new 172

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   Hi Everyone,

I picked up my 2013 R-Pod 172 Hood River Edition about 5 days ago.  Thanks to all of you for your posts as I have been reading through the forums for information both before and after the purchase.  Very very helpful!  I have an open bed cargo trailer but this is my first RV.  There have been a few challenges, some solved, some still remain.  I will list them here but may post again to the specific forum area if I stay stuck...

unsolved...

Can't find the serial number on the air conditioner.  Manual says its on the base plate.  Don't know what the base plate is.

Either burner on the stove tends to go out when the other burner is lit.  The manual talks about them being difficult to light the first time due to air in the lines.  I'm guessing this will resolve itself eventually.

Can't find the 3 valves (bypass etc) related to the hot water heater.  Don't need to find them right away, but just want to know where they are. If they are on the inside of the vehicle, near the hot water heater, then they would be under the driver's side of the dinette.  That particular wood plank has been screwed in place and is not liftable as far as I can see.

The manual describes valves to empty the fresh water and gray water tanks.  I think I found them, but why would there be a gray water tank valve in addition to the combo dump station tubes?

solved...

Rear stabilizers scrape slightly when pulling into my driveway.  The street and driveway are both on slopes.  We got 2X6 or 2X8 planks and temporarily put those down and it can get by without a scrape now.  To give you an idea of how minimal the change is, we support the planks by putting a piece of a 2 by 4 underneath each of them.  One of the pieces can slide under with the 4 inch dimension upwards, but thats about the extent of the space.  I had been reading about clearance issues with the stabilizers, and now that I have experienced it, the way I see it that its the distance form the single axle to ther rear of the RV that results in the stabilizers scraping depending on the terrain.  In other words, the distance is long enough that the rear hasn't come off the hill before the front starts ascending, and that results in scraping.  As I was working on this project, I realized an advantage to the wheel placement outside of the body is that the planks provide greater clearance that way....in other words, the stabilizers aren't in line with the wheels, so the stabilizers are at less risk of hitting the planks, if there were any risk of that.

My driveway is sloped with no accessible flat spaces nearby.  Not sure what the actual degrees are, but its not extreme.  I get close to being level by being tongue toward the upside slope, tongue lowered as far as it can go, rear toward the downside, with chocks.  Stabilizers are down....the rear ones give the appearance of lifting the rear, but they aren't...they are just touching and the vehcile holds its own without them.

I could have sworn that the dealer said they filled the fresh water and showed me the gauge as full during the walk through.  When I got home, on the sloped driveway, the gauge said empty.  After I leveled it out (mostly), the gauge still said empty.  So, I filled it up - it took quite a bit of water, and I saw no leaking.  Once it was filled (with water coming back out), I checked the gauge and now it was full.  Not sure what happened.  Maybe they didn't fill it all the way.  Maybe there was the filling of the hot water heater that complicated things.  Maybe the sensor temporarily malfunctioned due to the slope.  I've now gone through the water start up procedure and everything flowed great, pump shut off when I turned off the faucets, etc.

By pulling the RV, I lose the bike carrier on the tow vehicle.  I know I can put one on the R-Pod but for now I am nervous about the weight issues.  I tested it out and know that I can put at least one bike INSIDE the R-Pod.

The television reception seemed very flukey until I did a channel scan.  Now seems OK with 20+ channels in the urban environment of Portland, Oregon.

Small issue - the big sticker on the microwave does not peel off easy.  It leaves a lot of paper/glue residue to work off with wet washcloth and fingernails.

So thats all for now.  I will be doing a few weekend trips if I can get the time off work....leading up to the biggy...my 15th consecutive Burning Man festival - a week on on the Black Rock Desert of Nevada....first time in an RV.  It will be dusty for sure.  Always is.

