New Dometic fridge smell

[GloNDark]

We picked up a brand new Rockwood 2607a in January and we are taking it out for the first trip tomorrow. I fired up the fridge around 2 this afternoon to get it cooling. When I went out this evening it's cooling great but the fridge compartment smells like melting plastic. I felt the compartment, there is nothing hot inside the fridge.

I also checked the lower and upper access doors for blockages or anything obvious and found nothing. Not even a trace of the smell outside of the main compartment.

Is this normal? Or has anyone else experienced this weird smell?


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[Rich5117]

What kind of fridge do you have? You may be having a problem with the anti-frost strip it may be overheating and not shutting off. Also just on a guess I would remove the access panel and make sure that nothing such as debris is against the coils or the burner area, would not be the first time junk was not removed. The only other thing it could be your interior light is not shutting off, these get very hot, but when that happens they also prevent good cooling.

[Ford Idaho]

Are you running it on propane or power?

[GloNDark]

Sorry, running on propane. Not sure the model number but can get it.

The freezer is showing 28 ish degrees and the fridge is showing around 38 degrees. And that was on the coldest a setting which I backed off this morning to the middle setting.

I checked the light and it shuts off when the button is pressed by the door. I will take a look at the access panels again and see if there is anything. Maybe I will blow them out with the shop air and vacuum them out just in case too.

[Ford Idaho]

Could the smell have been oil burning off the vent or something related?

[Mark1]

When our Dometic and Mh was new also January it didn't cool worth a D on Propane and smelled hot.dealer found vents at top of fridge was never cut to vent it thru the roof.he had to remove the fridge,cut the holes and reinstall.now I'm set on 4 for cooling instead of 9 and it works the same on AC or Lp.

[tuxedo]

GloNDark
Just in case you do not know:


FREEZER SHOULD BE 0 f TO - 32 f
REFRIGERATOR SHOULD BE 34 F TO 40 f


This is for food safety and for longer storage. But check it after doors have been closed a couple hours (and is at a steady state) as temp drops rapidly with opening of door.


We have 2014 Dometic 4 door. Had major problems when new but great now. One of the many problems was Forest River just slapped it into an oversize space. Dealer fixed. I showed them Dometic Installation req's which covered max air space and baffling the hot air to the outside vent. The rest of the FR and Dometic saga is too lengthy for here.

[Rich5117]

X2 on what tuxedo said

[Mark1]

Yep I know the fridge is a bit below 40 have to check the freezer, Thanks.

[GloNDark]

So after running the fridge for 24 + hours on propane, The smell inside the fridge compartment seems to be gone. I can still smell the flue burning in when outside but after cleaning both the bottom and top compartments I am confident in saying there is no more wood shavings in there.

Wow what a freaking mess back there. I wish I would have saved all the crap that came out of the lower compartment. Wire connectors rolling around loose, wire, wood chips etc.


I also found that only 1 of the fans up above was kicking on, so I already ordered upgraded ball bearing quiet fans to replace them. I'm also thinking about some other exterior vent with a fan attached to help exhaust. I need to find a fan quiet enough that pulls enough air to make it work though.

[GloNDark]

Oh and the fridge/freezer thermometers were reading on the middle setting with food in both.
Fridge - 36 degrees
Freeze - 10 degrees


Pretty happy about that. And it should get even better once I replace/upgrade the fans.

[Rich5117]

Check www.rvcoolingunit.com for your additional fans

[Mark1]

Yeh. I added one of the fan units from RV Cooling Unit Warehouse they work great.