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Energy Saver: Refrigerator & Freezer Door Seal
After a few years of use, one item that frequently fails on refrigerators and freezers is the seal around the door. Since the light goes out (trust me) when you close the refrigerator door, sometimes this can go unnoticed for a long time. Here is what to do to find out if you should consider replacing the door seal.
The first thing to do is a visual inspection. This may seem obvious but humor me. Door seals generally have corrugated folds to allow for irregularities in the door fit yet seal the door when closed. Open the refrigerator door and grasp the seal. Start at the top and work your way around the complete perimeter. Clockwise is good. As you go inch-by-inch, pull gently on the seal and expand the corrugations. Look on both sides of the corrugations for cracks and defects. Check the mounting fit between the seal and the door frame. There should be no gaps, warps or tears. The seal should supple and soft.
Next perform the light test. Do this at night. In a minute you'll understand why. Empty enough things out of the refrigerator to make room for this test. Locate a very bright portable fluorescent, LED or incandescent flashlight. The best kind of light for this test is a lantern type that sends light in all directions. Position the light centered vertically and horizontally inside the refrigerator but closer to the door. Close the refrigerator door as you normally would. Turn off the room lights. Again, start at the top and work your way around the complete door perimeter. Clockwise is good. If you happen to have only a uni-directional flashlight, rotate it around as you move to each edge of the door. As you go inch-by-inch, look for any light leaking out.
Next perform the paper test. You want paper that is rigid enough to be pulled ...