Fridge operation on a slope

[Sharon the Cat]

We've all had a manual somewhere that says your 3-way fridge won't operate properly if on a slope of something more than about 6 degrees (I think).
Well I was pleased that ours was working just fine when parked on a friends sloping drive the other night, especially when I opened the bathroom door and saw the angle the towels and light cord were hanging at.

 

[TeamRienza]

I seem to recollect from reading posts down through the years that whilst the fridge will continue to operate, it will not perform to its maximum efficiency. The other often quoted theory was that the flame and exhaust gases do not go directly up the outlet leading to soot buildup and damage to the flue. I assume occasional ‘tilt’ will not be detrimental. Perhaps others with a better knowledge could give a more definitive comment.

Davy

 

[n brown]

was that on gas ? i always imagined that the electric elements would work on a slope as they're attached to the heat exchanger piping , but the flame could be directed away from it

 

[Sharon the Cat]

was that on gas ? i always imagined that the electric elements would work on a slope as they're attached to the heat exchanger piping , but the flame could be directed away from it

Yes that was my understanding too, and yes again we were on gas and it seemed to be fine.

 

[Canalsman]

The orientation of the fridge has a bearing.

The fridge will cease working when tilted too far left or right when looking at the front of the fridge. Under these circumstances the coolant will cease to flow because the circulation depends to some extent on gravity.

If the tilt is in the other plane, i.e. the back or front of the fridge is higher, then the fridge will operate when tilted to a greater extent.

In my 'van the fridge is installed longitudinally so a nose up or tail up slope stops it working.

 

[Canalsman]

was that on gas ? i always imagined that the electric elements would work on a slope as they're attached to the heat exchanger piping , but the flame could be directed away from it

Gas or electric operation makes no difference. They are just a heat source ...

 

[Sharon the Cat]

The orientation of the fridge has a bearing.

The fridge will cease working when tilted too far left or right when looking at the front of the fridge. Under these circumstances the coolant will cease to flow because the circulation depends to some extent on gravity.

If the tilt is in the other plane, i.e. the back or front of the fridge is higher, then the fridge will operate when tilted to a greater extent.

In my 'van the fridge is installed longitudinally so a nose up or tail up slope stops it working.

We were nose down, so fridge tilted right side down looking at the front. The indicator stayed in the green and fridge stayed nice and cold for the 20+ hours we were there.
Next spot, we forgot to switch it back to gas after driving, and could tell it hadn't been working after only 5 hours.
It does seem that some are far more sensitive to the tilt than others.

 

[Caz]

Only ever had a problem with fridge not working on a slope once in 30+ years and it was on EHU, at a campsite in Scotland.

 

[mistericeman]

Gas or electric operation makes no difference. They are just a heat source ...

Due to the way they are fitted....
Gas operation and its flame is much more susceptible to gravity affecting the flame and it hitting the side of the flue and the heat not getting heat to the correct place...
AND not allowing effective operation of the thermocouple FFD....
Ie not staying lit.