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Topic ClosedCan Pod be set up for use in winter

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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Can Pod be set up for use in winter
    Posted: 18 Aug 2021 at 6:43pm
Originally posted by Pod-a-terre

Was wondering if there are any mods etc that could be done so one could use the Pod during the winter months?

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 2021 at 11:58am
Might it perhaps be that with the bottom cover now they are deliberately making the holes big so some air exchanges under there to keep the plumbing warmer in cooler (not winter) conditions?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 2021 at 10:20am
Originally posted by Jcync000

   Why do they cut such enormous holes for the pipes???

Sounds like you have a newer pod. They cut huge holes now to run pipes. I assume it makes the assembly 1 minute faster, so more profits. Because they use that corrugated cover they now use to seal the under belly, they don't need to be careful. or skilled assemblers. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 2021 at 12:18am
Well no reason to boil the water unless you really want to scald yourself. Heating the water to 105-110 degrees is fine....

One thing folks often misunderstand about RV antifreeze is tthat the standard -50F stuff will freeze at around 12F but still provide burst protection down to -50F. So if it's pretty cold at the ski places where you plan to camp your black tank might freeze even though your using RV antifreeze.

As for tubing entry holes, mine were seal up with foam, if yours have gaps you can just get a spray can of urethane foam and fill them yourself.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2021 at 3:45pm
thanks for the great writeup on setting up the Rpod 171 for winter.   My goal is to go to the ski resorts here in the east coast and stay in some parking lots nearby.   They won't have any services but goal is to stay only for 2-3 nights and essentially to serve as a sleeping quarter and use the resort's restaurants and facilities as much as possible.  For that, sounds like winterizing the Rpod and using RV antifreeze as a flushing liquid in the bathrooms would be the way to go.  And bBoil water for a towel bath I guess, old school!  I would like to at least fix all of the air gaps that you described, I have noticed that specially under the bed, it is totally wide open, it would be nasty for the furnace to heat up the trailer without these modifications.   Why do they cut such enormous holes for the pipes???
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 6:32pm

There is foam in all the straight walls including the ceiling, with aluminum framing.  The curved walls are wood frame with fiberglass batts.

Only a programmer would start a list with a zero, due to so many functions and objects that start at zero! Wink

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 2:06pm
Ha..yes I do write software! :-)  With some experience in robotics and electromechanical controls.

I thought the RPod walls were an aluminum frame, placed into a press and filled with styrofoam on the inside, with fiberglass on the outside. But I haven't cut into the outside walls so I don't know for sure. But I thought the dealer said styrofoam on the inside.... But hey, Lear something new every day Smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 11:12am

Nice write-up.  One note, the pod has fiberglass in the curved walls.

You must be a programmer by day?

Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 8:05am

You don't have to "only" dry camp. It's easier and cheaper but I used mine to go snowboarding and had water so...it'll do winters BUT it costs some money (tank heaters).

The R-Pod needs some fairly extensive mods to do winters BUT once you do them its a really good winter camper because of the extruded styrofoam walls.That is the first point.

The R-Pod, for all its faults, has (IMHO) very good construction for winters...here is why. Your normal RV in this price range has wood walls with regular "fiberglass" insulation which will fall down/degrade an collect in the bottom of the walls. The R-Pods walls are an empty frame which they extrude styrofoam into giving you very good and uniform insulation. So..there is that :-)

Mods that are needed/I did to mine...plus a couple of extras.

0. Tank heaters, elbow heaters, pipe heaters. Thing is you HAVE to be careful because the RPOD power supply can only source so much juice. So do the power calculations. I had a complete package installed and I only ran the freshwater and the fresh water hose heater (keep reading). We flushed the toilet with RV antifreeze and the same in the Grey tank....used a lot of RV antifreeze...but it's pretty cheap and its not that big of a deal to do.

1. Replace the garden hose...yes garden hose! The freshwater tank has a GARDEN HOSE coming out of the top that feeds the pump. Yep..it'll freeze and split like crazy. Replace it with a pex hose and AND wrap it in the smallest pad heater you can find (I used Ultraheat). Works great.

2. Buy a case of expandable insulation spray foam and FILL THE HOLES. First time I used the RPod in the winter, the heater ran almost continuously and you could feel freezing air pour in. Not so bad in the summer, not good in the winter. Here is a list of the holes I filled.
 - Behind the fridge, there are open seams, in the winter, cold air pours
            in around the fridge and I mean POURS. Remove the outside cover, fill the gaps.
        - Under the sink - When they build these things, they cut about a 2 inch hole to
     install a 1" piece of PVC. Under the sink, where the water hose comes into the
            pump...hole...fill it.
        - Under the sink, on the wall, you'll see the back of the outside electric and cable
            outlet. It's pretty much a thin piece of plastic between the inside and outside.
        - Under the seat (where the water heater is) there are some cut outs for the water
            fill etc... spray foam em'
        - Under the shower...I saved the worst for last. There are at least 4 pvc pipes under
            the shower. In my pod each of the holes were about 1.5 times the size of the
     PVC an cold air POURS through them. These were so big, I used some screen along
            with the spray foam. How to get to them? I took the small vent off the front, but
            could only get to a couple of them. So I cut a hole in the wall, very near the
            floor, under the bottom bunk. Spent a couple of hours crawling and worming
            around, and filled all of them.

****Ok thats the basics...here are a couple of extras that I did to make it REALLY toasty.
 1. Bought a sheet of 1" pink styrofoam insulation and cut pieces to place
             on the floor. Then bought the Rpod rug from forest river to cover them.
             REALLY warms the floor up and they don't "squish" when you walk on it.
        2. Bought sheet of 2" pink styrofoam and lined the hidden walls
             (even under the bunk). So I lined the walls inside the cabinents, both floor
             and ceiling, under the bunk, under the seats in the storage are and where
             the water heater is, and under the bench seat where I cut fitted pieces
             and installed them through the storage area below the seat.

Wheww....lots of work....but the result. 2 years ago, camped over winter holiday break,
         at 10,000 feet in the Rockies. Cold blowing wind...warm as toast.
         camped 11 days and used 3/4 tank of LP!

It takes some work...but the RPOD makes a very good winter camper.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Dec 2013 at 4:59pm
Originally posted by Tars Tarkas

Hunting Island State Park. 

TT

Love that place!!!
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