I feel a little guilty asking again about machine oil smell from appliances.. Well, here goes.

I rent an apartment which supplies a relatively new fridge (2009 maybe). But it has received knocks and shaking as it has been moved around quite a bit. I've recently noticed a faint machine oil smell that accompanies the vented air coming from the fridge. It's no big deal initially, but after some time, it seems to pervade the apartment, or at least I notice it everywhere. Then the scratchy throat sets in. Harumph.

The fridge is an Eletrolux P/N 241857201. I opened the back and there is a warm compressor, a fan, and coils. There isn't much label information except on the compressor: Embraco EM2Z 60HLT. There's lots of technical data online, much of which I can't interpret, and I'm not sure if it would help to troubleshoot the smell anyway (http://www.embraco.com/default.aspx?...at=9&idfam=18). From a simple visual inspection, there doesn't seem to oil leaking either out of the fan bearings or the compressor.

Is it unusual to have a faint machine oil smell coming from the output vent air of a fridge? If so, I should just get over it and get use to the harumphing. If not, would the cause typically be the fan or the compressor? I'm not sure if it would necessarily be a leak that causes this, but if there was a small or slow leak, where would the best place be to check?

I like to think I know a fair bit about fridges, but I don't know what you mean by "vent". Is this an air duct on the back wall of the fridge with a baffle of some sort on it? Or are you referring to something on the outside of the fridge.

No, if there was enough refrigerant leaking out of that fridge for you to smell it, then the fridge wouldn't be working properly. Or, it would be getting very much worse even as you read this.

Three things:

1. In ANY fridge, the way to check the condition of the fridge is to look at the frost formation on the evaporator coils.
If this is a frost free fridge; that is, one with a separate freezer compartment with it's own door, then there will normally be a removable panel in the freezer compartment, and the evaporator coil will be behind that removable panel.
If the fridge is in good health, then you should see frost forming uniformly over the entire surface of the evaporator coil. Frost forming only at one end of the evaporator coil indicates a low refrigerant level (suggesting the possibility of a leak), or a worn out compressor, or both. Sometimes, the refrigerant charge will be so low that a "snowball" forms at the inlet end of the evaporator coil, and the rest of the coil is frost free.
Seeing a uniform development of frost over the entire surface area of the evaporator coil is proof that the fridge is in good mechanical condition.

2. People spill food in fridges all the time. It doesn't smell because the cold temperatures inside the fridge keep bacterial growth to a minimum. So, what you could be smelling is some food that was spilled in the freezer or fresh food section that seeped into the cabinet of the fridge and to the outside of the insulation where the warm temperatures would result in faster bacterial growth and more smell.

3. A frost free fridge is nothing more than a manual defrost fridge that has a system of defrosting itself every 10 to 20 hours. Frost free fridges have an electric heater in them that is positioned in close proximity to the evaporator coils. Once every 10 to 20 hours, power from the fridge compressor will be diverted to that electric heater to melt all the frost off the evaporator coils. The melt water then travels down a tube running down the back of the fridge to a receiving pan positioned above or around the compressor. The heat from the warm compressor then helps re-evaporate that melt water into the ambient air.
It could be that someone spilled some food in the freezer compartment. It's highly unlikely, but it could be that food somehow got onto that defrost heater and is burning every time the fridge defrosts itself. However, if that were the case, you would notice the smell only when the heaters were operating, which is for about 10 to 20 minutes every 10 to 20 hours.

3 1/2:
If this "vent" you refer to is a duct running along the back wall of the fridge, it's purpose is to introduce cold air at the BOTTOM of the fresh food compartment so that the circulation pattern of that air through the fresh food compartment will keep the whole fresh food compartment at a uniformly cold temperature. Since that air comes from the area of the evaporator fan, it's possible that what you're smelling is a fan motor slowly overheating and burning the lacquer insulation on it's motor windings. If that's the case, the evaporator fan motor is near or at the end of it's life and would have to be replaced. If your fridge keeps cooling properly for the next coupla weeks, then it wasn't the evaporator fan burning itself up either.

