Save Your RV Refrigerator: Leveling Tips For Overnight Stops

Above, my nine-year-old RV refrigerator works fine
 since I always level the RV. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My motorhome is now nine years old. My refrigerator is the original one and works perfectly. 

The reason being is that no matter how long I am staying somewhere, I always level the RV. 

However, based upon an article in RV Travel, there are those who feel that leveling the RV for an  overnight stay is unnecessary. To call this wrong-headed thinking is an understatement.

They begin with:

I read this tip on RVtravel.com:

Do you level? That’s a question repeatedly posted on RV forums, regarding leveling an RV when stopping at the end of the day. Here’s a typical response: “I try to get it relatively close unless it’s just for an overnight stop, in which case I don’t bother.” Unless it’s an overnight stop? ALWAYS level your RV. Another comment tells you why: “I’m on my second Dometic 4-door. I level METICULOUSLY every time I stop to camp and I check level every morning. I refuse to go thru all that replacement AGAIN.”

RV refrigerators need to be level to work properly, and to prevent damage. No absorption-type RV refrigerator has ever read the fine print that says, “Don’t count the damage caused by operating off-level if it’s only overnight.” Seriously, damage to an RV cooling unit is CUMULATIVE, and every “only overnight” adds up. Can’t level? Shut off the fridge.

I was rather shocked by people’s thinking that running an absorption refrigerator out of level overnight or for any length of time is an acceptable practice. As mentioned above, the damage is cumulative, adding up each time you operate your refrigerator out of level.

To read more, go here.