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LuckyLindy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote LuckyLindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Shore Powe
    Posted: 10 Feb 2025 at 11:30am
Newbie LuckyLindy here. Again. Star. The 2019 191 is temporarily located at a nearby neighbor's home while I explore trailer dolly options to turn my rig around at the top of a hill w/ a tight turn radius...
Brand new battery installed. When I plug 30 amp male into 220 adapter and on to a 110 outside receptacle, I get a spark pop at the receptacle. Guys (and gals), I promise you, I've read everything I can find in the well-written online Forest River/2019 rPod owner's manual. Question 1) should I kill the "Main Breaker" before plugging in to shore power (no 30 amp available) then turn breaker back on to avoid spark? 2) Why does the newly-charged battery drain with nothing on inside or out? Am I missing something, like a "kill switch" as we use on a skid steer to avoid back drain while not in use? 
I'm a week away from an appointment with a local RV repair place. Grinding toward a ceremony honoring the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of WWII. My late mother was one of the 1100 fly girls who served our country from 1942-44. If you're ever "passing through" Sweetwater, Texas...stop in at the WASP museum! As always, thanks for the help. LL
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2025 at 10:55pm
Okay, first of all, it is NOT a 220 adapter. It is a 30 female to 15A male adapter (or jumper). Never confuse the two. The RPod is always 110V. If you think it is like 220 and plug it into a 220v outlet, really bad things will happen to the RPod's electrical system.

Now, is the breaker in question the one in your house's power panel or the one in the RPod's power panel? Either one will work. It is like when I plug into a shore power pedestal at a campground. I make sure the breaker is off in the panel, plug in my surge protector/circuit analyzer (to make sure the pedestal is putting out proper power), and then then turn the breaker on to check the power. Then I turn the breaker off, and if the power is good, plug the cable to the RPod in. Then I turn the breaker on. You can do the same thing with your home's outlet. 

2. There are parasitic drains that happen whenever the battery is connected. One of those is the LP/CO detector. That is only one. Another is the antenna booster if it is turned on. The electronics for the refrigerator, furnace, AC, etc. all have a power draw. Individually, they are small. Together, they can be significant. You can put a battery disconnect switch in the circuit so that you can eliminate the parasitic power drains. It depends on whether you can keep the RPod plugged in. In that case, let the converter keep the battery charged via the float function. Also, make sure the pin for the trailer disconnect switch is inserted. Otherwise, the brakes will be engaged and drawing power.

I wish you well with the ceremony. I'll have to file that WASP museum information away for the next time we are passing that way. Thank you.
StephenH
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LuckyLindy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote LuckyLindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Feb 2025 at 11:38pm
Stephen H. you nailed it. I misspoke. But think I did it correctly connection wise, just did not know to turn the breaker off/on in the protocol you describe above. 
I'll explore a battery disconnect switch for sure along with a surge protector/circuit analyzer. 
And yes, I keep the trailer disconnect inserted. Dumb luck! Thank you for decoding my questions and the encouragement on the ceremony! 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2025 at 9:11am
I installed a 30A RV outlet so that with an extension, I could keep our trailer plugged in. It sits in our driveway so that keeps it charged and ready. Plus, if we are doing something that requires more refrigerator space than we have in the house, we can start up the trailer's refrigerator to use. That has come in handy for when we are preparing something for an event. It is also useful to have since we don't have a guest room and the trailer serves as our guest room. Plus, I can turn the AC or heat on as needed when preparing for a trip so it will be comfortable to do the preparation work.

If you have to keep your RPod elsewhere, it would not do much good, but if you plan on keeping your RPod in your driveway or some other convenient spot, then you might consider having one installed. Just make sure the electrician understands that it is a 110V RV outlet, not a 220V appliance outlet. I have read here that it has happened.

Is it that you don't want to back down a hill that you want to turn the trailer? I would be very, very leery of trying to turn the trailer around unhitched on a hill. If the ground where it is is level, that is one thing, but on a slope? That trailer will want to roll downhill soon as the chocks are removed.There are trailer movers, but they are not cheap. If there is any slope at all, a manual mover is out of the question. A motorized one might be adequate, but not a single wheel. Something with enough contact surface for traction that can keep the trailer from rolling downhill is needed.

StephenH
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2025 at 11:17am
We tried a couple different trailer-dolly type things and none of them worked worth a crap if there was a rock bigger than 1/2" diameter. We tried two different ones, and sent them both back.

Then we got a thing called an e-go from Purpleline

It even comes with a remote control, and can drive opposite directions on the left/right side such that the trailer can do a "pirouette". 

Highly recommended. It took me and my step-son about a 1/2 day to install.
bp
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Post Options Post Options   Quote LuckyLindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2025 at 7:00pm
Hey guys, thank you! Stephen H. yes, I have 30 amp service installed at my home (had a small motorhome some years back). Same configuration as one would find on RV park pedestal. And I've ordered a surge protector/circuit analyzer to use there and on the road. 

Yes, the ground is level at the top of the hill. To your point GlueGuy, it's paved with chip seal (tiny pebbles) not gravel, but I hear you loud and clear. The dolly I'm researching is at Northern Tool in San 
Antonio. It is manual, but has two sturdy wheels and a caster. Adjustable ball. Rated for 1000 # I looked at the customer images and found a camper that looks to be about the size of my rPod. Great reviews w/ the exception of a guy who tried to move a double axle 20 foot CAR HAULER on grass!!!! He still gave it 2 stars!!! As always, many thanks. 

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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Feb 2025 at 11:10pm
Unless you have a good crew of people to assist you, I would not recommend a manual mover like that. If you are not on a hard surface, I think you will find that the wheels are going to start sinking into the chip seal. The good ratings are pretty much all for moving on a hard, paved surface or concrete shop floor. On anything else, the wheels, especially the caster wheel don't look wide enough to resist sinking into softer surfaces.

StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Post Options Post Options   Quote LuckyLindy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2025 at 6:19am
Roger that, Stephen H. Will be most cautious! I'm seeking an alternative location. 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Feb 2025 at 11:05am
Originally posted by LuckyLindy

Hey guys, thank you! Stephen H. yes, I have 30 amp service installed at my home (had a small motorhome some years back). Same configuration as one would find on RV park pedestal. And I've ordered a surge protector/circuit analyzer to use there and on the road. 

Yes, the ground is level at the top of the hill. To your point GlueGuy, it's paved with chip seal (tiny pebbles) not gravel, but I hear you loud and clear. The dolly I'm researching is at Northern Tool in San 
Antonio. It is manual, but has two sturdy wheels and a caster. Adjustable ball. Rated for 1000 # I looked at the customer images and found a camper that looks to be about the size of my rPod. Great reviews w/ the exception of a guy who tried to move a double axle 20 foot CAR HAULER on grass!!!! He still gave it 2 stars!!! As always, many thanks. 

All the ones we tried were motorized, but they still didn't work. A manual one like that might be even worse unless you have a really small TT.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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