Quote:
Originally Posted by DorianColling
Hi folks,
Forgot my first RV and we are nearly ready to talk our first trip but I have 2 questions:
1- I have a 2001 four winds with a Generator MicroQuiet 4000. Can I drive with it while driving or is it made to run it while stopped?
2- I have read that we need to have the motor home leveled before running the fridge but how does this work? Shall I be leveled at home, run it few hours then I drive drive with my fridge on?? Better to run it with gas or the generator?
Thank you for your help !
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The generator certainly can be used while driving - in fact, for many of us that is it’s primary use. We use it to power the AC while traveling. About the only other use for it would be when boondocking. We, at least, don’t do much of that.
It helps to understand why the refrigerator needs to be level. It works on an ammonia mixture that is heated by a small propane burner or an electric heater until it is a gas. The gas goes to the cooling fins where it expands picking up heat from within (the absorption part of its name). If you look up inside the outside vent you’ll see a set of zig zagging, nearly horizontal pipes. The ammonia mixture travels down these pipes cooling in an active airflow (which is why there is a vent at the top of the fridge too). There are no moving parts in this design. It’s all done by gravity. Once cooled into a liquid again the cycle continues. If you park significantly out of level the zig zag pipes won’t be able to flow the liquid ammonia down properly to the burner and the whole cycle can stop. Not only does this prevent the fridge from cooling it can cause the burner to overheat (like boiling a pot dry on your stove). If that happens there is a risk, albeit a small one, of starting a fire. Also the pipes are made of copper and overheating them repeatedly can make them brittle which can cause them to crack allowing the coolant to escape ruining your whole day. If you do a search for RV refrigerator fires it might even scare you. There is a product you can buy that monitors the temperature of the boiler and temporarily turns the fridge off if it overheats. It’s called the fridge defender. It also has an interesting readout that tells you the temp of the boiler and of the returning liquid at the bottom of the cycle. Oh, when you are driving the motion of the vehicle generally is sufficient to keep the refrigerant moving even on hills. Long post. Sorry. I like learning this stuff. Maybe not everyone does.
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