Wondering how to adjust a GE refrigerator door? This article serves as a guide to show you how to do this easily.
Table of Contents
How to Adjust a GE Refrigerator Door
Below are steps to follow in order to adjust the door of different GE refrigerator models.
Side-by-Side Model
The side-by-side refrigerator doors are designed to be slightly different in height when it is empty. The difference in height is about a quarter of an inch, usually negligible. But if the height difference is more than that, follow these steps to adjust the doors.
To carry out this activity, you will need a wrench and a screwdriver.
Step 1
Switch off the refrigerator or disconnect it from electric power.
Step 2
Locate the grille right under the front of the refrigerator doors. For some models, the grill will need to be loosened from both ends. For others, all you need to do is to pull it out.
Step 3
Shut the doors of the refrigerator.
Step 4
Locate the alignment screws right under the hinges of both doors. Depending on which of the doors you wish to adjust, use the wrench to turn the alignment screw to the left to raise the door or to the right to lower the door to your desired height.
Step 5
Check to see that the doors are even at the top. If necessary, open and shut them a few times in order to confirm this.
Step 6
If the doors are properly adjusted now, re-attach the grill and reconnect the refrigerator to its power source.
Otherwise, repeat the process until you get it right.
French Door Model
To adjust the GE French Door refrigerator, follow the same steps applied in adjusting the side-by-side model.
GE Monogram Series
To adjust the GE Monogram refrigerator door, follow the same steps used in adjusting the side-by-side door.
How to Tighten GE Refrigerator Door Handle
To tighten a loose handle on a GE refrigerator, take the following steps:
Step 1
Switch off the refrigerator by unplugging it or flipping the circuit breaker.
Step 2
With a soft clean cloth, clean the handle to remove any stains.
Step 3
Locate the hex bolt on the handle’s inner part. The hex bolt holds the handle to the refrigerator door.
Step 4
Firmly hold the handle to the door and use a quarter-inch wrench to tighten it. Move the wrench to the right to do this correctly. Screwing to the left loosens the handle.
If your refrigerator is the bottom freezer type, locate the hex bolt at the under part of the freezer handle. Then, use the quarter-inch wrench to tighten it the same way you did that of the refrigerator.
Step 5
Do not apply force while tightening the hex bolt. This is so you do not wash off the bolt’s thread or create a crack on the handle.
Step 6
Reconnect the refrigerator to the power source.
How to Adjust a GE Refrigerator Door Swing
To adjust a GE refrigerator door swing, you need a Phillips screwdriver and a quarter-inch wrench or an adjustable wrench.
There are slight differences in approach because of the different models of GE refrigerators.
Side-by-Side Model
Step 1
Switch off the refrigerator.
Step 2
Open the refrigerator doors at ninety degrees in order to access the base grille. Don’t open the doors beyond 90 degrees in order not to impede the grill from coming loose.
Step 3
If the base grill on your refrigerator is screwed to the refrigerator, use a screwdriver to unscrew it. If not, just detach it from the refrigerator and shut the doors.
Step 4
To adjust the door swings, use the quarter-inch or an adjustable wrench to adjust the leveling feet located on the brackets on each side of the refrigerator.
Adjusting to the left increases the height of the refrigerator while adjusting to the right lowers the height. Each can be adjusted independently.
Step 5
Make sure to level the doors of the refrigerator. If you want the doors to close more easily, tilt the refrigerator to the rear by adjusting the feet to the left by the same number of turns.
Step 6
Reconnect the unit to the power source.
Top-Freezer Model
The following steps will teach you how to adjust the door swing. The tools needed for this activity are a hammer and a socket set.
Step 1
Disconnect the refrigerator from electric power. Then, empty the shelves on both the freezer and refrigerator doors.
Step 2
Remove the cover of the hinge holding the freezer. You will find it on top of the freezer.
Loosen the bolts holding the cover with the socket set. Now, gently lift the hinge a little and detach the freezer door. Place it against the wall. This is to make it possible to access the center hinge.
Step 3
Use the socket set to loosen the bolt holding the center hinge and detach the refrigerator door from the cabinet and place it against the wall.
Step 4
Put back the hinge into the center hinge pin and insert the freezer door into it. This is to enable you to keep the freezer shut and prevent it from losing ice.
Step 5
Locate the bottom hinge at the front base of the refrigerator. Inspect the hinge washer to make sure it’s in good shape.
Next, use the socket set to make sure the bolts holding the sheet metal from where the hinge protrudes are tight.
Step 6
Now, carefully use the hammer to hit the sheet metal to your left. It may require doing so a couple of times in order to get the hinge in place. Check the sheet metal bolts once with the socket set to confirm they are tight.
Step 7
Fix the door back in place and check to see if it properly laps to the cabinet frame. If it doesn’t, keep adjusting the metal sheet until it does. Next, remove the freezer door and the center hinge from the hinge pin and fix back the refrigerator door.
Step 8
Reverse the process and reconnect the unit to the power source.
If the door of the fresh food cabinet of your top freezer refrigerator is sagging, it could be because the hinge that sticks out under the lower door has bent outwards to your right when facing the refrigerator.
Other Issues…
But if the freezer door isn’t aligning with the cabinet frame, follow these instructions;
Step 1
Loosen the bolts holding the top hinge with the socket set.
Step 2
If you can, lift up the freezer door from its left side to be of the same height as the refrigerator while you tighten the bolts.
If it’s cumbersome for you to do both activities at the same time, get someone to hold the door in position while you tighten the bolts.
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How to Change Your Refrigerator Door Gasket
To change your refrigerator door gasket, take the following steps:
Step 1
Switch off the unit or disconnect it from electric power.
