Leveling for best Fridge performance.

[Kip in Ga.]

For leveling purposes, I've found that the floor of the feezer section of camper refrigerators and the floor of the main compartment are as much as a half a bubble off from each other. The frame of the camper will give another reading.

Where do you sit the bubble for getting the best performance from the fridge. And is a half bubble one way or the other all that important.

Which is most important? left to right or front to rear?

Thanks,
Kip

[Curtis F.]

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ack-43770.html

Here is a recent thread with a good explanation.

[Kip in Ga.]

Originally Posted by Curtis F.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ack-43770.html

Here is a recent thread with a good explanation.

I think I understand from those links that the fridge needs to be level side to side within 3 degrees. So on a side mounted fridge, that would involve leveling the trailer front to rear with the tongue.

The fridge front to rear would involve lifting one side of the trailer with a jack or with pads under the tire. It can tolerate a 6 degree tilt.

What degree is a half bubble or a full bubble. Non of the links said what part of the fridge to place the bubble on or in.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Kip

[Bud Kennedy]

I have a newly installed frig that now has been in operation continuously since September. We have used it in all three modes of operation and are usually leveled within a half a bubble. We often have to keep tuirning it higher to avoid freezing ( yes, even when ruinning on 12 volts from the tow vehicle ) .
We use one of those little round levels. Be aware that all levels are not the same reguarding their degree of information.
Also we have found that no two surfaces in the trailer are the same level wise. We just pick one and go with it. Therefore we have concluded that the levelling process in not reall critical within reason.
Please note that our litle Dometic frig is brend new and great pains were taken to assure the installation was precicely as reccomended by the manufacturer.

[floyd]

I don't know the exact yearof change, But I am told that the newer fridges ( last 10-15years)are less sensitive by design than their older counterparts to leveling,though it is still best to get close.

[Carol H]

I use the bottom of the fridge to level - as you noted you will get a different reading on any two points - figure the bottom is as good as any other point on the fridge.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Kip in Ga.

For leveling purposes, I've found that the floor of the feezer section of camper refrigerators and the floor of the main compartment are as much as a half a bubble off from each other. The frame of the camper will give another reading.

Where do you sit the bubble for getting the best performance from the fridge. And is a half bubble one way or the other all that important.

Which is most important? left to right or front to rear?

Thanks,
Kip

We have the original refrigerator ('92 Bigfoot).

Our RV service guy advised us to place a bubble level in the freezer. If 1/3 of the bubble is within the circle it is OK for the fridge's operation.

Hope this helps.

[Joy A]

When my trailer was delivered the first thing I did was go down to WalMarts parking lot. I purchased a bullseye level and several others little levels for the outside of the trailer.

I put the bullseye inside the refrigerator on bottom. I then drove around the lot until the bubble was absolutely in the middle.

I then went outside and added the other levels under the belly band on each side just beyond the curve where the side flattens. The third level I placed directly under the belly band in the middle on the front trailer. I made sure each of the levels were absolutely level when affixed.

I know each time I level the trailer with those outside levels the refrigerator is level.

[Curtis F.]

I think this is the math to get the measure of rise over a horizontal distance.

Getting the formula from this page: SOLUTION: A lighthouse keeper observes that there is a 3 degree angle of depression between the horizontal and the line of sight to a ship. If the keeper is 19 m above the water how far is t

Here is the formula where x = horizontal distance. height/(tan(3°))=x
The tangent of 3 degrees is -.142546 . Substituting 1" for height and multiplying by -.142546 yields -7.01 . Translating: 3 degrees of tilt is created when a point 7" from one end of an object is 1" above (or below) the end. 6 degrees would be 2 inches of rise in 7 horizontal inches. The numbers are the same for feet.

[Donna D.]

All I know is if my refrigerator isn't level... in the middle of the bubble that one side of the bed is going to be higher than the other. I typically sleep with my head on the doorside, but at least once I've gotten up in the middle of the night and turned around because I honestly felt like the blood was rushing to my head. Strange but true. YMMV

[Matt in SV]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

All I know is if my refrigerator isn't level... in the middle of the bubble that one side of the bed is going to be higher than the other. I typically sleep with my head on the doorside, but at least once I've gotten up in the middle of the night and turned around because I honestly felt like the blood was rushing to my head. Strange but true. YMMV

You know, I found I can't sleep with my head on the doorside. But maybe it was never because of the door, but because our driveway slopes in that direction, making the doorside low if I don't level it up!

Regards,

Matt

[Kip in Ga.]

Originally Posted by Joy A

When my trailer was delivered the first thing I did was go down to WalMarts parking lot. I purchased a bullseye level and several others little levels for the outside of the trailer.

I put the bullseye inside the refrigerator on bottom. I then drove around the lot until the bubble was absolutely in the middle.

I then went outside and added the other levels under the belly band on each side just beyond the curve where the side flattens. The third level I placed directly under the belly band in the middle on the front trailer. I made sure each of the levels were absolutely level when affixed.

I know each time I level the trailer with those outside levels the refrigerator is level.

