Community Forums

jayman_1975 · 08-09-2016, 11:05 AM

So I have had this happen twice now with my new camper but never with my old one. When parked on the street in front of my house, the fridge will appear to be working (light not blinking and pilot stays lit) but it gets warm inside. The TT sits on a pretty steep slope downhill. I would have assumed that if it wasn't going to work then either the pilot wouldn't light or the light would blink indicating a problem. It does start to get cold for awhile but when I check it in the morning everything is warm. It works fine on flat ground. What do you make of this? My last TT had no trouble running the fridge on the same slope.

Vistacruise · 08-09-2016, 11:08 AM

We have this problem in our driveway when we bring the trailer home the night before our trips. My fridge manual (norcold) says that the fridge has to be within 6 degrees of level to work properly. We now level it up in the driveway and no longer have the issue.

Spk64 · 08-09-2016, 11:31 AM

Absorption refrigerators need to be level ~6° I have seen several numbers in different manuals. This is key to them working properly. Also repeated use in un-level situations can lead to failure of the unit.

From the manual.
In an absorption refrigerator system, ammonia is liquefied
in the finned condenser coil at the top rear of the
refrigerator. The liquid ammonia then flows into the
evaporator (inside the freezer section) and is exposed
to a circulating flow of hydrogen gas, which causes the
ammonia to evaporate, creating a cold condition in the
freezer.
When starting this refrigerator for the very first time, the
cooling cycle may require up to four hours of running
time before the cooling unit is fully operational.
The tubing in the evaporator section is specifically sloped
to provide a continuous movement of liquid ammonia,
flowing downward by gravity through this section. If the
refrigerator is operated when it is not level and the vehicle
is not moving, liquid ammonia will accumulate in
sections of the evaporator tubing. This will slow the circulation
of hydrogen and ammonia gas, or in severe
cases, completely block it, resulting in a loss of cooling.
Any time the vehicle is parked for several hours with the
refrigerator operating, the vehicle should be leveled to
prevent this loss of cooling. The vehicle needs to be
leveled only so it is comfortable to live in (no noticeable
sloping of floor or walls).

1bigmess · 08-09-2016, 12:13 PM

I have heard that the closer to level the fridge is at when running on gas, the better they run, and the longer they last. I level my trailer to the floor of the freezer, not the floor of the trailer.

jayman_1975 · 08-09-2016, 12:22 PM

Ok well I guess I'll have to figure out a different plan. It sits flat in my driveway but usually, the night before we leave I hook onto the camper and pull it onto the street so we can just hop in the truck and leave the next morning.

96 Wideglide · 08-09-2016, 12:31 PM

Not a good idea leaving it on with a slope like that

!
You will burn out the cooling unit in no time.

jayman_1975 · 08-09-2016, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Not a good idea leaving it on with a slope like that

!
You will burn out the cooling unit in no time.

Good to know. Thanks. It's only been twice I have done it and both times it quit cooling overnight. Hopefully I didn't do any damage yet

Roosters 67 · 08-09-2016, 12:57 PM

Correct above, the fridge will work at up to 6*°off level side to side, and 10° front to back if i recall. (fridge front back/side to side not trailer) the more level it is the better off your cooling unit for the fridge will be. It is ok to run it while traveling, the mixture will stay mixed in the system due to movement. Always try to park where very close to level even if just stopping for a short while.

96 Wideglide · 08-09-2016, 01:05 PM

I'm pretty sure my Dometic is only 3* side to side, and 6* front to back.

Spk64 · 08-09-2016, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

I'm pretty sure my Dometic is only 3* side to side, and 6* front to back.

I was thinking the same thing but could not find it in my downloaded manual.

skypilot_1 · 08-09-2016, 01:15 PM

FYI:
From owner's manual
Leveling: ! CAUTION: The refrigerator is made to operate within 3° off level side-to-side and 6° off level front-to-back (as looking at the front of the refrigerator). Operating it at more than these limits can cause damage to the cooling system and create a risk of personal injury or property damage. Make sure the vehicle is level before you operate the refrigerator.

Operation during travel: While the refrigerator should be level when the vehicle is stopped, performance during travel is not usually affected.

Roosters 67 · 08-09-2016, 01:16 PM

Come to think....3° and 6° sounds correct for absorbtion refridgerators. It has been a while since I have seen the specs. And my new rig has a residential fridge, so I don't worry as much about the level.

09 harley · 08-10-2016, 09:50 PM

The slope has a direct relation to the slope of the tubes on the back of the fridge. If you exceed those angles you make it impossible for the fluid to flow and provide cooling. This could lead to a fire if it happens enough because the damage is cumulative.
If all owners would add an ARP unit to their absorption units it would turn the unit off as soon as the temp exceeded a preset limit.
Google this product and you will see why you need it.