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I have a uss-64 we've been using for beer for the last few years when we have parties.  The only problem with the machine is that it has a bad smell on the inside.  It's almost like a rusty smell and if the cans are in the machine long enough the smell sticks to the cans.  A few weeks ago I tore it down and found some rust in the bottom,  I cleaned it down and painted the whole inside.  I'm still getting the same smell but it's not as bad.  Any suggestions here?  Is there a decent way to get the smell gone?

Take the Pabst Blue Ribbon out of the machine.

Only way is to clean everything, twice. Did you clean/paint the shelves? Funk could be in the upper fan motor assembly. Clean that and replace both the fan motors. Check that the cab drain assembly is working correctly.
Creighton
 

its mildew odor ( that good old musty/tinny refrigerator smell) you can wash the inside with a baking soda & water paste mix, remove & do the shelves, then wash down the tank (liner) pay attention to the creases & corners, rub the paste into the metal to help remove any powdery metal oxide, the mildew loves to hide in that nice porous surface, once clean, wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove the baking soda residue. you can wax the shelves with an automotive paste wax, or spray them with clear coat paint or hammertone silver if you want to get fancy, just let them dry completely before reinstalling them back into the machine. do not use chlorine bleach ( it eats the metal & corrodes the galvanizing even more) & vinegar is worthless no matter what anyone espouses to ( it should stick to being a salad dressing) also make sure your drain-hole is clear to let any condensation water drip out down to the drain pan.

think that the smell is bad? try working on commercial walk-in coolers where the odor from the onions that reacts with the copper & zinc plating of the evaporator & walls to form a nasty "BO" smell on the metal which if you touch it with your bare hands will "stick" with you for a day or so

I used to have a similar issue with my USS when I first picked it up, leaving a few packs of baking soda in there seemed to clear it up over time.

I have kept a box of baking soda in mine since I got it five years ago and no problems with smell.  If you shut it down for any reason,make sure to keep the machine open so it dries out and does not mildew.

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

I totally agree with this. Make sure it can dry out because one machine I work on must have had some pop residue on the inside because when I shut it down for a few days to do a repair when I opened it up everything was covered with mold. I think a can had a small hole and sprayed the inside with pop but it took me an extra day to clean it out before being able to fix anything.

Mildew is probably the culprit.  However, I had a bad smell in my Westinghouse wd-12 and I ended up finding a dead mouse who got electrocuted chewing wires in the condenser fan schroud.
ps  Even baking soda could not mask the aroma.


Just my .02.

BC

I'm guessing your right on the mildew.   The machine hasn't been ran for almost a year,  and the door has been propped open the whole time.  When we were using it I put a few boxes of baking soda in it and I also tried lemons.  I cleaned the inside with simple green and that was no help either.  When I cleaned it and painted it a few weeks ago I didn't see any mildew/mold.  Also the drain was clean and clear.  Can the inside be pressure washed?  Anything else I can use to deodorize it?

You can pressure wash the insides, just remove the evap and compresor. Plug the mounting holes for those. Wrap all the electrical conections so they don't get wet.

Extreme measure would be to put an ozone generator in the cab. It is what motels and car dealerships use to gid rid of odors. Nasty devices so I would use that as last resort. Read and follow all instructions and cautions :-)

Hope you get this sorted.
Creighton

I would also check your evaporator for signs of mildue, if/when you bench test it you might take a quick whiff of the air as it passes over the evaporator.