Fix a warped freezer/refrigerator door with a book

Use a book to straighten your warped freezer or refrigerator door so it will shut. First make sure the hinge washer, cam, etc. aren't at fault. If the gasket makes good contact with the cabinet part-way, then leaves a gap, it's possible your door is warped and needs to be straightened. If you're ok with risking more damage to your appliance like we were, since we paid very little in the first place, try this trick rather than pay way too much for a service call.
Edit: I forgot to mention that I loosened the screws all around the door frame first, then tightened again after I saw the door was closing properly for the first time. If I remember where I got that tip, I'll post here. I don't know if it's necessary, but I did it since it was suggested. The screws are under the gasket all around about every 4", and can be found if you lift the inside part of the gasket.

[@alanparkinson320]

Thank you for sharing! I was about to spend$100 on a new gasket!

[@StevenDuBeau]

Outstanding! You two deserve an award. I spent two hours trying to figure out the hinges, happened to stumble across your video and had it fixed in 30 seconds. Lol.

[@SpizawkDaKizowz]

This is an amazing fix, and worked well for me! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@ljslw]

Since 1984 I’ve been repairing appliances. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman in this male dominated line of work that I enjoy seeing women sharing their mechanical abilities. There are so many women that are mechanically inclined and don’t know it. Your repair was the correct fix. Most of the male techs that Ive worked with would have replaced the entire door, and many have done so even after I’ve tried to explain to them that it doesn’t need a door, just a simple adjusting of the door liner. Kudos to you and your daughter! You have the natural mechanical ability that I look for when hiring technicians. Not everyone has that. I’d hire you on the spot!

[@hollymgordon]

Thank you! Coming from a professional that means a lot to us. I agree there are more women inclined mechanically than people realize. I think most of us grow up hearing we're supposed to wash dishes and teach kids, and leave the "real" work to men, and everyone loses because of it. There are things women can offer any profession that men may not be able to come by naturally, like intuition. And jobs like repair techs will always be needed, no matter what. The first person we needed help from when the pandemic hit was a repair tech when our oven went out, and we were lucky he entered our house because his company had just announced techs couldn't enter homes. Thanks to you all for your work!

[@monikah12345]

We tried a bunch of different things including taking the freezer door off and jumping up and down on it. Can't recommend and didn't work. Anyway we can tried this method with 2 layers of 2x4 pieces (about 2 foot long each) instead of a book and it worked. Thanks so much!

[@FridgeSeal]

We do this all the time for our customers, it can be awkward when they see you bending their door but it works like a treat. You just need to make sure you don't put too much force on the hinge, i have seen some cheaper chinese/taiwanese hinges break doing this method.

[@russmiller-gq1kr]

Your idea was great. It worked for mine, fix it in a matter of 35 seconds I just used an ice pack. It was thick put it at the top of the door and pushed on the bottom because my bottom was not sealing but it is now thanks for .Your idea was great. It worked for mine, fix it in a matter of 35 seconds I just used a ice pack. It was thick put it at the top of the door and pushed on the bottom because my bottom was not sealing but it is now thanks for the video.

[@Lewis.Alcindor]

I saw this video yesterday, and this technique worked great for my refrigerator with top freezer! I replaced the gasket for the refrigerator door several years ago, and there was always this gap along the lower-side portion. I had assumed it was a bad replacement gasket, but then I actually measured the gap at the top vs bottom opening this year. It turns out there was a 1/2 inch difference, meaning the door was actually warped the whole time. Due to this gap, ice would eventually build up inside the freezer floor, probably due to the extra air moisture constantly going into the fridge. The ice-cold freezer floor (or refrigerator ceiling) would then condense the moisture in the air, so there would be lots of water in the fridge during the humid summers. To fix this problem temporarily, I need to unfreeze the freezer floor (blowing on it with a hairdryer for a couple of hours). Then, the fridge would run "normally" until several months later, when the same problem came back. This has been a constant headache and pain in the butt. Prior, I had tried to fix the warped door with a half-assed method. I would use my leg to hold the bottom of the fridge door while I pushed at top, but this technique was never strong enough. Your technique worked like a charm with enough force. Now, the door gap is almost perfectly straight. With that said, the door is in a bit of interesting state. If I twist it a bit in each direction, there will either be a 1/2 inch gap at the top or bottom, depending on the twist direction. So technically speaking, the warped door isn't in a completely stable equilibrium state. Fortunately, it's currently in a "goldilocks" position that works perfectly. I did all of my fridge repair work yesterday. Besides fixing the warped door, I had to melt the ice trapped in the freezer floor, readjust the slightly-drooping freezer door, and had to dismantle the freezer door completely to remove a lot of trapped ice inside (I squeezed out as much water from the fiberglass insulation and let it bake in the sun to dry for a few hours; parts of the insulation didn't dry completely, but I couldn't wait longer without a having a working fridge and freezer). Hopefully, with a fully sealed fridge door, all of my repairs will keep the fridge dry for years to come. Thanks again!

