What to do if the refrigerator door squeaks and what can be lubricated
The refrigerator is the main character of any kitchen. Its doors are opened and closed dozens of times a day. And it is not surprising that as a result of such an active movement there comes a time when unpleasant, cutting sounds appear. What to do if the refrigerator door squeaks, how to get rid of such a nuisance and why it happens - everyone should know in order to easily rectify the situation.
The main reasons for the appearance of a door squeak
Each chamber has a pair of bottom and top loops. After the refrigerator has been running long enough, the grease in the hinges disappears and the metal surfaces begin to rub against each other, causing a creaking sound. The freezer door does not squeak in most cases because it is not opened very often.
Another reason for the squeaking of the door is the improper installation of the refrigerator. All feet should be in contact with the floor and resting firmly on it. For correct installation, the level is used to determine the position in the forward and side directions by adjusting the torsion feet.
Dust or rust on the hinges can also cause squeaking, which can be treated with lubricant.
How to lubricate
To eliminate the squeaking of the refrigerator door, it is often enough to lubricate the upper and lower hinges with a special agent. For this purpose, paraffin wax, petroleum jelly and mineral oil are used.
Paraffin
The form of wax, which includes oil shale, petroleum, and coal, is called paraffin wax. It is a colorless solid. When the temperature rises above 37°C, it begins to melt. Its boiling point is above 370 ⁰С. The compound is soluble in benzene, ether, but it cannot be done in water. Paraffin wax is flammable, it is a good insulator, because it does not transmit current. Most often it is used to lubricate friction surfaces and electrical insulation.
Vaseline
The product is prepared from paraffinic resins of deciduous origin. They are cleaned, bleached using special preparations. Vaseline is a viscous, transparent, odorless and colorless substance. Able to attract moisture. Do not wash off with water. It performs its function perfectly, smoothing the movement of the hinges, but it does not last long. An advantage can be called affordability, petroleum jelly is always at hand in any home.
Mineral oil
It is created from oil using industrial crops. The production process is quite simple, so the price of mineral oils is low. Solidification occurs at low temperature. Mineral oil for household use is commercially available in a convenient package, in a plastic container with a convenient spout. The packaging is approximately 100 grams.
Work instructions
In order to fix a fault that appeared in the refrigerator, you need to perform a number of actions:
- Identify the squeaky hinges on the door.
- Lubricate them with a special agent prepared for this purpose.
- Check that the door does not squeak by opening and closing it.
Coaching
For work you need to prepare tools and materials:
- Screwdriver;
- petroleum jelly, mineral oil or paraffin;
- a brush, dropper, syringe or cotton swab;
- latex gloves.
Buy the lubricant in a convenient bottle with a long, narrow nose. If it is not there, prepare a lubricator, syringe or pipette, with which it will be easy to deliver the lubricant to its destination.
Remove all food and items stored in the refrigerator door. It opens and folds up to the stop. For convenience, it is better to do the job together. If necessary, the door can be completely removed from its hinges. They are cleaned of dust, dirt, old grease with a brush, a rag.
How to register
A small amount of petroleum jelly is applied to the hinge and evenly distributed over the entire surface. To do this, use a small flathead screwdriver.
If mineral oil is used for lubrication, it is sucked into a pipette, oiler or syringe, and the refrigerator door hinges are lubricated using a long spout.
To apply paraffin, it is heated, and problem areas are lubricated with a brush or cotton swab. Particular attention should be paid to areas that are heavily worn or beginning to corrode.
After greasing
Once the grease has been applied, remove the excess with a rag capable of absorbing it.The door is lowered into place or hung if removed from the hinges.
Review
To check, you need to open and close the fridge door several times to make sure there is no squeaking. If the procedure did not help, and the door still squeaks, you need to remove it from the hinges and lubricate the hinges more carefully so that the lubricant gets into the rubbing parts and its amount is sufficient. After that the door hangs again and tried to open and close. The absence of squealing indicates that the lubricant has reached problem areas.
Possible errors and problems
The door squeaking problem is increasingly common with new refrigerators. Recently, many buyers have complained about such a problem with the Atlant brand. Service center specialists do not categorically recommend lubricating themselves, but advise you to contact them, since the case is under warranty. Their explanation boils down to the fact that on the hinges of the refrigerator there is a washer made of a material that is unstable to household lubricants used by users. In their opinion, the door has creaked and will continue to do so.
In older models, the bottom hinge of the refrigerator most often squeaks, where there are three plastic washers on a pin. Since the whole load when the door moves is on them, washers of different thicknesses rub against each other and emit a terrible creak. You can fix the problem by following a series of steps:
- Open the refrigerator door.
- Remove the elastic.
- Raise the door a few millimeters using the lever.
- Use a toothpick to inject grease between the washers.
- Remove the lever, lower the door.
If any problems arise, you should always call the service center, and if you do not call the master at home, ask for advice. Perhaps the creak appeared due to excessive loading of the door shelves, and by unloading them, you can get rid of unpleasant sounds, and perhaps the refrigerator requires the intervention of a specialist.
What not to use
If the refrigerator door starts to shake, many try to quickly get rid of the squeak and for this purpose use means that are not quite suitable for this purpose. So, fats of organic origin are used as a lubricant - oil, lard. This cannot be done categorically, since there is a lot of water in the products, which in the future can lead to corrosion of the metal hinges. Grease and oil will make the problem worse, as rust will only make the squeaking worse.
Vegetable oil cannot be used for lubrication - at low temperatures it quickly thickens and the effect is leveled. Dirt accumulates in it, dust settles, mold can appear. It should be remembered that the agents mentioned above (vaseline, mineral oil, paraffin) or special agents can be used as lubricants; many of them are produced today.