Step 2
Check the new gasket for any damage or twists or kinks on it before use. If there are no damages but twists or kinks, soak it in very hot water for about 2 hours. This will help it to straighten out, for easier installation.
Step 3
Place on a flat metal while you go on to remove the old one from the refrigerator door. You may or may not have to separate the refrigerator door from the refrigerator before you do this.
If you must remove the refrigerator door, it must be placed on a flat work surface while you remove the old gasket.
To remove the old gasket, make sure to take note of its positioning on the door. Then, grasp it at any of the door’s edges and pulling it away from the mounting channel.
Note that the gasket is mounted into metal retaining straps which are located around the door’s perimeter. They are usually close fitted so that once you start pulling the gasket away from the door edge, it keeps detaching with ease.
Step 4
Inspect the metal straps to make sure that the edges are not thin and there are no food crumbs stuck on them. And if any of the edges are thin, detach it and straighten it out, making sure that it is well-positioned and flush against the inner door panel.
Step 5
To install the new gasket, place the gasket over the metal straps. Now, push in a small part of the arrowhead into a portion of the upper left vertical side of the door so that the upper horizontal portion of the door will line up as well.
Firmly press the part of the gasket on the upper horizontal portion into the retaining bracket. This holds the gasket in place while you inspect the outer edge to make sure it is flush against the inner part of the metal door.
You’ll notice that the back of the gasket has two outer edges and a very soft feathered vinyl. You will place it against the area where the interior metal part of the door meets the interior plastic door liner.
There is also a rigid part on the gasket by the two outer edges. This part is to position the gasket and will be fitted on the inside edge of the metal strap.
Right between the rigid edges is an arrowhead portion with a rib running through its center. The arrowhead has a softer vinyl. The arrowhead part is what fits into the groove of the metal straps and holds the gasket into place.
Apply extra caution at the edges of the door, ensuring that they are lined up properly as you continue to press in the gasket around the door frame.
And if you had separated the door from the refrigerator to carry out this exercise, re-attach it.
Step 6
Check the fitting of the gasket against the refrigerator frame when you shut and open the door several times. Once you confirm it fits well, you may restore back the power to your refrigerator.
How to Change Swing on GE Refrigerator
To change the swing on a GE refrigerator, do the following:
On a Side-by-Side Model
You will need a socket set and a Phillips screwdriver to change the swing of a side-by-side refrigerator.
Step 1
Disconnect the refrigerator from power and empty the doors.
Step 2
Loosen and remove the top cover of the top swing with the Phillips screwdriver.
Step 3
Use the socket set to unscrew the two bolts holding the top swing in place and remove the swing from its position.
Step 4
Lift the door, detach it from the refrigerator and place it on a straight and suitable work surface with its exterior facing downward.
Step 5
Locate the bolts that hold the cam to the bottom of the door. Unscrew them by slightly loosening one on the right (which is the center bolt on the doorstop) and totally loosening and removing the one on the left.
This makes it easy to remove the old bottom door closing cam. Slide the new one into position and re-insert the left bolt. Use the socket set to tighten both bolts.
Step 6
Go to the base of the refrigerator and remove the base grille. This gives you access to the bolts holding the lower hinge assembly of the refrigerator. Unscrew the bolts with the socket set and remove the hinge assembly.
Take a new assembly and align its shim on it (hole to hole). Insert one of the bolts into one of the holes on the hinge and the shim.
Carefully insert the bolt together with the assembly into the refrigerator hole and hand-thread it to the body of the refrigerator. Insert and hand-thread the second bolt into position, too.
Then, use the socket set to tighten the bolts to the refrigerator, making sure the hinge stays straight.
Step 7
Next, re-install the door into place. But you may want to apply vaseline or food-grade grease on the lower hinge before doing so. Re-install the door and pin-rotate it into a closed position, with the gasket holding it to the refrigerator.
Go to the top of the refrigerator, re-install the top swing into the door and use the socket lock to screw the two bolts into place. Make sure that the space between the freezer and fresh food doors is even and level across the top. Then, screw the bolts firmly and re-install the swing cover.
Step 8
Re-install the base grille. Check the effective operation of the door by opening and shutting it severally and reconnect to the power supply.
On a Top Mount Freezer Model
If the door of the fresh food compartment of your top mount freezer refrigerator opens on its own or makes a noise when being opened, then the hinge or swing pin might be worn out.
You will need a Torque 20 bit, 7 millimeters with its ratchet and a couple of wooden plates as high as the fresh food door base. You may improvise for the wooden plates with a non-rough surfaced item, but of the same height.
Step 1
Get a new pin.
Step 2
Switch or cut off the power source to the refrigerator.
Step 3
Push the pieces of wood underneath the fresh food door. Make sure they make contact with the underneath surface of the door.
Step 4
Get to the floor to locate the refrigerator swing under the right side fresh food door. Use the Torque 20 ratchet to unscrew the 3 screws holding the sheet plate to the refrigerator door.
Step 5
Remove the sheet plate and separate the swing from its pin and washer. Insert the new pin into the sheet plate and re-install the washer.
Step 6
With the pin inserted into the sheet plate, insert it into the hole at the bottom of the fresh food door. Match the holes of the sheet plate to the ones on the refrigerator, insert the bolt and carefully screw them tight with the torque 20 ratchet.
Step 7
Remove the wooden plates and check the doors by opening and shutting them a couple of times. Reconnect the refrigerator to its power source.
Important Notes…
Do not use extreme force when tightening any of the refrigerator’s bolts so as not to erode the threads.
Make sure to place the door of the refrigerator on a smooth, wide, and suitable work surface. This is to prevent the paint on the exterior from being scratched and roughened. Also, make sure that the interior of the door is always placed facing upwards.
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