RV refrigerators off level
The manual on my Dometic 'fridge in my RV says that it will malfunction if it's run out of level for a 'significant' amount of time, (or something to that effect; the manual is in my RV at the storage...
Forum Discussion
Rmack1 wrote:Chuck&Gail wrote:
Well first off out of level is relative.
Here are the specs for my 2003 Norcold model N611 refrigerator.
Refrigerator specs legal operation 3 degrees front to back (of trailer), 6 degrees side to side.
Note 3 degrees would be 12” difference front to back on my 21’ trailer! Note 6 degrees would be 8.6” difference side to side at the tires!
Note older fridges needed to be more level than this.
When trailer is moving, no problem. When sitting I was told that it starts to degrade almost immediately, so I should turn fridge OFF if left unlevel per above, even if I was just stopping for lunch. They said degradation was progressive, so each time I did it fridge was damaged just a little more. True? Your guess, I just did it anyawy to be safe.
Note rarely parked that unlevel anyway.
OK, so I should turn off the 'fridge every time I stop for more than, what? Five minutes?
This is pretty much what I've been doing. And the return to travel, which for me results in a WHOLE lotta 'jostling' as I'm going up and down some fairly big mountains.
I'm just trying to determine what my safe time is.
Are you saying that the amount of 'off-level' has an effect on how long you can park at that configuration?
My wife, my two boxers and I parked today on a SoCal mountain to have lunch before pulling home. It was significantly out of level. Not so much that we couldn't use the table, but enough that you could tell you were not sitting level. We hung out for about a half hour before leaving. I only noticed that our 'fridge had iced up in the freezer part when we got home. I've not noticed that before, but it was unusually humid.
there is no correct answer to the question you are asking…
any amount of unleveled operation is bad while stationary, the more out of level the higher the risk… there is no such thing as a safe amount of time to operate it out of level… the longer it is operated that way the shorter its life will be…
they can out last the RV used properly, there is no way what so ever to gage the damage done until it’s too late to save it…
so as Clint Eastwood would answer your question…
DO YOU FEEL LUCKY TODAY… WELL DO YA!!!
