Air resistance going down the road is a far larger contributor to lowering mpgs.  

One option for carrying bikes is adding a front receiver to your TV if one is available.  Some have had problems with cracks around the rear receiver on the pod when carrying more than the tire.  The pod's frame isn't built with robustness in mind, just keeping it lightweight.  

Welcome lunarpodule.
I don't have axle risers on our POD, so when pulling into or out of a drive (gas station, grocery store, etc.) I always go at an angle so only one wheel is high or low at a time. This can help keep the stabilizes from making contact with the ground.
The deeper the valley or the higher the ridge the greater the angle should be. I have taken our POD off-road in some of the national forests that Mother Goose did not think that there was any way we could get to the campsite. Goose

Welcome and congratulations.  We have scheduled a Roundup of Rpods in August at Seaside from Aug. 15th to the 18th.  Hope you can join us.  Safe Travels. 

Lunarpodule,

I can address some of your issues since I also have a 2013 RP-172. Not the Hood River edition, but they are very similar. Mainly the HRE is built in the NW; the non-HRE is built in Indiana.

Don't know where the AC serial number is, but my dealer provided me with an inventory sheet at delivery that had the model and serial numbers of all the appliances on it. Maybe this will help.

The two stove burners should work just fine once you get all the air out of the lines. Be sure your LP tank is full and turned on fully. Also check the gas line on the tongue between the regulator and the pod body for kinks.

For the dragging stabilizers, make sure your pod came equipped with the 4 inch axle risers from the factory. If not, you should definitely get them installed. They are really necessary.

The three hot water bypass valves are under the driver's side dinette bench with the hot water heater. Many podders discard the screws when they get tired of removing and replacing them each year. They serve little purpose.

There is only one gray water drain. It is combined in the Y valve fitting with the black water dump valve. There are low point drain caps for the hot and cold fresh water systems and a drain cap on the bottom of the fresh water tank. These are for winterization in cold climes.

Your dealer probably filled the fresh water tank to check for leaks, then drained it. Most of us do not travel with full tanks because of the added weight. Fill the water tank when you get within sight of your camp site, then drain it before you move on.

I carry two "comfort" bikes on a carrier on the rear bumper with no problem. Forest River recommends a particular model to keep the weight down, but I'm not sure it's really required. Any good lightweight carrier with a 1-1/4 inch draw bar should work. Again, watch the ground clearance under the bikes. I mounted the spare tire up front on the tongue along with an extra LP tank and battery. It's tight but it fits. Do a forum search on my postings and you'll see how I did it.

Count yourself lucky that you can see anything on your TV. The model chosen by FR is really sub-prime. You'll soon tire of it, especially outside of the urban environment. More and more areas have little or no on-air TV stations with the advent of cable.

Can't help with the microwave label. I had no problem. Maybe try some grocery store gum remover solution.

Good luck and happy podding. Lots of people here to help you. Maybe more than you need.