Customer Support 7 days a week

Welcome Guest! You can not login or register.

Notification

Icon
Error

2 Pages12>
Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
smithd441@gmail.com  
#1 Posted : Monday, June 12, 2017 9:23:24 AM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

I apologize if this is a duplicate but after some searching couldn't find a post with the same circs....

The bottom left corner (non-hinge side) of my GE Monogram side-by-side freezer door has been sticking out for some time now. It seemed to get worse recently, more pronounced, so I purchased a new gasket from you. I installed it this morning, following the instructions carefully, and it looks really good. And yet the bottom corner still sticks out and the cold is apparently escaping. Note:


  • The door is level vertically and horizontally
  • The door is not damaged[LIST]
  • Nothing inside the freezer is causing the separation
  • No issues with the fridge door.


Any idea on what might be causing it?

Thanks
Sponsor
See inside of your appliance - diagrams and part photos for virtually every model.

powered by AppliancePartsPros.com
 
PNWDrew  
#2 Posted : Monday, June 12, 2017 9:25:00 PM(UTC)
PNWDrew

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/2/2017(UTC)
Posts: 422

Check that model # again for me?
smithd441@gmail.com  
#3 Posted : Monday, June 12, 2017 9:33:07 PM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

My error! It should have been ZISS420DRFSS
smithd441@gmail.com  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4:18:51 PM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

Perhaps getting to the root of the issue...

1) As mentioned, the freezer door, while otherwise appearing to be straight, both vertically and horizontally, is sticking out at the bottom right (non-hinge side).
2) I used a mirror and checked under the door....there is a pretty significant gap between the (newly and, I believe, correctly installed) gasket and the white interior base of the freezer. See photo
3) I also noticed that the distance between the edge of the door and the gasket is minimal along most of the edge except down by the problem lower corner, where there's a bigger gap. Not sure if this is normal.

Bottom line I guess is what would cause the bottom right corner of a door that appears undamaged to not have proper contact with what appears to be a correctly installed new gasket? The hinges? Yet they look ok too.

Thanks
smithd441@gmail.com attached the following image(s):
File_000 (2).jpg
PNWDrew  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4:44:18 PM(UTC)
PNWDrew

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/2/2017(UTC)
Posts: 422

It's not uncommon to see some variation in the doors, the gasket has enough compression to handle it usually.
Make sure that all corners are fully pushed into the groove. That one looks like it isn't quite in. I use a heat gun to soften and puff up the gasket to ensure it makes good contact on the magnetic side. A hair dryer will work also. That's standard installation practice and the gasket can take more heat than you'd expect.
During initial installation I start at the corners and move to the middle of the each side since the gasket stretches slightly. then I shut it and see where I'll need to soften it to make it meet the cabinet. If possible I heat it from the outside with the door closed so I can more easily see if it is making contact, but that is not always possible to see. In those places I use a mirror or other means to sight down the basket for proper contact.

Here's a vid of approximately how I do it. That's not me, I actually have no affiliation with this site. (hint hint mods... I'd entertain offers!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSMPDISnYFw

Give it a try with some heat and see if the gasket conforms better.
smithd441@gmail.com  
#6 Posted : Sunday, July 9, 2017 12:44:48 PM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

Thanks so much for the reply....and apologies for the delay...not a lack of interest on my part but rather other more pressing issues in life. So thanks again for making the effort....really appreciate it.

Anyway, I removed the (new) gasket, placed it in hot water, dried it and put it back on to the freezer door. The gaps I had before now seem smaller but no amount of using a hairdryer has worked as far as completely eliminating the gaps. There's still a gap at the bottom of the gasket (non-hinge side), a smaller one at the top of the door (also non-hinge side), the freezer door is still is not flush with respect to the fridge door (meaning it's pushed out more in comparison to the fridge door), especially at the base, and I'm consistently seeing readings of 8 to 14 degrees per the freezer thermostat (located inside the fridge). Hate to have to drop $100 plus on having a GE tech come out and assess, never mind other costs, but at my wit's end.

Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. THANK YOU
smithd441@gmail.com  
#7 Posted : Thursday, July 20, 2017 8:00:09 PM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

I realized the steady rise in temperatures was the same old GE MOnogram inverter issue so I bought and installed a new one.

The freezer door is still not flush with the fridge door. I had changed the gasket but it still doesn't make a perfect seal despite my efforts with a hairdryer, re-installing it, and also threatening it with a pair of scissors. No wonder my inverters keep dying if the freezer door can't maintain the proper temperature...three in five years.

I used the GE website to request a tech but they sent a contractor who knew less about my Monogram than I did. He suggested I had incorrectly installed the gasket, stating that I should tuck in the flaps, not leave them out. See the attached photos. Is he right or wrong???

Thanks!
smithd441@gmail.com attached the following image(s):
outside.jpg
inside.jpg
PNWDrew  
#8 Posted : Saturday, July 22, 2017 9:44:51 AM(UTC)
PNWDrew

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/2/2017(UTC)
Posts: 422

Apologies for the long delay in response. Took a limited vacation from real life and the internet. Can you snap pictures from a little further back it's hard to see the seal fitment up close. Try to get one of the gap also.

Unless the hinge has worn out or the inserts in the door have worn out there's not much else that should be stopping it from closing all the way. And usually hinge issues affect the hinge side unless it is totally destroyed.

This kind of thing can be difficult to diagnose without being in front of the machine. A little bit of misalignment would not surprise me but the seal should be able to take up a considerable amount of gap.

Another trick with those seals is to put them in your dryer for a couple minutes, 2-3 is plenty; to warm them up uniformly.

I'm actually not sure off top of my head if that flap should be tucked in or not. I think not but I haven't seen one of these in years as I no longer work for GE.

Take care to get the corners pressed in fully and then you work your way to the middle of each side. The seals can kind of stretch as you work along them and sometimes a corner will not fit into the groove easily.

The repeated inverter failure is unusual in my mind. For the cost of those refrigerators I would not expect that.
smithd441@gmail.com  
#9 Posted : Saturday, July 22, 2017 11:35:10 AM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

No, thank you for replying. Without your assistance I probably would have spent more money than necessary. I will try the things you said but just noticed something that MIGHT be relevant. As I was opening and closing the freezer door I sensed and heard a grating sound, metal on metal. I've identified where that grating is...the lower hinge, attached to the base of the freezer door.

It occurred to me that PERHAPS the door is not closing properly because of tension/resistance between those two pieces of metal. Put another way PERHAPS the door won't close properly because those two pieces of metal are not sliding one under the other but are colliding with each other.

So before I did anything else I thought to upload some applicable photos and get your thoughts. Wisdom dictates that I shouldn't try and mess with those screws/hinge until I hear from the pros!

Thanks again
smithd441@gmail.com attached the following image(s):
metal on left rubbing on upper right piece.jpg
door closed pointing to parts rubbing.jpg
door1.jpg
smithd441@gmail.com  
#10 Posted : Saturday, July 22, 2017 12:19:04 PM(UTC)
smithd441@gmail.com

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 6/12/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8

Well I went out on a limb and loosened the screw so the two metal pieces don't rub against each other anymore. Regrettably the door still sticks out compared to the fridge door.

I also noticed that the freezer frame...the metal sides of the freezer body that the gasket touches when the door is closed, is very hot, especially at the bottom. Is this normal??
Users browsing this topic
2 Pages12>
Forum Jump  
You can post new topics in this forum.
You can reply to topics in this forum.
You can delete your posts in this forum.
You can edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You can vote in polls in this forum.