Just Ordered 176T

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   You're very welcome.  I have an answer for just about everything....sometimes it's even the right answer!  

I expect you'll do just fine with your new Pod.  The fact that you are concerned and asking questions says much.  I think you'll find most here very helpful.  We all don't always agree on some things but, there is almost always more than one way to "skin the cat".  What works well for one, may not be so good for the next.  Take what you read here and season it with your own good judgement to figure out what is best for you, in your situation.  We are all just offering our personal opinions.  Again, welcome!

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Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Topic: Just Ordered 176T Posted: 18 Jan 2011 at 4:34pm
	You're very welcome. I have an answer for just about everything....sometimes it's even the right answer! I expect you'll do just fine with your new Pod. The fact that you are concerned and asking questions says much. I think you'll find most here very helpful. We all don't always agree on some things but, there is almost always more than one way to "skin the cat". What works well for one, may not be so good for the next. Take what you read here and season it with your own good judgement to figure out what is best for you, in your situation. We are all just offering our personal opinions. Again, welcome!

marshwatcher Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2011 Location: Sunny FLORIDA Online Status: Offline Posts: 127	Posted: 18 Jan 2011 at 3:39pm
	David and techtrek, Many thanks for the very helpful information. Here in Florida we are sensitive about lightning strikes and mindful that it really can zap your home or home away from home (R Pod). Also, having to monitor exactly what you have plugged in and how much juice you are using definitely requires more than paying the bill! We are into a whole new territory with the R Pod limits and don't want to blow it all the first trip out!

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 17 Jan 2011 at 6:27pm
	Welcome. Not directly related to spikes, but electrical in nature - one recommendation I always make is to get a Kill-A-Watt meter. First use it around the house to identify appliances that use too much energy (I discovered an old freezer used 3 times as much energy as a new one for example). Then keep it plugged into an outlet in the 'pod so you can monitor the campground's voltage during your stay. During the summer especially you can find with everyone's A/Cs running on high that the voltage can get dangerously low. If it gets below 110 volts you should turn the A/C off to prevent damage to the compressor. There are "auto-transformers" you can buy which will boost the voltage if its gets low, but they do that by increasing the amount of amperage being used. If your amperage gets too high you can trip the breaker on the post.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Posted: 17 Jan 2011 at 5:24pm
	What the heck, I can do a little more than the above and I'll refer you to a couple of sites below. Realize that any surge protector is only going to be as good as the "ground" that you are "grounded" to; as they take over-voltages and dump them to ground. This "dumping" is done by a devise inside the protector - usually a MOV (metal oxide varistor) which does EXACTLY what it's name implies...it deals with surges! The higher the "joules" rating, the more bad stuff it can handle before it is overwhelmed; and they all can handle only so much before breaking down. That is to say, if you were to take a direct lightening strike of a bazillion volts, you are going to suffer damage, regardless. It is good practice to "multi-layer" surge protectors - just like I know you all do at home (right?). Do this with a whole house (or whole camper) protector and also with individual protectors at things like your TV, laptop, etc. I'll try to post more later. I hope this helps. http://www.electronics-manufacturers.com/info/electrical-components/surge-protectors.html http://vagabonders-supreme.net/SurgeElectric.htm http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infelectrical/infsurge.html

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Posted: 17 Jan 2011 at 4:21pm
	Congratulations on your Pod and welcome to the group. When I get some free time, I am going to write something on surge protectors. I know some others may have some thoughts. Too many projects to get done before camping season.

marshwatcher Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2011 Location: Sunny FLORIDA Online Status: Offline Posts: 127	Posted: 17 Jan 2011 at 3:52pm
	Thanks for the welcome. I have reviewed the modifications posted by others and they seem really worthwhile to consider. One question my husband has is how to choose a surge protector. I read some posts regarding same but I am still a bit confused. I welcome any clarification on what we need or how to determine what we need for the new pod before she arrives.

rpodcamper.com Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 26 Nov 2009 Location: Reading, Pa Online Status: Offline Posts: 3990	Posted: 17 Jan 2011 at 3:45pm
	Congrats on the new camper. Any questions or problems feel free to ask. Also any mods you think up we love to hear about. My wife keeps folling her eyes as I keep coming up with other ideas for ours. (Granted some are good and some well lets just say ....)

marshwatcher Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2011 Location: Sunny FLORIDA Online Status: Offline Posts: 127	Posted: 16 Jan 2011 at 6:14pm
	Love the ECO Friendly Label We just placed our order for a 176T with all the goodies. We are looking forward to picking it up soon and having our launching! We have already learned so much on this forum and look forward to learning more.