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:
[LIST]
The door is level vertically and horizontally
The door is not damaged[LIST]
Nothing inside the freezer is causing the separation
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).
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
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.
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!)
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
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???
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.
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!
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??
Can you actually push door shut to normal position or does it just stop there?
The door frames (mullions) are part of the hot gas or Yoder loop. There is a loop of steel tubing around each door opening. This helps keep seal area mold free and also helps cool the hot compressed refrigerant in conjunction with the condenser to ensure it enters the evaporator as a liquid. Essentially nine system removes heat from the interior by expanding the liquid in the freezer. It boils off (phase changes) at about -15deg F if I recall my physics correctly.. So short answer is you want the mullions warm at least..
There’s many reasons a door might not shut, from physical blockage to break down of the spacers and cups at the hinges. Its a tough one to diagnose remotely. Look at the parts diagram of top and bottom hinges and see if any plastic spacers may have worn away, I’d expect that to be affecting hinge side but its a possibility that should be checked out.
PNWDrew, first and foremost thank you so much for having replied so many times prior and my apologies once again for a delayed reply. SO rude of me. The reason is as follows. In answer to your question, yes, I can push the door in so there’s no obstacle inhibiting that. I don’t see any distortion in the freezer door to suggest it’s out of shape and I’m confident the new gasket is installed correctly. As you said, without looking at it, it’s hard to properly diagnose…now if you live in Southern California I’d invite you over and pay for your services happily!
So my delay was that I decided to think outside the box and install a thin piece of weather stripping on the outside of the gasket in the bottom corner of the door, the part that protrudes. I lose the magnetic connection of course but it closes that thin air gap which I think was my problem. I’ve since been monitoring the temperature. Happily its been staying around -1, 0 and 1 when the door is closed AND YET open the freezer door for say ten seconds and the temperature later rises considerably, up to 7 at the moment. IT’ll work itself down I think to 0 again but disconcerting. Would you say that’s normal? One of the things I never noticed before!
Thank you once again. I REALLY appreciate your insight and willingness to help, regardless of my rudeness in replying late!
No worries, glad to hear your freezer at least is freezing. When you open it of course an inrush of warmer air enters, if it gives you realtime temps on display you might see a temp change as it cools that air.
Also it shuts down fans usually when doors open and it may use door openings as part of its defrost timing. That wouldn’t be every time however.
Using weather stripping isn’t ideal but if it seals the gaps that’s OK. You just want a sealed cabinet.
