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Topic ClosedFirst trip - Event Date: 07 Jun 2013 - 09 Jun 2013
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Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Location: Canada
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: First trip
    Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 6:34pm
Taking my recently acquired 152 (and TV) out for a 'test' camp with a couple of friends before I bundle up the wife and new-born for an outing.

Really excited (this has been a long time dream coming to realization) and have been scouring the forum and elsewhere on tips&tricks to make sure my trip goes smoothly. I have my checklist app that I will review before I hit the road and will spend a couple hours the day before making sure I'm comfortable towing and moving the trailer.

A couple of areas I'm still in doubt about are:
- Stabilizing and leveling the trailer at the campground.
- How to flush the grey/black water at the end of the trip.

If anyone has any first-time outing advice they would like share I would love to hear it!

Thanks.

PS - Will post a pic of my trailer and TV once it's in the right setting; a campground on the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada Tongue
2009 RP-152 (Cutie-Pod)
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Joined: 29 Jul 2009
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 7:49pm

Leveling - first you need to level side-to-side by raising one tire or the other.  Some people use boards (2 x 6s) of various lengths with the ends cut at 45 degree angles so you can stack them like a triangle at various heights.  Some people buy "legos", orange blocks which stack like legos.  Since you need to pull/push the trailer onto these things you do this before you unhitch.  Then after unhitching you level front-to-back using the tongue jack.  Once it is leveled you lower the stabilizers on the corners until they touch the ground, then crank it one or two more times - max.

Don't empty the black tank until it is at least 2/3 full.  If you do it with less water you risk getting the "triangle of death", where the solids in the tank don't empty correctly and build up.  If you must dump before you are 2/3 full, add water by flushing the toilet until it is.  Empty the black tank first, then the gray tank.  This flushes out the sewer hose.  Since the gray tank often fills before the black one, you can empty just that one w/o a problem - and even empty it if it isn't full.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Joined: 20 Sep 2010
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Posts: 267 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 8:45pm
Don't forget to chock your trailer wheels--especially if your campsite is even a little off level. Single axle trailers can do some pretty strange rolling, even sometimes when your stabilizers are down. I always carry two pair of cheap plastic chocks-always use one pair, and sometimes both if necessary. They're available at all RV stores, Amazon, and Wally World. Also, I notice you have a 2009 Pod. I don't think they came with front stabilizers, so if you don't have any installed up front, Camco makes some cheap portable stabilizers. They work well, but are not as handy as installed ones.
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Joined: 19 Nov 2009
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Posts: 767 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2013 at 8:45pm
With levelling, pick your poison.  I suggest that you go with either a Bal leveller or with Lynx Levellers (legos) and stay away from wood (sorry guys) or those step-like all-in-one levelling blocks.  Personally, I use legos.

For the black tank, as I'm packing up the trailer before pulling out of the campground, I'll run water into the toilet and fill it to at least the 2/3rds mark.  A well positioned soap/shampoo bottle in the corner will keep the toilet flush pushed in.  As tech said, the volume of water will help completely empty the tank.  Also, after visiting the dump station, I'll fill the toilet with water, add some toilet treatment and flush (leaving it in the black tank).  The sloshing water/chemicals will work on the sludge as you drive down the road to your next stop.

BTW: your black tank gauge WILL gum-up and constantly read full.  Don't worry about it.  Don't spend endless hours with a spray wand down the toilet trying to clean them off.  Just live with it.  It'll take two people over 10 days to fill your black tank.
Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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Posts: 165 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2013 at 9:59am
Originally posted by Kickstart

I always carry two pair of cheap plastic chocks-always use one pair, and sometimes both if necessary.

I'd recommend getting and using two pairs. They're cheap and easy to use. That way you don't have to guess which way everything will roll. I had one time where it moved unexpectedly and after that I always used all four.
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Posts: 457 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2013 at 11:28am
I have noticed at several dump stations a coiled, extendable hose long enough to reach the black water
tank flush input.  As long as your dump hose is in place and your black water valve is open, you can run
fresh water into and out of the tank until you're satisfied it has been well purged.
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Posts: 1797 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2013 at 1:19pm
Yes, the coiled hose works well IF someone has put a standard male garden hose connector on it. Some I've encountered had a short wand installed; probably from the original installation before newer campers had the black water flush connection.

Also, I like to close the dump valve and let the black tank fill about 1/2 so there is a lot of water to flush out. However, you have to watch the tank level carefully or you'll understand why the caution on keeping the dump valve open is pasted on the side. Censored
Charlie
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2013 at 9:29pm

 

Originally posted by Kickstart

Don't forget to chock your trailer wheels...

Dang, I did forget that very important step!
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2013 at 9:36pm
 
Originally posted by Outbound

...

BTW: your black tank gauge WILL gum-up and constantly read full.  Don't worry about it.  Don't spend endless hours with a spray wand down the toilet trying to clean them off.  Just live with it.  It'll take two people over 10 days to fill your black tank.

Good point, completely true.  The best indicator that your black tank is full is when you start seeing fluid come back up the tube when you flush!  Dead  (not kidding)
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2013 at 1:20pm
Hey Pod Owners,

Here's a little story about my first outing with 'Cutie-Pod'.

I had a 7-pin connector and brake controller installed the day before and took the TV and trailer out to the local Costco after hours to set the controller and get comfortable with backing up (thinking about the tight camp site entrances). For other first time RV owners, this is a great tip!

The next day I left with a buddy on the inaugural journey. We pulled in to the nearest gas station to fill up and I didn't approach the entrance at an angle so ended up scraping the back end of the trailer. Looks like I took a bit of the underlay off  where I touched so I'll have to figure out how to patch that up.

Otherwise a comfortable 90 minute road trip to the campground. The road had some dips that made the trailer bounce a bit but it seems no worse for wear and everything in the trailer survived. Managed to back up into my space on my first attempt (with the guidance of my buddy).

Followed the many tips and posts on the forum and had the Pod all set in under 15 minutes.  It took us a little longer to figure out how to switch the fridge from battery to propane. By chance I tried resetting the power with the fridge set to propane and that initiated the pilot light; after that it was all good.

Had a strange thing happen on day two. I had been turning the water pump and water heater on and off as I needed it (thinking about battery conservation(. As the day progressed and I saw we still had plenty of battery I turned on the pump and heater and kept it on. After a while I hear water gushing out of the side of the RV and see water (clearly under pressure) coming out of the city water intake. It was the fresh water and the tank emptied. We found what looks like some sort of spring and piece of plastic on the ground afterwards which might be part of the pressure valve? I spoke to a couple of RV'ers at the waste station and I don't think I did anything wrong by leaving the pump and heater on so I'm assuming I had some sort of failure with the water system. 

Any thoughts on what might have happened based on the symptoms? I'll post a pic of the piece I found on the ground later.

Otherwise it was all good. Actually it was great! Hopefully my two incidents won't be too costly to address. Can't wait for the next outing!
2009 RP-152 (Cutie-Pod)
2001 Nissan Pathfinder
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