On 9 Jun 2006 21:43:52 -0700, "Mike S."
wrote:

My parents have a refrigerator that is nearly 20 years old. There was a
problem with the door so my father tried to fix it. He ended up taking
the plastic part off the door where the food goes but left the gasket
loosely hanging on the door. We closed the door as tight as possible
but it most likely wasn't sealing correctly and allowing the cold to
escape.

I noticed three months later that the refrigerator was running nearly
constantly. The temp. would fluctuate between 40-60 degrees and the
inside was sweating but there were also ice formations in the back. My
father claims it's because the door isn't on tight. He got another door
without the gasket and put that up there to test, and it formed nearly
an airtight seal (better than before). However, the refrigerator is
still running constantly.

What we can't figure out is if it's running constantly because the
proper door isn't on there or because it's old and on it's last legs.
Any thoughts? The answer is what decides if we should get a new
refrigerator or not. I figure that with new refrigerators being more
energy efficient, we'll end up saving more money in the long run. My
father doesn't think about/understand things like that so he disagrees.
I'd love to hear opinions on this.

A refrigerator running constantly without cooling is just an enormous
waste of energy. You will see your electric bill increase, plus the
refrigerator will put out more heat. If you leave the frig as is, it
will burn out, perhaps catch fire, and you'll have to replace it.

To test a refrig seal close the door on a dollar bill. It should grab
the bill when you try to pull it out. Test the seal all the way
around.