What Happens if an RV Is Not Level?
One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was on our very first trip. We’d reserved a grass pitch on a lovely site near Ludlow and were excited to get stuck in. Campfires, off-grid cooking, dewy morning grass, the works.
Only problem was our motorhome was leaning quite heavily to one side. But hey, does a level RV really matter?
As we soon found out, the answer is yes, yes it does. Ever tried using the toilet sideways?
After this learning experience, we realized the importance of keeping an RV level. Not only is it a lot more comfortable, but it’s also much safer, extending the lifespan of your motorhome too.
While it might be tempting to “rough it” a few times and park your motorhome unlevel, I’d like to explain why this is a bad idea and just not worth the risk.
Below then, you’ll find a list of reasons why you need to make sure your motorhome is level when on uneven ground.
1. A level RV motorhome is safer
The most important reason to level your motorhome is that it’s safer. Parking on a slope is a surefire way to have an accident with many owners learning this lesson the hard way!
The most common accident is trips or falls due to the angle of your motorhome. A sloping motorhome will make walking inside tricky and could cause you or your family to injure yourself. This is particularly true if you are a more elderly motorhome owner or have a disability.
You’ll also find an unlevel motorhome will feel less steady as the weight of your vehicle is unevenly distributed on the suspension. This means you will be constantly adjusting your balance and holding onto things to avoid falling over.
Even if you are able-bodied and as sure-footed as a mountain goat, there are still plenty of opportunities to injure yourself with a wonky motorhome.
For example, if you’re on a lateral slant you might find your habitation door is a lot higher than you’re used to. Even a slight angle can make exiting your motorhome a lot more difficult, especially for older models without retractable steps.
Speaking to another motorhome owner about uneven ground, he told me about his wife who fell out of their RV and broke her hip after the fold-out step failed due to their . Fortunately she was up and walking about by this point but it shows how important it is to level an RV on a slope.
Bleary-eyed, first thing in the morning, you may forget the ground is a few inches lower than where you’re used to (a fall into wet grass will soon wake you up I can assure you).
2. You won’t feel seasick!
One of the lesser-mentioned aspects of parking your motorhome unevenly is that it can make you feel seasick. I personally don’t experience this but have seen it often enough in other people to know it’s a real thing.
This is down to conflicting signals between what we see and our inner ear’s balancing system (called the vestibular system). While our eyes are telling us we are stationary and on level ground, the fluid in our inner ear tells us we’re actually on an angle. The swaying of an uneven suspension makes things even worse!
This sensory mismatch can make some people feel extremely nauseous and dizzy. Not only does this make for a miserable trip, but it can also make accidents more likely.
In our old motorhome, we had a section of spongy floor near the entrance that needed fixing, as well as a weak suspension. Wobble-licious. While this never really bothered me or my family, some visitors to our RV felt immediately seasick, especially if we weren’t level.
3. Protect your motorhome suspension
A wonky motorhome is not just bad for your well-being either. Regularly parking your motorhome on an angle will adversely affect mechanical components such as the suspension and tires, as well as put strain on the frame itself.
If you’re like me, you’ll be looking to save money where you can, especially with motorhomes that already cost enough to maintain!
When your motorhome is not level, the weight of it is unevenly distributed over your suspension. This will naturally cause one side to experience more weight-bearing stress than the other. While you might not see any issues immediately, over time you’ll begin to see problems develop such as axle misalignment.
Sloped parking will also cause your shock absorbers (struts) to wear unevenly. The side bearing more weight will need to work harder to dampen shocks from walking within the habitation area. This will cause an imbalance in the damping effect of your motorhome, which is potentially very dangerous on the open road.
You may also find yourself replacing smaller components like bushings and tires more regularly due to non-uniform stress. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s certainly best to avoid these little issues and simply enjoy your motorhome.
Something else you might find is that your motorhome frame begins to warp. The chassis and frame of your vehicle are designed for level ground, not wonky, soggy grass.
Leaning to one side adds a lot of extra strain on welded joints that can eventually crack.
This twisting stress on bodywork can also cause microfractures over time. For motorhomes, there is an increased risk of warping with full water tanks and extra cargo causing uneven weight distribution.
4. You’ll sleep better
Leveling your motorhome is also a comfort thing, playing a crucial role in getting a good night’s sleep.
While you’d have to park your motorhome on a pretty steep angle to roll out of bed, even a gentle slope can cause back pain and discomfort.