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lunarpodule Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Mar 2013 Location: Portland, OR Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Topic: new 172 Posted: 30 Mar 2013 at 9:57pm
	Hi Everyone, I picked up my 2013 R-Pod 172 Hood River Edition about 5 days ago. Thanks to all of you for your posts as I have been reading through the forums for information both before and after the purchase. Very very helpful! I have an open bed cargo trailer but this is my first RV. There have been a few challenges, some solved, some still remain. I will list them here but may post again to the specific forum area if I stay stuck... unsolved... Can't find the serial number on the air conditioner. Manual says its on the base plate. Don't know what the base plate is. Either burner on the stove tends to go out when the other burner is lit. The manual talks about them being difficult to light the first time due to air in the lines. I'm guessing this will resolve itself eventually. Can't find the 3 valves (bypass etc) related to the hot water heater. Don't need to find them right away, but just want to know where they are. If they are on the inside of the vehicle, near the hot water heater, then they would be under the driver's side of the dinette. That particular wood plank has been screwed in place and is not liftable as far as I can see. The manual describes valves to empty the fresh water and gray water tanks. I think I found them, but why would there be a gray water tank valve in addition to the combo dump station tubes? solved... Rear stabilizers scrape slightly when pulling into my driveway. The street and driveway are both on slopes. We got 2X6 or 2X8 planks and temporarily put those down and it can get by without a scrape now. To give you an idea of how minimal the change is, we support the planks by putting a piece of a 2 by 4 underneath each of them. One of the pieces can slide under with the 4 inch dimension upwards, but thats about the extent of the space. I had been reading about clearance issues with the stabilizers, and now that I have experienced it, the way I see it that its the distance form the single axle to ther rear of the RV that results in the stabilizers scraping depending on the terrain. In other words, the distance is long enough that the rear hasn't come off the hill before the front starts ascending, and that results in scraping. As I was working on this project, I realized an advantage to the wheel placement outside of the body is that the planks provide greater clearance that way....in other words, the stabilizers aren't in line with the wheels, so the stabilizers are at less risk of hitting the planks, if there were any risk of that. My driveway is sloped with no accessible flat spaces nearby. Not sure what the actual degrees are, but its not extreme. I get close to being level by being tongue toward the upside slope, tongue lowered as far as it can go, rear toward the downside, with chocks. Stabilizers are down....the rear ones give the appearance of lifting the rear, but they aren't...they are just touching and the vehcile holds its own without them. I could have sworn that the dealer said they filled the fresh water and showed me the gauge as full during the walk through. When I got home, on the sloped driveway, the gauge said empty. After I leveled it out (mostly), the gauge still said empty. So, I filled it up - it took quite a bit of water, and I saw no leaking. Once it was filled (with water coming back out), I checked the gauge and now it was full. Not sure what happened. Maybe they didn't fill it all the way. Maybe there was the filling of the hot water heater that complicated things. Maybe the sensor temporarily malfunctioned due to the slope. I've now gone through the water start up procedure and everything flowed great, pump shut off when I turned off the faucets, etc. By pulling the RV, I lose the bike carrier on the tow vehicle. I know I can put one on the R-Pod but for now I am nervous about the weight issues. I tested it out and know that I can put at least one bike INSIDE the R-Pod. The television reception seemed very flukey until I did a channel scan. Now seems OK with 20+ channels in the urban environment of Portland, Oregon. Small issue - the big sticker on the microwave does not peel off easy. It leaves a lot of paper/glue residue to work off with wet washcloth and fingernails. So thats all for now. I will be doing a few weekend trips if I can get the time off work....leading up to the biggy...my 15th consecutive Burning Man festival - a week on on the Black Rock Desert of Nevada....first time in an RV. It will be dusty for sure. Always is.

Racer\|X\| Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Mar 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 237	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 8:13am
	Congrats, enjoy. Iam sure fellow 172 pwners will reply with valve location assistance.

CharlieM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 9:28am
	Lunarpodule, I can address some of your issues since I also have a 2013 RP-172. Not the Hood River edition, but they are very similar. Mainly the HRE is built in the NW; the non-HRE is built in Indiana. Don't know where the AC serial number is, but my dealer provided me with an inventory sheet at delivery that had the model and serial numbers of all the appliances on it. Maybe this will help. The two stove burners should work just fine once you get all the air out of the lines. Be sure your LP tank is full and turned on fully. Also check the gas line on the tongue between the regulator and the pod body for kinks. For the dragging stabilizers, make sure your pod came equipped with the 4 inch axle risers from the factory. If not, you should definitely get them installed. They are really necessary. The three hot water bypass valves are under the driver's side dinette bench with the hot water heater. Many podders discard the screws when they get tired of removing and replacing them each year. They serve little purpose. There is only one gray water drain. It is combined in the Y valve fitting with the black water dump valve. There are low point drain caps for the hot and cold fresh water systems and a drain cap on the bottom of the fresh water tank. These are for winterization in cold climes. Your dealer probably filled the fresh water tank to check for leaks, then drained it. Most of us do not travel with full tanks because of the added weight. Fill the water tank when you get within sight of your camp site, then drain it before you move on. I carry two "comfort" bikes on a carrier on the rear bumper with no problem. Forest River recommends a particular model to keep the weight down, but I'm not sure it's really required. Any good lightweight carrier with a 1-1/4 inch draw bar should work. Again, watch the ground clearance under the bikes. I mounted the spare tire up front on the tongue along with an extra LP tank and battery. It's tight but it fits. Do a forum search on my postings and you'll see how I did it. Count yourself lucky that you can see anything on your TV. The model chosen by FR is really sub-prime. You'll soon tire of it, especially outside of the urban environment. More and more areas have little or no on-air TV stations with the advent of cable. Can't help with the microwave label. I had no problem. Maybe try some grocery store gum remover solution. Good luck and happy podding. Lots of people here to help you. Maybe more than you need.
	Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

