Odor in new 19CB

[Renault4]

It is said that the loudest sound in the world is the first rattle in your new car
Well then, the strongest odor….. On a four week trip we started to notice a mild but distinctive musty odor coming from the fridge each time we opened it. We checked each item and threw out anything that had even a hint of the smell—-we suspected mold. We turned off, defrosted, wiped down and restarted the fridge (a vitrifrigo DC unit). Over time it started to come back and even food items that were sealed in airtight containers started to become tainted. Then dry items that were stored outside the fridge, both above and below started to take on the same smell.

We’re home now and we’ve carefully washed down and cleaned out all spaces and containers and we are airing out the AS. Throughout this there have been no visible signs of mold or mildew, but there are plenty of spaces for it to hide. Other things we’ve checked: No signs of a plumbing leak or dampness, no evidence of a leak from outside rain, grey water air valves are clean and untainted.

Does any of this sound familiar? Is there anything about the DC fridge itself, for example could be this some sort of off-gassing or refrigerant leak?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’ve been searching the forums but wanted to see if caravel owners had any thoughts

[majorairhead]

I've never read about such a situation in my brief career on this site. Maybe contact Airstream, or the dealer, or even the fridge manufacturer?

[DarthBrader]

My 2022 Bambi 19CB has a similar layout and fridge, but in 2022 they used Novakool, not Vitrifrigo. I've never had these kinds of issues.

It sounds like dealers often defer to appliance manufacturers, but probably worth asking at least. Maybe check fridge manual for recommended cleaning procedures. I'd probably lean toward a bleach-based clean-out if possible.

Other suggestions: (1) Use a thermometer to dial in your temperature setting; (2) carefully defrost and dry out before storage, and store with door open; (3) I've had good luck with using desiccants while in storage to control humidity (I'm partial to Dri-Z-Air).