Check the back of the fridge. If there is a yellow residue and/or the smell of amonia be prepared to buy a new one as your cooling unit has failed. Been there, done that.
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With all the doom and gloom posted above I have to disagree. It isn't good to try and run the fridge unlevel, but with that being said, if you relevel the unit and wait overnight the ammonia will go back into whereever it should be and the unit should work fine again.
2003 Cedar Creek 30RLBS
2007 Dodge 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel 325hp/610Tq
4x4 3.73 axles short bed
Inferno Red W/Gold pinstripping
My 1994 vintage Dometic will throw a fault light if it gets too far out of level. Doesn't that essentially shut down the reefer? Isn't it somehow protected by that feature?
Also, I had to replace the controller board a few years ago (old one burned up) and put a Dinosaur board in it. The new board has logic in it to try to restart the reefer every few minutes (15 if I recall correctly). So, it will just keep trying until it gets back to level.
So, my modus operandi has been to just leave the thing on gas while driving. If it gets out of level, let the fault detection and Dinosaur retries bring it back on when it finally gets back to level. This has worked so far. Am I risking damage by doing this?
So is everybody saying not to tow with gas on if the tow is not level?? From earlier posts, a lot of people towed with gas on and didn't mention refrigerator problems! ?????
2008 Heartland Big Country 3300RL
2005 Chevy 2500HD Duramax Reese Signature 18K Hitch
I think some people are overthinking things a little much! You can't take everything literal. Dometic I am sure suggest that your unit will not operate as efficiently (and should not operate) with a 10 degrees down bubble or greater. That is the beauty of these portable units, they are tougher than anyone gives them credit for. If the units should only operate while being level then why have the gas feature? Just to boondock I am sure someone will come up and say. Remember the first rule of thumb, "Anything mechanical is subject to failure".
2004 F-250 FX4 CC PSD, P3 Brake Controller, Valley Hitch w/ slide
2007 Wildcat 32QBBS, 1 1/2 bath
Scottg is wrong and rseymour21 is right. I had same situation, ran fridge off level, and became clogged. Took it out of rv turned it upside down and back a few times and left upside down overnight. Put fridge back in next day and it works perfectly for over a year now.
Ken
95 Georgie boy Encounter 37ft 5.9 cummins DP
Saturn SC2
kenbert wrote: Scottg is wrong and rseymour21 is right. I had same situation, ran fridge off level, and became clogged. Took it out of rv turned it upside down and back a few times and left upside down overnight. Put fridge back in next day and it works perfectly for over a year now.
Ken
I actually destroyed one by running it off level (didn't know it was turned on) so I do know what I'm talking about. Sometimes the amonia mixture will settle back where it belongs (turning it upside down helps). Other times the burner will overheat the fluid causing it to separate and harden in the tube. This can mean a partial or total blockage. Partial blockage diminishes the cooling power and total blockage means it's junk and the only way to repair it is to replace the cooling unit (like we did).
Below is the operating instructions for a general Dometic refrigerator Manual:
OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANCE OF LEVELING A
REFRIGERATOR
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).
When the vehicle is moving, the leveling is not critical, as
the rolling and pitching movement of the vehicle will pass
to either side of level, keeping the liquid ammonia from
accumulating in the evaporator tubing. OPERATION
Before starting the refrigerator, check that all the manual
gas valves are in the ON position. DO NOT forget the
manual shutoff valve on the rear of the refrigerator see
FIG. 1.
This refrigerator is equipped with a control system, which
can be set to automatically select either 120 volt AC or
LP gas operation (AUTO mode), or if desired LP gas
only (GAS mode).
In both AUTO mode and GAS mode operation, the temperature
is controlled by a factory preset temperature
setting.
The refrigerator controls will work down to 9.6 volt DC.
Most LP gas appliances used in recreational vehicles
are vented to the outside of the vehicle.
When parked close to a gasoline pump, it is possible
that the gasoline fumes could enter this
type of appliance and ignite from the burner
flame, CAUSING A FIRE OR AN EXPLOSION.
FOR YOUR SAFETY, when refueling, shut off all
LP gas appliances which are vented to the outside.
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