1st camp questions on my 1992 TM

I just got back from camping with my new/used 1992 TM - 26. I was at the Ohio State trapshooting tournament with full hookups. Wow nice improvement over my popup. We had a bad storm with 50-60 mph winds and small hail. There was a tree uprooted behind my campsite but the TM did great. My questions:
1. The frig. works but it freezes stuff in the ice box but doesn't cool in the bottom. Most say to use a fan. Is something broken if my fins are not real cold?
2. I noticed a hot/musty smell only in the morning. I thought it was from my water heater. There could be a gap in the seal on the two outside shells. I duct taped but didn't seem to help it completely. What should I check?

Overall I'm very pleased with my investment.($2700) Its not new but it tows great with my ford excursion and fits my camping needs a few times a year. Now its parked at our pond and the kids had a blast in it last night. THANKS JOHN

congrats on your TM
1. your fridge should have a fan built in that you are supposed to run when its warm out. The switch is above the cabinet doors below the sink next to the water pump switch. were you level? I set mine up for 2 days in the driveway to load the fridge and clothes b4 leaving and didn't get too level. To my suprise everything froze. even a jar of pickles. I now make sure I am very level and have no problems
2. the hot musty smell? not sure on this one maybe someone else can help I would say, what did you put in the toliet for chemicals. I have used the aqua-chem for 4 days in the high 90's with no smells. I also am sure that I use more chemicals than they call for just to be safe and odorless. if its not the toilet, I suggest a fan. we have one that runs all the time on the counter during the day and place it on the floor at night to move the heat and ac around a little better. we also have the roof vets open even if its just a little bit.

Good luck and happy camping.

I went to the local camping store and bought a battery fan for inside the frig. The guy there said to check the door seal...makes sense. I did have chemicals in the toilet. I'll report back. JOHN

[B_and_D]

When we pack the frig, we always leave some "breathing room" between the freezer at the top and the things on the bottom, otherwise the cool air won't be able to circulate to the items on the bottom. The fan should help too.

Is the musty smell coming from the hot water? You may want to sanitize the tank and the water heater.

[Leslie & Nick]

Musty smell could be coming from a lot of sources.

Possibilities:
Camper had been closed for a long time (especially in a warm location);
Shower curtains were put away while damp and have mildewed;
There is a water leak in fresh water line somewhere in trailer;
There is some old food in one of the cabinets or drawers;
Something has spilled and dried on the seat cushions;

I'd try leaving the trailer up for a while with the windows open and see if that does any good. We spray 'Febreeze' liberally on the fabric cushions and beds. In fact, we leave a bottle of it in the trailer. If a good airing doesn't solve problem, I'd dry clean, or at least cold wash the cushion covers. This is going to be a process of elimination. Try and do the easiest things first.

Good luck with your TM Let us know when you find the 'culprit'.

Nick

Nick's right! When we got our TM, there was this musty smell we couldn't seem to locate. We'd leave it open for weeks - still smelled when we closed it up and reopened it. Thought it might be the toilet. Sanitized it completely - still smelled. Finally I trashed the shower curtains and the smell was gone! We don't use the shower any way so why have curtains. We did get a couple of the nice fabric ones from Bed & Bath that we carry in the drawer just in case. They can be washed in the machine if we ever do use them. Smell the shower curtains - if that's the source - trash them you can't get the smell out of them. Been there tried that - didn't work. Good luck!