De-Winterizing - R-pod Owners Forum

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offgrid

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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Topic: De-Winterizing
Posted: 02 Apr 2019 at 11:54pm

Originally posted by DavMar

Hmmmm ...... the "boss" says I've already lost my mind, offgrid, so maybe I should go with lostagain suggestion and see if I can find potassium anode to stop my leg cramps and besides the hot water may have a nice fruity taste?

If you put potassium in the water heater you'll have the additional benefit of not needing to use any propane to heat it, or the pod itself for that matter. Potassium in water evolves hydrogen gas and you'll get a nice little Hindeberg. LOL

1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

lostagain

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Location: Quaker Hill, CT
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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 8:14am

I can see it now, a floating Pod, lifting the TV right over the traffic jam. What a concept! Big smile

offgrid, of course pure potassium is a little exciting to put in water, but that nice potassium chloride I buy at Costco for my water softener seems to have really cut down on the need to eat more bananas.

But to get a little more on topic, magnesium anode rods are cheap and easy to find. I compared the price between an aluminum and magnesium anode on Amazon and it was about 60¢. And since they're not expensive in the first place, there should be no reason to ever let your anode get dissolved to the point that it doesn't protect you water heater. If you tend to use up anodes fast, check yours frequently and have a spare available to make a prompt replacement. And, best of all, the poltergeists will be very grateful to you and may not play in your WFCO electric panel.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

jato

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Location: Kewadin, MI
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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 9:24am

[QUOTE=Tars Tarkas]

I don't understand the fear of the Pod water tank. You probably have a better idea what's in your Pod's water tank than what is in your municipal water. At least if you maintain it properly and pay attention to what you put in it. Of course if you're afraid of, don't drink it.

Agree with TT. For the first 5 years of owning our 177 I never sanitized my water tank and drank out of it all the time during camping with no ill effects. After attending the 2015 ERU in Traverse City, Michigan Furpod corrected and informed me that this is to be done (sanitizing) on a regular, yearly basis and said I was very lucky that I never got sick, or worse. So since the fall of 2015 I have indeed sanitized once a year to be safe. Having said that, I have no qualms of drinking our well water out of the spigot from our FW tank on the 177. Good stuff ! No worries !

God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

DavMar

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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 6:36pm

Originally posted by lostagain

If you tend to use up anodes fast, check yours frequently and have a spare available to make a prompt replacement. And, best of all, the poltergeists will be very grateful to you and may not play in your WFCO electric panel.

ROLF!!!

What a relief now that I replaced the anode with a magnesium rod. So I hope that I will never have to worry about those pesky poltergeists again haunting my WFCO converter since after doing an exorcism with replacing it to a Progressive Dynamics unit. Just the thought of being haunted once more brings chills of fright to my bones not to mention my legs camps again!

Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC

lostagain

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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 7:35pm

As for tank water, if you can insure that no harmful bugs get into your tank, and if you like the flavor of polyethylene, then drink away. The assuming a properly sanitized tank, risk is in contaminating the water with bacteria when you fill it at the filler port and the fact that the water tends to sit i perfect bacteria growing medium at a perfect temperature for significant periods of time. If you fully drain your tank after each trip and carefully refill it, then you'll reduce the risk of water borne infections. Most people who drink tank water don't routinely drain the fresh water tank and aren't especially careful about keeping the filling process very clean. It's just luck that they don't get sick. But, what the heck. If you like tank water and drink it without problems, go for it. For those who chose not to drink tank water, it isn't a question of fear but, rather, common sense adherence to well settled water safety standards.

I recall as a child our parents warning us about not drinking gutter water because we could get polio. Several defied this common sense warning and nothing happened. The called those of us who wouldn't scaredy cats. Sadly for one, he drank the gutter water and it ended badly.

Dave, just bring lots of bananas for those leg cramps, and remember to sacrifice a chicken on the Webber regularly. The poltergeists especially like beer can chicken with a nice rub.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Tars Tarkas View Drop Down

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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 8:44pm

I should admit that I'm still a little bumfuzzled about the idea that I might burn down half of California and kill scores if not hundreds of people if I use use a 50 amp dogbone. Now we're all going to get polio if we drink from the Pod potable tank? At the risk of being ironic, how do you spell "hyperbole"?

