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by brc 5990 days ago
You need to get your rig level in order for the propane fridge to work. They work by a gravity feed of the material inside. Bascially, a burner heats up the liquid, which forms into a gas, and then condenses and runs down an intricate series of tubes back to the bottom, absorbing heat as it does so. If your rig is not completely level, then the liquid does not run down evenly, and you will burn out your fridge. Then your beer goes warm and the fun has definitely gone away.

Modern RV's have hydraulic/electric 'feet' that extend down and both stablise and level out the rig. These take time to put up and down and are very obvious when the are extended. If you just park on a couple of bits of wood, it's possible to get it level enough for the fridge to work OK. It doesn't look as obviously 'parked' to the casual passerby. And if you need to make a speedy getaway (for whatever reason, be it the law or unwanted company) you can just start up and drive off. That's what the wood is for.
2 comments
jodrellblank 5990 days ago
Why don't they just tilt the fridge?
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SwellJoe 5990 days ago
It seems like maybe they could be mounted in a two-part rocking carrier, with a weight at the bottom of the fridge itself. It'd be a bit bigger and heavier, but it would allow safer operation of the fridge. It'd probably need to be lockable for driving, though. They may even make fancier models of fridge that can be safely operated on a bigger slope, I dunno. My RV is actually a pretty low end, bare bones, model. All of the accoutrement is toward the cheaper end of the scale. The big diesels tend to be decked out with the nicer kit.

They've also gotten a bit better at surviving sloped operation; modern ones can be operated while driving and for short periods parked on a slope. Older ones were more sensitive.

Also, sleeping on a tilt is uncomfortable. So, leveling is kind of useful for humans (and dogs), too.

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roqetman 5990 days ago
RV's usually have these things attached so that they don't move around while you drive.
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tjic 5989 days ago
> Why don't they just tilt the fridge?

Reminds me of the joke about the engineer: "hey, why can't those blind guys just play at night?".

;-)

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capablanca 5990 days ago
Ah, yes... thanks.

Also, how living on a RV impacts "Don't drink and drive" ? :)

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