Why does my new rigid media cooler smell bad and how do I stop it from smelling? 

 

When water is first introduced to the cooler the glue that holds the media together may emit an odor that smells offensive. This smell will go away after the media has been soaked well and rinsed. Run the pump long enough to wet out the pads and then dump the water. Repeat the process. Finally you can add a cap full of Downy liquid fabric softener to the water before restarting your cooler. This should make the smell go away.