HuronSailor Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Location: Owosso MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 9:37am
	To find the A/C serial number, you have to remove the plastic control box on the pod's ceiling. First pull the knobs straight out, then remove the screws that hold it up to the ceiling. There's a lot of them and they're recessed so not always easy to spot at first. Haven't had that problem with the burners, but air in the lines is an issue so you're probably right. Almost every time we try to light the fridge we have to light the stove burners first to purge the lines. After they light, we can turn them off, and the fridge takes right off. Water heater valves are located under the dinette seat. Unlike our 172s, some pods have to use separate dump valves for gray water and black water due to their floorplan. The manual is pretty generic and meant to apply to all rPods. There's also a low point drain (pipe cap) on the fresh water tank for winterizing. We also use this to drain the fresh water tank when we leave the campground so we can tow the pod with all tanks empty.
	.: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :.

Camper Bob Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 26 Sep 2011 Location: Portland Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 913	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 11:07am
	Welcome and congratulations. We have scheduled a Roundup of Rpods in August at Seaside from Aug. 15th to the 18th. Hope you can join us. Safe Travels.
	Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 11:23am
	The SN for my air con is under the dome on the roof. I had to go up and take the thing on the roof off to find my SN. The valves for the hot water heater are beyond those 4 little screws. It takes a screw driver to take that cover off. I haven't done it yet, but I'm thinking of putting some velcro tape on that panel and the one under the sink that you have to remove too to winterize/dewinterize your pod. The screws are just a cheap way for FR to deal with the access panels. But, you should normally only have to get in there a couple of times a year, so the screws aren't that big a deal. The burners sounds like a matter of letting them run for a while to purge the air -- or you could be about out of propane. The water or lack thereof in your tank was probably some sort of misunderstanding as long as you could fill it yourself with no leaks. As someone else said, unless you have a reason to, you usually don't want much or any water in your tank when going down the road. Some folks keep maybe 5 gallons in there so they can flush the toilet at a scenic overlook. Since you are a newbee, let me say that you don't need any water in your tank if you are camping at a spot with a water hookup. The onboard water system is separate from the hookup system. I thought the HRE came with axle risers. They are easy to see between the axle and the frame of the pod. If you don't have them, get them, by all means. Most likely you just have a steep dip at the end of your driveway. All of these questions should have been easily answered by your dealer, although I think you will find this forum a fantastic resource too. I bought my 176 used from an individual, but I thought a thorough walk-through was part of deal when you bought from a dealer, especially when you buy a new Pod. They really shouldn't have let you off the lot without explaining most of these things. Enjoy! And keep in touch! TT

Goose Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Location: Arizona Online Status: Offline Posts: 672	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 11:26am
	Welcome lunarpodule. I don't have axle risers on our POD, so when pulling into or out of a drive (gas station, grocery store, etc.) I always go at an angle so only one wheel is high or low at a time. This can help keep the stabilizes from making contact with the ground. The deeper the valley or the higher the ridge the greater the angle should be. I have taken our POD off-road in some of the national forests that Mother Goose did not think that there was any way we could get to the campsite. Goose
	Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee

lunarpodule Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Mar 2013 Location: Portland, OR Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 11:50am
	Thanks so much for everyone's help! I'm quite sure my Hood River Edition has the axel risers, but I scraped anyway. I did get a walk through when I bought it, but these are questions that came up later, and I really appreciate the help here. I will see if I can get free for the R-Pod roundup in August/Seaside. That is prime time for preparation for my big Burning Man trip, but might work out. thanks again everyone! - Steve

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: 9059	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 6:25pm
	Welcome. Good handle, I tried talking my wife into covering our pod in craters with a lander sitting on the back window, but she wasn't buying it. Another explanation for your stove issue is your LP tank wasn't purged properly. The first fill (and sometimes years later) the tank needs to have the air purged by opening the purge valve during the fill process. Usually this means paying more for that fillup since you waste some LPG in the process. Don't worry about taking your water with you, while it is ~250 more pounds I haven't found any measurable difference in mpgs with or without the water. Air resistance going down the road is a far larger contributor to lowering mpgs. One option for carrying bikes is adding a front receiver to your TV if one is available. Some have had problems with cracks around the rear receiver on the pod when carrying more than the tire. The pod's frame isn't built with robustness in mind, just keeping it lightweight.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

lunarpodule Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Mar 2013 Location: Portland, OR Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 31 Mar 2013 at 8:36pm
	Thanks for that info techntrek. I had not heard about the purge valve before, so if things don't even out, I will look into that one. I am indeed looking at the space theme, maybe inside first, as I am always skeptical of my abilities to modify the outside. I do have a zebra striped car though, an old Nissan Sentra. - Steve