Puzzle of the Day

[Munroast]

FRIDGE DOOR
All solved now - but would you have known

Door become very difficult to open, ridiculously so - at one point I nearly fell over opening the door (although that was probably a beer thing),
you needed two hand to prise the door open ! cleaned and waxed the door seal, but that made no difference. a complete puzzle for a while until another problem arose and when I fixed that the door was back to normal

So what was wrong ?

 

[Koolpc]

The mice inside were holding the door tight?

 

[pete01]

You're a wimp?

 

[mattylad]

You were opening it at the hinge side.

 

[Jurassicspark]

Im guessing the fridge internal fan was blocked or not working properly causing a vacuum to form inside

I’ve seen it quite a few times if one of the valve that equalises pressure gets blocked it can cause the door to become very hard to open hence making you look like a wimp as per Pete’s post.

 

[Munroast]

Im guessing the fridge internal fan was blocked or not working properly causing a vacuum to form inside

I’ve seen it quite a few times if one of the valve that equalises pressure gets blocked it can cause the door to become very hard to open hence making you look like a wimp as per Pete’s post.

yes, or at least you have the cause

water condensing in the fridge goes down a little tube to the outside of the fridge where it is evaporated off above the motor - this had completely bunged up - it was ice forming on the bottom of the fridge which got me to unbung it, then we realised the door was back to normal

presumably this pipe allowed for equalisation of pressure - amazing how the blocking of that pipe was causing so much suction that the door was semi difficult to open

Is it warm air that floods into the fridge when the door is open, then cooling and contracting that causes the suction

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Is it warm air that floods into the fridge when the door is open, then cooling and contracting that causes the suction

Correct, and if you just leave the door a while, the pressures will equalise through leakage via the seal. Some fridges come with an optional bit of plastic, which you can wedge in the door seal, just to improve the leakage/equalisation speed.

 

[Munroast]

Correct, and if you just leave the door a while, the pressures will equalise through leakage via the seal. Some fridges come with an optional bit of plastic, which you can wedge in the door seal, just to improve the leakage/equalisation speed.

yes - i think what I discovered was I must have an excellent seal on the door (could hold that pressure difference all night) and when i thoroughly cleaned and waxed the seal in a bid to remove whatever was sticky - I probably made matters worse by improving the seal.

Another thought is - have you ever noticed when you shut a car door, if a window is a little open the door will shut more rapidly than expected. So could the situation be similar with a fridge door, if the little vent is blocked, could that make opening the door more difficult ? or is it a combination of both

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

yes - i think what I discovered was I must have an excellent seal on the door (could hold that pressure difference all night) and when i thoroughly cleaned and waxed the seal in a bid to remove whatever was sticky - I probably made matters worse by improving the seal.

Probably you did. Our latest freezer, isn't a problem, but it's predecessor, wasn't a frost free - hence no defrost drain. You would go in for an item, close the door, then release you needed something else. It would totally refuse to reopen.

Another thought is - have you ever noticed when you shut a car door, if a window is a little open the door will shut more rapidly than expected.

Yes, mine is the same, or maybe worse...

When I turn the ignition off, the computer closes all vents, sealing the car up. Making the last door to be closed quite difficult to close. If I have passengers, I habitually hold the driver's door open, until the others doors are all shut.

So could the situation be similar with a fridge door, if the little vent is blocked, could that make opening the door more difficult ? or is it a combination of both

No, it just the warm air replacing the cold air in the fridge, when you open the door, then the warm air rapidly cooling. The now cold air shrinks, causing a vacuum inside the compartment.