Refrigerator NOT being level questions.

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DonTom

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2005
Posts
13,071
Location
Auburn, CA or Reno, NV
We all know our refrigerators, when on propane, should be as level as possible.

But what happens when you must park on a very unlevel street, should we turn the refrigerator off? Or does the time it's there make a big difference, say if it's for 30 minutes or longer?

And what happens when we leave it on? Does something get damaged or is it a big drop in efficiency or both?

The only place I have level ground at my Auburn house is at the house itself.

It's not level at all where my Y2K RV is parked. On the night before a trip, I turn the refrigerator on propane to get it ready for the morning. Even though not even close to being level, it works very well and I am ready to load it up and take off in the morning.

So am I doing any type of damage, and if so, to what? BTW, I have treated it poorly over the years as far as leveling is concerned and it still works very well.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
I always wondered about that too. The other week we were at an apple orchard and we were unlevel and I turned it off for the 25 minutes we were there.

Don't know if I overreact to this crap or not.

My class c is a 2018 with a chassis 2017. hahaha
 
Don,
Everything I've read says to get them as level as possible, within 3 degrees of level. The ammonia in the condenser needs to drop to the evaporator during the cooling process. The more unlevel you are, the harder it is for this to happen.
I wouldn't concern myself with short stops, but any lengthy stays such as overnight I'd try to level the rig as much as possible.
 
I think the bubble level in mine hits the edge at a degree and a half so I kinda use that as my go-no go fridge indicator. I've found that while having the fridge pre-cooled is generally a good thing, it works out that if you put everything in it already cold or frozen there's not much extra it's going to do. I am personally averse to having the gas on going down the road and find that with sufficient thermal mass in it, it really doesn't warm up all that much between stops. A few bottles of frozen water inside before departure helps a lot on warm days. So how much tilt and for how long is not something I care to experiment with having a fridge as old, and seemingly well performing as it is so why tempt fate proving the point. If it's not level, I won't run it.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Most recreational refrigerators will work properly as long as they are within 2 degrees of level side to side and 4 degrees of level front to back. More modern models of RV fridges are more forgiving, allowing for proper operation within 3 degrees of level side to side and 6 degrees of level front to back. That is what the manufacturers recommend. In general, if the RV is level enough to walk about without much notice, it will be fine for the refrigerator. If you feel that you are walking up a hill, probably not OK.
 
You can just turn off the refer when parked at extreme angles for more than a half hour.
They are designed to keep things cool while not running, as long as you're not opening and closing the door a lot.
6 degrees front to back is pretty extreme. So, if you're comfortable sitting it the rig at an angle, the Refer will likely be fine, too.
 
My main question is does it do any damage when NOT level? And if it does do damage, to what part or parts of the refrigerator?

-Don- Reno, NV
 
My main question is does it do any damage when NOT level?
It can, but exactly at what point and how much is a guessing game. The cooing unit works by convection flow so the attitude of the piping will impact the movement of both the vapor of refrigerant and also the returning liquid once that vapor has condensed. There is no mechanical pump to make things move so leveling does impact this. In the worst case the liquid can make a hydraulic lock and block the flow completely. Because of this the temperatures in the boiler and associated tubing will vary widely based on the movement of the refrigerant. When you are traveling the constant vibration and movement of the refrigerator prevents this from happening.
fridge.gif

An RV refrigerator uses a refrigerant that is a mixture of water, ammonia, and anticorrosive chemicals. Excessive temperatures will over time cause the chemicals to begin to crystalize and eventually the crystals will plug the cooling unit and ruin it. I suggest that you consider adding one of the ARP-RV Fridge Defend units to your refrigerator as that will prevent this sort of problems.

For more information about how these units work, I suggest the explanation and information from The RV Doctor website.
 
The 25 year old Norcold, in my now 150K mile coach, has never been run 'out of level' ... It's still working fine,
 
I was under the impression if the water separator didn't drain enough water back down to the boiler (due to being tilted too far) the heat from the element or flame can crystallize the ammonia, reducing the effectiveness of the system. This is just what I've read about in passing but it sounds like a cumulative effect, a little here and a little there and after enough insults your fridge isn't quite as good as it used to be.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I gotta tell ya,

My instruction booklet or anyone else's booklet are not going to reveal the answer to anything we want to know. hahhahah

Why?

