I'm guessing I probably ruined my fridge...

[Sfgoble]

Running or not if you leave a gas fridge unlevel It will definitely hurt them I learned that the hard way . A lot of newer campers have residential type electric fridges , mine included , they run fine level or not . I love it don’t have to worry about it and with the inverter it will run on battery going down the road or about 24 hrs before it runs the battery down . Sitting unlevel for a few hours most likely didn’t hurt your fridge but it needs to be level front to back and side to side if it’s a gas fridge what happens is ,they are filled with ammonia and it will all run to the low point and it won’t circulate for some reason it gets stuck when it pools up in one spot . I’ve been told and actually fixed one by taking it out and turning it upside down and tapping on the coils and leaving it sit for a few days . Gas fridges are finicky things I’ve know people who never had problems and never worried one bit about level and others who went boondocking one time on a bad spot and totally ruined theirs . These days I stay close to power so I really like the all 120 electric residential fridge. Good luck but I bet you’re fine .

[NJKris]

You'll find the latest Dometic manual interesting. It says it can operate when the trailer is leveled to the degree it is comfortable to live in. i.e., walls appear vertical and you're not rolling across the floor. There are no 'angle degree limits'. It is not essential when towing, because they say the pitching and rolling while towing will keep the refrigerant from collecting in one spot in the tube. It also says that if it is not level enough, cooling ability will be compromised. It does not say anything about damage occurring. Maybe this only pertains to newer fridges (mine is installed on a 2019 model year), or maybe they just relaxed their instruction manual so as not to have people getting too excited.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Kamikaze

Tell me if I’m wrong, but it says in our books on the fridge that even when everything is shut off, it still draws a little current we’ve been having some issues with something drawing power and draining our batteries. So, I just unhook the negative cable and let it sit like that for a couple of weeks till we camp again. Anyone see any problem this could cause?

None at all. Just remember to shut off your propane at the tank since your leak warning system will also be off line.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Hclarkx

Did anyone else notice that the admonition from Dometic (see the quoted post) is that "performance will not be optimal" ....... it does not indicate to me in any way that damage will be done by not being level. Seems to say that the fridge may just not cool as well.

The more out of level, the less efficient an absorption fridge is.

It won't get as cold and your ice cream may not be as firm as you might like.

[KyDan]

Gotta wonder how you didn't notice the light INSIDE the fridge was on when you were
un-loading it???
(Also don't think you killed it....)

[NJKris]

You have a light in your fridge??? NICE!!! Rich people. LOL.

[Stormvet1st]

Level it but give the gasses and oils that make a fridge a fridge, settle.

[SandyNick]

Is there a gauge we can use for measuring of 5 degrees. Only have been using a level on TT.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by SandyNick

Is there a gauge we can use for measuring of 5 degrees. Only have been using a level on TT.

If you can not walk comfortably in the camper, you are too far out of level.
If you do not notice a drop in any direction you are fine.

[rbq]

Originally Posted by SandyNick

Is there a gauge we can use for measuring of 5 degrees. Only have been using a level on TT.

Level Mate Pro. Use this with your smart phone to level the trailer. It will tell you which side to raise & then front to back.

[myxkp]

Originally Posted by larry2c

So I leveled the TT up (actually 2 degrees nose down is as close to level as I can get it in our driveway), let it set for a couple hours then fired it up in propane mode. About 4 hours later I checked it and the temp was down in the mid 30's. I'm a happy camper - pun intended!

Regarding how level is good enough - according to my old Dometic manual it is 6 degrees front to back (relative to the actual refrigerator, not the trailer) and 3 degrees side to side. The Cruise Lite manual says the TT should be comfortably level - a pretty ambiguous statement to me.

But here is my real wold experience - I always try to have the trailer within 1 degree (front to back relative to the trailer). At times when I have had it off from that goal (between 2 & 3 degrees) I've found it takes longer for the fridge to cool down.

Bottom line is, I'm glad the fridge is still working and I appreciate the positive feedback - I really didn't want to have to do a fridge repair! I will also be more careful in the future on pushing the right button . I figure that mistakes like that are probably cumulative - like running down the battery. Do it too many times and your going to be SOL!

Thanks again to all!

The beauty of an absorption refrigerator is no moving parts. Very difficult to "kill". Your experience proves this. Thanks for sharing; helps others and helps me identify and block people with "Don't know what they are talking about" types.

[Bill and Gail]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

. It's actually Carter's Little Liver Pills. It was one of my Grandpa's favorite sayings, but he didn't use the liver part
Some interesting history of the pills and the saying:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cart...le_Liver_Pills

I remember the tv ads for "Carter's Little Liver Pills"

[gbaldwin]

Originally Posted by SandyNick

Is there a gauge we can use for measuring of 5 degrees. Only have been using a level on TT.

Used a 6" bubble level for years.... just on floor of unit inside door. It is plenty accurate to insure comfort and good fridge operation.

[BradJB]

Hmmm. Maybe towing with the fridge running on propane is a bad idea?

[NJKris]

No Brad, read my post #42.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Bill and Gail

I remember the tv ads for "Carter's Little Liver Pills"

Yep, back when we had three black and white channels that only come in with the readjustment of the rabbit ears. Also remember them during the radio programs, that we listened to more than we watched the tv.

[SandyNick]

Just saw on Amazon it’s around $140. Think I’ll wait, keep with my 6” level for now. Thanks.

[Gumpster808]

Got a free app on my phone called bubble level. Shows that I’m 2.3 deg off level when I get as close as I can in our drive.

Have one of the round bubble levels I put on the dinette too when doing things in the drive. Agrees with the app on where the bubble is.

[bareftn]

Originally Posted by johnlochbuie

Trailer does not have to be level on the old type frig need to be level not on the new ones can be more then 5 degrees and work just fine people that say must be level do not know what they are talking about

X2
Mine has been sitting in driveway still hooked up nose is down because I have a slight slop in driveway and so I am not level and fridge has been on since mothers day weekend and it will still be on when we leave in 2 weeks (Its ice cold), been that way all summer last year and every year since we bought in in 2015

Oh and also we move the slide in and out many many times that way and we never ever had a problem so one does not have to be level to do that both ate old myths

[NXR]

As with all things it really depends on the actual equipment and the circumstances involved. Some RVs have adequate supporting structure where slides can be moved without being level, some cannot. Some will work fine for a long time but can be causing stress and fatigue on the supporting structure leading to eventual failure and not necessarily for the original owner.

There are hundreds if not thousands of variables involved including manufacturer practices, age, model differences, year-to-year variances, installer-to-installer variances, etc. A sample size of one or a dozen does not predict the impact on the entire population of RVs.

Follow the manufacturer's recommended practices, sign up for recall notices, maintain an active or even passive participation in information-sharing groups such as this forum and act upon that information and you'll likely be OK.

When people ask me what my job involves (information security) I usually reply "To learn from the mistakes of others before they happen to us" and I apply that philosophy to any major thing I do. So far it's worked.

Ray