I believe my manual says that the fridge should be within 3° of level. I was under the impression that this was not very much until I purchased a level today that provides a digital reading.I was backing the front of my truck up onto 6 1/2" plastic work ramps before I started the fridge at home. Minor but just one more thing to do to get ready. Turns out that that may not be necessary.

According to my calcs, at 16' (from axles) that would be 0.83" from level.EDIT: wrong.. see below.

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 0.1045and multiply your wheelbase in inches by 0.0523Calculating 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.bumpy

The tool measures it at 2.7 but I didn't do the math. I guess I was just quite surprised how out of level you can be. It looks and feels way off. In fact with my little 8" torpedo level that I usually use for leveling the bubble is almost completely out of the hash marks.

Um at~12' wheel base mine would be 7 17/32" at 3°?I get more like 10 1/16" at 3° between 16' center. approx 5/8" (.0629) per foot.Generally if Im comfortable the fridge is.

Hi,I ordered the ARP control today--simply because I would rather not risk the fridge overheating and precipitating out the sodium chromate.

3° is more than I thought (fridge levelling) | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

tony_lee
Explorer
Sep 14, 2014
2oldman wrote:
Yes, I'm way off.

The tangent, (the rise over the run) of 3° is 0.052. For X feet of run, Y will be 0.052X.

At 16', that's (16x12)" x 0.052 = 9.984"

Wow, that is a lot.

A simpler method is that 1 degree is the same as a slope of 1 in 60. It is a cheat method used by pilots during diversions due to weather

So 4 degrees is 4 in 60 which is one in 15. So if your wheelbase is 15', means one axle could be a foot higher than the other and the fridge would still be ok as far as side to side out of level

6 degrees front to back is 6 in 60 which is one in 10 so with a track of say 100", one side could be 10" higher than the other.

What it gets down to is the fridge will be OK at slopes way beyond what you could put up with yourself.
wintersun
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2014
I had my truck on a slight incline to where the Norcold fridge was 4 degrees side to side and on AC power it would shut off after a while and never cool down. I got it closer to level and around 1 degree and the fridge worked fine and cooled down quickly. Obviously there is a tilt at which there is a safety mechanism to shut off the fridge.

The fridge can be up to 6 degrees off from front to back so one side of the truck can be off by that much. It is the front to back height of the truck and fridge that is most important and I have the truck sitting so the bubble indicators are near the mark and this has kept the fridge working properly with AC and propane.
hedge
Explorer
Sep 13, 2014
well that's exactly my conclusion, I've been worrying about it way more than necessary.

Thanks for the link PianoTuna, that looks interesting.
Road_Runners
Explorer
Sep 13, 2014
Me thinks that you are all going nuts with this leveling. Our frig has worked fine for 14 years and we find that if we are comfortable the frig is comfortable with it also.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Sep 13, 2014
I just got my motorhome level based on the bottom of the freezer compartment, then put a small target bubble level on my console smooshed into some silicone to show level and just used that to gauge the level of the RV.
bumpy
FreeLanceing
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2014
I have always used an app for the smart phone or tablet. The level app I use has a bubble. I can lay it flat on the table if the bubble is even close I should be good. I can also use the standard level feature and place it on top of the unit or open the door and set it on the door. If I am inside the marks I know I am pretty level. The good app also gives a number in degree's.
egarant
Nomad
Sep 13, 2014
My research on the Internet found manufactures wanted (when facing the front of the fridge) no more than 3 degrees side to side and no more than 6 degrees front to back.

I use a Digi-Pas DWL-80E Mini Pocket Size Digital Level Electronic Angle Gauge to get within those parameters.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 13, 2014
control solves off level issues

hedge wrote:
^ sorry but what's this ARP control?
2oldman
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2014
Yes, I'm way off.

The tangent, (the rise over the run) of 3° is 0.052. For X feet of run, Y will be 0.052X.

At 16', that's (16x12)" x 0.052 = 9.984"

Wow, that is a lot.
hedge
Explorer
Sep 13, 2014
^ sorry but what's this ARP control?