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Travel report: fridge door damage and parking-brake roll-away

3 months ago

Heading home. Got quite the list for Pebble to fix. Yesterday was a disaster! Finding chargers in Phoenix was horrible. Even Rivian chargers didn’t work until I did a hard reset. At the last Walmart we attempted unsuccessfully, we discovered the refrigerator had opened and the door was damaged. I will post pictures when I calm down!! And yes, the refrigerator was closed when we left Arizona. Roads were bad and we took some pretty hard bumps.

refrigerator parking-brake safety charging travel

37 comments

3mo ago

It’s happened with our Pebble and two previous Airstreams. Refrigerator latches are simply not sufficient for trailers on bumpy roads. I use child-proof latches for secondary latching. Different styles and colors are available.

3mo ago

Do you have a link for those?

3mo ago

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYY5YVCC

amazon.comAmazon.com: Cabinet Locks Baby Proofing, Childproof Cabinet Locks 10 Pack with Adhesive for Protecting Kids and Toddlers, Child Safety Lock for Drawer Cupboards Closet and Pantry Door (Black) : BabyAmazon.com: Cabinet Locks Baby Proofing, Childproof Cabinet Locks 10 Pack with Adhesive for Protecting Kids and Toddlers, Child Safety Lock for Drawer Cupboards Closet and Pantry Door (Black) : Baby

3mo ago

I am so sorry that your experience was bad. Hang in there! I'll be looking for your pictures. I am wondering if anyone else has had problems with the fridge door?

When you find a charger that doesn't work, please try to find out what brand the hardware is and post that. I'm trying to figure out how to tell if a charger will work or not with the Pebble. It seems to be charger hardware and not the company providing the charging that makes a difference. I am hoping this information will help Pebble work on compatibility issues, but I am also hoping it will help all of us waste less time going to incompatible chargers.

Best of luck with the rest of your trip.

3mo ago

The screws that held the latch to the door panel came loose on mine yesterday while camping. The screws used were too short to get sufficient purchase on the panel, but longer ones can't be used because they would poke through the panel. I called the Pebble tech who had been at my campsite the day before fixing a window issue, and he was still in the area, so he drove 2.5 hours in traffic to come back and install a metal plate onto the latch that then secured to the panel. It feels much sturdier now, but it will not fix what happened to the owner above, unfortunately.

3mo ago

I added a third sliding bracket near the top of the fridge door to reduce the flex in that door panel.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BBDV7D3

amazon.comPaxanpax PRF062 Universal Integrated Fridge Freezer Decor Door Mounting & Installation Plastic Sliding Bracket Fixing Kit - Amazon.comPaxanpax PRF062 Universal Integrated Fridge Freezer Decor Door Mounting & Installation Plastic Sliding Bracket Fixing Kit - Amazon.com

3mo ago

This has occurred on at least one additional unit that I know of. Sounds like maybe it is time for a Field Service Campaign / Customer Satisfaction Campaign / Technical Service Bulletin kind of thing for the fleet.

3mo ago

Which latch / panel?

3mo ago

The latch that you use to open the fridge door/panel.

3mo ago

WOW... that really took a chunk out of the fridge door panel!

3mo ago

We got a shower rod to hopefully keep the fridge door closed!

3mo ago

PSA: We were at a Tesla charging station on the Arizona-California border, charging the truck and going to unhitch the camper. We took off the safety chain and the camper started rolling away! We grabbed the hitch wheel and were losing ground. Someone saw what was happening and got a big rock, which stopped the rolling! The parking brake was on but not working. Then the app showed a parking-brake malfunction.

Made a frantic call to support. Before heading home I got three wheel chocks and won’t remove safety chains until we are sure the brake is working. Super scary and potentially a huge cost if we smashed a couple of Teslas and chargers!

3mo ago

Given the magnitude of the risk if things go wrong, maybe carrying AND using wheel chocks is still a good idea after all.

3mo ago

Definitely using wheel chocks every hitch and unhitch. Unless camper and tow vehicle are on flat ground, Magic Hitch over- or underestimates.

3mo ago

Fridge temporary lock!

