As for plugging in your Pod, it's more convenient to have a 30A plug available, but plugging it into a 20A works just fine.  Just don't run a lot of stuff at the same time.  AC will probably run by itself but if you run other stuff with it when it's starting and stopping, you may trip your breaker.  You can buy converters to go from 30 amp to a standard household plug.  In fact, that's how mine is connected right now.  I have a 30A plug available, but its connected something else.

We have some very knowledgable engineers on the board who are very generous with their guidance.  

Hello and welcome! I hope you have many fun adventures and make many great memories in the process!

As for connecting to the house, 30A is ideal. You can get an outlet installed (or do it yourself if you are capable). If you have it done, make sure to emphasize that it is a 110V 30A RV outlet you want. Some electricians may just hear 30A and assume 220V, which will fry your R-Pod. You can connect to 20A and run the AC OR the refrigerator, but not both at the same time. With 15A, you can run everything with the exception of the AC, especially if anything else is on the same circuit. In my house, the ouside outlet will not run the AC without tripping the breaker. It might be okay if I were to turn the breaker for the converter off, but the main reason to be plugged in is to make sure the batteries remain fully charged.

To sum up:

30A -- Run everything.

20A -- Run everything, but not simultaneously.

15A -- Run everything except AC but not simultaneously; maybe run AC if nothing else is running (including converter).

All in all, since it is unlikely you will be running the water heater while it is parked outside, you can just leave that off and not worry about it. If you are home, you won't be worried about microwave/convection oven use (unless you are experimenting with it baking test batches of cinnamon rolls ). Lights are a negligible draw since they are LED. The main usefulness of having it plugged in, even if you only have a 15A outlet available is for keeping the battery/batteries charged, providing lighting, keeping the constant parasitic draws from draining your battery/batteries, and for pre-chilling your refrigerator so you don't waste propane doing so. Also, if it is cold, you could run a small ceramic block heater instead of running the furnace.

If you do choose to plug in, make sure you use a good, heavy-duty (10 or 12 gauge) extension cord. No 14 or 16 gauge please. Those are too small a conductor to take the load you can expect to put on the cord, especially if you are running the AC.

If I were expecting to run the microwave OR the AC, then I would use a 20A plug if you have that available.

If I were expecting to run the AC AND the microwave together, then you will need a standard 30A RV receptacle.

If you have access to your house circuit you can just leave the charger on all the time, its not a problem. If you are charging intermittently, then you should disconnect the battery when not being charged as there are some small parasitic loads in the trailer that you can't easily get rid of.  Then, reconnect the battery and turn on the charger overnight every few weeks or so. However you charge them, you should check the battery water level every few weeks as well. 

they are under $10.  You don't want to let the batteries rundown to more than 50%, or  12.2 v.  A good book to read is "12 volt Bible for Boats ." Owning an RV is like owning a boat - you have to like to "fiddle" with things or you won't have a good experience.

One thing that I did that was helpful is to put a volt meter next to the idiot light panel. I put it in with a momentary switch so that when I press the button, I get a voltage reading. It seemed to make more sense than having it run constantly. I used one like this: http://smile.amazon.com/WATERWICH-Voltmeter-Terminals-Automobiles-Motorcycle/dp/B071ZRMP65/ - Waterwich 12/24V LED Display DC Voltmeter . along with a https://smile.amazon.com/yueton-Waterproof-Momentary-Reactable-Terminals/dp/B0131XF9KS/ - Round Cap Waterproof Momentary Push Button Switch like the one in the link. I made a thin panel to mount both on since I wanted to reinforce the thin paneling and to be able to run the wires from the power panel to the switch and display. I'm not sure if I have a picture in my mods. It has been quite a while since I installed them.

Progressive Industries 313.1168 SSP30X Smart Surge Protector - 120V/30A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015G2YYN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_uZz5Cb685J5Z4

Just for clarity, and apologies if this is obvious, but there are two completely different things here. The voltmeter looks at the 12Vdc system and the surge protector looks at the 120Vac system. 

My R-pod currently serves as my home office, parked right outside the garage apartment I rent. It's plugged in to a regular garage outlet. I don't run the AC or microwave or anything else heavy-duty when it's hooked up like this. I do keep the trailer plugged in to keep the batteries charging.

Recently, the connection where the cord plugs into the trailer has gotten fussy. I tried a different cord, but that isn't it. It seems to be the contacts, or prongs (is that what they are called?) that the cord plugs into. In other words, the part that's attached permanently to the outside of the trailer.

I have to wiggle the end of the cord a bit to get it to connect. Then every now and then, it inexplicably disconnects and I have to wiggle it again to get the contact again.

Someone suggested I clean the prongs/contacts/whatever they are called with something but he didn't know what it's called. I did some research and found DeOxIt ... is that appropriate for cleaning these? I don't want to mess anything up! Help! Has anyone else had this issue with their R-pod's electrical system? Sure hope I explained this well enough 

Thanks in advance for your input!