Burnt plastic smell from new Dometic Fridge flue cap

[flyflinger]

I have just installed a new Dometic RM2351 fridge in my 21' Globetrotter, and fired it up this afternoon. I am getting an acrid, low level smell like plastic melting/cooking, but not burning. I have felt all adjacent surfaces, and there are no plastic parts that seem overheated. The possible exception is the internals of the 'chimney' where the boiler tube is heated. I can barely touch that on the exterior.

I have a 'spare' part, labeled as the 'flue cap' in Dometic's parts list (#54 on the page 8, Control & Burner Components). The link to the parts diagrams/lists is at http://www.gas-refrigerators.com/pdf/RM2351-parts.pdf

My assumption regarding the function of the flue cap is that it is intended to redirect/mix the hot fumes coming up the chimney with cooler surrounding air. I have installed the flue cap in a vertical position at the top of the chimney, similar in orientation to the pictures attached, but directing the hot fumes at the top of the chimney away from the fridge.

Can anyone confirm or clarify the function and installation of the flue cap, and the potential source of that smell... I certainly don't want my renovation work going up in smoke while I sleep (in my house)....

Thanks for the input!

[flyflinger]

To hopefully close out this thread, the burnt smell went away after about 15 hrs of use on propane. I also added a larger Xilenx fan, 120 mm, 46 cfm, 2.6 watts (about 0.18 amp).

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by flyflinger

To hopefully close out this thread, the burnt smell went away after about 15 hrs of use on propane. I also added a larger Xilenx fan, 120 mm, 46 cfm, 2.6 watts (about 0.18 amp).

That's a relief, I was just going to post my experience and will anyway for all to be aware of: we had our Dometic rebuilt years ago and the local "mobile RV" mechanic re-installed it. As we were having dinner, I smelled that smell, turned out he mis-wired the fridge and it literally caught fire! Fire dept. was called, but I'd pulled the shore power and the batteries and shut the propane down by then and we were o.k. He did step up to the plate and repaired the screw-up, but I never used him again. My wife called him "ham hands".