I have an older (model says 1985) 15 qubic foot Kenmore upright freezer and the door does not seal at the top corner away from the hinge. The hinge side is 3/4 inch from the cabinet at top and bottom, the bottom on the open side (away from the hinge) is also 3/4 inch, but the top is 1 1/4 inch from the cabinet. Adjustment of the top hinge has no effect. The door measures (corner to corner) and looks square and the box does not appear to have any damage. Any suggestions???
Quick Fix: Purchase camper foam / window foam / door foam and go all the way around with another layer. *or at least in the corner. I would probably apply it to the freezer and not the door. You can pick it up at HD for $3 or so.
Something to try: Often freezers have reversable doors. Try putting the door on the other side just for kicks.
Is it worth fixing? Old freezers are often inefficient. Determine if upgrading would pay for itself before you fix your old one.
Some of these older units had a "torsion bar" running through the door that could be adjusted for this type of situation. What you need to do is look on the bottom of the door, there should be a nut or bolt. If not, you may be able to physically "tweak" the door back into line.
Mine can be flexed enough to make a good difference. I stick my foot in the bottom of the door and push the top closed firmly and the door retains the new shape well enough to solve my fit problem. Adjusting the feet under the unit can make a big difference also.
I ran into a similar problem when I tried replacing the gasket on a fridge once. Doing that job was easy but when I was done the door did not fit right. I called the Fr for help. It seems that the door itself flexes, but the inside panel, that I had to loosen to replace the gasket was what held the door straight and square.
You might look at your door and see if that might be how it is made. The fix was to loosen the screws slightly so that the whole assembly could be adjusted to fit. The advice I got was to put a screwdriver handle between the box and the first place where the door hits and then push the corner that was furthest open. Then after getting the door closing better go back and tighten the screws.
The door just needs to be 're-warped' into alignment. Not a tough one, but your first one can take some time - I still remember my first refrig door seal replacement and rewarp
- yikes!, some 32 years ago .
Just loosen the screws under the seal slightly, and twist the door back into alignment. Keeping it where it belongs while you tighten the screws is tricky, but if you start tightening at the corners, it'll go a lot easier.
When you're all done and it's sealing well, don't foget to lube the hinge side of the seal with a bit of petroleum jelly. Will add at least 10 years of life to refrig and fzr door seals by allowing them to slide closed and not twist.
For more on that, here's an article from my free newsletter, The DRSNews (shameless plug!), in which we talked about this:
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If you need any more help on this, please don't hesitate to contact me.
God bless,
Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA
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570-363-2404
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Dave: it's fixed!!! Thanks. Took the door off, loostened all the screws and put a block under the offending corner, tightened the corners and then the rest, hung the door and it works and looks like new. With the exception of the smart a$$ response that recommended a new freezer, everybody was extremely helpful and my first experience in this newsgroup has been great. I'll stay in the room, maybe I'll be able to assist a few as a payback.
"Jack" wrote in news:LAXkd.46415$ snipped-for-privacy@twister.socal.rr.com:
From your smartass responder... I recommended a new freezer because if I had a 20 year old freezer with a problem, I would have replaced it. But then, I like having new appliances.
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