Fridge not going to be level while traveling - Page 2

cariboo camper · 07-15-2018, 04:03 PM

Never had a problem while travelling but I do keep it in mind when parked for more than fifteen or twenty minutes so I will shut it off. Only takes a second

I do know however that when moving a fridge and fridge is tilted or laid flat that it requires a few hours of sitting level before starting up.

garbonz · 07-15-2018, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnD10

As you said...minor tilt of the refer side to side is not an issue...it is extreme tilts that can cause this!

Front to back leveling doesn't seem to be as important as the cooling tubes on the back of the fridge is what needs to be close to level side to side.

My previous 2013 TT had the rear kitchen with the fridge on the back wall.

I would park it along the curb in front of my house for a couple of days while loading it and not level it side by side.

And it was quite an angle...had an angled 3 1/2 inch curb and if I pulled the TT with the door side tires up on the curb it was pretty close to level.

When it was brand new it worked flawlessly...

After the first year we started to notice that we could no longer keep ice cream or ice cubes frozen in that freezer, even with it turned all the way up, not too mention that milk in the fridge was no longer cold, and on long trips found that food was going bad.

After researching the net, I of course read about the leveling thing and started doing that.

But that fridge never came back from that.

Not long after I traded that in for my current 5'ver is when I saw that demo I mentioned above and then the ice cream/ice cube thing made sense.

Now I have the fridge in a slide on the door side (which presents it's own issues), but it works flawlessly, except when it is 100+ degrees outside and that slide is in the sun!

And again...never assume that just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it never will.

It really isn't that big of a deal to level your RV's...

Keeps doors opened when you want them to stay opened and doesn't make the blood rush to the wrong side of our bodies while we are sleeping if you have a side to side bed!

According to Wildcat that didn't happen, cause he says so, you are spreading fake news. STop it. No absorption fridge has been harmed by unlevel operation, ever. Really not ever.

Even tho many have reported it, and the Amish folks are making money replacing these cooling units.

MR.M · 07-15-2018, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flightmike

Not a thread about fridge on or off while on the road and I searched but just found threads about fridge problems.
Question is your fridge is supposed to stay fairly level while on but we are going to be traveling out west in the mountains with plenty of elevation changes. Is this going to hurt the fridge to be running off level so much? Could it shorten the life of the fridge?
We will be stopping every night and try to have power but not sure. Have a couple of multiple night reservations with power along the way and we could use ice to keep it cool and leave it off but didn’t want the hassle or take up the room.
So should I even worry about it and leave it on.

NOT at all . the fridge will work just fine while driving in the mountains

NMWildcat · 07-15-2018, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garbonz

According to Wildcat that didn't happen, cause he says so, you are spreading fake news. STop it. No absorption fridge has been harmed by unlevel operation, ever. Really not ever.

Even tho many have reported it, and the Amish folks are making money replacing these cooling units.

Ouch! You funny man

MR.M · 07-15-2018, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garbonz

According to Wildcat that didn't happen, cause he says so, you are spreading fake news. STop it. No absorption fridge has been harmed by unlevel operation, ever. Really not ever.

Even tho many have reported it, and the Amish folks are making money replacing these cooling units.

lots of fake assumptions about absorption fridges . being off level is one of them it really depends on which way your off level and it would have to be so much you would notice it in the camprer

MR.M · 07-15-2018, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cariboo camper

Never had a problem while travelling but I do keep it in mind when parked for more than fifteen or twenty minutes so I will shut it off. Only takes a second

I do know however that when moving a fridge and fridge is tilted or laid flat that it requires a few hours of sitting level before starting up.

That's only for fridges with compressors as the oil will drain out of the compressor so it's wise to leave it set up for a few hours if it was laid down for any length of time

TeachTexas · 07-15-2018, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR.M

lots of fake assumptions about absorption fridges . being off level is one of them it really depends on which way your off level and it would have to be so much you would notice it in the camprer

Direct quote from Dometic about being level: "Thank you for contacting Dometic. The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."

NMWildcat · 07-15-2018, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeachTexas

Direct quote from Dometic about being level: "Thank you for contacting Dometic. The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."