Hope this helps.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 1:32:22 AM UTC-4, nestork wrote:
I like to think I know a fair bit about fridges, but I don't know what
you mean by "vent". Is this an air duct on the back wall of the fridge
with a baffle of some sort on it? Or are you referring to something on
the outside of the fridge.

Hi, nestork,

Yes, I do have to explain this. I've never seen a fridge design like this before, but I assumed that it was because I'm a throwback from a bygone era.. From my past, a normal fridge has an array of coils spread out over the back side.

This fridge is not like that. The back side is a solid wall. The coils are at the lower back corner of the fridge, and located inside of the rectangular volume of the fridge. In fact, it is hidden by a removal portion of the fridge's back wall. The coils are not spread out into a sheet, but stacked into a 3D cube. The fan is located between the coil stack and the compressor. It draws air across the coil stack and pushes it into the compressor. The compressor felt much warmer than the coils, so even the the air is warmed by its initial pass over the coils, it is still usable to cool the compressor. All 3 parts (coil stack, fan, compressor) are located *within* the rectangular volume of the fridge, at the lower back corner.

All the air that is driven by the fan to cool the coils and compressor is vented out the front of the fridge through openings at the bottom. How the air gets from the lower back part of the fridge to the front, I don't know. Some mechanical duct magic. And I don't know where the intake is either. I'll try to get at the back and take a picture.

No, if there was enough refrigerant leaking out of that fridge for
you to smell it, then the fridge wouldn't be working properly. Or,
it would be getting very much worse even as you read this.

Well it's a good sign that the deterioration hasn't been happening. I wasn't worried about refrigerant, however. More about machine oil or lubricant..

Three things:


1. In ANY fridge, the way to check the condition of the fridge is to
look at the frost formation on the evaporator coils. If this is a
frost free fridge; that is, one with a separate freezer compartment
with it's own door, then there will normally be a removable panel in
the freezer compartment, and the evaporator coil will be behind that
removable panel. If the fridge is in good health, then you should
see frost forming uniformly over the entire surface of the
evaporator coil. Frost forming only at one end of the evaporator
coil indicates a low refrigerant level (suggesting the possibility
of a leak), or a worn out compressor, or both. Sometimes, the
refrigerant charge will be so low that a "snowball" forms at the
inlet end of the evaporator coil, and the rest of the coil is frost
free. Seeing a uniform development of frost over the entire surface
area of the evaporator coil is proof that the fridge is in good
mechanical condition.

It's a strange hour of the night right now, but I'll check tomorrow. As I said, I was more suspecting oil/lubricant just due to the smell.

2. People spill food in fridges all the time. It doesn't smell
because the cold temperatures inside the fridge keep bacterial
growth to a minimum. So, what you could be smelling is some food
that was spilled in the freezer or fresh food section that seeped
into the cabinet of the fridge and to the outside of the insulation
where the warm temperatures would result in faster bacterial growth
and more smell.

Now this is something that I can respond to with confidence. It certainly isn't spilled food. I know some people whose fridge might be susceptible that, and my fridge is just the opposite.

3. A frost free fridge is nothing more than a manual defrost fridge
that has a system of defrosting itself every 10 to 20 hours. Frost
free fridges have an electric heater in them that is positioned in
close proximity to the evaporator coils. Once every 10 to 20 hours,
power from the fridge compressor will be diverted to that electric
heater to melt all the frost off the evaporator coils. The melt
water then travels down a tube running down the back of the fridge
to a receiving pan positioned above or around the compressor. The
heat from the warm compressor then helps re-evaporate that melt
water into the ambient air. It could be that someone spilled some
food in the freezer compartment. It's highly unlikely, but it could
be that food somehow got onto that defrost heater and is burning
every time the fridge defrosts itself. However, if that were the
case, you would notice the smell only when the heaters were
operating, which is for about 10 to 20 minutes every 10 to 20 hours.

