Fridge seems to have lost the magnetism in its door seal

Murmansk

It's an integrated tall fridge-freezer with the fridge at the top.

The fridge door won't close - not because anything's stopping it but because the magnetic door seal no longer seems to be magnetic. I disconnected the fridge door from the outer cabinet door and the fridge door just won't stay closed - it's nothing to do with the fact it's integrated and the door is catching or anything like that.

I've never seen anything like it. It's a "no name" appliance. Even if we could get a new seal I can't see how it'd be fitted.
Anyone come across this before? 

grumbler

Murmansk said:

...because the magnetic door seal no longer seems to be magnetic..

Make sure it's really the case. My fridge door is fine. The magnet seems to be very weak if you test it with steel objects, but it holds a 1p coin.

easy

https://www.repairaid.co.uk/help/fridges-freezers/quick-fix-fridge-wont-stay-shut/

Murmansk

grumbler said:

Make sure it's really the case. My fridge door is fine. The magnet seems to be very weak if you test it with steel objects, but it holds a 1p coin.

The acid test is that the door won't stay closed, it won't grip a coin.

grumbler

Murmansk said:

grumbler said:

Make sure it's really the case. My fridge door is fine. The magnet seems to be very weak if you test it with steel objects, but it holds a 1p coin.

The acid test is that the door won't stay closed, it won't grip a coin.

Ha-ha. Ain't I clever?!

However, it can't be *a* coin. 2p coin isn't magnetic. Neither is 20p, but 10p coin is fine.

twopenny

Have you wiped the seal with something anti grease?
Sometimes it's not dirt you can see but finger or fat grease. A couple of good cleans with jif or flash, a scrub with a toothbrush can help.
I had a non closing door and thought the worst and this was a last ditch attempt - and it worked like magic.

GaleSF63

It wouldn't look very pretty but you could use a child lock. (We had one years ago when one of our cats learnt how to open the fridge door - a slim paw slid underneath the door.)

JohnB47

Just a thought but perhaps the seal isn't actually magnetic. Maybe the closing of the fridge door relies solely on the latching action of the outer door, to which it is attached.

Is that outer door latch working properly, so that when the outer door is closed, the fridge door is pushed firmly closed?

Maybe the outer door latch needs adjusting, if that's possible.

Murmansk

JohnB47 said:

Just a thought but perhaps the seal isn't actually magnetic. Maybe the closing of the fridge door relies solely on the latching action of the outer door, to which it is attached.

Is that outer door latch working properly, so that when the outer door is closed, the fridge door is pushed firmly closed?

Maybe the outer door latch needs adjusting, if that's possible.

No, it's magnetic, the freezer, below, has a magnetic door that works fine. The outer wooden door is just attached to the fridge door and closes by its connection to the door, there's no latch of any kind.

GDB2222

I don’t see how the whole of the magnetic strip can have become demagnetised? 

I'd start off by finding a light steel item that you can check with a magnet. The lid of a steel baked beans can is ideal, just as an example. If the door seal holds that, it’s still magnetic. 

Once you have proved that your seal is still magnetic, you can search for what is actually wrong.

House13

Rub vaseline onto the seals