How to locate a closing failure or cracks in the rubber of the Freezer or refrigerator door - 2 Test Methods.

ID: 169327

Description: This guide covers how to locate seal failures...

Steps:

1. Problems with the refrigerator door seal, closing poorly or appearing separated from the cabinet when closed, can cause excess ice accumulation generally.
2. The rubber sealing poorly can be due to several causes:
3. First: The rubber is deteriorated and/or cracked. If we clean it with a cloth and some type of household de-greaser or alcohol, we will see the cracks or cuts in the rubber.
4. Second: The rubber is hardened and worn, so it does not fit well when closing and there are gaps, this is what we will check with this guide.
5. Third: The rubber does not seal well because the door is displaced, this generally affects refrigerators, in freezers it rarely happens. It is due to breakage in the lower part of the door, at the point where the door rests on the axis that holds it—a topic for another guide.
6. The options are to repair the door if feasible; turn the door and have it open to the other side—if possible, or order a complete door from technical service, if it is not yet discontinued.

7. Let's go to the purpose of this guide; How to check the contour of the rubber to see if there are gaps.
8. These two methods work for both freezers and refrigerators, whether they have one or two doors.
9. What do we need?
10. A powerful flashlight, preferably LED, they are smaller, easy to place inside, and emit plenty of white light (not yellowish like many old flashlights).
11. A sheet of paper—a folio is ideal, a sheet of notebook paper also works.
12. First we place the flashlight inside, in the area where we see or suspect that the rubber is damaged.

13. First METHOD: Close the refrigerator and observe the contour of the door next to the flash-lit area, it serves up to 25 or 30 cm from where we positioned the flashlight.
14. First we do it with natural light or the kitchen light on. Generally we will not observe anything unless the rubber is very bad.
15. Second, Ideally do it with the light off—better with the kitchen in darkness or in the evening. It is much easier to see areas where light escapes.
16. To check the entire seal we have to move the flashlight to various points inside the refrigerator or freezer.

17. We will check the entire seal, remember to move the flashlight inside to provide good light.
18. In this example I move the seal slightly to simulate a problem.
19. Example video, although it is already a few years old. The method is totally valid, the flashlight in this case was not LED.

20. Second METHOD: Checking the refrigerator rubber:
21. Folio or sheet of paper method.
22. This method consists of opening the door, placing a sheet between the door and the frame or refrigerator box, closing the door and seeing that the sheet is held in place by the door.
23. If the rubber is correct, we can, with a little difficulty, move the sheet of paper around the entire contour of the refrigerator. NOTE throughout the entire journey the resistance to the movement of the sheet must be the same or similar.
24. If we find an area where the sheet of paper moves easily or even comes out or falls, there we have a problem with the rubber, it is not 100% sealed to the cabinet.

25. We pass the sheet along the entire length of the door, at all times the sheet must present a slight resistance to passage, if it does not, at that point the door seals poorly.

26. With this method, in many refrigerators or freezers, such as the one used in the example photos, due to the door or plastic lids, inspection is difficult since the blade bends.

27. Don't forget to check the part of the seal where the door is attached.
28. The options for repairing a rubber problem change from one refrigerator to another since it all depends on how damaged the rubber is and what the cause is, as indicated in step 1.
29. To repair the rubber, if the problem is the rubber, there may be some options, I advise you to watch some videos on YouTube.
30. One of the basic options if the rubber is hardened, but not broken, is: Clean with warm water and dish soap, apply hot air with a hair dryer all around, rub with Vaseline and close the door so that it adapts to the shape of the cabinet.
31. Another exampleof repairing a problem in the lower corner.

32. The options for repairing a seal problem change from one refrigerator to another since it all depends on how damaged the gasket is and what the cause is, as indicated in step 1. In some cases there is no choice but to replace the entire seal, but this is a topic for another guide, I have not replaced any.