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.

Why couldn't you just screw the gasket on right?

If the holes are too big, use bigger screws. If the holes are too
small, use smaller screws and washers. I don't get it.

None of the tests below are any good as long as the door gasket is
loose.

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

What was it like 2 days or a month after the repair? If it was
better, what changed? The gasket?

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

Nearly only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Why not take the gasket from the first door and put it on the second
door? OTOH, how could the second door fit even nearly tight without a
gasket? Most gaskets are a half inch thick. Was it the wrong door?

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.

It needs a gasket and a tight fit.

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.