Fridge door won't stay shut

[seasickstevie]

Got a fridge freezer, the normal tall vertical type.

Although the freezer door stays shut without a problem, the fridge door has very little 'attraction' to keep it shut.
Am I right in thinking it's a magnet in the seal? And if so, why would it just no longer have any strength to keep the door shut?

More to the point, anyone know what I can do to remedy the situation?

TIA

 

[mattylad]

Is it level?

 

[seasickstevie]

Yes they are level.

There's a huge difference between the freezer and fridge doors closing 'pull', and they're obviously both sitting at the exact same 'orientation'.

 

[JohnD]

Tilt the fridge back a fraction, after you've used your spirit level to check it both ways.

The freezer door is very light. The fridge door may contain eggs, butter, milk, juice, coke, chocolate and lard.

 

[EddieM]

Lard

 

[UpgradeME]

I have the exact same issue as the OP, I’ve been carrying out research which says to check the fridge is level & leaning slightly backwards (front higher than back) and check / re-magnetise the door seals (by rubbing a strong magnet around the seal).

In my instance, the fridge is perfectly level in all directions, the door seal has been re-magnetised (and swapped with a known working seal), cleaned and Vaseline applied and still there is very little “attraction” as per the OP.

Mine is a integrated Bosch appliance, do they typically have a vacume pump? Could maybe a blocked drain hole cause the issue? (A screwdriver goes down freely, maybe too easy and something has detached?)

what causes the door to “stick” other than the magnets and seal? (The hinges seem solid and there appears to be no screws for adjustment, it used to be much more “attracted” so something has changed...)

 

[big-all]

my thoughts
putting aside the level and magnet issues there could be a conflict between fridge and fridge door contents as in milk bottle or pop bottle on a shelve clashing iff you empty the door what happens ??
check around the bottom off the fridge door for possible deformation or rust damage as the fridge freezer i threw out about 2 months ago had so badly rusted internally and invisible on the bottom corner that it was held out about 4-6 mm causing the seal to not grip and fail

 

[UpgradeME]

I removed everything from the doors and even removed the shelves and it didn't fix the issue. I read that the vacuum is created by the warmer air that enters after opening, contracting, causing the vacuum effect in these appliances. So, I'm therefore wondering if the inside should be sealed and if the drain hole (or a small crack in the door) is allowing air to escape and so not creating the vacuum? (I might try taping the holes and seeing if that makes any difference)

Failing that, anyone any other suggestions? I assume it must be hinge related?

 

[JohnD]

tell us how you checked both ways with your spirit level, please.

How much did you tilt it back?

 

[UpgradeME]

tell us how you checked both ways with your spirit level, please.

How much did you tilt it back?

I used "Measure" app on my iPhone to check levels left-right and front-back (it measures 0 deg in all directions when placed flat on shelf). Its a built-in appliance stood on a concrete floor so unless something has broken underneath, the legs haven't moved since it was closing correctly. I would need to removed the appliance to adjust the back feet so at the moment, have just made sure the front are as high as they will go under the counter (which reads level).

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Has it lost its maganatism?

 

[big-all]

if you hold the door open at right angles holding the door top and bottom will it flex or move if you hold the bottom hand still and move the top side to side ??
also at right angles again lift the front edge
if you get excessive movement try and work out where the slack is ??

 

[UpgradeME]

The hinge flexes maybe 1mm if the door is twisted but doesn’t feel or look loose at all in any direction.

The seal has magnetism and will hold itself up against a metal object when taken off.

 

[big-all]

are you sure the front surface is flat will no blown areas causing a bump stopping the magnet "gripping"??
on my fridge it was bottom section above the freezer section where i suspect the insulation may have failed as it kept icing up in a matter off months even though it was only open perhaps 3 or 4 times a day so the void would possibly be full off ice or condensation causing the rust??

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Did it suddenly fail or has it been gradual?