Really smelly fridge, at wits end what next?

spinningsheep

Hi, i am really hoping someone can help me on here, we have a severe odour problem in our fridge and I have no idea what is causing it, or how to stop it. It has got to the point where anything not in a plastic tupperware is tainting with the smell and I am having to to throw it out. The fridge is an under counter Daewoo one which we inherited from a friend when they remodelled the kitchen and changed to a large fridge freezer, so I can hardly complain if we need to bin it and buy a new one, but in all honesty I cannot afford it, and the space in which it fits seems to have been tailor made for this fridge, but all others I have seen online seem way too wide and I dont have another spot for it without rearranging all my white goods!!

I cannot describe the smell, other than, its like off meat with a tinge of off milk, and it HITS you, as soon as you open the door, but its worse, and seems to be eminating from the freezer compartment at the top. I have defrosted it, twice, I have cleaned the whole thing down with a bleach solution, I have steamed it within an inch of its life, and I have put bicarb in a bowl, half a lemon, an onion, one of those croc fridge fresh things, all to no avail. The only thing is, fresh coffee seems to sort it, but I dont know if that may just be that the coffee masks the other smell. The weirdest part is, when you switch it off to defrost, it smells sweet as anything! The problem starts again when you switch it on again and the frost box starts to freeze again!! Help!!

MishterTea

Are you sure it's inside the fridge? We had a problem a while back with our Smeg fridge/freezer, basically a bad smell around the kitchen. Turned out to be a catchment tray at the back of the fridge (on top of the motor) that had caught a load of cheese and suchlike from the inside, back, of the fridge and basically cooked it into something nasty..

spinningsheep

Oooh didn't think of that, doh! Will pull it out and have a gander, of not, any ideas?

MishterTea

Can't think of anything else if that doesn't do it I'm afraid. Does kind of tie in with it being switched of though as the motor would cool down and not cook the contents of the drip tray..

spinningsheep

Right, pulled the fridge out, no drip tray that I can see, the rear of the fridge is all one metal plate, with a gap at the bottom where the motor is, so I hoovered that bit out, and the space where the fridge goes, as it smelt behind there too, mopped that bit of floor with bleach, and im leaving the fridge out for a bit, then i'l see if theres any improvement.

oh and this is the exact same fridge in case anyone has had same issue??

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fridge-Freezer-Daewoo_W0QQitemZ250449303807QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Fridges_Freezers?hash=item3a4ff118ff&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1686|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

basmic

What model is it?

spinningsheep

The label inside says its an FR143WH

diable

Are you sure that the exit hole to the drip tray isn't blocked up inside the fridge?

spinningsheep

I thought this, but cannot see a drip tray at all, and, where inside would the hole be?

diable

If there is one, at the back of the fridge towards the bottom.

spinningsheep

thats a negative then, no holes inside at all.