The freezer door on my 12-yr old GE side-by-side refrigerator/freezer would not stay completely shut resulting in temperature variations and ice buildup from outside humidity seeping into the freezer compartment. These problems were exacerbated by the fact that this appliance is located in my garage in the heat / humidity of the Atlanta, GA area. I applied a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the gasket which improved the seal but did not completely solve the problem. I discovered that refrigerator / freezer door gaskets contain a magnetic strip around the entire perimeter to help seal the door shut. I deduced that the gasket had lost its magnetism over time so I ordered both freezer and refrigerator door gaskets from appliancepartspros.com. Delivery was fast and I watched an instructional video on the site to learn how to replace the gaskets.
It was quite a simple repair but there are some tips that I learned in the video:
1. The gasket arrives folded into a small box. Folds deform the rubberized material creating creases that must be removed before installation. After removing it from the box you MUST remove these creases with some form of heat allowing it to return to its "natural state". Suggestions include soaking the gasket in a tub of hot water or using a hair dryer. I chose to lay the gasket on the lawn in the sun for approximately 3 hours. This worked great.
2. The old gasket must be removed to allow installation of the new gasket. My appliance has a groove in which the back of the gasket "snaps" into. I used a small putty knife to pry the old gasket out of the groove in one area and then simply pulled the rest of the gasket from the door.
3. To install the new gasket first ensure a dry and clean groove on the door. Start at the top corners and then the bottom corners. Once all four corners were secure I pushed the gasket into the groove starting at the top and working down until complete.
4. Shut the door and check for any gaps between the gasket and the frame of the appliance. If you notice gaps they can be removed by using a hair dryer. I did not have to use a hair dryer but you may have to depending on the prep work you did in step 1.
5. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around the entire gasket. This helps seal the door.
This is a very simple repair that anyone can accomplish. The only tool I used was a small putty knife to help pry the old gasket from the door. I highly recommend watching the instructional video on this repair on appliancepartspros.com. Total project time was about 3 hours - 15 minutes primarily due to the prep time required to remove creases from the gasket. Actual removal and installation of the new gasket takes less than 15 minutes.