ouR escaPOD mods

Here is one suggested by rGod2013 ( See this link ). He painted the cover for his AC and said it helps the AC to run better. It makes sense that it would make it more efficient since the black cover would absorb more solar energy and get hotter than a white cover. I liked the idea, so I did so also. Here are the results:





I think it turned out great. Hopefully, it will hold up. The preparation work I did should help ensure it does.

I decided not to do the refrigerator vent covers, at least not yet. I would prefer to try to match the color of the side, which would work for the top cover, but the decals on either side of the bottom cover would mean some very finicky work to try to get everything to match. Leaving them black is simpler at this point.

I did not explain what Liquid Fusion is. It is a clear, Urethane adhesive. It claims to be "Non-foaming, Waterproof, fast drying, and dries clear. I like it better than the white or yellow glue for a number of reasons. It can be used indoors or outdoors on a number of surfaces. Before it dries, it can be cleaned up with water. It is manufactured by iLoveToCreate, 5673 East Shields Avenue, Fresno, CA 23727, USA. RM# 0026946. It comes in a 2 oz bottle. I find it in craft shops like Michaels, AC Moore, or Hobby Lobby. I have not seen it in hardware stores.

Time for another one. After seeing what others had done to make a stove-topper/cutting board, I thought I would try my hand at it.

First thing: buy a cutting board. I found one that looked big enough. It is a bamboo cutting board. I did not have bamboo pieces I could use for legs, so I used some oak that I had on hand. After cutting and gluing them, I sanded the corners to try to match the radius of the cutting board. I also sanded the other edges for a smoother look. I sealed each piece with two coats of Formby's Tung Oil finish, which I had on hand. I left one surface unfinished on each leg as I planned on using that surface to glue the legs to the cutting board along with a screw. I used Liquid Fusion glue to glue the legs and screws which I had on hand to hold it. Because I glued the legs, I felt that one screw would be adequate. I had a dowel jig and used that to drill straight holes. It beat me trying to drill freehand. I finished them off with some silicone pads, one on each corner.

Here are some pictures:

Top View:

Bottom view:


Side view:


The cover just fits over the top of the stove. It is tight enough that it does not shift around. The silicone pads also help it to stay put. I don't know if it would stay on while towing, especially if we hit a big bump. I'll find out.

Here's a bonus:
I brought home a spice rack from a rummage sale. It is one meant to mount on the inside of a cabinet door. It had adjustable metal pieces which could slide to adjust for width. I did not want to use them, so I removed them and drilled though the wood rail to which the metal pieces had been attached. I used screws long enough to hold, but short enough so that there was no risk of going through the side of the R-Pod. Here it is:

Spice Rack:


You can see the knife rack behind the spice rack. It was one that started out angled. I modified it for vertical storage after seeing how knifes did not stay in it when it was angled. I think they will stay put better now that it is nearly vertical.

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.

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.