Then that is what YOU should do. Easypeasy

Villagerjjm · 07-15-2018, 08:10 PM

For some reason, the absorption refrigerators seem to work well while in motion and on propane. Not quite as efficient as stationary and level, but enough to keep food frozen in the freezer and cold in the compartment. I have noticed that it is best to place cold food in before travel. I usually freeze 4 bottles of water and place 2 in the freezer and 2 in the refrigerator. The frozen water bottles tend to "stabilize" the entire system because of the density of the water. If you have freezer packs, they will work better than water bottles for stability but they require more energy to stay frozen or re freeze.

**F.R.O.G.** · 07-15-2018, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windjammin

Yea but is dry heat so it doesn't matter that much. At least that is what I have heard.

So is a pizza oven, but I wouldn't want to live in one of those, either!

JohnD10 · 07-15-2018, 10:36 PM

It is 8:35 pm and it is still 97.3 degrees outside right now...

Flightmike · 07-15-2018, 10:55 PM

Great info thanks all.

model71 · 07-16-2018, 09:16 AM

2 months in Alaska last year. Fridge ran all the time. No issue.

Kaadk · 07-16-2018, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garbonz

According to Wildcat that didn't happen, cause he says so, you are spreading fake news. STop it. No absorption fridge has been harmed by unlevel operation, ever. Really not ever.

Even tho many have reported it, and the Amish folks are making money replacing these cooling units.

I'm not sure about that. I've had an absorption fridge quit working on me, and the only thing I can point at is that I the previous trip I had to run to an event the same day as we came home, so we dropped the TT in the driveway (it's a 3% grade) and didn't level it like I normally do. Overall, the TT was probably at 4% after unhooking, as it was a little nose down where I left it. Sat that way for about 40 hours before I could get around to dealing with it. Levelled the TT, put slide out, emptied the fridge, shut it down, slide back in, hooked back up and put it in storage. Next trip out, got it from storage, put back in driveway, levelled, put slide out, turned fridge back on, left it for 36 hours and still wasn't cooling. That was on the way to our first time at the FROG rally, so while there I asked the techs to check it. Mike Stump found out we were there with our small kids and had no fridge and insisted they just replace the whole unit, no questions asked, so I never did find out what was actually wrong with it, but the only thing I can point at compared to the total 5 years we ran with that rig was that day and a half we ran off level.

For that reason alone, I try to ensure we only run the fridge 'levelish'. I'm not a perfectionist that needs to be perfectly level, but I do try to be aware of being close enough.

Filterman · 07-17-2018, 12:58 PM

Tow with our Domitec on all the time through the mountains of BC and in some much worse conditions and never an issue. They are not as level sensitive as one might think. If they were parked on en extreme angle for a long period they might not work so well...otherwise no issues.

TitanMike · 07-18-2018, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeachTexas

Direct quote from Dometic about being level: "Thank you for contacting Dometic. The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."

So according to Dometic a 25' trailer can be "un-level" by just under 3 feet end to end and by just under 4" side to side.

Based on this it would appear that worrying about getting everything perfectly level for the refrigerator is a little like making sure you have picked all the fly specks out of the ground pepper.

Absorbsion refrigerators fail for many reasons. Out of level by a reasonable amount is more likely than not at the bottom of the list.

TeachTexas · 07-18-2018, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitanMike

So according to Dometic a 25' trailer can be "un-level" by just under 3 feet end to end and by just under 4" side to side.

Based on this it would appear that worrying about getting everything perfectly level for the refrigerator is a little like making sure you have picked all the fly specks out of the ground pepper.

Absorbsion refrigerators fail for many reasons. Out of level by a reasonable amount is more likely than not at the bottom of the list.

That is what I got out of it.
Not critical but can be an issue but don't sweat a little out of level.

NHHorseman · 07-23-2018, 06:39 PM

Been using those type fridge since 1971 with many many years on the road. Leave it on gas mode. It only needs to be level when stationary.

ChrisParise · 07-23-2018, 09:19 PM

Been rving for 12 years and always keep it on when traveling and never have had a problem. Dometic that runs on propane or electric and switches automatically flawlessly.

just4fun · 07-24-2018, 07:56 AM

I pulled my trailer into my drive (not completely level - but more than slightly off)... turned on refrigerator for 1 day to cool down before stocking!

Refrigerator QUIT working. Had a tech come out to my home (time sensitive)! He tried a few tricks, and could not get it working again. I had to put a small refrigerator inside.

I was advised by two separate service companies and techs, as well as manufacturer, that it likely would require replacement! After having traveled over 600+ miles and two days of being parked level, it randomly started working again. I NEVER run it while driving or while un-level anymore.

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