I hinted that my fridge and freezer were very austere. In fact, the only things in the freezer are cold compress gel packs for sports injuries. The fridge section is quite austere and clean as well (but it does contain sealed food stuffs).

3 1/2: If this "vent" you refer to is a duct running along the back
wall of the fridge, it's purpose is to introduce cold air at the
BOTTOM of the fresh food compartment so that the circulation pattern
of that air through the fresh food compartment will keep the whole
fresh food compartment at a uniformly cold temperature. Since that
air comes from the area of the evaporator fan, it's possible that
what you're smelling is a fan motor slowly overheating and burning
the lacquer insulation on it's motor windings. If that's the case,
the evaporator fan motor is near or at the end of it's life and
would have to be replaced. If your fridge keeps cooling properly
for the next coupla weeks, then it wasn't the evaporator fan burning
itself up either.

I hope I have managed to clarify the the vented air is the air pulled by the fan over the coils and pushed over the compressor.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 3:54:48 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 1:32:22 AM UTC-4, nestork wrote:

I like to think I know a fair bit about fridges, but I don't know what

you mean by "vent". Is this an air duct on the back wall of the fridge

with a baffle of some sort on it? Or are you referring to something on

the outside of the fridge.



Hi, nestork,



Yes, I do have to explain this. I've never seen a fridge design like this before, but I assumed that it was because I'm a throwback from a bygone era. From my past, a normal fridge has an array of coils spread out over the back side.



This fridge is not like that. The back side is a solid wall. The coils are at the lower back corner of the fridge, and located inside of the rectangular volume of the fridge. In fact, it is hidden by a removal portion of the fridge's back wall. The coils are not spread out into a sheet, but stacked into a 3D cube. The fan is located between the coil stack and the compressor. It draws air across the coil stack and pushes it into the compressor. The compressor felt much warmer than the coils, so even the the air is warmed by its initial pass over the coils, it is still usable to cool the compressor. All 3 parts (coil stack, fan, compressor) are located *within* the rectangular volume of the fridge, at the lower back corner.



All the air that is driven by the fan to cool the coils and compressor is vented out the front of the fridge through openings at the bottom. How the air gets from the lower back part of the fridge to the front, I don't know. Some mechanical duct magic. And I don't know where the intake is either. I'll try to get at the back and take a picture.



No, if there was enough refrigerant leaking out of that fridge for

you to smell it, then the fridge wouldn't be working properly. Or,

it would be getting very much worse even as you read this.



Well it's a good sign that the deterioration hasn't been happening. I wasn't worried about refrigerant, however. More about machine oil or lubricant.

Frank,

As you've noticed your apartment contains more than one electric motor.
So, if the smell of machine oil is bothering you and the sources of the
smell are electric motors you need to determine whether the smell is real.
Do guests or family complain about the smell? Can they locate the source?
Does this aroma occur in other places (work? local shops? auto? bus?)?
I'd consult with a physician about the scratchy throat and your perceived
sensitivity to oils. I'm not writing you off as a loony but I'm starting to
lean that way. How long have you had this problem?

Dave M.

Yes, Frank. Those coils are your CONDENSER coils. They perform the same function as the black coils normally seen on the back of a refrigerator. In that situation, those coils are cooled just be air convection. Your fridge has these coils at the bottom of the fridge, so they provide a "condenser fan" to provide the air flow to cool them. After the compressor compresses the freon gas to a high pressure, that gas then goes to the condensor coiles where it condenses into a liquid, losing heat as it does. The warmth you feel coming off those condensor coils is both heat from compressing the gaseous refrigerant, and heat released as it condenses into a liquid.

