which r-pod should I buy?

Originally posted by SchipperPod Could someone confirm how you fill the hot water heater?  Is it either having water in the fresh water tank and the water pump on, or having an external water source hooked up - then simply turning the hot water faucet on?  When the air is removed from the hot water faucet line, does that mean your hot water tank is then full??

Either works.. I know it's confusing, but you have two ways to get water into your plumbing.. the city water hook up / or / the fresh water holding tank and pump.

After that, the system works the same. In order to fill your HW tank, you turn on a hot faucet until water comes out. one caveat is the WH baypass valves must be set to "use", and not bypass.

Then you have two ways to heat the water.. At home you either have a gas water heater or an electric water heater. In the pod, you have a WH that works on both. In general, when camping with hook ups, you use electric, and when boondocking, gas. You can use both at the same time, if available.

Also, most people leave the WH full all camping season, only draining for the winter to prevent freeze damage. If you live where it never freezes, (like my parents) you never have to winterize.

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Both the black and gray tanks flow out by gravity. The BT flush is just to rinse the black tank, helping to dislodge "debris" that maybe didn't just flow out on it's own. The gray water tanks don't have this... "debris" issue.. else they would also be black tanks.

Two things.. don't use your drinking water hose for flushing or rinsing.. Carry an extra regular hose for that. Most times the water hookups at the dump station are not potable water. You don't need a regulator for hooking up to the flush, and in fact if you do use one there, you need to make sure you ONLY use that one for flushing for the same reason.

Your instructions tell you to never use the BT flush with the dump valve closed.. Only YOU can make the decision on that. BUT if you do decide to "fill and dump" rinse method, DO NOT let yourself get distracted in ANY way. Having black water spew out the top of your camper is really not a good thing... and it has happened.

I have mentioned this before, but here is a hint.. Sunday morning, get up early, and spend a few minutes watching the early birds at the dump station.. you can learn a LOT that way.. see things to do.. and not to do..

Thanks for all the great advice, furpod!!  I wasn't sure how best to use this forum for questions; what you say makes perfect sense!  My first camping trial run in the pod is tonight and tomorrow night at Utah Lake.  I'm a bit nervous - but mostly excited!

Originally posted by SchipperPod Could someone confirm how you fill the hot water heater?  Is it either having water in the fresh water tank and the water pump on, or having an external water source hooked up - then simply turning the hot water faucet on?  When the air is removed from the hot water faucet line, does that mean your hot water tank is then full??

Either way works, just run the hot water faucet till all the air is bled out.
THEN turn on the water heater. 

I recommend against that.  Modern code now requires home water systems to have an air bladder (mounted above the water heater) which allows for expansion as the water is heated, since water doesn't compress.  There is an air pocket at the top of camper water heaters which serves the same purpose and opening the overpressure valve can remove it.