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Joined: 12 Aug 2015
Location: MB, Canada
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Questions for rpod owners
    Posted: 11 Sep 2015 at 2:11am
Awesome, thanks so much for all the info everyone!  Smile

We finally got to check out a 179 last weekend, and all 3 of us loved it!  However, a lot of other people have also loved the 179s recently, and they're a little hard to come by, so we're not sure what may happen...... The one we got to look at had just been sold the day before, but since we'd gone so far to see it, the dealer was super nice and let us have a look inside.  We have a lead on a used one ('14) but it's a looong way from here and we're not getting much info on it.  So......we're still looking.......

A solar system of some sort is very appealing to us, as we do like to go camping in places where electricity may not be available.  RV parks are not for us unless we're passing through and desperate for someplace to stop for a night!  And since r-pods don't really have room to store a generator and we'd rather not have it in the tow vehicle.....  solar it is! Not many rv dealers around here know much about it, much less stock anything, so we'll have to keep on looking into that.  The search continues...!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2015 at 5:10pm
Originally posted by SNO4ME

Tech, did I misread something or were you suggesting a FIVE GALLON water tub on the edge of the sink?
Ones hands should be clean after that!  LOL

If you ain't used 5 gallon', your hands are a smellin'.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 9:28pm
The water pump definitely makes noise, but I don't have a problem with it.  The furnace and the air con are a different matter.

Soundproofing is great, I think. 

I don't use a WDH or sway bars.  I haven't had a bit of trouble over closing in on 10K miles.

No problems with dust and no experience with solar, but I think a lot would depend on the kind of camping you do.  If you do mostly beaches and deserts you'll be a lot better off than in forests and mountains.  We use a small generator to keep the batteries topped of and to use the air con and microwave when we want.  Those don't work at all on battery power, of course.  From what I've heard you'd have to be pretty conservative with your twelve volt usage to get a week out of 2 six volt golf club batteries without topping them off.  Solar panels might be enough to keep you going though.

We love our pod.  It's getting a bit of age on it but is still in great shape.  This forum attracts the people who love their pods and the ones who have problems with them.  Most issues are resolvable and this place is a great resource.

TT
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 9:08pm
Tech, did I misread something or were you suggesting a FIVE GALLON water tub on the edge of the sink?
Ones hands should be clean after that!  LOL
Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod
(and Brewer too)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 8:30pm
Welcome.  Expect the water pump to be noisy.  Even if you put it on a mouse pad and wrap all the pipes with insulation you will still hear it.  

You can make it run less often if you add a pressure tank, but the trade-off is it will run longer when it does run.  So you might get by with a flush and quick hand wash in the night - but you might also catch it right when it needs to recharge and get a long run.  One option for the night for #1 uses, is to leave the pump off and use hand sanitizer.  Since you need to fill the bowl 2/3 up for #2 uses, and you should do a full hand wash, there isn't much of an option there.  Maybe leave the bowl filled 2/3 just in case, and one of these on the edge of the sink.

The pod is the quietest camper I've been in since it has so much insulation, including styrofoam in the floor and side walls.  Our current camper is noticeably louder inside but still much quieter than being in a popup.  Starting with the pod, we started leaving the A/C fan on low continuously overnight for white noise, to drown out the noises that do make it inside.  Plus that masked the sound of the compressor kicking on and off.

I always recommend a weight distribution hitch (WDH), one that includes sway control, no matter how capable your tow vehicle (TV) is.  Even if you have a full-sized pickup it acts as an additional suspension system which makes your ride more comfortable.

You will be fine long-term with a solar system, get at least 100 watts in panels.  However, if you have even a little shading the panel output will drop dramatically.  Half-shaded and you'll get almost nothing.  So if you often camp under trees it may not be the solution.  A small inverter-generator may be better.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 8:02pm
We've taken our 171 on several dirt roads to get to camp sites and I haven't noticed any issues with dust inside. The outside, on the other hand 😄

The water pump is right under our bed, so even if it was virtually silent, a light sleeper would probably hear it. I've heard a loud pump, in my dad's 5th wheel and ours is very quiet in comparison. 