Don't worry about that. The factory would have made sure that cool air can get into where those coils are so that your "condenser fan" can blow that warmer air out at the bottom front of your fridge. It really doesn't matter where the air is coming from, because that almost certainly won't be the cause of a smell.

The refrigerant in a fridge's cooling system will carry an oil mist with it. If you ever puncture any of the refrigeration lines in an old fridge, you'll get a lot of refrigerant coming out, but you'll also see some oil come out with it.

So, the only thing I can imagine is that if there is a refrigerant leak, some oil will also come out with the refrigerant, and that may be what you're smelling.

But, if that's the case, then the fridge will stop working as the refrigerant escapes.

Maybe try and stuff some paper towels into areas you can't see to see if the paper towels get oil on them. When you have a refrigerant leak, all that appears to leak is oil because the refrigerant evaporates into a vapour, leaving only the oil mist inside it behind.

The only other thing I can think of is that if it wasn't a new fridge, it could be that there was dust on the condenser coil or condenser fan blades, and that perhaps that dist contained allergens that you are sensitive to, causing you to cough. If you have good access to the condenser coil and condenser fan, you might want to try unplugging the fridge and cleaning the coil and the fan blades.

Sorry I couldn't have been more help.

nestork, trader4,

Thank you for your responses and the valuable information. It is quite helpful.

I'm glad that you said it wasn't necessary to take a photo. I literally haven't had a chance to sit down and type since the alarm clock went off. So I haven't hauled out the fridge and removed the back panel to take a picture. Unfortunately, that also means I haven't been able to check for a removable panel in the freezer to see if there is uniform frosting. However, it is a valuable nugget of info -- a checklist item. The next few days will be at the same pace as today, but I'll take a shot at first opportunity, as well as trying the towel method of checking for oil.

I appreciate the clarification about the nature of the coils. I actually surfed for fridge designs about 24 hours ago, and got the big picture, cartoonish though it may be.

I think you did fine. The OP is picking up on something, but the rest of us aren't yet sure what it is.
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..
..
"nestork" wrote in message ...

Yes, Frank. Those coils are your CONDENSER coils. They perform the
same function as the black coils normally seen on the back of a
refrigerator. In that situation, those coils are cooled just be air
convection. Your fridge has these coils at the bottom of the fridge, so
they provide a "condenser fan" to provide the air flow to cool them.
After the compressor compresses the freon gas to a high pressure, that
gas then goes to the condensor coiles where it condenses into a liquid,
losing heat as it does. The warmth you feel coming off those condensor
coils is both heat from compressing the gaseous refrigerant, and heat
released as it condenses into a liquid.


All the air that is driven by the fan to cool the coils and compressor
is vented out the front of the fridge through openings at the bottom.
How the air gets from the lower back part of the fridge to the front, I
don't know. Some mechanical duct magic. And I don't know where the
intake is either. I'll try to get at the back and take a picture.


Don't worry about that. The factory would have made sure that cool air
can get into where those coils are so that your "condenser fan" can blow
that warmer air out at the bottom front of your fridge. It really
doesn't matter where the air is coming from, because that almost
certainly won't be the cause of a smell.


I hope I have managed to clarify the the vented air is the air pulled by
the fan over the coils and pushed over the compressor.

The refrigerant in a fridge's cooling system will carry an oil mist with
it. If you ever puncture any of the refrigeration lines in an old
fridge, you'll get a lot of refrigerant coming out, but you'll also see
some oil come out with it.

So, the only thing I can imagine is that if there is a refrigerant leak,
some oil will also come out with the refrigerant, and that may be what
you're smelling.

But, if that's the case, then the fridge will stop working as the
refrigerant escapes.

Maybe try and stuff some paper towels into areas you can't see to see if
the paper towels get oil on them. When you have a refrigerant leak, all
that appears to leak is oil because the refrigerant evaporates into a
vapour, leaving only the oil mist inside it behind.

