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Refrigerator problem

Refrigerator Door Not Sealing

A gap of a few millimetres is enough to frost an evaporator and run a compressor continuously.

5 likely causes 5 things to check first
A hand running along the rubber gasket of an open refrigerator door where it has lifted away at a corner.

What this usually means

A door that does not close fully is rarely reported as a fault in its own right. It arrives as frost, as a unit that never stops running, or as a compartment that has drifted warm. The door is worth checking first on all three, because it is the cheapest thing on the list and it causes the most expensive-looking symptoms.

Five observations that narrow it

Answer these before anyone visits. Each one removes a whole branch of the diagnosis, and they cost nothing.

  1. Does the door pull itself the last inch, or does it need a push?

  2. Is the gasket hard, torn, or lifting at a corner?

  3. Do the doors line up with each other and with the cabinet?

  4. Is a shelf, a bin or a bottle catching as the door closes?

  5. Is the appliance level, and has the floor or the unit moved?

Causes, cheapest first

In roughly the order a technician rules them out. The expensive answer is at the bottom because it is usually the last one true, not the first.

Something inside catching the door

none

A bin pushed out of position or an over-tall bottle, and it costs nothing to rule out.

Gasket hardened or torn

low

Gaskets stiffen with age and stop conforming to the frame. The paper test finds this in a minute.

Appliance not level

lowest

Most doors are designed to swing closed under their own weight, which depends on the unit being very slightly tilted back.

Hinge or closer worn under a heavy door

moderate

Panel-ready and dispenser-equipped doors are heavy, and the hinge takes that load every day.

More on built-in refrigerator repair

Door alignment on a French door pair

moderate

Two doors have to meet each other as well as the frame, and the hinged mullion flap between them has to fold each time.

More on french door refrigerator repair

Check these before you book

  • Close the door on a sheet of paper and pull; it should drag noticeably at every point around the frame.
  • Run a hand around the gasket looking for hard spots, tears and lifted corners.
  • Check nothing inside is catching as the door swings shut.
  • Check the unit is level, or very slightly tilted back.
  • On a French door model, watch whether the middle flap folds as the left door closes.

How urgent is this?

Not urgent, but it is the upstream cause of frost, constant running and warm compartments. Fixing it early avoids all three.

What fixes it

The work behind the causes above, with what it costs relative to the rest.

Refrigerator Door Gasket and Alignment Repair lowest

The cheapest job on the list, and the real cause of a great many expensive-sounding symptoms.

Refrigerator Maintenance and Condenser Cleaning lowest

The one visit that prevents more calls than any other, and the cheapest thing on this list.

Related problems

Frost Building Up in the Refrigerator

Ice on the back wall, around the door, or over the whole freezer — and each location means something different.

Refrigerator Running Constantly

The compressor never cycles off, and the cabinet may still be holding temperature.

Refrigerator Not Cooling

The compartment is warm but the appliance still has power and still makes noise.

Condensation Inside the Refrigerator

Beads on the walls and shelves, or fog on the inside of a glass door.

Back to your everyday

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