When the refrigerator is new, there is a plastic odor because most components inside are made of plastic. section. To make matters worse in my case, I found out that the water in the pan from the defrost cycle was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Solution: First, you need to find out if your fridge has a drip pan. Mix 16 ounces of warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap and pour it into a spray bottle. Your refrigerator does not contain any mechanical parts that will produce an odor or cause a bad taste in your food or ice cubes. Activated charcoal is not the same as charcoal briquettes used for cooking on a grill. My refrigerator has a bad odor coming from the bottom drip pan. s.prop3 = s.channel + "|Support Search"; These pans need to be emptied from time to time and cleaned, or else they smell awful and may even overflow. How do I eliminate the odor if the pan … Now the wifey, in one of her brain f*rts, wants me to clean the fridge in the house like that. When the charcoal loses its effectiveness, it can be heated on low heat in the oven for a couple of hours to rejuvenate it. Maybe I should have elaborated on cleaning the fridge and freezer. Did the same with the freezer - where the smell… The drip pan is very likely the source of your smell situation. You can disconnect your fridge and turn it on its side (movers do this, after all), but when you do so you are supposed to stand it … Activated charcoal is available in drug stores, or more commonly, in pet stores. You can disconnect your fridge and turn it on its side (movers do this, after all), but when you do so you are supposed to stand it upright for like 24 hours before plugging it in again. Defrost condensate water collects in the drain pan at the bottom of the refrigerator so a cracked or overflowing drain pan can also cause water to drip on the floor behind the refrigerator.Excessive frost caused by a leaking door seal can also cause the defrost drain pan to … [1… The pan will be located under your fridge, and, depending on the model, you'll either access it from the front (behind a kick plate), or … Odors in the refrigerator can come from many different sources. If you smell this type of bitter odor coming from the fridge, open the windows and doors to air out the area. It is not a chemical or rotting food smell. Yes, every refrigerator has a drip pan. But, sometimes an odor can "permeate" into one of the plastic parts found inside the fridge, crisper pans, door liners, shelf supports. A few drops of vegetable oil down the freezer floor drain tube, every couple of weeks, keeps the mosquito larvae dead. I took EVERY item out of the frig, smelled it (nothing) washed the entire frig. By Whirlpool. I had the same problems with my GE Profile refrigerator as many other people - the cheap plastic drip pan for the water dispenser and ice maker had corroded, peeled and turned green. s.prop5 = s.prop4; It is necessary to open windows and doors in the home if the cause of the odor is a suspected coolant leak. This odor will dissipate with time. We recommend you check all foods to make sure they are covered and airtight. Refrigerator coolants may smell like ammonia, nail polish remover or another chemical. I took EVERY item out of the frig, smelled it (nothing) washed the entire frig. You can spray under the refrigerator with Lysol spray for odor also. Another possibility that can cause an odor is the compressor grommets. IF this is the case, a thorough freezer and pan cleaning is in order. The bad smell could be coming from the drip pan underneath the fridge. The manual may also list if you can remove the drip pan or if you need to clean it while it’s still in your fridge. Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Thanks. Place it in a small dish or saucer and place in the fresh food compartment for about 3 weeks. The drip pan on your refrigerator is a receptacle that catches condensation flowing from the defrost drain in your freezer to the outside of … It seems as though the drip pan is catching the overflow from the evaporator but why does it smell this way? To keep food at its perfect temperature, chilled or frozen, GE Appliances offers a range of refrigerators to fit your space. Desperate! Locate the drip pan underneath the fridge. The blueberry juice had gotten into places I would have never thought about. Check the refrigerator’s manual to find where the drip pan is located. From the front of the refrigerator, I can’t visually see anything in the tray underneath. This is located at the bottom of your appliance just above the condenser coils. s.eVar14 = document.title; For over a month there has been a terrible smell coming from the refrigerator AND the freezer!!! Spoiling food, spilled milk, open food. s.hier1 = s.prop5; Desperate! 1987 and newer: The drip pan is fixed and not easily accessible; it cannot be removed. We provide the most innovative refrigerator technologies—our smart fridges can be monitored and send alerts from almost anywhere via our Smart HQ app and your mobile device. Did the same with the freezer - where the smell, oddly enough, seems STRONGER! GTH181BXCRWW and Serial No. Please help before I call the 200/hr repair guy. Some are in the front bottom, some are in the back bottom of your refrigerator. This can crack or damage the refrigerator liner. I cleaned that out and about 2 days later the smell is back. we put a small piece of coil inside our refrigerator it eliminates bad odor. My LG Refrigerator has an odor inside.I know it is not the food or anything that has dripped down underneath the fridge. When the refrigerator is new, there is a plastic odor because most components inside are made of plastic. Drain Pan. For over a month there has been a terrible smell coming from the refrigerator AND the freezer!!! According to yourspares.co.uk, the leading cause of a smelly fridge is the drip pan. To clean the walls and shelves we recommend a solution of one tablespoon of baking soda to one quart of warm water. Look at the diagrams for your fridge inside the manual to find the drip pan. The pan is not removable. Can't beat the price! Replace the baking soda