The only other thing I can think of is that if it wasn't a new fridge,
it could be that there was dust on the condenser coil or condenser fan
blades, and that perhaps that dist contained allergens that you are
sensitive to, causing you to cough. If you have good access to the
condenser coil and condenser fan, you might want to try unplugging the
fridge and cleaning the coil and the fan blades.

Sorry I couldn't have been more help.




--
nestork

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 1:32:22 AM UTC-4, nestork wrote:
1. In ANY fridge, the way to check the condition of the fridge is to
look at the frost formation on the evaporator coils. If this is a
frost free fridge; that is, one with a separate freezer compartment
with it's own door, then there will normally be a removable panel in
the freezer compartment, and the evaporator coil will be behind that
removable panel. If the fridge is in good health, then you should
see frost forming uniformly over the entire surface of the
evaporator coil. Frost forming only at one end of the evaporator
coil indicates a low refrigerant level (suggesting the possibility
of a leak), or a worn out compressor, or both. Sometimes, the
refrigerant charge will be so low that a "snowball" forms at the
inlet end of the evaporator coil, and the rest of the coil is frost
free. Seeing a uniform development of frost over the entire surface
area of the evaporator coil is proof that the fridge is in good
mechanical condition.

I pulled out the back of the freezer and photographed the evaporator fins. While the frosting is anything but uniform, it doesn't seem to be biased toward the top/bottom or the left/right.

Evaporator front view:
http://i42.tinypic.com/aov0x2.jpg

Evaporator rightward view from left side:
http://i42.tinypic.com/dmw6mb.jpg

Evaporator leftward view from right side:
http://i42.tinypic.com/jkhy8o.jpg

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013 8:26:59 PM UTC-4, nestork wrote:
The refrigerant in a fridge's cooling system will carry an oil mist
with it. If you ever puncture any of the refrigeration lines in an
old fridge, you'll get a lot of refrigerant coming out, but you'll
also see some oil come out with it.

So, the only thing I can imagine is that if there is a refrigerant
leak, some oil will also come out with the refrigerant, and that may
be what you're smelling. But, if that's the case, then the fridge
will stop working as the refrigerant escapes.

Maybe try and stuff some paper towels into areas you can't see to
see if the paper towels get oil on them. When you have a
refrigerant leak, all that appears to leak is oil because the
refrigerant evaporates into a vapour, leaving only the oil mist
inside it behind.

The only other thing I can think of is that if it wasn't a new
fridge, it could be that there was dust on the condenser coil or
condenser fan blades, and that perhaps that dist contained allergens
that you are sensitive to, causing you to cough. If you have good
access to the condenser coil and condenser fan, you might want to
try unplugging the fridge and cleaning the coil and the fan blades.

I also shoved paper towel around the compressor & fan. No signs of oil. On the fan, I tried to focus on the shaft/bearing area. On the Compressor, I tried to focus on the seam going around the compressor, as well as the inlets/outlets (whatever they are). Just for kicks, here are the photos before I wiped/vacuumed the area.

Compressor, fan, condensor, Front view:
http://i39.tinypic.com/kapizm.jpg

Compressor:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2dmf2p5.jpg

Condensor:
http://i39.tinypic.com/2uz2r28.jpg

Fan:
http://i43.tinypic.com/wsk7td.jpg

I guess I've done what I can. Thanks for your advice and for sharing your experience.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2013 10:53:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I feel a little guilty asking again about machine oil smell from appliances. Well, here goes. I rent an apartment which supplies a relatively new fridge (2009 maybe). But it has received knocks and shaking as it has been moved around quite a bit. I've recently noticed a faint machine oil smell that accompanies the vented air coming from the fridge. It's no big deal initially, but after some time, it seems to pervade the apartment, or at least I notice it everywhere. Then the scratchy throat sets in. Harumph. The fridge is an Eletrolux P/N 241857201. I opened the back and there is a warm compressor, a fan, and coils. There isn't much label information except on the compressor: Embraco EM2Z 60HLT. There's lots of technical data online, much of which I can't interpret, and I'm not sure if it would help to troubleshoot the smell anyway (http://www.embraco.com/default.aspx?...at=9&idfam=18). From a simple visual inspection, there doesn't seem to oil leaking either out of the fan bearings or the compressor. Is it unusual to have a faint machine oil smell coming from the output vent air of a fridge? If so, I should just get over it and get use to the harumphing. If not, would the cause typically be the fan or the compressor? I'm not sure if it would necessarily be a leak that causes this, but if there was a small or slow leak, where would the best place be to check?

