3-Way Frig not level, not cooling

[deppstein]

I need some help with issue of frig not working due to my not being able to adequately level my Rig.
I’m at friend’s Farm in the Shenandoah Valley for a “socially distancing visit with my canoeing buddies. I’m parked in a field where I did my level best to level the Rig on blocks...good enough for sleeping, but not enough for the frig to operate properly. It stays on propane, but is not cooling. I strongly suspect that it is a leveling issue, as all else seems to be working as it should (breakers, etc).
So, I have emptied the frig and taken the stuff up into the Farm house frig. I shut off frig in the Rig and figure that I will just leave it off for days I am here. The. Will Fire it up again on propane for the drive home.
My questions to you all—does that make sense? Is it a problem for me to just leave it off? Or do I need to go out and run it sooner than the four more days I am here in order not to do permanent damage? Any and all advice welcome and appreciated.
David

[chin_k]

I have similar issue with my last trip. I was on my driveway, and the frig did not cool at all after all night on the shore power. Turns out it was my driveway to steep. See, I always put my front tires on a block when I run the frig, but this is the only time that I did not bother, and it sure proves that it won't work if not too level.

Anyway, I will try to level it, but it take a long time (hours and hours) if you fire up the propane and try to get the frig to be cold again. So depends on how difficult it is to level the rig, and how long you are staying there, it maybe just not worth it since you already shut down the frig and the fire box is cold. There is no problem that I know of to have it not level, off or on, just that it will be wasting your gas/electricity if you let it run when not level. Keep in mind of the time to restart (I am sure you do) so that you don't end up thaw and refreeze food, which is not sanitary.

[SMan]

Was staying at a friends place in Scottsdale and lost a entire fridge of food because his driveway wasn't level. In my experience my Chinook needs to be fairly level (being an inch or two off isn't a big deal). I am a bit more careful these days especially in hot weather. (Food is expensive and my wife lost her favorite cheese lol) Note that if the weather is extremely hot it is difficult for an RV fridge to keep up. Keeping shade on the RV (especially the fridge side) is a big help.

[chin_k]

And park it so that the shady side is the passenger side. I know sometimes the south side is the best view, but having the sun beating down on the fridge is going to make it work harder.

I think if mine goes dead, I will get the compressor type, but I will also need to redo my solar before that.

[BobW9]

Be careful stopping for more than 30 minutes with the fridge turned on in any un-level spot. I believe the manufacturers tell you no more than 3 degrees, while some people say 2 degrees. That is both side-to-side and front-to-back. It the fridge is turned on and it is not level, then the coolant (ammonia) can't circulate and will start to harden. How long that takes varies on many things, but eventually it will be entirely hardened and the fridge is broken. And apparently the effect is cumulative, so each time you stop for more than a few minutes unlevel, you are potentially reducing the cooling ability of the fridge (it hardens a little at a time) and getting closer to the time it won't work at all. With the fridge turned off you can be unlevel, as the ammonia isn't getting hot and isn't trying to circulate.

Note if you are stuck in a traffic jam on a long incline, that would be bad for the fridge, too, if it is turned on while you drive. Normal driving with constant changes in speed and up/down isn't an issue.

[deppstein]

Thanks Fellow Chinookers for these responses...good information and suggestions. I guess I’ll just have to see when I’m back in the road how much of the ammonia solidified (it was on all night, before I caught the problem, ugh!). Am I correct in my assumption that if it does not continue to work properly once I am back to running and/or level-then I am in need of new frig and dinosaur board install will not do it? Man, I hope that is not the case...every post I read on the subject of installing a new frig sounds awful!
David

[Jlfchinook]

Before ever replacing , there is a you tube on wiring 110 heater directly, This over rides all electronics and leaves system to operate , if unit fall below freezing within 24 hours, you have a control problem no a unit problem. I did this to my unit and found a loose wire was causing all my problems.

[Blue~Go]

Man, I hope that is not the case...every post I read on the subject of installing a new frig sounds awful!
David

The "secret" is to simply saw it in half This is easier than it sounds because the center is just foam and thin metal. Two slim halves slip out the door like butter. To keep the easy theme going you put a DC compressor refrigerator back in (they fit through the door). They work on up to a 30% incline

(It's not a totally free lunch as you have to be able to supply power to it when parked, but then on the upside your propane supply lasts forever.)

[BobW9]

David, definitely try everything else possible, but if you do determine that it is most likely the amonia hardening up so it just won't cool much anymore, there is another alternative to replacing the fridge with a new one, depending on where you live.

There is a place in Indiana that rebuilds the evaporator without having to remove the fridge from the vehicle. You might search for past posts regarding them, as I believe a few Chinook people have used them. National RV Refrigeration, www.fixyourfridge.com. $600 to rebuild if you bring the RV to their shop in north Indiana (just below Michigan line, they are between Ann Arbor and Chicago, maybe 200 miles north of Indianapolis). They remove the fridge from its cabinet, place it on the couch, remove the cooling unit, replace the unit, and then move the fridge back into its cabinet. The $600 price includes equipment and labor.

My Concourse seems like it would be very tight getting the fridge even onto the couch given the fridge's size according to the manual, so I'm not entirely convinced some other parts (cabinet wall, back of dinette, or something) wouldn't also need to be removed or opened up for them to do their work.

Otherwise, like Blue said, cutting up the old one is an easy way to remove it. But getting a new one in might be a bit more difficult. There are a few that look slim enough to go in through the back door (at least compressor models), otherwise I believe you'll need to remove one of the side windows and bring it in that way (at which point you could also have removed the old intact fridge through the window if you wanted).

For me, when I get to the point of replacing the fridge, I'll use that time to also have the other side large window removed, and have both windows fixed up and remounted (I have dual pane and the seals between the panes has been drying up and getting sucked inwards, so they won't be lasting too many more years). There's a shop down in Florida that specializes in removing and fixing the seals on dual-pane windows, while you spend a day or two in their parking lot (with hookup). I'm hoping I can ship a new fridge to them and then replace the fridge while they have the windows out - two birds, one stone

[Blue~Go]

If you do decide at some point that you want to install a compressor model, there are definitely some that come right in the back door (I have one). There are quite a few choices and because you are not hosting a combination fireplace/pachinko machine on the back, you can either end up with around the same size in cubic feet but have more room for added insulation; or take up the same space but gain a couple of cubic feet of refrigerator interior space. (Or do something different like I did which was put in a 4.7 cubic foot model and it sits under a ~46" bar height counter that is my "set things down by the door" space, a visual open space, and a few shelves. Also it's less deep so I have a full width hallway (ahhhh).

Anyway, your absorption refrigerator will probably be okay, but just saying there are some other options. That's why I cut up my old one. I wasn't about to remove a window or something like that *just* to get the old one out when the new one would come right in the door.

BTW, I'm not at all sure I could have gotten the original two-door Dometic out in one piece because of the kitchen counter "ell" that the Concourse has on the sink side. Not that I tried too hard because cutting it in half was so easy and satisfying; but by my measurements that ell might have been a problem.