Refrig. not level.

[Robbie R.]

Just turned my excella 2000 and I did not get it exactly level. Turned refrig. on AC and freezer is cooling pretty quickly but refrig does not seem cold yet.

I only had it on an hour is this too quick to worry ?

Also it is just starting up after being off for a couple weeks.


Robbie R.

[Mike Leary]

They do not have to be EXACTLY level, leave it for a while.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Robbie R.

Just turned my excella 2000 and I did not get it exactly level. Turned refrig. on AC and freezer is cooling pretty quickly but refrig does not seem cold yet.

I only had it on an hour is this too quick to worry ?

Also it is just starting up after being off for a couple weeks.


Robbie R.

The reefer freezer compartment is the best place to check it for being level, never anything else. You can install another level, if you wish, somewhere else on the trailer, and calibrate it to match the reefer freezer compartment boittom shelf.

An RV reefer can run OK within 1/2 bubble off level, but the hotter the ambient temperature, the more critical that becomes.

You should probably clean the reefer flue, burner and orifice, as that should be done every 5 years or so. That will maximize the reefer performance.

Andy

[Robbie R.]

Thanks guys for the good info. It is cooling now but I did not level it since I already unhooked my TV.

I'll just hope it does ok until I hook back up and leave in a few days.

Hopefully it is not off too bad and it won't hurt anything, though it does not look very level...........I got lazy and it started raining on me...

This is all new to me so I had to ask.

Robbie R.

[Mike Leary]

Dometic says, "The vehicle needs to be leveled so it is COMFORTABLE TO LIVE IN, no noticeable sloping of floors or walls."

[Robbie R.]

Yes, we will level it when we arrive at our camping destination but I hoped the frig would work ok unlevel until we arrive..........so far so good.

I mainly did not want to hurt anything.

Robbie R.

[jcanavera]

Depending upon the manufacture date of a fridge, the amount of off level tolerance is variable. The older your unit is, the more critical level becomes. Unfortunately I don't know where that point of demarcation was. I go by the half bubble rule and try to level so I'm no more than half a bubble off of level.

Understand that the issue for off level cooling goes beyond just poor cooling performance. It can actually damage the cooling unit since off level operation causes problems in the evaporation process that can cause a slow plugging of the evaporator tubing.

Jack

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

It can actually damage the cooling unit since off level operation causes problems in the evaporation process that can cause a slow plugging of the evaporator tubing.

Well, let's see; in fifteen years of full timing, we're on our second Dometic and have parked in some pretty funky places. That is old school stuff.

[Gene]

The freezer cools first and there'll be little difference in the refrigerator compartment for quite a while, more than an hour. When we are getting ready to travel, I turn on the unit the morning before and put freezer gel packs in both compartments. That cools the whole thing much faster and we can start loading food by afternoon.

I keep the gel packs in the freezer while we travel since we never fill it completely. Keeps the temp more constant on really hot days and helps if the fridge fails. We also take a cooler in the truck—sometimes we have to go pick up cold stuff at a store, or just have too much stuff to fit in the refrigerator comparment. I know this is kinda anal, but makes us feel good.

I wonder why they don't make bottom freezer RV units? We have a bottom freezer at home and it's wonderful. Much less bending.

Gene

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Well, let's see; in fifteen years of full timing, we're on our second Dometic and have parked in some pretty funky places. That is old school stuff.

It may be old school stuff but it depends on how often you do this and for how long. Clogs don't occur overnight, but build over a long period of time. While you may have parked in some funky places, It's just something that you don't want to continually do. It doesn't take that long to get yourself level. So you have gone 15 years on two refrigerators? I went 15 years on one. Maybe not full timing but still lots of use. I'm sure Dometic would concur about the effects of off level operation.

Jack

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

So you have gone 15 years on two refrigerators?

Yup, bought Bess at 28K, replaced the fridge at 40K

[javamaude]

Mine has acted funny all summer... Just got a larger AS and Fridge it an automatic, when really hot it never got below 45 degrees, but this last weekend I was perfectly level and it was super cold. I think the more level the more quickly it will cool but I don't think you can really hurt it. We bought leveling blocks and it really helped

[eubank]

We did have some trouble with the new Dometic (RM 7401L) in ours, but it was mainly due to level. It does seem more sensitive to this than our old (and dead) fridge (RM100).

Last month I was ordering computer fans anyway, so I ordered an extra and mounted it low on the backside of the fridge to blow upwards. We'll see if it helps on hot days. (No, not for use in Angel Fire, where it never gets hot. It's for when we leave Siberia for lower elevations.)


Lynn

[jcanavera]

Here's a discussion regarding why rv refrigerators fail. It's written by a service company.

Why They Fail

Jack

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Here's a discussion regarding why rv refrigerators fail. It's written by a service company.

Why They Fail

Jack

Jack.

Thanks for the post.

Most owners refuse to believe that an RV cooling unit can be ruined, "by misuse."

Perhaps, if they read that article, they become believers.

As long as the trailer or motorhome is in motion, running the reefer off level, will not, have any negative effect.

An old rule of thumb, is that when stopping for whatever reason, (lunch, shopping, groceries) with the reefer off level, there are 2 things to keep in mind.

1. You have about 30 minutes to move the coach, without causing a problem.

2. If the stop is over 30 minutes, either turn the reefer off, or turn down the thermostat.

Also, the hotter the ambient temperature, the more critical the level becomes.

Andy