There are risks to just about anything. Have you heard what can happen when you drive a car, take a bath, or eat sushi? Maybe you don't do any of those things either, but it seems a little much to suggest that no one else should either.

What about pulling a Pod with under-inflated tires? That can end badly. Would you say no one should pull a Pod down the road since sometimes people don't properly maintain their air pressure?

With a just little care even the risks of using a Pod freshwater tank for drinking water can be minimized to a point most people would accept the risk -- and not end up in the emergency room or morgue from drinking water out of it.

Proper maintenance is obviously important with the tank, tires, and everything else. I'm not saying otherwise, but I do think it's absolutely possible for reasonable people to feel and be safe using the Pod tank for drinking water.

2010 176
FJ Cruiser

offgrid

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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 9:14pm

Oh no, not the 50A dogbone! I'm NOT chasing that bone again LOL

I think a lot of this comes from what you're used to. For me not drinking unfiltered water from taps is just second nature. I spent years overseas in places where no one does it who wants to ever be more than 5 feet from a bathroom, and if the waiter at the restaurant brings you a bottle of water with the seal broken you make then take it back. I've had the Delhi Belly to prove the need for that one Thumbs Down

So, I don't do it at home in NC, I only use the filtered fridge water, and I put all that plumbing in and sanitized it myself, but the city water pressure can be variable due to power outages there. I'm in Hawaii right now and they all have rainwater catchments here with various qualitylevels of filtration and I don't drink it here either. So, not drinking the tank water in the rPod is just a matter of course for me.

But absolutely you can be safe drinking the pod tank water done properly, and everyone is free to do as they want, no reason for an argument about it.

1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

lostagain

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Posted: 03 Apr 2019 at 10:12pm

Here we go again. Apparently Tars, you didn't read the following sentence in my post: If you like tank water and drink it without problems, go for it. Is there something in that sentence that is not clear to you? I suppose I could have added, if you like tank water and drink it even though it makes you sick, you should have your head examined, but that seemed to be obvious to me.

My point was that one should not feel pressured by others into drinking water that may be unsafe by with the suggestion that one is "afraid" or fearful. Choosing to avoid drinking tank water is not a decision based on fear, it's a decision based on rational thought and an understanding of the basic science of biology.

For heaven's sakes, I am probably more aware of the risks people take than a large majority of Americans as I spent 35 of my 46 year law practice defending the consequences of taking risks, whether a manufacturer, a driver, a doctor, or pretty much anyone else in our society.

Of of course we take risks every nanosecond we are alive. And as I stated previously in another thread, when people take risks, they have to own up to responsibility for the consequences. If someone wants to drink tank water that is infected with a bacteria and dies as a result, I will express my sorrow at the loss of a fellow human being, but may also nominate him/her for a Darwin award. If someone takes risks that hurt other people, then I expect that person to be honest and ethical enough to accept responsibility for the consequences and fully compensate the person or people s/he hurt.

I don't care that people who are experienced in drinking tank water do it. If they get sick, it ain't my problem unless they don't tell me and offer me a glass of kool aide made with contaminated water and I get sick. Then I'll be, well, a little irritated. My point in raising the bacteria issue here is that a lot of people lack experience with trailers or other "RV" tank water systems and don't realize that they really need to be careful water hygiene. Once they know and they choose to drink it, as I said, "go for it."

Oh, and by the way, we now have a very effective vaccine against polio, but I still follow my parents sage advice and don't drink gutter water.

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

texman

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Posted: 04 Apr 2019 at 9:16am

polyethylene terephthalate

That is what bottled water comes in.

TexMan 2015 182g
2018 Sequoia
TexManMods

lostagain

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Posted: 04 Apr 2019 at 9:47am

You are absolutely right, Texman. That's just one more risk we have to take. And that plastic leaches into the water and we drink that stuff. It isn't good for us. Personally, I'd use glass jars to carry my water, but they're way too heavy and break easily posing a laceration risk, as well as making a big mess.

Dang, sometimes I get the impression that someone is trying to kill me. Shocked

Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost