Date:         Thu, 16 Jun 2005 09:17:19 -0700
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Running Dometic Fridge while parking on hills Q.
Comments: To: Doug in Calif <vanagon@astound.net>
In-Reply-To:  <001401c57282$0bc1eaa0$640fa8c0@ttowerdef17>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

From all I've read in the VW Owner's Manual and
various online resources, I believe the fridge should
not be OPERATED at an incline exceeding 4-8 degrees,
but simply sitting (inoperative) is OK.

To quote from the Owner's Manual:
"Should level ground parking be unavailable, it is
best to discontinue operation to prevent overheating
of the core which can lead to permanent damage of the
refrigerator."

It makes no mention of a settling period, and I assume
that such settling occurs rather quickly upon
shutdown. So it would seem to me that you are safe in
doing precisely what you propose in your example.

It should also be emphasized that this is a problem
for such fridges only during STATIONARY operation;
while driving up and down hills of any incline, the
normal jostling of driving keeps the liquids and gases
functioning properly, and damage is not a problem.

RV Mobile has a very informative section explaining
how these fridges work:
http://www.rvmobile.com/TECH/TROUBLE/COOLDOC.HTM

And also a helpful chat forum dedicated to Dometic
fridges:
http://rvmobile.com:8085/wb/default.asp?action=10&fid=2

Jeff

--- Doug in Calif <vanagon@astound.net> wrote:

> I have a question about this,
> Lets say you take a road trip from Colorado in your
> westy to see the Golden
> Gate.
> Several days later you are at Fisherman's warf in
> San Francisco and loading
> up your
> westy fridge (which has been running since you left)
> with some expensive
> goodies.
>
> Now you want to go visit your friends in town who
> live on a hill that is
> sitting at a
> 30degree angle.
>
> If you just shut down the fridge after you park it
> in gear, set the
> handbrake as tight as it goes
> and chock the wheels, does the fact that it may take
> several hours for the
> fridge to settle down
> and it will be resting at 30 degrees hurt anything?
>
> Is this a good example of yet another advantage to
> consider Karl's solution
> to use the
> Norcold compressor fridge?  Hey Karl, how about an
> update on how much you
> like that fridge now that you
> have had it a while?  How much angle will it
> tolerate?
>
> It must be nice to have the fridge off, buy food,
> put it in and turn it on
> and know that within 1/2 hour its down to
> 34 degrees.
>
> Cheers.
>
> Doug
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeffrey Earl" <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:27 AM
> Subject: Running Dometic Fridge while parking on
> hills Q.
>
>
> > P. Stanhope wrote:
> > >> Hi, my driveway is steep like a hill. Will this
> > ruin
> > my Dometic fridge if i keep it running on propane?
> If
> > so, is there a mod so i can park on on an incline?
> >
> > thanks
> > Phil 84' Westy Tiicoe'd
> >
> >
> > Yes, this will most definitely-and
> permanently-ruin
> > the boiler system which runs the fridge, and I
> suspect
> > is the cause of many defunct Westy fridges.
> >
> > The factory Owner's Manual recommends the fridge
> be
> > tilted at no more than +/- 8 degrees in any
> direction
> > while in operation; the experts at RV Mobile
> > http://www.rvmobile.com/ suggest +/- 4 degrees is
> > safer. To determine your degree of tilt, purchase
> a
> > set of RV levels, which will allow you easily see
> when
> > you are in the proper range:
> >
>
http://www.dyersonline.com/pc-1530-248-hoppy-rv-level.aspx
> >
> > I use something like these RV leveling blocks
> >
>
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-jacks/leveling-blocks-rv.htm
> > to get my Westy within proper range when parked or
> > camped. If your driveway is sloped too steeply for
> > even these, maybe try standard wheel ramps like
> these:
> >
> http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200205624.htm
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> >
> > Jeffrey Earl
> > 1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
> > http://www.vanthology.com/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
> protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>




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