How Level is Level

Bumpyroad wrote:
that is why I leveled my MH with the level on the floor of the freezer compartment, then stuck a bullseye level on the console mushing it into a glob of silicone sealer to show level. then I could just level based on that and knew the refrigerator would be fine.
bumpy

Great idea - thanks!

Bumpyroad wrote:
To put it more simply, if you refrigerator is located along the side wall like mine is then:

multiply your RV width across the tires in inches by 0.1045
and multiply your wheelbase in inches by 0.0523

Calculating the inches out of level allowed for the refrigerator requires that you know the wheelbase of your MH (the distance between the front and rear wheels) and the distance side to side between the center of the tires. After that, it's simple trigonometry.

In my MH the refrigerator is located along the side wall on the passenger side. Front to back on the fridge is therefore side to side on the MH, so I am allowed to be off level in this direction by 6 degrees. I measured 73 inches across the tires, so multiplying 73 by the sine of 6 degrees (0.1045) gave me an allowable out of level of 7.6 inches. The fridge is allowed to be off level by 3 degrees side to side, which is front to back on the MH. My E450 chassis has a wheelbase of 158 inches, so multiplying 158 by the sine of 3 degrees (0.0523) gives me an allowable out of level of 8.3 inches.

Great answer.

No need to shoot for perfection, reasonably level is fine. Our galley and fridge are midship and we place level on floor in front of fridge. Upon arrival we level TT side to side and chocks wheels, then level front to back using tongue jack.

If rain is in the forecast we may tilt TT to improve water runoff, as long as it is comfortable to walk around in our rig we know we are close enough for fridge to operate properly. We are going on our 8th year camping with our Dometic fridge and it continues to perform flawlessly.

turbojimmy wrote:
My issue is that it depends on where I set the level. Galley counter is totally different than the living room table, which is different from the dash in the cab which is different from the floor of the box where the fridge is mounted. I use the dash in the cab because when it shows level, the whole rig feels level. The cooling unit in the fridge is new so I'm hoping it's not too sensitive. Seems to work well irrespective of level (so long as it's not way out).

that is why I leveled my MH with the level on the floor of the freezer compartment, then stuck a bullseye level on the console mushing it into a glob of silicone sealer to show level. then I could just level based on that and knew the refrigerator would be fine.
bumpy

My issue is that it depends on where I set the level. Galley counter is totally different than the living room table, which is different from the dash in the cab which is different from the floor of the box where the fridge is mounted. I use the dash in the cab because when it shows level, the whole rig feels level. The cooling unit in the fridge is new so I'm hoping it's not too sensitive. Seems to work well irrespective of level (so long as it's not way out).

If you think about it logically the frig seems to work fine for most people driving down the road and when they stop and leave their rig parked for a short period. No one seems to be too concerned with checking to see how level it is during those times. Likewise a lot of people overnight in WalMart and other parking lots without being perfectly level. So in most cases eyeballing it works fine. For me being perfectly or at least close to has more to do with how it feels to me especially while sleeping. I also don't like things rolling around the counter top.

kccwoodworks wrote:
Being new to RVing I've heard lots of talk about leveling your RV. Mainly due the peculiarities of RV refrigerators. How far off level before damage to the fridge? 1", 2", 3"???

basically, if the human occupants are comfortable...you're not listing to one side and there's no feeling of walking up or down hill then the fridge will be fine.

Eyeball level will work in most applications

To put it more simply, if you refrigerator is located along the side wall like mine is then:

multiply your RV width across the tires in inches by 0.1045
and multiply your wheelbase in inches by 0.0523

Calculating the inches out of level allowed for the refrigerator requires that you know the wheelbase of your MH (the distance between the front and rear wheels) and the distance side to side between the center of the tires. After that, it's simple trigonometry.

In my MH the refrigerator is located along the side wall on the passenger side. Front to back on the fridge is therefore side to side on the MH, so I am allowed to be off level in this direction by 6 degrees. I measured 73 inches across the tires, so multiplying 73 by the sine of 6 degrees (0.1045) gave me an allowable out of level of 7.6 inches. The fridge is allowed to be off level by 3 degrees side to side, which is front to back on the MH. My E450 chassis has a wheelbase of 158 inches, so multiplying 158 by the sine of 3 degrees (0.0523) gives me an allowable out of level of 8.3 inches.

Hi,

There is now a device that helps prevent overheating from out of level conditions. Damage can start happening in as little as 15 minutes.

ARP