4 free ways to independently restore an elastic band on a refrigerator that does not fit and is coming off

The seal that helps keep the cold inside fails over time. Fortunately, restoring the seal on your refrigerator is easy. You need to perform 3 procedures step by step.

First stage: cleaning

When cleaning the refrigerator, many housewives do not pay enough attention to cleaning the rubber seals. It is not enough to simply wipe them outside. The most vulnerable place is the folds. Residues of food accumulate in them, forming a sticky mass. The rubber sticks together and the gap does not close completely.

To check the serviceability of the refrigerator rubber bands, you need to insert a piece of paper between the door and the refrigerator. If it comes out easily, it means that the seal has stopped performing its functions.

Before proceeding directly to restoring the tightness, the rubber bands must be washed thoroughly. For this:

1. We remove crumbs and other debris with a dry ear swab or an old toothbrush. We make sure that nothing remains in the grooves.
2. Prepare a solution: 100 ml of water, 2-3 drops of dishwashing detergent and 1 teaspoon of ammonia.
3. Dip the ear stick (brush) into the solution and thoroughly wash the folds.
4. Wipe everything with a cloth soaked in clean water.
5. Blot the moisture with a dry cloth.

Sometimes a thorough cleaning of the rubber band is enough to restore its tightness to the door. For example, if there was something sticky inside and the folds stuck together strongly.

You can wash the seal with ordinary soapy water. The main thing is to clean all the grooves well. In general, the procedure should be carried out regularly - at least once every 2 weeks. Dirt causes rubber to become hard faster, lose its shape, and become covered with cracks.

Attention! To clean rubber seals, under no circumstances should you use products containing solvents or caustic substances (concentrated alkali, acid).

Stage two: update

Not only a person, but also all objects around him age over time. Rubber bands in the refrigerator are no exception. From light, moisture, temperature changes, mechanical stress (slamming the door), the seal gradually collapses.

On average, sealing bands in a refrigerator last 3-5 years. Then they gradually become compressed, and the door no longer closes tightly.

Rubber contains synthetic rubber and polymers that absorb light and heat energy. Chemical processes occurring inside change the seal externally. All rubber becomes dense over time. At the same time, it loses flexibility and breaks easily. Microscopic cracks appear on the surface in which moisture accumulates. This further accelerates the destruction process.

Is it possible to somehow rejuvenate the tires? At the initial stage of aging - yes. There are several proven methods for this.

Attention! All procedures for restoring sealing rubber bands are carried out with the refrigerator turned off.It is better to defrost old models and temporarily move frozen foods to the balcony or other cool place.

Method number 1 - using lubricant

Many people know that plastic windows need periodic lubrication. The rubber bands around the sashes are lubricated twice a year. This increases their service life by 2-3 times. So the window seal is not much different from the one in the refrigerator. When lubricated, the rubber remains elastic longer. Lubricant protects it from the negative effects of the environment, and to some extent softens it.

To lubricate the sealing rubber bands of the refrigerator, you can use:

• care product for plastic windows;
• silicone grease;
• machine oil;
• VD-40.

The lubricant is applied to a clean, dry surface. It is best to rub it in thoroughly with your fingers (wearing gloves). You need to process all the folds and leave the sealant for half an hour. Then excess lubricant is removed with a dry cloth.

The method is also recommended for preventing aging of the seal.

Method number 2 - using ammonia

If a suitable lubricant is not at hand, you can use ammonia. It acts rougher and is able to change the structure of the rubber for both the better and the worse. It is important to strictly adhere to the recipe and exposure time:

1. We dilute ammonia in warm water in a ratio of 1 to 7.
2. We wipe the rubber several times for half an hour.
3. Wash off the solution with warm, clean water.
4. Dry it.

It is most effective to soak the seal in ammonia solution. But not all refrigerators have it removed. You need to see if the elastic is simply inserted into the groove or is additionally glued.

Method number 3 - using a hair dryer

It is known that when heated, any rubber softens.A household hair dryer will help heat it up quickly. However, heating alone is not enough. After cooling, the seal will become the same as it was.

For the method to work, you need to heat the elastic and simultaneously stretch the folds with your hands. It's better to act together here.

The hairdryer is held at a distance of 20-30 cm. To increase efficiency, the rubber treated with lubricant is stretched. At the end, the seal is heated again. Without allowing it to cool completely, close the door and press it with your hands for 3-5 minutes. This is necessary so that after cooling it becomes uniform in thickness.

Method number 4 - using boiling water

The most barbaric method, but sometimes it is the only one that helps solve the problem with an elastic band that comes off. Boiling water instantly softens the material. But its destruction may also occur. The fact is that the composition of the seals is very different: natural, synthetic rubber, a mixture of different polymers. Therefore, in each specific case the result is different. If you decide to take a risk, the procedure is carried out as follows:

• Option #1. The door is opened. A large basin or tray is placed under it. Boiling water is slowly poured onto the elastic band from above (it is most convenient to do this from a kettle). Then quickly, while it has not yet cooled down, stretch the folds with your hands. Close the door tightly. After 3-5 minutes, wipe off the moisture and dry everything thoroughly.

• Option #2. The seal is removed from the grooves. Heat 3 liters of water with the addition of a glass of salt (or without). After boiling, pour the boiling water into a plastic bowl. Lower the seal for 10 minutes. Take it out and level it by hand. Set in place.

Third stage: eliminating defects

If after two stages the seal still comes off, more radical measures are taken.

• A backing is placed under the elastic that does not fit properly. This could be a cambric (a hollow PVC tube), window insulation, a strip of polystyrene foam, or something else. The thickness of the substrate is selected to match the size of the gap. It is better if it is springy.
• Sometimes the cause of a loose rubber seal may be a warped door. Then it simply does not magnetize and the seal does not stick. This happens due to the destruction of the washer on the bracket under the door. It cracks and pops out, and the door falls down. The problem is easily solved. One or more washers are placed on the bracket. This way the door becomes higher and the problem disappears completely.

• A common reason for seal failure is cracks. Often they are not visible in the folds and are discovered only upon careful examination. You can glue the rubber band on the refrigerator in different ways. The best method is to fill the crack with silicone or acrylic sealant. Before repairing the seal, the plastic around the repaired area is covered with tape. Next, the crack is thickly filled with sealant, filling the entire fold with it. The door is fixed with tape, and excess sealant is wiped off with a napkin. After 8-12 hours, the composition hardens and the tape is removed.

Advice. It makes sense to change the glued sealing gum so that the repaired area is on the opposite side. This will reduce the load and it will last longer.

Questions and answers

Question: Is it always possible to repair an elastic band in the refrigerator?

Answer: No. If the rubber has deteriorated due to age (dried out, hardened, cracked), it cannot be restored.

Question: What to do if the rubber seal cannot be restored?

Answer: It should be replaced. This service is provided by masters. Replacement costs 2000-5000 rubles. To save money, you can purchase a new seal and install it yourself. To do this you need to know the model of the refrigerator. Rubber bands cost starting from 600 rubles.

At first glance, the rubber seal is not the main part in the refrigerator. But if it stops performing its function, this affects the operation of the entire refrigeration device. Warm air enters the chamber through the cracks. The sensors are triggered and cause the compressor to cool harder.

The motor works at the limit of its capabilities, and as a result wears out quickly. Therefore, it is better to solve the problem with sealing rubber bands as soon as possible. In most cases, the methods described above help. The main thing is to act consistently and restore the rubber bands step by step.