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12-14-2012, 01:16 AM
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#1
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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#2 'Killer'
Running While Not Level
The second biggest killer is running unleveled. When the refrigerator is operating, water moves around the pipes and flows down the coils on the back into the main storage tank. The pipes on the back all slope down from side to side. When the RV is off-level, one direction of the coil will be flowing up-hill and the water flow will stop. When this happens there is no flow to the boiler section and the water in the boiler pipe boils dry. The rust inhibitor dries up and blocks the boiler tube. If the unit is kept running the boiler pipe will get so hot that it will crack from the gas pressure inside the coils (450#). Now the cooling unit is really dead.
Never believe the stories that the newer units do not need to be run level? They are made to run more off-level than the older units BUT there is still a point where they will stop working. Always try to level you RV, as best you can, and if you have to park for a long time and cannot level the unit, shut down the refrigerator. It will keep the food cold for hours. Most of the newer units we repair have all been run unleveled and cracked the boiler. (This can be a very costly mistake)
Also ripped off..
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12-14-2012, 07:08 AM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
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Another reason for level-up.
__________________
Dick, Joyce, Diego, Picatso and Gustav
2017 3720 RL, and 2013 HC 343RL
Pullrite Hitch, IS, Disk Brakes, 3rd AC, Winegard Traveler, Bathroom door mod, Dometic 320, couch for desk swap, replaced chairs, sun screens, added awnings, etc.
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12-14-2012, 09:05 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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Nuttin a few scraps of lumber can't fix for us poo folk...
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12-14-2012, 09:31 AM
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#4
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Bella Vista
Posts: 472
M.O.C. #12223
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I too am a "lumber user"...got my eye on a new fly rod, (not that buying a level-up is a bad thing . Thanks for the ref. info! I knew they were sensitive but didn't realize the consequences.
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12-14-2012, 10:44 AM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
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My book says I must stay less then 6 degrees of level, but I sure try and do better than that. When I tow, the nose of the Monty is a little more than 1 degree nose high. This might change when I am driving up and down hills and the fridge is still running to keep the contents cold, but hopefully this non level is for very short periods of time. Fortunately, when stopped I am level (or so I recall). But when stopped for long periods of time and the fridge is gonna run for days I am completely level.
Good advice, Ozz. Thanks for the reminder.
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12-17-2012, 03:45 PM
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#6
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Baton Rouge
Posts: 431
M.O.C. #11342
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water?
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12-17-2012, 10:30 PM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: South Shore
Posts: 6,009
M.O.C. #7110
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Level is very important to me.
I have trouble standing up and not tripping on level ground
much less in an un-level trailer. Simply can’t stand it.
Thanks for the reminder Ozz!
__________________
2011 GMC 4X4 dually CC, 6.6 Duramax with Allison Transmission. Formally 2001 Montana,2007 3400RL Montana, presently 2018 3401RS Alpine.
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12-31-2012, 10:24 AM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
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So how does one determine 6 degrees off level? Seriously, I'd like to know. Is there a cheap tool I can use for this? Sometimes we don't unhitch when overnighting. We do our best to level but sometimes it's just not possible without unhitching. So how do we tell where that limit is?
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01-01-2013, 10:26 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Montgomery
Posts: 502
M.O.C. #7196
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Love my Apt Size Residential Frost Free Whirlpool!
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01-01-2013, 11:36 AM
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#10
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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Steve,
Print this and it would work:
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01-01-2013, 12:56 PM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Carmichael - CA
Posts: 7,366
M.O.C. #4831
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by sreigle
So how does one determine 6 degrees off level? Seriously, I'd like to know. Is there a cheap tool I can use for this? Sometimes we don't unhitch when overnighting. We do our best to level but sometimes it's just not possible without unhitching. So how do we tell where that limit is?
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I don't know of a tool that works easily (Ozz's protractor excluded) but some recently refreshed high school Geometry (thank you Internet!) can give you an idea.
Question:
A RV which is off-level by 6° degrees is how many inches side to side?
Answer:
1 degree = Pi/180 radians, so 6 degrees = Pi/30 radians. The width of the RV is typically 8’. Therefore the arc length (the curved distance traveled (close enough for our work)) is radius times the angle as measured in radians. So arc length = 8(Pi/30) feet and Pi is roughly 3.1416
Solving the formula gives:
8(3.1416/30) = 8(0.10472) = 0.83776’ = 10.05312”
I suspect most of us would be very uncomfortable if one side of the RV was 10" lower (or higher) than the other.
If I remember correctly, the Norcold and Dometic specifications allow 6° in one direction and 3° in the other. Since refers are mounted differently depending on the RV, you are safer using the 3° value which would be 5.026". Still a huge amount!
On Edit: While I entered the mathematical symbol for Pi, the crappy formatter here screws it up. So I had to enter "Pi" in the formula rather than the symbol.
__________________
Carl (n Susan)
There is more to life than fuel mileage.
2012 Montana 3700RL Big Sky Package towed by a 2015 Ford F350 6.7L PSD 4WD CC LWB
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