Dangerous situation-propane hose wear from screw
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Topic: Dangerous situation-propane hose wear from screw
Posted By: BH Podder
Subject: Dangerous situation-propane hose wear from screw
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 11:58am
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Hello, we're new to this group. We have an rpod 177 which we purchased new in 2018 in Wisconsin. I just encountered an issue that could have been disastrous and wanted to see if anyone else might have encountered this issue, and what we should do to fix it. The other day I happened to pull back the bed plywood and noticed that the propane hose and also 120 wire were chewed up from two long, sharp screws that hold some of the wood together by the water pump and go through into the bed frame/panel wood. The wire and hose are held together by cable ties and attached to to bed frame to keep it away from heater I assume but as a result hold the bundle close to the screws. The rubbing from vibrations during travel nearly cut clear through the propane hose insulation and also cut the wire insulation. Considering the hose is right next to the heater this could have easily created a massive fire if it suddenly started to leak when the heater was on. I can't believe FR would use long screws in this area; they're extremely sharp and extend nearly an inch. Has anyone else encountered this problem? You might want to have a look in that area as I had looked in there many times to close the water heater, etc., but had never noticed those screws before. Obviously different models may not have this issue, but I would think 178, 171, etc. have a similar layout as mine and might have this issue.
I'm also not sure if this is something I can fix myself. It appears that it's only about a 3 foot section of hose from the heater to a metal T on the outside of floor/undercarriage. But I'm guessing it might be hard to remove/unscrew the gas line from the T and heater. And I am guessing patching it with pipe tape and a clamp probably wouldn't be advisable. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I've attached a few photos.   |
Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 12:46pm
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I'm glad you found this before it became a disaster. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 1:04pm
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It would probably be a good idea to document this situation with the NTSB. I'll bet that your trailer isn't the only one with this very dangerous defect. Glad you found it before anything awful happened. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: BH Podder
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 1:42pm
| I did report it to the NHTSA. It would be good to know if others have encountered this issue. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 2:23pm
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Yikes, another case of bad/careless workmanship from FR. Guess we should t be surprised anymore. Anyhow, I would replace the propane line. The electric cable looks like it will be ok if you tape it, but be sure the conductors didn't get damaged. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: BH Podder
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 2:43pm
| Yeah, probably best to replace the hose. I haven't called FR yet, but I'd like to see if they would cover the cost of having the dealer do this work. I was planning to get the sewer pipe recall done soon anyway. But I'm not holding my breath, either. Certainly cheaper for them than a wrongful death lawsuit. |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 5:38pm
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Thank you for the pic's. I purchased my 177 back in January 2011. Looked at our setup and it is totally different routing than what is shown on your 177. Our water pump is held down by 4 screws that go into the floor on the slide, I took one out and it measured 1" in length. I did not remove the whole piece of luan but have a 5" x 7" opening cut above the 3 valves for winterizing ect. Shown a flashlight at the furnace and all looks well. Thanks for posting this, obviously some major changes in routing took place between our 2011 and your 2018 model. ------------- 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: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 6:30pm
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Jato, not sure anyone should count on these changes being planned or controlled in any way. It seems like the guys building these pretty much do what they want, can't count on any two trailers being built the same way. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 03 Aug 2022 at 1:36am
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Good point OG. A lot depends on who is working on the assembly line, what day of the week it is, if the worker is under pressure to put out more pods/day and the list goes on and on as to why there is such variability in build quality. In our case we were blessed. Maybe due to the selling dealer as our 177 was spotless, no sawdust, no loose 'parts' floating around even in the dark corners in storage and non storage areas; then again, that was March 2011. ------------- 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: BH Podder
Date Posted: 09 Oct 2022 at 9:50pm
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UPDATE: I meant to post an update here but things kind of got away from me. About 3-4 days after posting to NHTSA, I got a call from Susan Thornberg at FR requesting some photos which I sent right away. The next day she notified me that FR would pick up the repair costs and to schedule with the dealer to replace the hose that was torn up by the screw. So even though I was quite annoyed with FR for this happening in the first place, I was at least pleased by how quickly they rectified the situation. ------------- Jamie Harris & Mary Brehm of Wisconsin 2018.5 Rpod 177, 2019 Subaru Ascent |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 10 Oct 2022 at 3:31am
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Great to hear that. Susan Thornberg is a good egg to get hold of. When we ordered our new fridge a couple years ago, she was the one who handled the majority of the whole situation from start to finish. Nevertheless, you are correct, it shouldn't have happened in the first place and in the second place it should have been 'caught' by quality control, if there is such a thing anymore at FR. ------------- 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." |