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Questions from our First "Real" trip.

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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=10644
Printed Date: 30 Jun 2025 at 2:26pm
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Topic: Questions from our First "Real" trip.
Posted By: clickscrazy
Subject: Questions from our First "Real" trip.
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 9:31am
Everything went well on our first "Real" trip overnight.

I did have a few things popup I am not sure about.

1. AC: We ran the AC on low all night, set at 65 (we are in Florida). I got a little water coming from the kitchen-side intake vent. There was a small little pool of water on the filter when I pulled it out. I would say less than 1 once.

Is this just condensation, or possibly another issue I need to report to our dealer?

2. Water Heater. I was not sure how to run the water heater on electric only (which I wanted to do). There is the switch outside at the heater and the switch inside. So I turned them all on and the LP gas.

How do I run the water heater on electric only?

3. CO Alarm going off. This happened one other time during the walkthough. The alarm was a steady beeping.

Is the steady beeping low voltage or an actual trigger of the alarm someone?

I am confused if this is just a CO alarm or a CO/LP alarm?






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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI



Replies:
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 9:42am
1. For leaking a/c i would say, check the roof bolts to see they are tight? Might be that
2. If you are plugged into shore power, you can run water heater on electric by putting the switch located outside the trailer to on. It sounds like you know where it is, but it takes a little time to heat up. 
3. The alarm down at foot level is your lp detector. It will beep for low battery power, or if it detects some odors. mine went off before because i had a tiki torch bottle in a bag that i put near it. Maybe even putting dirty socks will set it off. I've heard that when they need replacing they go off also



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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding


Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 10:10am
Just to add, make sure the water heater is full before turning it on, if there is no water in it you will blow the heater element. 

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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171


Posted By: ronahue
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 11:41am
To add to what mjlrpod said the alarm down near the floor is an LP/CO detector instruction on the detector will tell you what the different alarms mean.



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Ron & Sharon
2015 R-Pod 179
2022 Nissan Frontier

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message but a billion electrons were really agitated


Posted By: ronahue
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 11:51am
Here is a link to CO/LP detector Manual

http://www.mtiindustries.com/PDFs/rv/35_Series.pdf

 


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Ron & Sharon
2015 R-Pod 179
2022 Nissan Frontier

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message but a billion electrons were really agitated


Posted By: eye95
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 3:32pm
That's not a typo? You ran the AC at 65 degrees???

What was the temperature outside? If there is too great a differential between outside temp and the thermostat setting, the AC will never turn off. Condensation will be the least of your worries.

ACs also remove humidity from the air, making it feel cooler than it actually is. I run my AC at 80 degrees.


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<0>
2017 178 The "eye-Pod"
2011 Nissan Titan


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 4:16pm
Originally posted by eye95

That's not a typo? You ran the AC at 65 degrees???

What was the temperature outside? If there is too great a differential between outside temp and the thermostat setting, the AC will never turn off. Condensation will be the least of your worries.

ACs also remove humidity from the air, making it feel cooler than it actually is. I run my AC at 80 degrees.


80? we would have words... LOL.. We have run ours as low as 60 many times. I like it cool at night. artificially or naturally. LOL


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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 5:10pm
+1 to Furpod, AC at 80, what for?

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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."


Posted By: pedalho
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 5:31pm
Our CO detector was defective and we had it replaced. I recall hearing that there was a "bad batch" of detectors. Either way, we have had no issue with the replacement.


Posted By: eye95
Date Posted: 10 Sep 2017 at 6:02pm
Having lived most of my life in AL, I can tell you that if you live in 78 (at home, it's set at 78), the outside temps are a lot easier to take. And AC 78 is a lot cooler than non-AC 78.

In an RV, the AC has limited ability to create temperature differential--and hold it. So I keep it a little higher.


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<0>
2017 178 The "eye-Pod"
2011 Nissan Titan


Posted By: sailor323
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2017 at 7:07am
The inside WH switch is exclusively for LP operation.  No need to turn it on for electric operation.  The outside switch is for that.  Here's a tip.  We never turn the outside switch off.  When we do not want too use electric for the WH, we turn it off at the breaker panel.


Posted By: Subzilla
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2017 at 7:52am
You can run the water heater on both electric and gas....the electric will maintain the heat but the electric doesn't have as fast a recovery as gas.  The gas will kick on only as needed....like taking a shower.

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Mark
Concord, NC
2017 RP 179 "Podzilla"
2011 Silverado 1500 4X4


Posted By: eye95
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2017 at 8:04am
So, the lesson I am getting is:

Leave both switches on, unless you are dry camping. Then turn the electric off.


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<0>
2017 178 The "eye-Pod"
2011 Nissan Titan


Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2017 at 6:06pm
Not me - I turn on outside switch after water is connected at campsite. I turn on the inside CB when all power and water is connected. Never have burned an element, and when departing do opposite.

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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."


Posted By: sailor323
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 2:39am
Originally posted by eye95

So, the lesson I am getting is:

Leave both switches on, unless you are dry camping. Then turn the electric off.

This doesn't make sense.  If you are plugged up to electricity, you don't need gas (unless you are in a big hurry for hot water, even then it's not that much faster to use 2 sources of heat)  So turn off the inside (gas)switch.  If you are boondocking, you won't use any electricity even if the outside switch is turned on (in that case, your shore power plug serves as a switch.)  The thing is, if you want to use electricity, turn on the outside switch and turn off the inside (gas) switch.  If you want to use gas, turn off the outside switch and turn on the inside switch.


Posted By: riotkayak284
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 4:33pm
Yeah really no reason to use both at the same time.... As others have said, BEFORE turning on the electric switch make sure the hot water tank is full of water. Run the hot water until no more sputtering or air, then turn on the switch.... 


Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 4:59pm
+1 with Mike. 

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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171


Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 5:18pm
LEO - The Pack rated #1 in the Pros.

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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."


Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 6:15pm
LOL It's a long season. They are impressive BUT hard to go against Brady and the Pats Approve

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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171


Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 7:03pm
not sure how i stumbled on this.................leo catch me some walleyes!!!!!!!  hogone

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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2023 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
CHEESEHEAD


Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2017 at 7:07pm
Originally posted by sailor323


......... (unless you are in a big hurry for hot water, even then it's not that much faster to use 2 sources of heat) .........

In fact the two heat sources will cut the recovery time roughly in half, or about twice as fast. That said the only times you will really notice it is on first warm up or when taking back to back showers or a shower following dish washing. 


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Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD


Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2017 at 6:54pm
Great responses.

Hot Water Heater: Perfectly answered my question. If I want electric only hot water, all I need to do is turn on the outside switch. Do not turn on the inside switch.

So if I want LP only, do I just turn on the INSIDE switch?

AC: Yes, 65 is needed when you are high humility and 80 at night. Believe it or not, the AC does cycle on and off and can get that temp. Again, we did have the fan on LOW, so the fan ran constantly. I am hoping that is what caused the condensation. (Typically in your home when you have your ac on, and the fan blows while the compressor is not going, humility forms. I am hoping this is the same deal.)

CO Alarm: I am going to buy a back up AND have the dealer replace what is there just to be safe.



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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI



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