BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Jason Worman on August 07, 2018, 04:52:09 AM
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Hi,
Where we park our coach the ground is sloped slightly to the rear of the coach. We level it from side to side but not front to back, any tips? We have a 36 foot coach. Thanks
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I use the "LevelMatePro" tool/device. It is a leveling tool that works with your cell phone.
If you have air or hydraulic leveling, you can use this to manually adjust your coach to level.
https://www.amazon.com/LevelMatePRO-Bluetooth%C2%AE-Vehicle-Leveling-System/dp/B01FGGSWPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533635223&sr=8-1&keywords=levelmatepro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh_5Nwu9T8E
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The coach should be leveled front to back and side to side for the fridge to work properly. If it is leveled even with the fridge off it will last a long time. We got 18 years out of our old fridge. Also try to keep it on propane when in use as this will make it last longer and cool better.
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Jason,
What is slightly?
You have to dig a little to find the levelness requirements of refrigerators. Our parents RVs were far more critical than ours so lots of us tend to believe that perfectly level is necessary.
You have to dig a little for the specifications. Between Norcold and Dometic there are differences in how they define level. I forget which one, but the specification is 6 degrees or less front to back and 3 degrees left to right. Since our fridges are installed sideways, you reverse that. So your motorhome should be parked on a slope no greater than 3 degrees. That does not sound like much, but reference one of the many 6 degree highways.
I've forgotten all of my trigonometry but somebody's grandkid could probably figure out how much higher one end of a 36 footer can be on a 3 degree slope!
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SIN(3 degrees) * 36 feet = 1.8841 feet
1.8841 feet = 1 foot, 10.6 inches
Note: SIN (0 degrees) = 0
SIN( 90 degrees) = 1
So, I think I have this correct.
But 1' 10.6" height difference from end-to-end sure seems high.
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David,
Based on other things I've read, I think 10 inches is about right for the fridge. But, maybe not for me. One of the longest running full timers I know says if he's not falling out of bed, the fridge is fine.
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I have used an inexpensive all-direction bubble level since 1985. Set it on a shelf or floor in the fridge, get the rig level according to that, and then stick it down on a surface up front where the bubble is still centered and you can both see the bubble and use your leveler control. https://www.rvautoparts.com/09515-Hopkins-MFG-RV-Level-Bubble_p_6574.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1o3nyb_c3AIVw7XACh0BMwwXEAQYEyABEgK2X_D_BwE
At times I’ve put a golf ball on the tile galley floor in various spots and judged how easily it rolls on its own in what direction. Countertop levelness I've found sometimes inconsistent and rarely try that.
Yes fridges have improved re. needing to be so level, but if yours is original to the coach it may be best to stick to the 6/3 degree rule Bill alluded to. I generally try to keep at least half the bubble within the circle on my level, but our newer Dometic could get away with more tilt than that.
At home our gravel “pad” slopes somewhat back to the north and sideways to the east fence line. The front tires sit facing south on relatively level concrete. I raked gravel around until the left rear tire was effectively level with the right rear. Before then our windshield cracked from just sitting for weeks since the left rear air system leaked down and I’d parked/stored leaving it in travel mode; between the rear left-right slope and the leak down, the twist was too much for the front cap. Now with the gravel square back there and my making sure air is nearly fully dumped so there’s no leak down in any one corner, there’s been no issues. When we prep to leave, I auto-air-level from fully dumped, adjust manually if necessary, and any leakdown tilt ensuing prior to fridge cool down and departure is usually minimal, harmless, and adjustable.
Joel
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FWIW, in the resident compass app of (later?) iPhones, there is a second function screen that is an easy to use level.
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Yes Neal, and on my iPads I use one from Netigen called “Best Level”. It’s accurate and simple. Available in the Apple App Store. It may be available on Android as well, but there’s one for either venue called “Precise Level” that’s a bit more complex.
Joel
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I use an APP on my android called SwissArmyKnife. It has ten different functions:
1. Flashlight
2. Unit Converter
3. Timer
4. Stopwatch
5. Compass
6. Bubble Level
7. Calculator
8. Magnifying Glass
9. Mirror
10. Ruler
I went out to measure the slope of my driveway where the coach is parked. It showed from 2 to 3 degrees slope in several different places. With the coach more level than the driveway due to its air leveling, I suppose I could have the fridge on, eh?
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Level the coach? IPads, Apps, secret formulas??? When the door to the commode stays put (doesn't open or close on its own) the coach is level. I have a 6" torpedo level (from HF) I keep in the drawer up front under the cup holders. Set it on the floor, watch the bubble.
On the road in Colorado
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Many have a smartphone on their hip that, if such an app is on it, couldn’t provide a handier option. I don’t, but the app on our iPad on a table or shelf is often as quick as the little all-way bubble in a drawer. Even when level our toilet door can swing on it’s own, a nearly imperceptible hinge/frame mount glitch; but as long as it’s not a fast swing, it is indeed an indication of being level enough to protect the fridge.
Any way one does it is fine as long as it gets done ✅, one can verify that any Autolevel system is accurate, and we’ve demonstrated to Jason a good range of options. With all the other things going haywire on his coach, a failed cooling unit doesn’t need to be among them.
Joel
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So Jason, Here's my $0.02-
So one of the things I found out about leveling a Beaver is that some of them come with only 3 hydraulic jacks. So I questioned Why? Why 3 and not 4? All of my SNG trucks have always 4. Was this just a cheep installation? Cheep Manufacturer? I feel short-changed. why not 4? But I found out that the earlier beaver and Safari coaches with 4 jacks (one in each corner) tended to crack the windshield, or sometimes even "pop" one of the windshield gasket due to frame flexing. Cha-Ching!
In my coach, your suppost to drop the coach to it's 'knees' and let out all the air from the bags for storage and longer stays (interpreted: more than just an over-nighter). That has to happen first because the dump valve only operates when depressed while switching the key from run position to off position, which I do.
But I have also realized that I need to drop the front jack first; I think that's even stated in the RVA Jack Manual, or website, or something. This brings the body up a bit, off the front axle for some 'wiggle room' before I attempt to level side to side. This will allow the front of the body to pivot on the center jack side to side, and not be retarded by sitting on both sides of the rigid front axles.
This of course isn't as important if you leave your airbags inflated while leveling, but that causes your jacks to be mostly deployed even before they hit the ground and kinda makes it necessary to have additional blocks under the jacks to get that leveled result. Plus I would expect that the side to side leveling with airbags inflated, may 'over pressurize' the bags on the corner that is lowest by putting more pressure on them. I've just also read the wisdom that relieving the air pressure from your airbags during storage, or longer stays can increase the longevity of the airbags in general. -I tend to agree, Less stress. I know, when I am pressured, I feel stress... ...and I'm not much privy to that. :o
Hope this helps ya... ;)