Leave the door slightly open which will allow fresh air to circulate inside the fridge. If you are closing the fridge door when the fridge is not in use that's why it's starting to smell. To combat the odour you need to wipe all the internal fridge surfaces over with diluted Bicarbonate Soda then leave the fridge door open till next time it's switched on. This is the practical advice with all caravan fridges.
I wipe it out with Milton and then leave the door very slightly open - a tea towel folded over the door ensures that it doesn't close. We've never had a problem with smells. You do need to be sure to wipe into all the crevices though - it's amazing how nasty the tiniest bit of detritus can get!
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The transit catches are there A to make sure the fridge door does not fly open when travelling and B when folded over when in storage with the door open prevents the fridge door closing fully to let air circulate inside the fridge .
we leave the door open after a deep clean and also wedge the freezer compartment ajar. don't know if last bit helps but it can't hurt and we have always done it without any problems
After taking delivery of my then 2 year old s/h van from a franchised dealership, I discovered that the fridge was absolutely rank from uncleaned food debris plus black mould in all the nooks and crannies, which I hadn't noticed when I inspected the van prior to purchase (probably too distracted by the broken icebox hinges they hadn't fixed and I wanted sorted!).
After a thorough clean out with suitable biocide cleaner and a rinse with Bicarb, it remains odour free to this day, and now into my 3 year of ownership. That's just to reassure you that even the mankiest smelliest fridge can be 'recovered' to an acceptable standard.
The catch setting that allows the door to be held ajar for ventilation works perfectly well to prevent odours, so long as it's also kept clean of old food debris. As others have said, wash out with Bicarb (including all the nooks and crannies!) to get rid of current odours, dry, leave door ajar when not in use, and it will be fine.
Just be sure to use the catch, not some other method like a tea towel, to keep door ajar when in transit, otherwise the door will swing open and almost certainly be damaged or do damage to other fittings!
thanks guys have done what you all have replied just wondered if i was doing the right thing i keep the door open with a bungee cable so the door dosnt swing about
Quote: Originally posted by Kevin Black on 06/2/2020
thanks guys have done what you all have replied just wondered if i was doing the right thing i keep the door open with a bungee cable so the door dosnt swing about
There should be a catch somewhere along the top of the fridge door specifically designed to hold the door ajar when not in use. Depending on the model of fridge depends where the catch is as on the older Electrolux models it was at the top corner with a round push down button or a Dometic fridge like ours has a slider catch mid-way along the top of the door. No need to use a bungee cord unless the lock is actually broken which does sometimes happen but usually replaceable.
Why would it swing about? when not in use is the van not static ? We just leave out fridge door open. Like others have said,give it a good clean, bicarb is good.
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