Fridge won’t stay closed. At the end of my tether!

GolfR

My fridge hasn’t been staying closed for almost two years on and off - since I moved into my privately rented property. Things I’ve done in the meantime - such as putting a rucksack against the door - have kind of brushed the problem under the carpet. I close it and it pops open. I give it a good push and sometimes it stays shut but half of the time it pops open. I tried fiddling with the seal and cleaning it a good while ago but it didn’t seem to work. The fridge was included in the rental (along with integrated washing machine and freezer) but my landlord is a waste of time and doesn’t seem to think things like this are important to him and that I should sort it.

I took the integrated door off ages ago thinking the weight of it wasn’t helping and while it worked short term, it started happening again after not too long. The fridge works great otherwise so I’m loathe to spend £200+ on a new one (which would no doubt be coming from my pocket) but this is really getting on my nerves more than ever now.

Any suggestions very welcome!

Hasbeen

Have you tried sourcing a new magnetic door seal?

stueyhants

Have you checked the feet on it to make sure it’s level as if it was slightly leaning towards the front it my contribute to the issue. Perhaps put a slight angle towards the back.

prowla

Get a child lock for it.

Apodemus

prowla said:

Get a child lock for it.

Yep, that was what I was going to suggest!

silvercar

I had a similar problem with an upright fridge/ freezer. Closing the fridge door would create a force that somehow would open the freezer door the minute my back was turned. The solution was a child lock.

JohnB47

I would second the idea of checking if the FF was level. I would even adjust the feet to make it tip back slightly. Lets face it, if it was perfectly level, the door wouldn't have any reason to open. I remember having a FF years ago that would suck the door tight, with real force, after you opened and closed it for a few seconds. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Integrated, eh? Pfffft.

What sort of mechanism connects the unit door to the fridge door? Is the unit door mounted directly on to it, or does it hinge separately and 'pulls' the fridge door via a sliding mechanism? 

Either way, can you try detaching the unit door and see if the fridge door now closes securely, and takes a noticeable 'tug' to open each time? 

Hasbeen

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Integrated, eh? Pfffft.

What sort of mechanism connects the unit door to the fridge door? Is the unit door mounted directly on to it, or does it hinge separately and 'pulls' the fridge door via a sliding mechanism? 

Either way, can you try detaching the unit door and see if the fridge door now closes securely, and takes a noticeable 'tug' to open each time? 

Think OP has tried that?

"I took the integrated door off ages ago thinking the weight of it wasn’t helping and while it worked short term, it started happening again after not too long."

Perhaps fridge is so filled the contents are pushing the door open?

Jeepers_Creepers

Ah, sorry - missed that, Hasbeen.

So, what can make a fridge door not shut properly? Over-stuffed, certainly - but surely obvious? A distorted - twisted - door, one that makes contact in one corner before the rest. Surely easy to check? A poorly-magnetic sealing strip - again easy to check. 

What make and model is the fridge, OP? 

Homer_home

Have you stripped the fridge of everything including any shelving , drawers etc and checked if it shuts properly then ?

Have you tried pulling the fridge completely out and also seeing if it shuts?