I often RV at the same place. On the way home I stop to visit a friend. The only parking places are very not level. Should I shut the fridge off for the 15-30 minutes that I stop there ? The food inside would stay cold for that long. Would this help the fridge to last longer ?

I would.. Not sure if it makes any difference at all, but it's not that big of a deal to just push a button when you get there and again when you leave..Good luck!Mitch

I have on several occasions, slipped a board under the tires of the trailer to keep it level when hitched to the truck and gone inside to shop or go to a restaurant while traveling. Just like at your camp site, find the spot where you'll stop. Lay your board (or Lynx Lego block) beside your tires, go backward just far enough to get the blocks or wood in front of the tires, and then pull forward onto the block. It's so simple to do, takes only a moment, and can keep the ice cream frozen like ice cream should be and not turn into ice milk if I'm delayed longer than expected. I do this all the time when traveling in uneven parking lots. No one has every said a word to me about it being wrong either.

i do when i make my 'mail' and 'grocery' runsi shut off the fridge, 10 minutes or 40, fridge offsaves wear and damage, like you said, it stays coldthis rv has an LP fridge, previous RV had a residential fridgebut surprisingly this fridge is installed correctly and works very wellWant to keep it that way

I use the Arp controller but would turn off the fridge.

Should I turn off my fridge for a few minutes if not level

LarryJM
Explorer II
Jun 25, 2018
delwhjr wrote:
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."

IMO that statement by Dometic is fairly useless since it bases it's recommendation on "BLOCKAGE" not some crystalization which can accumulate a little at a time and eventually create a "BLOCKAGE". I have also read that damage from being even somewhat off level can drive the ammonia mixture to exceed safe temp after about 15 to 20 min starting the permanent damage to start.

Larry
MrWizard
Moderator
Jun 25, 2018
Maybe not
But for my 1997 Dometic if parked, 8" off level at the curb it will defrost
It does not cool correctly
Did it one time while waiting for a curbside rear hydraulic jack replacement to arrive at UPS store
After 2 hours of not being cold enough and starting to defrost, I turned it off
I won't take that chance again
4x4van
Explorer III
Jun 25, 2018
Define off-level. The manual on my Norcold says that it is safe to run at up to 3 degrees side-to-side or 6 degrees front-to-back (looking at the front of the fridge). That calcs out to about a 19" difference front to back (bumper to bumper), and/or a 10" difference left to right side in my RV (based on my RV's length and width). Anything less than that and it is not necessary to turn it off.
delwhjr
Explorer
Jun 25, 2018
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."
Jayco-noslide
Explorer
Jun 25, 2018
I shut our's off if off level while we are eating lunch but only if it's off so much we aren't comfortable in it.
ScottG
Nomad
Jun 25, 2018
You absolutely should shut if off when parked off level.
Those that think they have gotten away with running of off level just don't know they damaged it yet. The damage is cumulative and will be revealed during extreme temps.

Years ago I had a cooling unit rebuilt. The company that did the work told me they experimented with running them off level. They found that damage occurs within 15 minutes.
MrWizard
Moderator
Jun 25, 2018
don't need to turn it off when moving aka rolling on the road up or down hill
the movement keeps everything circulating, you don't get hot spots in the tubing

its setting still that causes a problem when off level
MitchF150
Explorer III
Jun 25, 2018
Sure, but you are moving and bouncing and still in motion for the most part.. The OP is asking if he stops for 30 minutes or so being off level, should he turn off the fridge.. I'd say yes.. In your case, of moving and bouncing and moving and such, heck no.. I would not turn off the fridge..

Mitch
Johnny_G1
Explorer
Jun 25, 2018
I have drove all over North America with my mh and never once shut the fridge off, many of hard pulls over 10% and never once worried about, there are pulls in Wyoming that take half an hour to pull, also in the Yukon and Alaska are some pretty steep hills, start the fridge on propane and shut it off anywhere from 1 month to 6 months and it still work, trip to the Arctic Circle and back last yr, the same with the fw and no problem, this weekend a pull that took an hour in the back woods, same deal.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jun 25, 2018
YES........emphatically YES

Just 20 minutes of 'off level' operation CAN cause an overheating situation due to lack of sufficient flow of coolant

Absorption fridges operate off natural circulation and gravity flow....interrupt it and overheating occurs which causes crystals to form which plate out, cause more obstructions, more overheating, more etc etc

Crystals form when sodium chromate is overheated......process is Accumulative and Permanent.

The ARP monitoring/control system has shown that temps can rise high enough to cause crystals to form within a very short period.
Even while in motion on a LONG Steep Grade temps have risen enough to be a concern.

YES......if off level---don't run fridge
SIMPLE