[@carriedockery5347]

It worked! Thanks for posting this video. I only wish I would have found it before paying a repairman $250 for a new seal, which is what he told me my problem was. 😂 So I basically paid a guy for me to fix my own fridge.

[@hollymgordon]

So frustrating! We recently paid a repairman to not fix another issue with our freezer, still trying to get him to come back to actually fix it. Glad you could get yours working after that.

[@Twilliams60142]

I will definitely try this since I have the exact same problem. If this works, it will save me a ton of money! Thanks for sharing!

[@cowsongs]

I just tried this on an upright freezer that has had this problem for YEARS. We had over an 1/8" gap in one corner, and it caused frost build up and water to accumulate on the floor in front of the freezer. I never thought the door would bend enought to correct a twist like this... but it WORKED. Holy Cow, I just put a block of wood in there (instead of a book), leaned on it hard with my body, and it corrected the problem immediately. The whole gasket seals correctly all the way around now. THANK YOU!

[@hollymgordon]

That makes my day! Thanks for letting me know, makes the extra little work of posting worth it.

[@DeCruz16]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I have an old freezer with the same issue, I was about to get rid of it and look for a new one. Thanks to you I saved a bunch of money instead of purchasing a new gasket or buying a new freezer.

[@hollymgordon]

Aw, thanks, that makes posting this worth it! Thanks for making my day!

[@jackdee7604]

This work for me! I was about to purchase a new one but decide to Google a fix first. Glad I'm came across your video. Thanks!

[@jimk4vw138]

I changed the door gasket on my upright Frigidaire and the door had a 1" gap, just as you described. Did the book in door trick and fixed it after two tries. Second try, thicker book. Thank You!!

[@cheth1385]

If putting the book at the top end doesn’t work try the bottom end, worked great, Thanks!

[@iowaunemployment]

Great idea. I have the same issue, and will try this. Thanks for posting. Short and to the point.

[@1stNightingale]

What a great presenter your daughter is! Didn't help my issue but fun to watch.

[@hollymgordon]

1stNightingale Thanks, that’s really kind of you! I wish it could’ve helped your issue but I hope you found what you needed.

[@1stNightingale]

@@hollymgordon Yeah i twisted/warped door brackets so that the edges weren't meeting. Taking the doors off and hammering the brackets to be bent in a certain direction worked. But don't hammer them while still mounted to your fridge or you'll damage the screw holes.

[@hollymgordon]

1stNightingale thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. :)

[@kimigleheart5277]

Yes! Her daughter is awesome! I will try the book and see what happens!

[@rickeykeeton71]

How long did this repair last? If the gasket had no damaged area, I think I would have loosened the screws all around the liner if possible just enough to allow some movement between the gasket and the liner. Snug might be a better word than loose. I would then loosen the hinge to allow movement with pressure applied to door closed. Then apply enough pressure in the door to let the gasket make contact with the opening all around the cabinet. While applying this pressure I would snug the door hinge screw pretty good. Then open the door and tighten all the screws around the liner that hold the gasket in place. But, if this worked long term, good for you. I hope it did!

[@aarapidappliancerepair8994]

As a professional thank you. This works.

[@jamsbong]

Gonna try it. But looks brilliant

[@nickwilliams3710]

I have the same problem, gonna try this. Thanks for the great idea and a great video!

[@Mn09lfV6f]

Thank you, the video help me very much by sharing this idea. I was making it too complicate in creating a way to fix the problem. Your video is much better than other amatuer video makers. It's obvious some thought was put into what was said and the overall video.

[@hollymgordon]

Thank you!

[@edenlydick8950]

Thank you so much! Saved me buying a mew fridge

[@baldwinwallace4926]

Thanks. I have the same problem! Hope it works and I believe that it will. :) You're up to 10 thumbs up now!!!

[@matthewshelton1403]

I’m going to give this a try to our garage freezer. It came with the house but doesn’t close all the way which generates a bunch of frost from the humidity going into the freezer

[@sueoconnor12]

Trying this!!

[@paulernandez5382]

thank you! this worked great!

[@niecep]

You’re probably going to get frost this happened to me you will have to replace the gasket around the door

[@danielabrams3860]

Like it. Lets do it

[@48jimowens]

Or you could have adjusted the hinge.

[@prestondavis544]

🤯

[@those1kidds]

Yeah don't do this... ruined the bottom of my freezer....

[@jasonparker6670]

I had my concerns about this working. I spent the last month trying to fix this. It literally took me 20 sec and boom works. You two deserve the key to the city. You deserve a medal of honor. It just shows how much smarter and the level of patience women have compared to men. Thank you so much.