Ooooh, Ooooh, That Smell! (absorption fridge)

[jimmoore13]

I didn't quite find an answer with search.

Absorption fridge. Runs continuously all summer since 2021. It's cooling perfectly...fridge and freezer.

Our fridge stinks. I've searched for the obvious dead rats and warthogs in the fridge, but no luck. The odor is more like garlic and/or nasty. I just used ammonia for a cleaning project on my boat, and it doesn't smell like ammonia. The drip hose drain is working great...sometime after the smell started, I did a hair-dryer defrost on the cooling fins, and the water ran through the drip hose just fine.

We have been in the rig since mid May, and will stay until after Labor Day...then go home. So I can't shut it down and thoroughly clean it.

We "thought" it might be from leaving the lid off a jar of minced garlic for a day or two, but we resolved that, pulled the crisper drawers and cleaned them and the fridge interior where they reside. Can't for the life of me imagine what the smell might be coming from.

The ammonia I used for cleaning was brand new. Could the smell be ammonia but not smell the same as ammonia in a bottle?

I'm hoping to find the decaying remnants of "something" in the fridge, but barring that, any thoughts on what might cause the odor?

[RedHills]

Whiskey bottle? Too much coke or an oak tree?

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by RedHills

Whiskey bottle? Too much coke or an oak tree?

Lynyrd Skynyrd? Only thing I can think of is yuck growing in condensate drain tube, may have to remove it and jet it out with cleaner? Have you tried the open box of baking soda in there and wiping down inside with baking soda solution? Looked for mold growth between fins?

[ChrisParise]

I've only had my absorption Dometic 2652 on continuously for 30 days at a stretch but always use a refrigerator deodorizer and a battery operated fan to circulate the air inside. Mildly "fragrance " leftover food odors do not seem to linger after the food has been out for a day

[Mookie58]

Jim, strong food odors are carried/caused by organic materials in the food. The majority of the surfaces inside your fridge are plastic, which are pretty good at being attacked by, or absorbing, organic vapors and compounds. If they were exposed to some organics for an extended period you may need to leach them out by coating them with a slurry of baking soda or some other cleanser meant for this. Do not use bleach, that can attack plastic and degrade it. Ask me about my vinyl boat seats. It's also possible that when you end your use of the fridge around Labor Day, just leaving the doors open for weeks will clear it up.

[jimmoore13]

Thanks all...and the whiskey may come in handy this evening.


The good news is that the smell is going away. I may have cleaned up the source, and air exchange/pumping is evacuating the odor left in the fridge. I failed to put a box of baking soda in the fridge, so I'm adding one. Will also check door seals for inadvertent contamination.

I think I can rule out the condensate drain, because when I did the hair-dryer defrost, LOTS of water ran through it. I will, however, take a bit of Lysol sanitizing cleaner in a syringe and run it down that drain.

I'm happy to report that now, when I open the door, I don't get knocked to my knees.

[NJKris]

I love a happy ending. My super hero strength (and curse sometimes) is my freakish sense of smell, that would have driven me nuts.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I love a happy ending. My super hero strength (and curse sometimes) is my freakish sense of smell, that would have driven me nuts.