3mo ago

Fix until we get home, then Fremont!

3mo ago

Just got off the phone with Pebble. The parking-brake fault occurs when the Pebble senses a roll-away. Ours rolled about 24 inches before it manually applied its brakes. Of course we didn’t know it would stop itself until now. Two feet of clearance around the Pebble is something to be aware of. Support is sending a tech out to our house next week.

3mo ago

Very helpful information. Sorry again this happened to you.

And if that feature is software enabled, I’d like to see Pebble reduce that distance to somewhere between 6 inches and 1 foot.

3mo ago

Question: is the HVAC system always in Auto? That is, can you set it to cool or to heat? I want to leave the HVAC system set at 85°, so it doesn't get too terribly hot. But when I do that, in the morning when it's cool, the heater comes on until it gets up to 85°.

The Pebble is a literal oven.

3mo ago

Yes, right now the only mode is Auto. Drives me nuts since I have to remember to turn it off in the evenings to keep it from heating. I’m really hoping they add Cool / Heat modes and maybe even schedules like a normal thermostat.

2mo ago

Mine came with those features. Under “More,” I think.

2mo ago

“Mine came with those features”… HVAC scheduling? Are you sure? Per Scout AI: “The Pebble Flow doesn't have an HVAC scheduling feature. The app currently offers manual climate control and an Auto mode (which manages fan speed and air recirculation automatically), but there is no timer or schedule functionality available.” “The Pebble Flow HVAC offers: A temperature setpoint you can adjust (the system heats or cools to reach your target).”

2mo ago

Sorry, my bad. I thought she was saying manual heat/A/C settings in addition to Auto. Absolutely right. No scheduling or smart-feature programming though.

I watched an interview with a Pebble founder where they inferred the HVAC isn’t really designed with full-time living in mind. I think that was the disconnect at Pebble. It’s a great feature for any use.

3mo ago

I generally just leave the fresh vent on by the foot of the bed and that seems to moderate temperature well this time of year.

3mo ago

Yeah, we tried that, but when the ambient temperature is around 100°, it's not helping much.

2mo ago

An HVAC timer and/or schedule would be a nice luxury, but what I REALLY need is Cool-only or Heat-only modes.

2mo ago

I will check tonight. I’m sure I have cool- or heat-only modes.

2mo ago

I don't mind cold at night; 60–65° is great for sleeping. I set the HVAC for 75° on a hot night. Ideally, it would stop at 75° and let it cool more naturally, but no... on came the heat! I never want the heat set that high! Likewise, I was cooking, it was hot, and I turned on the HVAC to blow cool in my face. Halfway through cooking, it started blowing heat at me.

This is not a far-fetched wish-list item. This is a necessity!

2mo ago

I think you will find otherwise.

2mo ago

Yes for sure: Cool-only or Heat-only modes! I did not know that about my pending pickup.

2mo ago

So, if you set the HVAC at 70°, the only time it will turn off is if it is exactly 70°. I like to set cool at 75–78° and heat to 68–69° during the day. There should be that middle gap where ambient temperature is just right and the HVAC doesn't run.

At night, I don't want heat until we go below 60° or cool above 75°. As it is now, there is no middle ground for it to just be off, unless you shut it off.

2mo ago

You may know this, but because it’s a heat pump, the most efficient way to run it is constantly—for electric use AND keeping humidity down. Humidity regulation is so vital to a heat pump’s effectiveness. Not a problem on shore power, obviously, and yes, a smart thermostat is perfect for ease and comfort with this system. Hope we get it soon.

I own a hotel and some other properties all with heat pumps, so I know more than I want to on them.

2mo ago

We just got a heat pump in our house too, and it is REALLY hard to get past that habit of turning it on and off. We are not used to dealing with humidity.

2mo ago

Yep. Old school. I get it. Growing up with dads who asked us if we “grew up in a barn” every time we left the door open doesn’t help. It’s still painful for me to make my heat pumps run continuously, but it uses dramatically less energy that way.

Travel report: fridge door damage and parking-brake roll-away

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37 comments

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37 comments