ouR escaPOD mods

Originally posted by Patriot Dave I am about to do the same thing on my 179. For what ever reason they really put the lap sealant on thick at the factory so I will have to cut away a fair amount. How many tubes of sealant did you use?

I only used a partial tube for the Ultrabreeze installation. I did not remove the old sealant all the way around, just where the brackets needed to be. That reduced the amount of sealant needed. I did follow the instructions I saw to clean the area with denatured alcohol. It was surprising the amount of old dirt that came off of the old sealant. Proper preparation should ensure a good seal.

One thing that made me scratch my head, wondering what the designers were thinking were the drawers for the RP-179 wardrobe. When I looked, there was easily six inches of wasted space behind the drawers. In addition, the drawers are shallow. There is a big opening and a little drawer. I decided to do something about it.

First a trip to Lowe's again to purchase materials. I got 1/2" birch plywood for the frame and 1/4" birch plywood for the bottom. I cut the framework so that it would retain the same width as the original drawer when finished. I cut the length six inches longer and the height 1-1/2" higher. I cut a notch for the bottom and assembled with glue and used a nailer to fasten the corners. I verified that the drawers were square. Then I sanded them to smooth the edges with 80 grit sandpaper on a power sander followed by 220 grit to smooth it out in preparation for the finish. I used 3 coats of satin polyurethane which I got in the spray can to seal and protect them.

I used the old front of the drawer to help guide me for drilling holes to fasten the faceplate. After I got it assembled and the sliders from the old drawer attached,  I took it out for a test fit. While the additional 1-1/2" on the sides works well, it didn't work so well for the front and back due to the catch. Only adding 1" to the front and back panels would have worked. Since I have them built, I decided to make a notch for the catch both on the front and back panels. Once I did that, it fit well with just enough space top and bottom to clear the original opening without rubbing.

I still need to transfer the faceplate and sliders for the other two drawers.  I hope to get that done tomorrow. Until then, here is a picture to show the difference between the old and new drawers.



Edit: I would have liked to use the 3/8" plywood like the original drawers, but I could not find 3/8" birch plywood at either Lowe's or Home Depot. The only place I could find 3/8" birch plywood was at our local Michael's store. They would not have had enough to build all three drawers.

For anyone interested, I used a table saw to do all of the cuts except the notch for the catch. That was done with a jigsaw and a clean-cut blade.

Nice work.  That is on my list to do some time soon.  So I take it the original drawer slides still worked for  the new drawers. That should make it all easier.  Thanks for the write-up

This is one instance of one upgrade requiring another one. I noticed that the vinyl tank cover was deteriorating. It was less than a year old, and I had already repaired it once, patching with black silicone sealant one area where the vinyl had split, showing the underlying padding. Not only was that splitting again, but other areas on the cover, such as the binding with the elastic were splitting. When I looked at replacements, I was not happy to see what another one of the same type would cost. When I saw that the 2017 R-Pods now have a hard cover, I decided that I would go that route also.

I purchased the Camco 40578 Black Heavy Duty Single Propane Tank Cover (20lb). It arrived and I assembled it. One thing I did not like was the way the parts were in a bag that was hot-glued inside one of the half-sections of the cover and the lid hardware in a bag hot-glued to the inside of the cover. This was not glue that would peel off. The glue was stronger than the bags the parts were in. I ended up scraping some of the glue off, using hot water to help soften it a little. When I write my review of this cover on Amazon, I will address this.

Once it was assembled, I removed the old cover so I could install this one. The new cover has two tabs, one on each half. These are to fasten a bungee cord to help ensure the cover stays on. However, the bracket for the regulator is in the way, preventing access to the tab. I took my tools, including drill, jigsaw, and Dremel tool and cut a notch in the metal after bending the bracket a little to give more clearance between it and the cover. I also had to adjust my generator mount to allow an inch more space between the front support leg and the tank. Once I did these two things, the cover dropped on with some maneuvering and I was able to both get it into position and attach a bungee cord.

This is where the 2nd mod became necessary. The original propane hose was not long enough to reach the valve unless a hole were cut into the cover. Since I did not want to do that, I purchased a longer propane hose. The problem is that the stock 24" hose came with a 1/4" male NPT thread fitting for the regulator. The longest hose I could find with a 1/4" male NPT fitting was 24", which was way too short. I ended up getting a Mr. Heater 3-foot Propane Hose Assembly and a Camco 59953 Propane Fitting. I already had purchased Slik-Tite PTFE Gas Line Pipe Thread Tape so I had that on hand. This is a heavy, yellow-colored tape, not the thin, white tape used for water plumbing.

I used the PTFE tape to wrap the male NPT threads of the fitting and attached it to the regulator. I had read that for the 1/4" inverted male flare fitting, no pipe thread or sealant should be used, so I did not use any. After attaching the hose to the fitting and making sure all was tight, I threaded the hose under the bottom of the cover and up to the valve. After I attached the hose and turned the gas valve on, the first thing I did was to use some soapy water to test for leaks. There were no leaks. The 3' hose allowed enough slack so that there is no stress being put on the hose or fittings.

The new cover looks good, and it should last much longer than the vinyl cover it replaced.


I had previously replaced the propane hose. The original one started leaking where the hose was crimped on to the fitting for the regulator. Sine I could not find one from the same maker, and since I needed it quickly, I had replaced the original one with a 20" Mr. Heater hose since it had the correct male NPT fitting. I did find that while it fit, the extra 4" was needed as the 20" hose did not have any slack once it was attached. The longer hoses all came with the inverted male fitting. I had written the manufacturer of the original hose, but never heard anything back. I hope the Mr. Heater hose will hold up better than the original one.

Pull the drawer out all the way. On each side, there is a little black, plastic lever in the middle of the track. Press it up or down depending on which side it is to release the inner track from the outer track and ball-bearing race. You can then pull the drawer and inner slide out and remove it.

Edit: To reinsert the drawer and slides, align the inner slide attached to the drawer with the outer slide. I find it easier to then pull the outer slide over the inner slide, keeping it aligned. The inner slide's locking lever will click into place. Do this for both sides. You can then push the drawer in.