What about the smell, was it stronger, weaker, same????

Frank:

I looked at those pictures.

Check the top of the copper tube that makes a loop in picture 2dmf2p5. It looks kinda wet or oily at the top of that tube, but it might just be brazing flux. Maybe clean that tube with some mineral spirits to remove any residual flux, and see if it gets oily looking again.

The lack of any serious accumulation of frost on that evaporator suggests to me that the fridge finished a defrost cycle just a little while before you took those pictures of the evaporator. Maybe leave that replaceable cover off and take a look at the evaporator whenever you open the freezer compartment. You SHOULD be seeing a lot more frost on that evaporator than you see in the pictures.

There's an awful lot of dust on the condensor coils and the condenser fan blades. I'm wondering if what's causing you to cough is that you may be allergic to some of the stuff in that dust. If I were you, I would try cleaning the dust off the condenser coil and the condenser fan blades. (Obviously unplug the fridge when you're doing that work.) The worst that could happen is that your fridge would run more efficiently without that dust.

On Friday, July 5, 2013 10:33:10 PM UTC-4, nestork wrote:
Frank:

I looked at those pictures.

Check the top of the copper tube that makes a loop in picture
2dmf2p5.

It looks kinda wet or oily at the top of that tube, but it might
just be brazing flux. Maybe clean that tube with some mineral
spirits to remove any residual flux, and see if it gets oily looking
again.

The lack of any serious accumulation of frost on that evaporator
suggests to me that the fridge finished a defrost cycle just a
little while before you took those pictures of the evaporator.
Maybe leave that replaceable cover off and take a look at the
evaporator whenever you open the freezer compartment. You SHOULD be
seeing a lot more frost on that evaporator than you see in the
pictures.


There's an awful lot of dust on the condensor coils and the
condenser fan blades. I'm wondering if what's causing you to cough
is that you may be allergic to some of the stuff in that dust. If I
were you, I would try cleaning the dust off the condenser coil and
the condenser fan blades. (Obviously unplug the fridge when you're
doing that work.) The worst that could happen is that your fridge
would run more efficiently without that dust.

Hi, nestork,

I didn't have much chance to follow up on all your advice, though I appreciate it all.

The evaporator fins might have looked clean because it took a while to figure out how to remove back wall, which was covering the evaporator. I ran it for a while after removing the back wall, but apparently not enough. Saturday (technically yesterday) I tried again but letting the frige run several hours before photographing the evaporator:

Evaporator front view:
http://i41.tinypic.com/dqk8jm.jpg

Evaporator leftward view from right side:
http://i42.tinypic.com/50p0si.jpg

Evaporator rightward view from left side:
http://i41.tinypic.com/2rfq3vk.jpg

Still quite clean, but no gross imbalances in frosting. I feel uncomfortable leaving the back wall off for an extended period because there is actually a fan attached to it. It runs whenever the fridge is making "working" sounds.

I also thoroughly prodded and "felt up" the top of the copper coil that loops. It looks wet and shiny, but there is no fluid or oil film. The fuzzy stuff at the top is the end of a 2-ply insulative sheath. The inner layer is porous yellow sponge while the outer layer is a film of plastic. It looks like someone applied heat to melt the filmy plastic, making the top of the copper tube looke wet:

Top of looping copper tube:
http://i42.tinypic.com/63rvux.jpg

While I did some superficial wiping of the dust on the coils and the compressor tubes, I admit that it could be more thorough. It's a bit tough to get around all the tubing an such, but I will give it a go tomorrow. The smell itself is an oily smell. I noticed it more earlier this week beause I had just returned from a visit to an abode in which such smells did not exist.