This is due to your inner ear sensing you’re not flat. This will lead to muscle tension as your body involuntarily compensates for the tilt and seeks a more comfortable sleeping position. Likewise, a bad mattress will have the same effect, so be sure to invest in a good mattress topper for your motorhome if necessary.
Not only will this sloping cause you to wake up with a sore back, but you’ll also feel groggy. The constant need to adjust your position will affect your sleep cycles, preventing you from maintaining a state of deep sleep that you need to feel refreshed.
5. Cooking is easier
Cooking is another issue you’ll have parking your motorhome unlevel.
The most obvious problem you’ll discover is preparing food on a slope is not fun. Ingredients will tend to roll away on surfaces. You may find your ingredients are not where you left them!
Where’d I put that cherry tomato?
You may also find your food doesn’t cook evenly. Pots and pans on the hob will tend to slide around with food drifting to one side within. This will lead to longer cooking times and more gas used as a result.
Importantly, you’ll also find that your stovetop burners will not receive gas uniformly. Flame sizes can vary as the speed and pressure of gas is affected by the motorhome angle (Bernoulli principle). This poses a serious risk of incomplete combustion that can cause a build-up of carbon monoxide in your habitation area. This colorless, odorless gas is highly toxic and is poisonous even in small quantities.
Important!!!! Always make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed.
An angled motorhome also poses a safety hazard when dealing with pots of boiling water. Even a gentle slope can make water slosh over one side, especially if people are walking about in the habitation area. This could extinguish the flame allowing gas to be released into your motorhome.
The risk of scalds and burns is also a lot higher with an uneven motorhome. Slips and trips will occur and you don’t want to be holding anything dangerous when they do!
6. Water will flow the right way
An unlevel motorhome will also encounter difficulties with water flow.
Motorhomes are designed to operate on a flat, even ground. When on an angle, you’ll find water will behave a lot differently.
The main issue you’ll notice is your tap faucets will sputter as water sits unevenly in your tank. If leaning away from the water pump, you will be unable to make use of your full supply of water as it pools to one side during the last quarter of supply.
For the same reasons, you’ll also encounter drainage issues. You may find you’re unable to drain wastewater correctly as the water fails to flow correctly as it fights against gravity.
This is more than just an inconvenience though.
In extreme cases, you will find wastewater backs up through sinks and showers, contaminating the inside of your motorhome.
7. Tank readings are accurate
An unlevel motorhome will also give inaccurate water tank readings.
The sensors in your fresh water and waste tanks are typically float switches that move up and down with the level of liquid. The height of this switch adjusts the electrical signal that gives you a reading on your monitoring panel.
However, you need your motorhome to be level to get an accurate reading. Water pooling to one side or the other will return a false reading, informing you have more (or less) water in a tank than you actually do!
Parking on a slope, I’ve found my water tank readings to be off as much as hole quarter of a tank. This could be the difference between a nice cup of tea in the morning or not. Important stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree.
This can cause you to overfill your fresh tank or even think you have more room in your waste tanks than you actually do.
8. Your fridge will run better
You also need to make sure your motorhome is level for your refrigerator to work correctly.
Level parking will stop food from flying out of your fridge when you open the door and also keep gases flowing right.
Motorhome refrigerators typically operate using ammonia (NH3) as a refrigerant using absorption technology to create a cooling effect. While this is quiet, reliable, and convenient, being unlevel causes the circulation of ammonia to slow down or even stop.
This causes the ammonia to vaporize, condense, and evaporate inconsistently. In turn, this will cause some components to work harder and overheat and for other areas to become overly cool.
You will notice that your fridge will run louder and food goes off quicker. Not only that but you’ll also find your motorhome fridge uses a lot more gas or electricity to keep cool.
Leveling a motorhome is easy…
By taking a few moments when you pull up to make sure your motorhome is level, you’re not only making things more comfortable, you’re keeping you and your family safe while extending the lifespan of your vehicle.
And, if all these reasons to keep your motorhome level have got you worried, don’t be. While you do need to keep your motorhome level, it’s not difficult to do.
Some modern motorhomes even have self-leveling systems that make the task effortless! For owners of older motorhomes, all you really need is a pair of quality motorhome leveling ramps.
Be sure to follow our guide on checking your motorhome’s level for more information.
Happy motorhoming!