Stargazing Window
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Wish List
Forum Discription: Tell Forest River what you would like to see in the r-pod
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12251
Printed Date: 26 Apr 2024 at 1:00am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Stargazing Window
Posted By: Brew64
Subject: Stargazing Window
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2018 at 8:05am
| I have noticed other products are adding a much larger window i.e. Little Guy Max and Mini Max. I think it would brighten up the Rpod. |
Replies:
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2018 at 10:51am
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That's a two-edged sword. It also weakens the overall structure of the camper and introduces more area for potential leaks. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2018 at 7:49pm
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I rather be outside anyway, better viewing with binoculars or telescope.
------------- 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." |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 8:01am
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Maybe just me, but I wanted Pod to eat, sleep, stay out of elements and entertain myself (TV, music, etc). I didn't buy to sit in and look out window. I did add a door window, which I like, but supplied windows are more than adequate for my purposes ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 10:35am
And if it's too hot to be outside, then seeing isn't going to be very good anyway. ------------- Alan 2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod" 2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4 Three cats |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 3:25pm
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+1 with Jato ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 28 Sep 2018 at 4:49pm
I thought that's why we have that Stargazing App on our iPad!  fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 6:01am
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I do agree though that the pods could be brighter inside, when its cloudy and rainy out I have to turn on a light just to see to read inside. If you're not planning to use the roof for solar as I am you could add a skylight, or even an additional fantastic fan and vent. These are made to fit standard 14 inch holes, so the only thing I'd worry about is cutting into the roof structure. Does anyone know hot to tell where the roof cross bracing is located so that could be missed? ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 7:38am
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Hmmm, offgrid, that could be because it's dark outside. Hard to be bright inside if it's cloudy and drab outside. Here's link to short video of RPod construction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXNYA73rCNE Notice roof is wood framed (part 5), so a stud finder would be of some assistance. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 8:24am
OK sure  .But I do notice that the bathroom under the skylight is significantly brighter than the rest of the pod under cloudy conditions. Perhaps one of the forum members who has replaced their aircon with a skylight would care to comment? That video is very helpful, thanks mcarter. The wall upper edges appear to be framed in some type of aluminum shape, hard to tell exactly what. Anyone know what that is and what gauge? Reason I'm asking is that I want to mount my solar modules into those edges rather than the roof itself. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:17pm
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Here is another video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXneKc_fDo I like this one because it displays the framing of a pod on the outside of a completed pod, you can also get an idea of size of aluminum frame pieces. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: marwayne
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 1:08pm
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The flat part of the roof is aluminum framing with wood framing overtop. https://postimg.cc/V5sL0JjL">  https://postimages.org/ - host image online ------------- If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 2:25pm
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mcarter, thanks for that video, very useful. I called FR and they confirmed that the wall top frame members are 1 inch square box tubing that they buy pre-curved. Tubing wall thickness was estimated at 1/16 inch, but I'd sure like to confirm it. marwayne, do you happen to know the box tube wall thickness? If not I guess I can pull off the air conditioner diffuser, drill a slot and get in there and measure it with a micrometer. It looks from the video showing someone on the roof that the flat part is the only part you can put weight on, the rest is just lightweight wood crosspieces. That confirms to me that I want to mount large solar modules only to the wall top rails at least for ones that aren't in that center section. I could have upwards of 1000 lbs uplift on those big 77 x 39 inch modules. I'll take a look at self tapping fastener pullout strength in .062 aluminum. At least there are two wall surfaces to attach to. Should be doable if I use several fasteners per side. I can do a pullout test on one before putting them all in. Thanks again. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: marwayne
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 2:43pm
V https://postimages.org/"> ------------- If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 3:30pm
| I am still intrigued by the idea of putting a 2nd Fantastic Fan right above the bed in our 179. Our first trailer had one and it made a big difference in nighttime cooling. |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 4:37pm
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One of the selling points of the RPod was the single sheet roof. Having battled delamination issues on previous RVs I am very cautious of cutting holes in that roof. We use a fan, internal to the Pod to assist with cooling, why breach that roof for an additional vent when there are cost effective alternatives to cool or move air? Your Pod , your call, but I'm not cutting new holes in my roof. Number 1 issues with RVs could be roof leaks, and once they start you won't be camping you will be fixin, then it isn't fun anymore. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 6:34pm
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Good point mcarter. If water can get in it will. Look at the leaks around the rear spoiler that some folks have reported. Ben Herman, if its cooling you're after then short of cutting holes in the roof what I did was buy two of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SS62PS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I added a 12V cigarette lighter receptacle, a cig lighter wye, and a cig lighter extension and clipped the fans so they are hanging down on the window valances in front of open windows in the sleeping area. Works pretty well. If you're after additional light then there isn't much choice other than ceiling holes. At least the roof vents/fantastic fans use standard 14 inch holes and are well designed to avoid leak problems. I wouldn't try to install one in an area of high roof curvature though, that would be much more leak prone. If you aren't using your aircon that can be removed and a standard roof vent/fantastic fan installed in that existing 14 inch hole. That wouldn't increase the risk of roof leaks because that hole is already there. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: marwayne
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 6:40pm
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This instead of AC https://postimg.cc/2LV7F6rt">  https://postimg.cc/5XcSLbGP">  ------------- If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 7:40pm
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Very nice Marwayne. We toyed with that very idea when we ordered our 177 w/o the A/C. However we went with the lid like you have but also have the lower area screened so that we can open it like the FF for additional air movement and cooling. We have also noted a huge difference in the brightness inside our 177 compared to others that have the A/C.
