How to Install a Refrigerator Door Gasket

You can change the gasket of your refrigerator.

When your refrigerator seems to run all the time, the food no longer remains cold, or you can feel cold air flowing out of the refrigerator when the door is closed, the chances are that you need to install a new refrigerator door gasket. Sometimes referred to as a refrigerator seal, the gasket is a rubberized strip that is specifically made for your model or type of refrigerator. So when purchasing a new gasket, make sure you supply both the model and serial number of your refrigerator to the parts shop to get the correct one for your needs.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver, Phillips or flat-head depending on your refrigerator model
• New refrigerator gasket, model specific
• Damp rag

Instructions

1. Un-plug your refrigerator and open the door.

2. Locate the metal retainer that holds the gasket in place. This strip of metal will be held in by several screws on all sides, top, sides and bottom. On some refrigerators, the screws will be covered by the gasket itself, so you may have to pull the gasket back slightly to find them.

3. Unscrew these screws using your screwdriver, either a Phillips or flat-head, whichever is applicable in your situation, and turn them in a counter clockwise direction. The important thing here is to merely loosen the screws and not to remove them. So, turn them out only a couple of turns, but leave them in place.

4. Pull the old gasket out and away when all of the retaining screws have been loosened.

5. Wipe out the gasket channel with a damp rag, and remove any old particles of food or gunk that may inhibit the new gasket from seating correctly.

6. Begin at a top corner and push the new gasket into the channel exactly as the same one came out. When each side has been pushed in, tighten down the screws to hold it in place. Continue like this going completely around the entire door until the new gasket is in place. Dispose of the old gasket.

Tips & Warnings

• Brand new gaskets can be thrown in a clothes dryer for 10 minutes or manually heated with a hair dryer to increase flexibility and make installation much easier.

• Older latch-type or antique refrigerators will need the metal retaining piece to be completely removed before a new gasket can be set in place.

References

• Appliance Aid: Replace a door gasket on a refrigerator
• Fix It Now: Zen and the Art of Refrigerator Door Gasket Replacement
• Appliance Joirnal: Refrigerator Door Gasket Replacement (or How to replace a door seal)