I agree, Getting the levels right on the outside is a given, to keep from having to go in and out of the TT several times when parking. Used to have a real big one on the front of previous campers so could see it in the rear view mirror. That was years ago and can't remember how it attached. Hopefully they are "Stick On" now.

Apparently heat and cold have had their affect on the bottom of the fridge and the bottom of the Freezer as they don't agree. Looking into the front, the bubble will be about half way into the circle, but on the RH side as I remember. But in the freezer is is biased about the same but on the LH side. Toward me and away from me they are near the same.

Recon I will call that level, and set up the outside levels to that.

Thanks,
Kip

[CD Smith]

I once knew a man in New Hampshire that claimed he could not sleep with his head in the direction water flows. As a matter of fact he positioned his bed so his head was on the North end and placed a beer can under each of the head posts to raise that end of the bed.

I told him that water doesn't always flow north. As a matter of fact the Mississippi River flows south.

That was when I learned that the Nile River runs North its entire length and the St. Johns River in Florida is the longest river in the United States that runs North for its entire length within one state.

I just thought you would like to know!

[Matt in SV]

[QUOTE=CD Smith;233854]...I told him that water doesn't always flow north. As a matter of fact the Mississippi River flows south...[QUOTE]

I learned, recently, that the Chicago river flows backwards!

BRags: Chicago River - The River that flows backwards

[CharlynnT]

Before we had rear jacks installed, we had a campout where we just could NOT get the fridge level enough to work on propane and so we learned EXACTLY how many hours of battery power we had to run the fridge ... not many!

Then we got a level and got the fridge working on propane, then lost the level (must've been on a rear bumper or the metal join that runs along the side of the Boler), anyway, bumpity bump on our way home, gone.

Then we started pouring a drop of water along the rear bumper or along the lengthwise join to see if it dripped this way or that. It works!

Our 30 year old Dometic 3-way works best on shore power (too well, freezes the lettuce!) then on battery, then on propane (fridge cool enough, freezer never freezing cold).

So when we are out boon-docking, I practice Cooler Management.

Cooler 1: must be cold (meat), gets the bag of block ice.

Cooler 2: best if cold (dairy), gets the bag of cube ice.

Cooler 3: nice to be cold (cukes and cokes), gets the freezer packs.

Night one: Have a fresh steak or chicken and a cold brew or a coke with cube ice, Livin in the Lap o Luxury.

Day one: Drain the block ice melt-water; take freezer pack from Boler freezer and place beside it, grab bacon or ham, close lid tight and use as coffee table.

Day two: Drain the cube ice melt-water, rearrange milk, cheese, butter, sour cream and add a freezer pack or two to take up the space. Ice cubes still available for Night Two!

Day three: Put freezer pack or two in warming fridge, move pop and veg into fridge, keep the dang door closed!

Day four: Drain all melt-water from coolers, put all remaining ice in meat cooler, add any dairy must be cold and keep the dang lid closed!

Day five: Swap frozen freezer packs into meat cooler. Remove dairy veg and pop into slightly cool fridge.

Day six: Think "Well, at least we still have beer," or think "We're just gonna melt that cheese on burgers anyway."

Day seven: Chicken and pork cooked and eaten? Check. Burgers gone? Check. Ham juice contained in plastic baggy? Yeah. OK: time to visit civilization? Noooooooooooh!

[Matt in SV]

I think you might have a dirty jet or burned thru burner, Charlynn, affecting the performance on propane. . Both the electrical heater and the burner box heat the same ammonia in the same evaporative cooling system. If it's getting hot, it should behave similarly. If it works on electrical, it's probably not a leveling issue, but being level IS important.

Regards,

Matt

[Carol H]

Charlynn I feel your pain in misplaced levels - I keep one inside thats sole purpose is for checking the fridge level.

I also have an old Dometic 3 way but its cooling power does not change based on what is generating the power. Its the same all 3 ways. It does get cool enough to be safe on all food products all be it slow to get there. :-) Matt is on to something that is really worth having checked out.

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by CharlynnT

Before we had rear jacks installed, we had a campout where we just could NOT get the fridge level enough to work on propane and so we learned EXACTLY how many hours of battery power we had to run the fridge ... not many!

Then we got a level and got the fridge working on propane, then lost the level (must've been on a rear bumper or the metal join that runs along the side of the Boler), anyway, bumpity bump on our way home, gone.

Then we started pouring a drop of water along the rear bumper or along the lengthwise join to see if it dripped this way or that. It works!

Our 30 year old Dometic 3-way works best on shore power (too well, freezes the lettuce!) then on battery, then on propane (fridge cool enough, freezer never freezing cold).

If your electrical works well on your fridge but your propane does not, a possible source of the problem is the gas pressure. Fridges are very sensitive to the correct gas pressure, in addition to clean gas lines and exhaust ports (unlike stoves or furnaces which will work if the gas pressure is remotely close). Last year I learned about that, and also how to adjust it, which you can find in my post here: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rly-42642.html

Hope that helps,
Rick G

[Tezha]

Next year I will have to check the level, we only went four times our fist year in the fall and never leveled the Scamp, except to eyeball it and had no trouble. Next year I will add levels and take one. Thanks for the thread.