Refrigerator door gaskets are the flexible seals round each Viking refrigerator and freezer door that press against the cabinet face and keep the cold inside.
as used by Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds, (206) 210-3547
18 Care Handbook
Refrigerator Door Gasket Care
Built-ins in Edmonds kitchens close flush with the cabinetry, so a gasket that stops sealing shows up as frost, sweating or long run times before anyone sees a gap.
| What you are looking at | Normal | Watch | Call |
|---|---|---|---|
| A strip of paper closed in the door | Pulls out with a steady drag all the way round | Slides out easily at one corner | Falls free along a whole side |
| The gasket surface | Soft, clean and even | Sticky, stiff or folded in at a corner | Torn, split or pulled away from the door |
| Frost inside the freezer | None near the door | A light rim beside one edge | Frost building back quickly after you clear it |
| Moisture on the outside | Dry cabinet face | Beads of water along the door edge on humid days | Water running down the door or the cabinet |
The paper test
Close a strip of paper in the door at the top, bottom and both sides, then pull. Where it slides out with no drag, the seal is not meeting the cabinet. Repeat on the freezer door. It tells you more than looking.
Cleaning
Use a sponge or soft cloth with warm water and a mild detergent, wipe the folds, and dry thoroughly so nothing sits in the creases. Viking’s VCSB5423 guide asks for this every three months, by the same method as the interior surfaces, then a thin film of petroleum jelly to keep the seal pliable. Switch the power off at the disconnect first.
What a leaking seal leads to
Warm, damp kitchen air drawn past a poor seal turns to frost inside and to sweating on the cabinet face outside, and the compressor runs longer to make up for it. The same long run times can come from dusty condenser coils, so check both before calling.
A gasket replacement has no published band and is quoted after the diagnosis. If the seal proves sound and the ice keeps coming back, the fault is more likely fan or defrost work, which does carry a band, printed on the non-oven work page, and a refrigerator repair visit tells the two apart.
Refrigerator door gaskets: questions owners ask
- How often should Viking refrigerator gaskets be cleaned?
- Viking's guide for its VCSB5423 built-in side-by-side says every three months, by the same method as the interior surfaces, and then a light film of petroleum jelly to keep the seal pliable. Do that and most gaskets outlast the complaints people blame on them. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds can check yours, (206) 210-3547.
- What should I never put on a refrigerator gasket?
- Keep cleaning waxes, concentrated detergents and anything with chlorine bleach off the seal, and keep ammonia, solvents and metal scouring pads off the interior generally. Harsh products harden the rubber until it stops sealing, and the damage does not come back out. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds sees it often; ask on (206) 210-3547.
- Is a leaking gasket always a replacement?
- No. A gasket folded in at a corner or stiff from grime can often be cleaned and eased back into shape, and a door that is not closing square may need adjusting rather than a new seal. A tear or a split does mean a replacement. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds quotes that after looking, on (206) 210-3547.
- Signed
- Sofia Alarcon
- Specialism
- Service technician — refrigeration and defrost
- Years in practice
- 15
- Holds
- EPA Section 608 certified
