We recently experienced musty odors coming from our 10 year old U-line wine refrigerator. Thinking it needed replacing we removed it, let the cabinet area air out for about 3 weeks and installed a new unit. After a week the odor has returned. When I open the new unit I can smell the same odor coming from inside it. We don’t store old wines, we normally replenish it every 5 to 6 weeks. Due you have any clue why this would be occurring? Thank you
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
When you refer to installing a new "unit," I assume you mean either a compressor or some part of a thermoelectric mechanism? You could try wiping down all interior surfaces with mild non-abrasive detergent and then rinse with warm water and dry with clean toweling. Let the refrigerator stand open to air out for a week. Also, you may want to replace the filter, if the refrigerator has one, by searching on u-line.com with your model number. If these steps don't resolve the problem, I can only guess that the source of the odor is inside the walls or insulation. If so, replacing the refrigerator may be the only solution.