Well, Frank, I can't see any leaks in your refrigerant lines that might explain the "oily" smell.

I am seeing more frost formation on your evaporator, and it certainly doesn't look like most of the frost is forming at one end of the evaporator than another. So, I'd call that a more or less uniform frost accumulation.

From what I can see, there's no clear evidence that the freon charge on your fridge is getting low, and that means there's no clear evidence of any leak in the freon system. That in turn means there's no reason to suspect there's anything leaking out of that freon system, including an oil mist, so we're no further ahead than before. Sorry I couldn't have been more help.

I did see that the pipe with the loop in it cleaned up nicely and doesn't show any wetness now. I guess that oily film in the prior picture was just brazing flux left behind by the manufacturing process.

You said that the fan that blew air over the evaporator coil in the freezer was attached to the panel you removed. If that's the case, you should at least prop up that panel so that the fan is blowing air over the evaporator coils. Otherwise you''ll find that your fridge won't work properly until that panel is put back in place.

From what I can see, there's nothing seriously wrong with your fridge, and I have no idea what that "oily smell" is. Sorry I couldn't have pinpointed it's source. There's just nothing wrong in the pictures you're posting, except for the dented fins on the evaporator coil, and the dust accumulated on the condensor coil and condenser fan blades. Perhaps you could explain to your property management company that you're smelling an odd smell coming from the fridge, and ask if they can switch that fridge with one from the next empty apartment they have?

On Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:09:44 PM UTC-4, nestork wrote:
Well, Frank, I can't see any leaks in your refrigerant lines that
might explain the "oily" smell.

I am seeing more frost formation on your evaporator, and it
certainly doesn't look like most of the frost is forming at one end
of the evaporator than another. So, I'd call that a more or less
uniform frost accumulation.

From what I can see, there's no clear evidence that the freon charge
on your fridge is getting low, and that means there's no clear
evidence of any leak in the freon system. That in turn means
there's no reason to suspect there's anything leaking out of that
freon system, including an oil mist, so we're no further ahead than
before. Sorry I couldn't have been more help.

I did see that the pipe with the loop in it cleaned up nicely and
doesn't show any wetness now. I guess that oily film in the prior
picture was just brazing flux left behind by the manufacturing
process.

You said that the fan that blew air over the evaporator coil in the
freezer was attached to the panel you removed. If that's the case,
you should at least prop up that panel so that the fan is blowing
air over the evaporator coils. Otherwise you''ll find that your
fridge won't work properly until that panel is put back in place.

From what I can see, there's nothing seriously wrong with your
fridge, and I have no idea what that "oily smell" is. Sorry I
couldn't have pinpointed it's source. There's just nothing wrong in
the pictures you're posting, except for the dented fins on the
evaporator coil, and the dust accumulated on the condensor coil and
condenser fan blades.

Perhaps you could explain to your property management company that
you're smelling an odd smell coming from the fridge, and ask if they
can switch that fridge with one from the next empty apartment they
have?

nestork,

I appreciate the expert advice you've given me on this thread.

Understood that the oil smell cannot be coming from a freon leakage. That's pretty well in line with your advice that such a situation would quickly lead to a nonfunctioning fridge, which hasn't happened.

I'll keep in mind your advice to talk to the landlord. I think I'm also getting use to the smell, since I'm noticing it much less. Maybe it seemed very pronounced simply because I was away from the apartment for a number of days.