------------- 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." |
Posted By: marwayne
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 8:21pm
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I didn't want any hardware or screen to look through ------------- If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2018 at 2:20am
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I added another fantastic vent fan to our camper we now have two for ventilation. Our Vibe has two windows up front but they do not open so for ventilation I added the extra fan and adds a little light to front of camper. The Vibe roof I think is constructed the same as the r-pod. I located aluminum framing and then cut carefully checking as I went to make sure there were no wires. I used caulking and Eternabond tape to seal roof around fan vent. It may or may not have weakened roof the vent frame has strength it may have made it stronger. A window for looking at stars I imagine would be larger, that would be nice at night but I think in the day it would add a lot of heat to the camper from the sun.
------------- 2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018- 2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2018 at 6:06am
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marwayne has added his very nice skylight where the aircon would have been, so that is in a flat and structurally strong aluminum framed location. David and Danette, it seems from what you describe that you may have done the same. I think that those kind of locations using a properly installed skylight/vent/fantastic fan would be pretty low risk for water leakage. If you wanted to add a skylight in one the wood framed curved roof areas that would be another story. The human eye is incredibly adaptable to varying light levels. You only need about 150-200 lux to read comfortably. Direct sunlight is about 100,000 lux, indirect daylight about 10,000 lux, indirect light on a cloudy day about 1000. That's why even a small skylight can brighten up an interior space so much. Whether a skylight, vent, or fan is used will depend on outside temperatures where you camp. Unvented skylights aren't great in hot locations obviously. You can get shades for them for warm days though. All will add considerable daylighting, no need for larger openings in such a small interior space. I don't get the need for the big stargazing window either. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2018 at 3:56pm
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+1. I insulated my rear window several years back, it was cold in winter and hot in summer. Plus I'm not big on sitting on the bed and looking out the rear window. My fantastic has a tinted cover on it for all weather use. And my other 4 windows provide light (when available)that is sufficient. I don't live in the tundra so my AC is a desirable option. If I wanted to stargaze, I would do it outside with an adult beverage and some repellant. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: Mirado
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2018 at 7:58am
I have noticed that on cool mornings our pod, sitting in the driveway, will be covered with condensation, except for the places where the supporting studs are located. I can see every one of them. ------------- Miriam and Doug 2015 Rpod 181G Silverado 1500 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2018 at 9:00am
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Cool Mrado, I’ll try that. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: ZuBrew
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2018 at 11:41am
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Offgrid, With regards to mounting your solar panels; I spoke to a guy at the North East Rpod rally last month that used 2 sided tape. He told me that 3M makes a product that is specifically designed to mount solar panels. I did a quick web search and found 3M VHB tape is used. You may want to check that out. It saves putting holes in the roof. ------------- 2017 Chevy Silverado 1500 4X4 2018 R-Pod 189 2013 Yamaha FJR 1300A |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2018 at 4:32pm
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Thanks ZuBrew, I installed a 200 kilowatt (I think) solar array on a rooftop in Yonkers NY back in the 90's using VHB tape. Half of it came off in a windstorm and landed on the ground downwind. Half wouldn't come off no matter how hard you yanked on it. Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes have been around for a long time. They can work well, but they are sensitive to surface cleanliness, dryness, application technique, etc. Also the tapes are used for the frameless "flexible" solar modules which I don't want to use. I don't want to get into why here and start an argument with folks who are using them successfully. So, I think I'll stick with mechanical fasteners and framed glass solar modules. I plan to attach at the roof edges (probably to the top of the sidewalls into the aluminum box tubing there) which will both eliminate holes in the roof itself but also will put the fasteners in shear rather than tension which will be much stronger. Thanks again though for your suggestion though, I appreciate your taking the time. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2018 at 9:24am
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If you haven't mounted and/or purchased your solar panels you may want to look at flexible solar panels that can be attached to the roof by silicone and you don't have to drill any holes in the roof. I have mounted 4 renogy panels on the roof of my 179. ------------- Jay 179/2019 |