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Old 02-20-2018, 05:14 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
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THOR #10268
Fridge odor

Help... please!
We recently took delivery of a new 2017 Thor Axis 24.1. Either Thor Industries, or the selling Dealer, left an opened 8 oz bottle of Thetford Aqua-Kem blue in a door shelf of the Norcold fridge. The fridge reeks of Aqua-Kem, which means it now has the smell of a holding tank!

We tried cleaning, cleaning again with a 20% Clorox solution, and leaving an open box of sodium bicarb... still have the odor of the septic additive.

Short of using a gallon of 87-octane gasoline and a disposable BIC lighter, I am stuck with the lingering malodor. Any thoughts or other ideas? (The gasoline reference was a vain effort in sarcastic humor!)

Jerry Webb
Reelsboro, NC

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Old 02-20-2018, 12:51 PM   #2
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Well THIS sure stinks!


Sorry...


Baking soda??

Are you sure that the odor is from inside the fridge; and not from something behind it??
Perhaps you could stop at an auto detailing shop, and see what they use.
(It's worth a try)

Good luck!
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:09 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Willard164 View Post
Help... please!
Either Thor Industries, or the selling Dealer, left an opened 8 oz bottle of Thetford Aqua-Kem blue in a door shelf of the Norcold fridge.
I can't think of one logical reason why someone would do that. Unless there was an odor of some other sort that they were trying to cover. Which leads me to wonder what that might have been. That Aqua Kem odor in my mind would not have lingered like that from just an open bottle, IMHO.

Assuming it's still under warranty I'd go right back to the dealer with it and have them resolve it, regardless of who did it.
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:09 PM   #4
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If you are still under warranty (sounds like you've just acquired said RV) I think I would try to get the dealership to handle it..even if it takes replacing the fridge.
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:11 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Willard164 View Post
Help... please!
............and leaving an open box of sodium bicarb...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post

Baking soda??
Definition of sodium bicarbonate
: a white crystalline weakly alkaline salt NaHCO3 used especially in baking powders and fire extinguishers and in medicine as an antacid — called also baking soda, bicarbonate of soda




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Old 02-20-2018, 01:54 PM   #6
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Thanks... all good answers. I suspect the Aqua-Kem was placed in the fridge so that it would not be overlooked by a new Owner. Well, it was not! Placing the *free* bottle closer to the head, would have been my choice. My best guess is... the transport crew dumped a little Aqua-Kem in the head, during the 900 mile delivery trip from IA to NC. The bottle cap was ON, but the seal had been removed.

Thanks for all the helpful hints. Some plastics have the nasty quality of retaining odor. Maybe I should let an onion become rotted in the fridge. At least it would smell like it had originally belonged there!

All in all, the Axis 24.1 is GREAT... perfect size for us. After replacing the Ford shocks and steering stabilizer with Bilsteins, and replacing the front and rear anti-sway bars with Hellwig units, AND a proper alignment, the rig drives very good.
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:10 PM   #7
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Those odors do stick pretty well in Norcold plastics. We had two unfortunate incidents where food was left to rot, (not our fault) and removing the odor was a near impossible task. DH still can't eat Bubba Burgers to this day.

If you choose to deal with it yourself, try running any removable parts through a dishwasher and let dry in the sun. Wipe down everything else with 50/50 bleach and water and leave it dry with the doors open and the unit off. Load up each compartment with charcoal (non-lighter fluid type) in brown paper bags and close the doors. And as a last resort, I sprayed the &^%$ out of it with Lysol spray and let that dry with the doors open. All that works marginally. Time and keeping it cool all the time worked the best. Good luck!
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:17 PM   #8
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Try Odoban. Best odor eliminator out there. Shames Febreeze. Maybe it will help.
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:53 PM   #9
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Coffee grounds. spread them around and leave them for a couple of days. Years ago we flew out of the country for a week in the middle of summer and left the motor home plugged in at the house like we always do. Had groceries in the fridge including salmon fillets in the freezer. A pinhole opened up on the ice maker supply line and sprayed directly into the GFCI AC plug for the fridge, shutting it down. You can imagine the stench that fish created. I was ready to throw out the fridge until I tried the coffee grounds. I put them in for a couple days, cleaned them out, and did it one more time and the odor was completely gone.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:10 PM   #10
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Who says that too much coffee is bad for you?
I had never heard of this tip: Thanks!
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:27 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Willard164 View Post
Help... please!
We recently took delivery of a new 2017 Thor Axis 24.1. Either Thor Industries, or the selling Dealer, left an opened 8 oz bottle of Thetford Aqua-Kem blue in a door shelf of the Norcold fridge. The fridge reeks of Aqua-Kem, which means it now has the smell of a holding tank!

We tried cleaning, cleaning again with a 20% Clorox solution, and leaving an open box of sodium bicarb... still have the odor of the septic additive.

Short of using a gallon of 87-octane gasoline and a disposable BIC lighter, I am stuck with the lingering malodor. Any thoughts or other ideas? (The gasoline reference was a vain effort in sarcastic humor!)

Jerry Webb
Reelsboro, NC
Jerry. You might try white vinegar. Must get the area wet and re-apply often for couple of days. Then wash with soap and water. Vinegar will remove most smells from plastic.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:35 PM   #12
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All of the suggestions are good and may work. My suggestion, if all else fails, is an ozone deodorizer. That is what car dealers use to remove cigarette smoke odor.
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Old 02-20-2018, 04:41 PM   #13
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The power went for who knows how long while we were away & our fridge was horrible, used an opened bag of charcoal & waded up newspapers for about a week & not a hint of odor.
I agree wth maybe trying to cover up some other odor. Also if the lid was on the bottle I'm confused confused as to how it contaminated the fridge that badly without spilling & turning the shelf blue.
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Old 02-21-2018, 03:46 PM   #14
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I think I would try charcoal....except I'd go one further..... crush some with a hammer so that it's more like gravel for more surface area.... then place large trays of it in there...as many as I could fit.
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Old 02-21-2018, 06:34 PM   #15
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Thanks for ALL the replies... most helpful!

99+% of odor seems to be removed... a combination of white vinegar washing, followed by 50% Clorox and distilled water washing, allowing it to air-dry. Then charcoal.

Many types of plastic (remember "The Graduate"-1967?) will be waterproof, but not vapor-proof... strong odors will "gas" thru the material. Pick up a bottle of this holding tank crap at a RV dealer and smell it.

We've used the Geo Method for holding tank treatment for 15 years, in various 5th wheel RV and a recent truck-camper RV. It has been very successful for us, although I understand there are a multitude of holding-tank philosophies. The Geo Method has allowed us to avoid the odor of an active holding tank, and the retched stench of the various chemical additives.

Thanks again to all on the Forum... this is a GREAT meeting place. I hope Thor Industries monitors this site. Most people will agree that a company can put out small brush fires quickly, rather than ignore customers until a major conflagration occurs.
Jerry Webb
Reelsboro, NC
2017 Thor Axis 24.1
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Old 02-21-2018, 07:06 PM   #16
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Glad to hear that you're getting the problem beaten back into a manageable size!
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