We have a Renogy 100w suitcase panel and just one 12v battery. The panel easily tops off our battery each day, but we are not large electric users when we camp. We did run the fan in the bathroom continuously on one recent trip to try to keep things cool. Otherwise, we run some LED lights and charge some phones. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 7:37pm
We have a 179 and have no issues with the water pump.
Its quiet but we camp mainly outside campgrounds.
We travel many Kms of gravel with no dust inside living or cargo areas.
These trailers are a good buy for what they are. Perfect for 2 and a dog.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 6:02pm
My two cents' worth:

How noisy is the water pump?
It is noisy to me, but it typically runs for a couple of seconds, so I don't really care.  If one of us gets up to use the bathroom in the night, the other is awakened anyhow, so the extra little staccato of the pump doesn't matter.
 
How are they for soundproofing? Do you hear every little noise outside, even with the windows closed?
We had popups for over 20 years prior to getting the Rpod last year, so to me, it's very quiet.  But then again, so far we've only camped in pretty quiet campgrounds.

Do you use a stabilizer/sway control hitch? 

Yup.  I tow with an '04 Dodge  Durango and use a friction anti-sway bar.

On gravel roads, do you get a lot of dust coming in?
We just got back from a camping trip that required driving 7 miles back on an extremely dusty washboard Forest Service road.  While the vibrations managed to knock loose several things (e.g. the furnace grate and a screw securing the gray water dump pipe to the brace underneath the camper), I noticed no dust whatsoever inside.

If we do the 2 battery/solar panel system, are we going to be able to camp for a week (or two?) without needing an electrical hookup?
What sort of things will you be running?  I switched our bulbs out to LEDs, which take very little amps (2015 Rpods come with LEDs, but ours is a '14).  That helps.  The water pump uses amps, but it only runs on demand, so that's not a big deal.  The biggest drain on your battery is the furnace.  If you are going to run it for a few hours a day, it will drain your batteries pretty quickly.  Obviously, you can't run your A/C off 12 volt, so that isn't an issue.

We have two group 24 batteries on ours, and we've gone over three days with no problems whatsoever.  I doubt we could do a week or two with this set-up.  Two 6 volt golf cart batteries would give you lots more amp hours, but cost more, too.  The tongue isn't really big enough to be able to house two group 27 or 29/31 batteries without some serious modifications, so either two group 24s or 6 volts would seem to be the best option.

I have no experience with solar, but from what I've read, you would need some fairly large and expensive solar panels to do more than keep your batteries topped off.  In a pinch, you can always recharge your batteries with your tow vehicle via jumper cables, although that means running your car on idle for maybe 30 minutes or so, creating lots of exhaust in your campsite. 

I usually bring along my battery charger, so that if there's an outlet somewhere, like in the bath house, I can charge it there (which involves keeping an eye on things lest they grow legs and walk away).  Or you could always invest in a generator.

Hope this helps.
2014 177
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 3:34pm
   I think most small campers have noisy water pumps it depends how they are mounted that can make a difference. You can make changes yourself to make them quieter. Outside noise the r-pods I think are fairly quiet most of your noise comes from the windows you can make or buy heavy curtains that helps a little. Depends upon tow vehicle if you need sway control but most even with a full size truck prefer sway control. When you look at one ask sales person to allow you to listen to water pump in operation and sit inside for a few minutes to listen to the outside noise. And I think a big advantage that wasn't mentioned is having a active owners forum that you do have with a r-pod. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 2:37pm
Shore Leave is a 179.  We looked at a 178 but didn't like the galley arrangement compared to the 179.

Water pump:  Not especially noisy
Outside noise:  Not noticeable to us and we are used to peace and quiet.
Sway control:  we pull with a Toyota Tacoma and sway bar.  Minor sway is noticeable when passed by a big rig at speed.  We get 15 mpg--but we have standard transmission.  Long grades can slow us down to about 50 mph.
Dust:  Not especially a problem and we live on a dirt and gravel road.
Dual batteries:  Recommend 2 golf cart batteries
Solar:  Great, but beware of niche marketing and over-priced products.  Sizing of array and storage capacity depends entirely on your needs.  Inventory your average energy needs before buying.
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