according to the instructions on the box. What is this horrible smell emanating from my refrigerator? Check to see if there is any build-up of water, mold, or grime that might be causing a bad smell … It is not a removable pan like most refrigerators have.You can access the pan by removing the grill under the refrigerator door and the compressor compartment cover on the rear of the cabinet. Frig. The smell … Odors In Refrigerator or Freezer. Your refrigerator does not contain any mechanical parts that will produce an odor or cause a bad taste in your food or ice cubes. Frig. According to yourspares.co.uk, the leading cause of a smelly fridge is the drip pan. s.channel = "Service_Support"; Thurman thanks for your response, I ended up getting a GE tech to come out, and after taking most of the fridge apart he couldn't find anything that was causing the problem. Refrigerator Smells Like Plastic The first sign of leaky refrigerator coolant can be an acrid smell, from pungent ammonia to sharp acetone, according to Reference. My refrigerator has a bad odor coming from the bottom drip pan. you're right chemist1961...and it works for me:thumbup: A forum community dedicated to Do it yourself-ers and home improvement enthusiasts. Also, cleaning products with a lemon scent are not recommended because the lemon odor may be permanently absorbed in the plastic parts of the refrigerator and may affect the food. Sometimes placing a couple of Clorox tablets in the drain pan will correct this problem. Fill a pan with hot water from your kitchen faucet. Seconding the dead rodent being heated by something (fridge or your winter heat in general). I took a garden hose and washed it down good, sprayed it with "Greased Lightning" cleaner and hand washed everything I could. Yes, the drip pan is below your refrigerator, on some models you can remove them, others you can't. Menu Ask a Question Share a Post Account Search. Refrigerator Locating Your Drip Pan. My GE Top Freezer refrigerator purchased 11-9-10 Model No. Have you had anything in the freezer leak any liquids at all? JavaScript is disabled. I could not believe that GE wanted to charge $80 plus for the same lousy replacement. such as the damper assemblies and air returns. See all items in Refrigerator Drip Pan. The long answer is that bacteria and molds cause bad odors because microbes love areas with moisture, such as your fridge. IF this is one of those set-ups where the pan is on top of the compressor so the compressor heats the pan to facilitate evaporation you can understand that any fluids from the freezer will evaporate and leave behind the proteins and such which will rot and stink. However, the tray goes all the way under the refrigerator … After some research, I found this alternative. and enter the model of the refrigerator, you can see the parts diagram and list for the refrigerator. To clean the walls and shelves we recommend a solution of one tablespoon of baking soda to one quart of warm water. and why is it doing it, has the evaporator gone bad, or something? Do not use bleach or ammonia. Maybe something you put in that was not frozen yet and could have leaked some blood or fruit juice? How do I eliminate the odor if the pan is not removable? (Check your manual, or find it online by searching for the brand and model number.) s.prop43 = "Responsive"; //s.eVar15 = ""; If there is a strange smell coming from your GE refrigerator, it could be caused by many things. The pan you see (I believe) is to catch the water when the freezer unit goes through the defrost cycle. Often a really good cleaning out with an ammonia cleaner can help or with a baking soda water mixture. IF this is one of those set-ups where the pan is on top of the compressor so the compressor heats the pan to facilitate evaporation you can understand that any fluids from the freezer will evaporate and leave behind the proteins and such which will rot and stink. 1 Answer. It is not a removable pan like most refrigerators have. Yes, every refrigerator has a drip pan. Helping You to Do It Yourself! However, you may be able to see the back of the drain pan from the back of the refrigerator. The pan will be located under your fridge, and, depending on the model, you'll either access it from the front (behind a kick plate), or you'll have to pull out the fridge to access it from the back. Odors can be difficult to get rid of because the refrigerator is an enclosed area. :yes: VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. The drip pan is very likely the source of your smell situation. 1986 and older: The drip pan can be found by removing the grill. You can clean the drip pan by wrapping a cloth around a yardstick (or something similar) and cleaning underneath the condenser coil and compressor. Remove the panels from the refrigerator and clean them well. When the motor runs on my refrigerator, a peculiar and unpleasant odor blows out from the bottom vent. Spread the activated charcoal in a small pan (such as a jellyroll pan) and place it in the refrigerator and/or the freezer. When the refrigerator is new, there is a plastic odor … But we did determain that whatever the residue that is in the drip pan which happens to be below the condensor was what was causing the smell. // Image call is a medium-end Whirlpool w/top freezer, about 6-7 years old. Open windows and doors in the room for at least 15 minutes to ensure adequate ventilation, then check the temperature inside the refrigerator. Get shopping advice from experts, friends and the community! This is a difficult and tedious job. Do not wash plastic parts from your refrigerator in your dishwasher. you would need to remove all the food and the shelves and then the panel … IF this is the case, a thorough freezer and pan cleaning is in order. There is an insert in the dispenser drip tray. The drip pan catches water from the defrost cycle. To remove the drip tray … section. So notorious is a smelly fridge resulting from the drip pan that people have described as smelling “ like a dead animal” or like fish even when there is none in the refrigerator. The pan is not removable. No idea what it could have been from. Good