Normal for fridge to smell?

[wareaglewalt]

First time firing up the fridge on 2016 Flying Cloud 19 and there's a fairly heavy smell in the cabin. Is this normal? Been running for about 3 hours on propane and the fan switch is on.

[SteveSueMac]

What does it smell like?

[AWCHIEF]

Gas, mold, food, dead rat? What is the smell?

[Knuff]

Better not mold and dead rat...
Is the fridge working all right? You probably will know this by tomorrow morning. The main apparatus is located towards the outside (the people who did the walkthrough probably told you to put some anti bug stuff (dog flea collar) in there, so this is where you can see the flame.
Bad would be propane smell (but you have an alarm) or ammonia (that's what the fridge uses internally for cooling). Carbon monoxide would also be detected by your alarm system but I would not think that CO would be an issue, plus it is odor less.
Perhaps is just that new fridge braking in smell and your nose is overly sensitive. Hope you can keep the windows open...

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Knuff

the people who did the walkthrough probably told you to put some anti bug stuff (dog flea collar) in there

You'd be surprised at the number of dealers who don't offer this piece of excellent advice. My Interstate doesn't have a propane-fueled refrigerator— it's an all-electric Nova Kool— but this weekend I will be buying a dog flea collar to put inside my water heater's exterior compartment, for the same reason. Thank you very much for the suggestion!

Anyway, getting back to the OP's issue of a smelly refrigerator, the answer to getting rid of the smell is probably as simple as for a fridge at home, a box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda inside the fridge to absorb odors. But for an RV fridge, don't open the top of the box— open the front and lay the box flat on its back. If it's already laid flat, it can't fall over while you're traveling.

[agabler]

Could someone explain the dog flea collar? I don't know what you're talking about... Thank you!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by agabler

Could someone explain the dog flea collar? I don't know what you're talking about... Thank you!

Bugs are attracted to the scent of propane. Any exterior compartment where there is propane, such as the exterior hatch for your refrigerator and the exterior hatch for the water heater, is likely to end up with spiders, wasps, and other unpleasant hitchhikers. The same is true for the furnace vent, but you can't protect the furnace vent with a flea collar because there's no compartment to put it in.

[Foiled Again]

There are small spiders that love the smell of propane, and mud daubers (a kind of wasp I think) like to build nests in furnace and water heater access vents. A flea collar renewed every year keeps them away - no fuss, no muss, no stress.

BTW, ever check into an RV spot and find bees or hornets in the power stand? Open the lid and they come swarming out - and you NEED to stand absolutely still until they lose interest in you - please lord tell me we're too far north for these to be an Africanized strain. One experience had me throwing rocks at hapless power stands from a safe distance for six months. Whew.

[JCWDCW]

OP hasn't answered the question...what does it smell like? If could just be the smell of fabrication metal-processing oils on the heater assemblies in the chimney but I would have thought that would stay outside and up the vent especially with the fan on. Fridge is cold (hopefully) so the smell of new plastic (inside the fridge) should not be the cause

[agabler]

Thank you all!! I will do this right away. No need for critters of any size in our setup!

[WestieHouse]

Originally Posted by wareaglewalt

First time firing up the fridge on 2016 Flying Cloud 19 and there's a fairly heavy smell in the cabin. Is this normal? Been running for about 3 hours on propane and the fan switch is on.

I assume it is not like Tabasco...That would be an Airstream upgrade.