QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-the-Wizard":

ANSWER:

gogorita1:

Well, I'm sorry to have to take sides between you and your husband. And please don't shoot the messenger. But yes, blocking the vents (even partially) in a freezer reduces air circulation in the compartment, which therefore reduces the cooling efficiency of your unit. As a result, either your freezer compartment will run a little warmer, or if it has a thermostat that controls it to a set temperature, then it will cause your compressor to have to work harder which consumes more energy and reduces the life of the compressor.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully this is helpful.

Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Robin on 8/14/2008
I have a kenmore top freezer refridgator. We just replace the door gasket on the fridge because it was tore. Now there is a gap on top of the door. How can we fix this? We never remove the door to do the repair. My model number is 106.9751711

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/15/2008
Dear Robin:

If I understand your question correctly, after you replaced the door gasket on your refrigerator, you are now finding that there is a place at the top of the door where the gasket is not sealing tightly, and this is the "gap" that you are referring to, right?

If this is the case, then there are a couple possible causes for this problem:

1) The new gasket that you purchased came twisted up (as they typically do), and one of the "twists" in the gasket is what is causing the irregular sealing.

2) When the new gasket was installed, it was not fastened down properly, and the resulting misalignment is what is causing the gap.

3) The gasket that was installed is not the proper gasket for your particular refrigerator.

Regarding the first two items above, you might want to look at this webpage which describes how to install a refrigerator door gasket (and hopefully you will not be bothered by some of the author's "non-technical" references):

http://fixitnow.com/2004/09/appliance-repair-revelation-zen-and.htm

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com

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QUESTION from CHERYL MCKENTY on 6/24/2008
My 5 year old basic refrigerator has just recently started to lose it's seal on the top corner freezer gasket. I am puzzled as to why - there is no dirt or grease, and nothing is stored above the unit that fell onto the gasket. Condensation and ice is forming on the ceiling of the freezer constantly. Short of replacing the gasket, what can be done to get the seal back, and do you have any guesses as how this can be prevented since I already keep it clean and do not instill damage? Thank you.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 6/25/2008
Dear Cheryl:

Since your refrigerator/freezer is only 5 years old, and it sounds like you have been taking very good care of the gasket, I would suspect that the problem may not be with the gasket of your freezer, but rather that the door of your freezer may be out of alignment. If the door of your freezer is not aligned properly, this could explain why the top corner is not sealing properly. If you are handy, you can adjust the screws that hold the door, so that the door is in better alignment with the face of your freezer. When it is in proper alignment, you should be able to close the door on a dollar bill, and when you tug on the dollar bill, you should feel some tight resistance. And the door should pass this "dollar bill" test all the way around.

You probably want to solve this problem soon, not only to reduce the ice formation inside your freezer, but also, the poor seal of the corner of your door is causing your unit's compressor to work harder, and as such, could lead to the unit wearing out sooner.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Mark on 8/24/2008
Hey Wizard,

We purchased a new manual defrost freezer at Sears last night to replace our dinosaur freezer. The sales guy pitched the extended warranty really hard - told me specifically that newer freezers have to be serviced every two years. His reasons were something to do with the oil/freon mix that is in the system. What's the straight talk on this?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/24/2008
Dear Mark:

Here's a good article that appeared in the Washington Post, that talks about the pro's and con's of purchasing extended warranties:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000148.html

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from annoegage on 7/21/2008
Everyone keeps telling me that plugging in and unplugging a freezer is VERY bad for it. We are talking about plugging one in for a 48 hr. period, once a month.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 7/21/2008
Dear annoegage:

The answer is, "it depends". If your freezer is a fairly new Energy Star rated freezer, then I would suggest letting it run all of the time. And then to minimize energy consumption, ensure that the door seals are all clean and close tightly all the way around. Also, keep the coils clean, and allow adequate air circulation around the unit. And try to locate your freezer in a cool location, for example, down in a basement. And of course, don't open the door to the freezer until you are ready to use it.

However, if your freezer is an older, less energy-efficient model, or the unit has to be located someplace warm (like a garage), and if you really just need the freezer for only two days per month (that is, it would be running less than 7% of the time), then yes, I would suggest that you turn off the freezer when it is not in use, to conserve energy. However, as I imagine you have already considered, you will need to keep the freezer very clean when it is not in use, so that it does not begin to smell.

And as always with a freezer, from a safety standpoint in either case, you will want to be sure that there is no possibility that kids could ever climb inside, lock themselves in and suffocate.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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