Ok to run refer at an angle if on electricity?
My driveway is at an angle maybe 8 degrees. Think it's ok to run the refer if on AC? Not sure if it's always level or just on propane it must be level.
Forum Discussion
43 Replies
Sam Spade wrote:
And RV refers do not compress, they rely on gravity and reasonably level coils to operate properly. I'm sure the link above explains it.
Regardless if the refrigerant is ammonia or Freon, it is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when compressed.Sam Spade wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
It will also keep working and cause a blockage that in time will accumulate until the refer will not cool adequately at all. The Damage is cumulative(spelling).
OK gotta ask:
Just exactly WHAT gets blocked
The Boiler tube.....
and what DOES the blocking ??
Sodium Chromate that has crystallized out due to over heating in the boiler tube due to inadequate circulation from improper leveling to ensure proper flow of the ammonia mixture.
Regardless if the refrigerant is ammonia or Freon, it is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when compressed.
How does this "cumulative" blocking happen ??
The crystallized sodium chromate will not redissolve into the ammnonia mixture so the process is cumulative and non reversible
Larry- deleted
Sam Spade wrote:
OK gotta ask:
Just exactly WHAT gets blocked.....and what DOES the blocking ??
Regardless if the refrigerant is ammonia or Freon, it is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when compressed.
How does this "cumulative" blocking happen ??
When the gravity-fed circulation slows too much it can overheat the refrigerant, which includes a rust inhibitor that crystallizes when overheated.
http://www.rvdoctor.com/2001/02/rv-absorption-refrigeration-cooling.htmldougrainer wrote:
It will also keep working and cause a blockage that in time will accumulate until the refer will not cool adequately at all. The Damage is cumulative(spelling).
OK gotta ask:
Just exactly WHAT gets blocked.....and what DOES the blocking ??
Regardless if the refrigerant is ammonia or Freon, it is a gas at room temperature and a liquid when compressed.
How does this "cumulative" blocking happen ??sch911 wrote:
8 Degrees is really not that much. Rule of thumb is a maximum half bubble out of level.
You might find it interesting to take a level and a protractor out sometime and observe how far out 8 degrees is; it's a pretty significant slope. New wheelchair ramps, per ADA specifications, can have no more than 5 degrees slope. RV fridge makers often specify a maximum angle of perhaps 2 degrees or so (with some variation between models and makes and for front-to-back vs. side-to-side slopes, so consult your manual rather than taking 2 degrees as truth).
If I were parked on an 8 degree sidehill, I compute that I would need to stack five or six layers of 2x4 ramp on the low side to get my class C level. If it were a front to back hill, it would of course take a lot more cribbing since the wheelbase is a good bit longer than the track.- In refrigerator heaters have the same principals as in water heater or furnace.
But heat in this case is mid-step and has to be converted to ammonia circulation that cools the food. - Dougrainer I asked the question thinking it might a different mechanism to cool when running on AC that would not have a level requirement. Obviously not the case.
Thinking of a heater. Runs on propane or could use electric resistance coils. Both completely different things with different requirements. Fridge not so much it seems. Kayteg1 wrote:
I experience that once running, the fridge will keep on working even when tilted quite a bit.
But it will not start.
Yes, it will "keep" working, but not at the same rate as level. It will also keep working and cause a blockage that in time will accumulate until the refer will not cool adequately at all. The Damage is cumulative(spelling). Every time you run off level, it adds a little more to the blockage until one day it does not cool correctly. That is why it is important to turn the refer OFF when traveling and you stop at times and the refer will not be level for more than 20 minutes or longer. Those little stops add to the blockage. In Transit, the rocking motion of the refer will allow the Ammonias to percolate when off level on hills and inclines. AS to your statement it will not start-----YES IT WILL, it may not cool but it is starting that blockage. Dougthealexdexter wrote:
My driveway is at an angle maybe 8 degrees. Think it's ok to run the refer if on AC? Not sure if it's always level or just on propane it must be level.
Curious, you asked the question. What made you think 120 electric was OK? Doug
