cabinet smell

arty · 06-04-2014, 04:21 PM

i have a 2013 cougar fifth wheel, we have an unusual smell in one of the cabinets. first time it went to the shop for this problem the refrigerator was said to be leaning and was draining into the cabinet they checked for water damage and i was told there was none and the smell would go away. well its right at a year and the smell is still there. service man and owner pretty much told me if they don't know what the smell is they can't fix it. it does not smell like mold or mildew but it kind of smells like formaldehyde but i know they don't use that any more.

does anyone know what this could be?

does anyone know what kind of legal rights or what i should do to get this taken care of?

**JRTJH** · 06-04-2014, 06:01 PM

Apparently your RV is out of warranty, so there's not a lot that the dealer or Keystone will do for you "free of charge".... You're time for that service is finished.

If you're seeking "legal advice" you really should contact an attorney in your "grand state of Louisiana" since it is the only state that adheres to Napoleonic law. Any advice you get from anyone outside Louisiana could well be "inappropriate advice"......

As for the smell. You say it's in a cabinet. Do you mean in the cabinet the refrigerator is mounted? or in one adjacent to it? or ??

If the inside of the cabinet is clean and dry and the smell is definitely coming from there, have you tried cleaning it well and leaving it open to dry? if so and that hasn't worked, have you considered wiping it down with mineral spirits and then varnishing the inside to completely seal the surface? Other than that, I don't know of a lot that you could do. Good luck.

bobbecky · 06-04-2014, 08:42 PM

Not sure what your floor plan is like, but there have been instances where the design has a ventless valve inside a cabinet, where it is a check valve in the vent system which allows inside air to enter the vent pipe going to a gray tank, but, if the valve is working correctly, the valve is supposed to close off if pressure pushes the other way, into the cabinet. If the valve is not working right, gas or smell gets into the cabinet and into the rig. If you have, say, a galley tank, a gray tank, and a black tank, you should have the same number of vents on the roof. If your rig has one less vent on the roof then you have tanks, you may have one of those valves. It could be where the kitchen sink is, or in a non-accessable area next to the sink area. Just saying, maybe, but it is possible you have one.

fla-gypsy · 06-05-2014, 05:26 PM

Formaldehyde smell? Or possibly an Ammonia smell? Could be a failing reefer or a bad plumbing vent.

arty · 06-05-2014, 07:10 PM

my camper is still under warranty, and the service man is telling me he does not know what is causing the smell and neither do i , the owner said he what not know what to keystone without knowing what is causing the smell, so i am asking is the problem mine or should i call keystone or what should i do????

theeyres · 06-05-2014, 07:37 PM

I would sure try contacting Keystone...you may or may not get through to anybody that can help...but it's worth a try. Any other Keystone dealers in your area? It sounds like your service guy is letting you down. To say he doesn't know what the problem is so he can't contact Keystone is bull. He SHOULD be contacting Keystone and asking for help.

pookie210 · 06-10-2014, 08:30 AM

Not sure which layout you have but could it be grey water you are smelling? Coming home last weekend we noticed water dripping near the low drains under the rig. No water leaking inside that we can find. Also discovered an odor under our kitchen sink, which is directly above the low drain area. Further investigation under the unit shows water backed up around the foam they spray around the low drain to seal the polar package. Even further investigation lead to realizing water, or more likely waste water, is filling up the polar package. Joy. In any case the dealer is getting her back this week to figure it out. Bleach anyone?

arty · 06-10-2014, 01:50 PM

i have a 2013 cougar 28RDB

nanaofthree · 07-11-2020, 10:12 AM

I have a 2013 Kodiak trailer with the same issue. One cabinet only... the one above the kitchen sink. It is not sewer, grey water, formaldehyde or mildew. I think there is some kind of off gassing going on behind the wall. So far I have caulked all the seams in the cupboard but the odour is persisting. The only other space where it may be entering is the bottom of the cupboard where the undermounted light is. There is about a one inch space that is covered by a thin veneer that I suppose the smell could seep up under. I don’t feel like ripping apart the cupboard so will first try laying down some thick plastic and sealing the edges with tuc tape.

**JRTJH** · 07-11-2020, 10:53 AM

You posted to a thread that is 6 years old and likely won't find many of the "original posters" still on the forum. That said:

At this point, 7 or 8 years after manufacture, I seriously doubt that it's still "outgassing of construction material"... I'd suspect there's an active source of the smell. Whether it's a mouse that died in the rear wall or an opening that allows wet fiberglass that's "superheated" to migrate the humidity (and smell) up through that hole ????

If it were me, I'd get some clear quality polyurethane varnish, completely seal the inside of that cupboard and then paint it with the varnish to effectively isolate the outside from the inside. That will stop the migration of anything "in the wall or outside the cupboard from getting inside the cupboard.

nanaofthree · 07-11-2020, 12:51 PM

We have had the trailer for 3 years and the odour has been there the entire time. Even if it was a dead mouse, it would have desiccated by now. And I know what mildew and damp smell like and it isn’t that. I agree that whatever it is should have out gassed by now. I have a can of Kilz stain and odour lacquer so will take your advice and try sealing the entire cupboard.

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