I guess they might not be able to PROVE a reason?
 
The damage, if there will be any, starts immediately. However, it's not instant fail - it is more like accelerated deterioration. And if the off-level exceeds some limit, cooling also stops, and that is immediate.

The longer the fridge runs partially off-level, the greater the deterioration of the coolant inside and the more likley there will be a permanent failure sometime in the future. No way to guess whether that furtue is months or years of use.

The answer as to when these things occur and how much it affects is more complicated, as Kirk began to explain. It's even worse that what he described, because the angles are different depending on which side the fridge is tilted toward. It's rarely worth trying to guestimate how much is too much. If you can't keep it within 2-3 degrees, shut it off. That's actually an uncomfortable steep angle. 3 degrees over 30 feet is about 18" of height difference end-to-end.
 
It can, but exactly at what point and how much is a guessing game.
Thanks for all that good info.

I will have to look more into that "ARP-RV Fridge Defend" thingy. But do any newer RVs already have something like that? If not, why not?

-Don- Reno, NV
 
My main question is does it do any damage when NOT level? And if it does do damage, to what part or parts of the refrigerator?

-Don- Reno, NV

Hi Don. Yes. Damage is cumulative and starts as soon as it is running off level. If you ever visit a cooling unit rebuild shop you will see why. Essentially you interrupt the absorption process because it can’t happen when off level. (3 degrees side to side, 6 degrees front to back but most shops will tell you not to exceed 2 and 4). As long as you are moving things are fine (if you are okay with running with propane on) but if you stop for anymore than a few minutes and you exceed the off level limits then turn it off. Makes no difference if you are on propane or electric. That’s just a heat source for starting the absorption process.

Cheers.
 
Makes no difference if you are on propane or electric. That’s just a heat source for starting the absorption process.
OIC, I always thought it had something to do with the flame, I didn't realize it was the same issue on AC, that the issue is really the absorption process.

So if a refrigerator craps out from being way off level for too long, what is the fix?

Do compressor refrigerators totally solve the level problem? If so, that 8 amp draw Thor Axis refrigerator I was looking at might not have been so bad after all.:)

-Don- Reno, NV
 
OIC, I always thought it had something to do with the flame, I didn't realize it was the same issue on AC, that the issue is really the absorption process.

So if a refrigerator craps out from being way off level for too long, what is the fix?

Do compressor refrigerators totally solve the level problem? If so, that 8 amp draw Thor Axis refrigerator I was looking at might not have been so bad after all.:)

-Don- Reno, NV
The fix is a rebuilt cooling unit. In Canada that will run you around 1200 to 1600 bucks. There is a rebuild shop right local though so pretty easy peazy. That’s also in our currency so I’m sure your numbers will be different.

Compressor fridges (either the new RV dc models from Norcold or Dometic or residential units) are a much better way to go. They don’t use much power but you should count on adding a 300 or 400 watts of solar to compensate as well as double your current battery bank. But seriously, a completely superior way to go. Oh, and if you use a residential then count on adding a 600 sine wave inverter. Solar is cheap. Don’t skimp.

Hope that helps.
 
The fix is a rebuilt cooling unit. In Canada that will run you around 1200 to 1600 bucks.
Your 1400CAD (your average)should be 1,133.72 USD here in the USA, our money is worth a bit more than yours these days, according to here.

Anyway, in all of the three RVs I have owned in my life, my somewhat often mistreated absorption RV refrigerators have worked well, so far.

I just wanted to know how far I have been pushing my luck. :unsure:

-Don- Reno, NV
 
Your 1400CAD (your average)should be 1,133.72 USD here in the USA, our money is worth a bit more than yours these days, according to here.

Anyway, in all of the three RVs I have owned in my life, my somewhat often mistreated absorption RV refrigerators have worked well, so far.

I just wanted to know how far I have been pushing my luck. :unsure:

-Don- Reno, NV

Yep. Canadian dollar hangs around 79 cents usually. There are over 20 currencies in the world called “dollar”. We have used about four of them. Confusing. :).

Cheers.
 

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