Rank: Member
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Joined: 5/16/2012(UTC)
Posts: 4
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I replaced the door gasket (AP3083603) for a Whirlpool side by side ED5RHAXNQ00
About a month after installation. the gasket ripped on the upper outer(hinge) corner which allowed the gasket on the long side to slide down until there was no seal on the bottom.
I followed the installation instructions and everything felt fully installed and nice and tight. When I contacted the manufacturer I found that there is no warranty on gaskets for tearing.
My natural assumption is that I did something wrong, but the gasket seats nicely in the opening been the door panel and the inner plastic liner. What did I miss?
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 7/27/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,395  Location: near the middle of nowhere Was thanked: 24 time(s) in 24 post(s)
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Did you clean the surface that the gasket sits against with soap and water? Did you soak the door gasket in very warm water to straighten the folds and creases from being stored in a box? Did you lay the door on a very flat surface while installing the gasket? Did you adjust the door hinges (if possible) for even seal compression? Did You heat the door seal (with a hair dryer) while the door was shut to help even out any folds or creases it might have had? One other thing, I quite often use a very small amount of pure silicone lube on the door seal and mating surface (especially on the hinge side) to make sure the seal doesn't stick or drag.
I hope this helps you.
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Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 5/16/2012(UTC)
Posts: 4
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I did soak the new gasket. And the door was flat on a table because I was replacing the door cams as well. I cleaned the surfaces with alcohol but it was already extremely clean. For whatever reason the new gasket was straight already, there were no wrinkles.
One thing is that the old gasket (20 years old at least) did not have to be cut to come off gently and evenly and the new gasket seemed (but in retrospect this was a sample of one installation) to go on easily as well. I felt it seat into the gap between the panels, although there was no "snap" or anything to indicate that it finally slid into a groove or anything ... in looking at the old gasket I just assumed it was a simple interference fit.
On final assembly it looked just like the old one -- and compared to the freezer side it looked the same in all respects. I inspected along all surfaces for seating and sealing and I was satisfied that it was doing the job a gasket is supposed to do.
Unless I completely missed something there is no adjustment of any kind. No matter how meticulous the installation, at the end of the day the entire apparatus hinges on the friction and pressure between the inner and outer panels to hold against the weight of the gasket itself?
That sounds totally like the new "make it to last 36 months" Whirlpool but nothing at all like the "old" Whirlpool.
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