Luck, David. I have cleaned the complete inside of my LG french door refrigerator with a mixture of baking soda and water and a solution of vinegar and water. What is this horrible smell emanating from my refrigerator? I pulled the fridge out removed the metal in the back and in the drip pan was this dried up horrible stuff. if its real bad you may not be able to clear this completely.however, there are some things you can do. I'll provide more info in a few days. Sometimes a damaged or used up water filter can emit odors . It is not a chemical or rotting food smell. The smell could have saturated the internal parts, thus thats why it smells more when its running. I even laid it on it's side to wash out all the underside. You can access the pan by removing the grill under the refrigerator door and the compressor compartment cover on the rear of the cabinet. I have a GE Profile Side by Side refrigerator PSH23PGRAWW have had it since 2004, last week it started making a horrible smell similiar to poo, stronger when the fan is running. Some weeks ago, we noticed a strong smell in the refrigerator section of the Samsung French Door we bought in Jan '10. Any liquids from the freezer compartment will also drain into this pan. The drip pan on your refrigerator is made into the base support the compressor mounts on. remove the kick plate from the bottom, it should slide right out. GE also makes various appliance models for Sears / Kenmore. Have a whirlpool refrigerator, only 5 years old. Water is carried down a drain tube to the drip pan, where it evaporates. With my old refrigerator to clean the odor I would put baking powder all over the pan and the odor would be gone. It could even be a buildup inside the fridge's drainage system. This odor will dissipate with time. okay , unfortunately the odor is in the insulation and the evaporator coils and various other places. The drip pan on your refrigerator is made into the base support the compressor mounts on. Consult the Owner's Manual for further cleaning instructions. It dried for a couple of days before putting back together and then I ran it there for a couple of more days before putting it back in place. [French Door Refrigerator] What to do if there is bad odor and water smells and taste bad? You may need to clean the drip pan and the drain. Thankfully it fired right up and has been running ever since. My LG Refrigerator has an odor inside.I know it is not the food or anything that has dripped down underneath the fridge. Related Questions When there is a bad odour in refrigerator … Yes, the drip pan is below your refrigerator, on some models you can remove them, others you can't. Drip pans are usually located in the front or rear of your fridge, but it may vary depending on the model you have. :thumbup: Guessing Ethel meant coal as in charcoal or carbon block. s.prop4 = s.prop3; most of the moldy and musty smell will be on the evaporator coils in the freezer section behind your food. Once you access the drain opening, GE Appliances recommends injecting a solution consisting of 1 tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in 2 cups of hot tap water using a turkey baster. Hi I'm a newbie here, but I have a bad or smelly problem. As the unit was in my shop I took it to the garage door of the shop, took off all the interior panels that I could get off to expose the insides. When the drain clears, you'll hear water dripping into the drain pan and you can replace the panel. I applied straight bleach and tried to remove all the residue, so after 3 days we still can smell a hint of it but for now seems to be gone. var s_code=s.t();if(s_code)document.write(s_code); We do extensive taste and odor testing on all of our refrigerators and freezers. // Manipulate variables I had this happen with the fridge in my shop, which is an older model. s.events = "event16"; Odors or tastes come from food items placed in the refrigerator or freezer, such as unwrapped food or spills on the shelves or walls. is a medium-end Whirlpool w/top freezer, about 6-7 years old. GE brands include General Electric, Hotpoint, RCA, and others. You may need to remove the back panel of the fridge to access it properly. I have cleaned the complete inside of my LG french door refrigerator with a mixture of baking soda and water and a solution of vinegar and water. We do extensive taste and odor testing on all of our refrigerators and freezers. Odors can be difficult to get rid of because the refrigerator is an enclosed area. My problem was blueberries my wife had put in there in zip lock bags and one had leaked. The short answer is that it’s probably caused by spilled and rotten food or a build-up of grime. Some are in the front bottom, some are in the back bottom of your refrigerator. The insert can be removed from the drip tray to carry to the sink to empty or clean. Others require panels to be removed. Strong Smell Inside Refrigerator by TME4TLS Jul 9, 2012 11:42AM PDT The unit is a RF268AB purchased at Lowes in March 2010, serial number 43FB4GBSB00360D Hmmm, let's see now, there are nine (9) steps leading down from the back deck, six (6) steps on the front porch- -maybe I'll just wash it in the kitchen. So notorious is a smelly fridge resulting from the drip pan that people have described as smelling “like a dead animal” or like fish even when there is none in the refrigerator. Other methods for removing odors and tastes include: Place a box of baking soda in the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment to absorb odors. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Spray the coils and allow the soapy water to drip … With my old refrigerator to clean the odor I would put baking powder all over the pan and the odor would be gone. I could be that there is "gunk" built up there that is causing the odor. Use a turkey baster to force the water into … Vanilla extract can be used to freshen the fresh food compartment, but not the freezer (because it will freeze). Disconnect power to the unit and pull the refrigerator out far enough to lower the back cover. HT521324 has had a strong fishy odor in the freezer especially and also in the refrigerator …