I had the same problem with my driveway in north Jersey before I had it redone. I got into the habit of putting a few of those blue ice packs into the refrigerator along with a couple of storage containers or plastic bags filled with ice about an hour before leaving on a trip. I would then load up the "angst box" with all of my cold drinks and food immediately before leaving, and would turn the refrigerator onto DC just before starting to drive. I found that it took about 3 hours on a very hot day (85° to 90°) for the refrigerator to stabilize at about 40° (it started out at about 60° after the food went in). It was all good after that.
I thought of having a speed bump installed in my driveway (front tires would sit on the bump, getting the van somewhat level) to help rectify the problem, but decided to have the entire driveway cemented and leveled as much as possible instead (it needed it badly).
stracos wrote: I may be wrong, but I thought the slow recovery time was limited to when the fridge was operating in propane mode. You can run it on 12v while driving, or run a long cord and plug the RV into electric for a few hours before departing.
Joe
Nope, it applies to _all_ modes on the small 3-way reefers typical of B's. 12V is usually worst / weakest, with next place varying between 110V and LP depending on the vagarities of the unit and luck of the draw. Some do suffer from the LP flame blowing out on the road, tho'.
To the OP, you've got some good advice already. Best to pack it with pre-cooled food and ice in some form before leaving. I'd try it on both LP & 110 to find out which cools best for your particular unit. You can get an electronic thermometer with a remote sensor for cheap $ at Walmart to monitor what's really happening; certainly cheaper than a load of spoiled food. Minimize open-door time, especially in the first 12 to 24 hours of a trip.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
AR, yep, them thar is them good ramps. Y'all want to be careful not to buy the cheaper black plastic one by the same manufacturer, tho'. Those'uns is only rated at 8K# total.
I've increased the height of mine by 1 1/2" by bolting strips of 2x8 to the top surface, with the drive-on end beveled and a stop cleat at the other end.
I can't see any DIYer owning a B without these or something similar... especially a RT C190 . They're light and store on end in minimal floorspace... extra-important to me now, as I'm dealing with some serious shop & storage down-sizing now.
Jim, "Entropy includes the tendency of things to fall off of shelves."
jeffcarp wrote: I checked my drive tonight, and there is a 1" slope per foot. So, over the 155" wheelbase of the RoadTrek, that means 13" of fall.
Could I need use scissor jacks or power jacks?
NO! don't use jacks.! Danger! Danger!
Those boards put together (as previously shown in a picture) look like a very good and safe thing to do.... make sure you put a 2x4 crosswise at the end as a sort of bumper to help keep you from over-running.
As far as the refrigerator, I think the propane is the most effective mode for cooling. It provides the best and most efficient heat source.
we turn on our frig a day or two before we are going to leave, set it on propane and the coldest setting. whole frig is freezing when we're ready to load it. the 12v is only good if the frig is already really cold and only while driving, all it will do is maintain the current temperature, unless you are in the desert and then it don't do much. we leave the propane on all the time while driving and leave the frige on. to keep the flame from blowing out I blocked the front 3 vents with insulated aluminum tape so air doens't blow in and blow it out.
we use the yellow leveling blocks, so far only needed 10. found the orange ones (Lynx) too fragile and the raised portions protrude into the tires too much (not good). the yellow ones seem a lot more stable and don't scoot around as much.
How critical is the leveling issue for short timeframes? I mean, do you have to worry about being level if you stop at a rest stop for 30 minutes? Dinner for an hour? I hadn't even given a thought to having to worry about leveling pulling into some place for a short amount of time.
What about running on 120V through the inverter while driving? Does that increase the cooling better than 12V?
LVJJJ wrote: we turn on our frig a day or two before we are going to leave, set it on propane and the coldest setting. whole frig is freezing when we're ready to load it. the 12v is only good if the frig is already really cold and only while driving, all it will do is maintain the current temperature, unless you are in the desert and then it don't do much. we leave the propane on all the time while driving and leave the frige on. to keep the flame from blowing out I blocked the front 3 vents with insulated aluminum tape so air doens't blow in and blow it out.
we use the yellow leveling blocks, so far only needed 10. found the orange ones (Lynx) too fragile and the raised portions protrude into the tires too much (not good). the yellow ones seem a lot more stable and don't scoot around as much.
jeffcarp wrote: How critical is the leveling issue for short timeframes? I mean, do you have to worry about being level if you stop at a rest stop for 30 minutes? Dinner for an hour? I hadn't even given a thought to having to worry about leveling pulling into some place for a short amount of time.
Just turn the reefer off in such situations. It'll pretty much hold temp for a few hours. The problem comes in judging how much off-level you are, and how long you'll really be gone. 'Off' is simplest.
The fuller the better. One thing that helps a good bit is to use some blue ice or jugs of frozen water as a sort of 'thermal flywheel'... it'll help stabilize the temp, and keep it down better in longer 'off' periods.
I found my Dometic manual for the refrigerator last night. It has a section on leveling. It reads "Any time the vehicle is parked for several hours with the refrigerator operating, the vehicle should be leveled to avoid loss of cooling. The vehicle needs to be leveled only so it is comfortable to live in (no noticeable sloping of walls or floors)."
A couple things about this statement....First it only talks about loss of cooling. The manual says nothing about damage to the refrigerator. I've read from some that you risk complete damage to the refrigerator. Also, I've read discussions about people being concerned about 1/2 a bubble off level, 1 bubble off, etc. This statement tends to tell me that too, is overkill.
This is a 2008 manual. Do new refrigerators have better tolerances for the leveling issue. The statement in the manual sure seems to imply that to me.
Our fridg packed itself up right after we bought the RT. The previous owner had run it a lot off level. It cost $1000 to replace the fridge. The explanation was that the circulating refrigerant is ammonia with a chromate compound added to keep the ammonia from eating the pipes. If its off level by too much the fluid pools in low spots and the chromate turns to a solid which is irreversible. I have found that half a bubble is no big deal to achieve (use one of the round levels about the size fo a half dollar set on the kitchen counter).
We start with a bunch of frozen water bottles and then drink the water when they thaw out.
. They're light and store on end in minimal floorspace... extra-important to me now, as I'm dealing with some serious shop & storage down-sizing now.
Offline