Admittedly, that would not explain the source of the smell. I'm not dismissing the possibility that maybe all machinery normally has some trace residue of oil, and I might be one of those people who are very sensitive to that. If that's the case, perhaps acclimatization solves the problem in cases where it is faint enough. I know that there are some less faint cases (fan motors) where acclimatization just doesn't work. But that's a different story.

Once again, thanks.

If the fridge was only started when you moved into this apartment, it might just be food spills in the fridge caused by previous tenants. I find that in my own apartment block I have to keep the fridges running even when the apartments are empty between tenants to prevent the fridge from smelling up the apartment. Once the fridge cools down, bacterial action in the fridge slows down immensely, and the fridge no longer smells.

Maybe try turning the fridge off for a week or two, and see if the smell comes back with a vengence.

For something to smell, it has to get into the air. Oil, being a long chained hydrocarbon molecule, is simply too large to evaporate. You can smell a refinery because of all the lighter hydrocarbons that do evaporate, but you cannot smell anything that doesn't evaporate. You can't smell a candle, for example, with it's super long parrafin chains.

I'm thinking if it gets below zero in winter where you live, you can keep your perishable food in the trunk of your car. Maybe then unplug your fridge and leave the fridge and freezer doors open. Then see if that same smell comes back really strong. If it does, it ain't oil, it's bacteria feeding and multiplying.

Anyhow, G'Luck with this.

nestork wrote:
'Frank[_17_ Wrote:
;3089555']
From what I read, Trex is a PVC wood composite. Most common solvents
will attack PVC. Color in Trex is throughout and should be recoverable

by buffing it up as with other colored plastics. Trex website gives
details on its care.

It probably is PVC. PVC is commonly used for plastics that will be
spending their lives outdoors because of it's inherently good resistance
to UV light.

But, I clean my PVC roller windows with acetone all the time and it
doesn't hurt the windows.
So, I'd kinda doubt that PVC would dissolve in acetone.

acetone will dissolve latex paints very aggressively.



From what I read, polyethylene is a major ingredient which is naturally
hard to paint. Seems like most waste at trash sites is polyethylene or
polypropylene. Might be some PVC. They have different products too.

Greg

On Tue, 2 Jul 2013 20:53:04 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I feel a little guilty asking again about machine oil smell from appliances. Well, here goes.

You're the same idiot who complained about an oil smell from fans in
recent posts. I suggest you stop using all electrical appliances, move
to a natural cave, at least 100 miles from civilization, and concentrate
your sensitive nostrils on smelling fecal droppings from raccoons,
possums, rats, mice, birds, and other creatures.

If you still facing this problem than you should use best spray which is specially made for refrigerators, OR visit this site for getting every type of solutions relating to the refrigerator cleaning (How To Clean a Refrigerator, Cleaning Out a Refrigerator) Here is the place where you can get every type of cleaning tips.



carpet cleaning gold coast

On Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:12:42 PM UTC-4, Gammer0 wrote:
If you still facing this problem than you should use best spray
which is specially made for refrigerators, OR visit this site for
getting every type of solutions relating to the refrigerator
cleaning ('How To Clean a Refrigerator, Cleaning Out a Refrigerator'
(http://housekeeping.about.com/od/kit...rigerator.htm)) Here
is the place where you can get every type of cleaning tips.

Thanks, Gammer0. I've done the cleaning, and poked around. It's not food related, it's very much a machine/oil smell. However, I think I've gotten use to it. I noticed it upon returning after being away for a while. Not sure if it's a *good* think not to notice it, but...well, you know, trying to deal with foremost things on the to-do list. Appreciate it, though.

Hi Franklin,
I have this same smell. I took off the back too, and the only thing I can guess it might be is a square piece of rubbery material that is glued to the top of the compressor. I am assuming it is sound deadening, but with the heat of the compressor it off-gases. I just bought my fridge (LG's GR-389RT), and it is working great in every other way. But that smell! I think it might void the warranty to pull that black patch off, and it might be louder too. Also, I'm just plain afraid to wreck something. Any comments?
Joe