leveling questions

[turbopilot51]

When I purchased my Alpine, I had the dealer install a new jumbo level on the pin box of the fiver. I am noticing that the level is not even close to level either front to back or side to side. My question is where is the best place in the fiver to check for level? The floor or counter top or other? I am using a four foot level to check for level but want the convenience of using the jumbo level on the pin box.

[Tikitim]

Hi, first using your 4ft. level, make sure your trailer is level front to back and side to side, then using screw on front adjust buble so it is in center of tube Then using screw in top adjust buble in small tube to center. It sounds like these adjustments were never made. Good luck.

[MILBY]

I always level on the floor right inside the door. I figure if the floor is level the everything should be

[SteveC7010]

Traditionally, the floor of the freezer has been considered one place that needs to be dead level because of the circulation of the liquid that makes the whole thing work. But I suspect today's fridges are a bit more forgiving of that than they used to be.

I checked the floor by the door against the freezer floor when I first got the trailer and they are 99% the same, and vary a bit from day to day anyway. So for all practical purposes, the floor by the door is the place to check.

(I also checked a torpedo level against the 4 footer, and found the torpedo to be as good as the long one on my rig. Easier to store and carry around.)

[cumminsdad08]

i use a 9 inch mag. level, or topedo level. if the wife don't have the freezer full i usually check it there. for speed i just throw it on the counter top. then just double check in the freezer. close enough for me, is good enough for me. i don't mind if the one back corner is a little lower. keeps the water out the back and away from the kids.

[f6bits]

I check level on the floors. The fridge is somewhat forgiving, so if my floor is dead level, my bubble level in the fridge is *really* close to center. A tilted floor bugs me more than a tilted fridge.

[turbopilot51]

Traditionally, the floor of the freezer has been considered one place that needs to be dead level because of the circulation of the liquid that makes the whole thing work. But I suspect today's fridges are a bit more forgiving of that than they used to be.

I checked the floor by the door against the freezer floor when I first got the trailer and they are 99% the same, and vary a bit from day to day anyway. So for all practical purposes, the floor by the door is the place to check.

(I also checked a torpedo level against the 4 footer, and found the torpedo to be as good as the long one on my rig. Easier to store and carry around.)

I have been checking the floor in various parts of the rig. Since the refrigerator is part of the kitchen slide I choose to ignor it. The four foot level is was handy to use while parked in front of my house. My old travel trailer and had small bubble levels on the outside and I carried a torpedo level. I am trying to set up my new Alpine and get a feel for it when it is level. The front to back is easy to level, but the side to side is a challenge with the crowned street in front of my home.

[jje1960]

Our routine is .... Using the back bumper with 6" level, use those modular plastic square blocks under appropriate side, then just use the 6" level right on the second step on the front stairs going into the trailer. None of our doors open or close by themselves inside the trailer, the water all drains from the shower... so I guess we've been close enough with our routine!

[geo]

Turbopilot51 -

Not a good idea to ignore the fridge and freezer. Steve and the others are quite correct. Once the slide locks in when extended, that is what one wants level. I don't know if the new fridges are forgiving or not, but that is where, personally, I would concentrate "level".

Ron

[jje1960]

Not to be combative here, however I think you have to be pretty far off level for the fridge to be effected by this... like to the point that's it's uncomfortable to even walk in the unit for the fridge to be effected, between 3 and 6 degrees if I remember right from what I've read.

[SteveC7010]

I don't think anyone is wrong on the fridge leveling issue. One point I missed is that we tend to level and stabilize our rigs *before* we run the slides out so using the fridge when initially siting the trailer is not useful. But I do think it is a good thing to be aware of.

I have one of the freezer levels in our rig, and usually look at it several times while we are camped. If it is seriously out of level, I take a look at the slide's positioning to see if I missed something. Otherwise, set and forget.

My initial comment on the fridges is based on having owned a propane only fridge in our '65 Avalon. If it was not dead level, it would not work. Precise leveling via the freezer floor was the norm back then because of this.

But, as I also stated, I think today's units are much more forgiving in this regard and, as jje1960 says, you'd have to be out of level to the point of human discomfort before the fridge would suffer.

[Terrydactile]

The following comment is from my manual for 2008 model Dometic fridge....

"Any time the vehicle is parked for several hours with the
refrigerator operating, the vehicle should be leveled to
prevent this loss of cooling.
The vehicle needs to be leveled only so it is comfortable
to live in (no noticeable sloping of floor or walls)."

.....so leveling of the fridge is not as critical as it used to be. Just get your floor level and its good enough.

[breadman224]

We use a 4'ft carpenters level we keep in the 5er and just lay it inside the door on the floor long ways front to back, my wife will let me no when im leveling the traile weather imgoing up or down to hit the bubble in the middle, we have had no issues doing it this way, pretty simple. Give it a try.

[msp2jxr]

I always go by the fridge. It is a chemical system and works best when it is level. I have always leveled the trailer by the fridge first and then set the outside levels to match. Most of my trailers it all matched anyway. jay

[Johnnyfry]

I use an electronic level. Inside the freezer if possible but sometimes using the countertop by the door.

I find that the difference is minimal. ~0.7 degrees fore aft and ~0.9 degrees port-starboard. Probably not enough to worry about.

Does anyone the recommended figures for the frig? Which is more important, fore-aft or port-starboard?

John

[jsmith948]

Learned something from all of the posted responses - all good info
But FWIW the DW says that the stove top being level makes her happy
And if the DW isn't happy ...............
By the way, when the stove on our Cougar is level, so is the frige

[JRTJH]

Same with us. Fridge and stove are the two parts that need to be pretty level, the rest is sort of "fluff" for comfort. We use one of the freezer bubble levels, put it on the counter beside the stove. When over half the bubble is inside the circle, it's good enough for us and I'm ready for a beer...:thumbsup:

[jje1960]

Somewhere (will try and find it) Dometic actually posted what the degree of specification is for the fridge, it's pretty high if I remember right, in other words if you are not overly noticing the out of level (like walking up or down hill) it's fine. 6degs comes to mind but not sure, will look through old posts.

[Oscar]

I like to have the floor level to the point where I don't "fall off" after having some home brew.....so far the fridge has been cold enough to keep the brew drinkable.

Seriously, the modern fridge/freezers are MUCH more forgiving than the ones we grew up with. Anything close is fine. I have a torpedo level and check the counter top inside the door, and I try to keep the bubble inside the lines......

Works good, lasts a long time.

And on a very serious note, I have a slide on one side (port) and I level the trailer and set the stabilizers with the slide in, a wee bit high on the port side. When I run it out the thing it tends to settle a hair to port as the stabilizers dig in and I end up level.

[golfpro]

I use a bubble level or even a torpedo level is go to go, but use the floor of the freezer to level the TT. I gave up on the floor of the trailer it self since it was like a gravel parking spot. most floors are not perfectly level or smooth so I gave up and went back to the freezer method

[f6bits]

I test my leveling by seeing which way the cabinet and bathroom doors drift. Once I figured out what it took to get everything level, I stuck a couple of bubble levels outside. Some people bias them off to one side so, like Oscar, the trailer ends up level when the slide comes out.

Since the fridge is so forgiving, I just level it so it doesn’t feel like I’m on a listing ship.