Do we get old fridge gasket in market?

[6pack]

My LG fridge freezer gasket is breaking apart due to old age. I tried the paper trick and paper comes out easily.

I was searching on Amazon but couldn't find anything. In other countries, looks like fridge gasket is easily available by part number. Here companies being shit about quality and standards, there's no part number or any identifying information in the fridge booklet.

So I'm wondering if I can get replacement parts or have to stop using the fridge completely now. I've already shut the fridge off two days back. No use running a fridge that leaks cold air.

LG India site is shit. Completely useless for spares and support. Same sell and forget story. This is one reason India will never become a developed country. All companies treat their customers badly.

 

[seshu]

obviously try to contact the customer care / service center or try to explore locally
however we seldom get original spares ! also there will be no warranty of the quality ...

btw, can you give the model number & capacity of the fridge - someone might be able to help

[Google search results]

 

[6pack]

Model no GL-T262GP 260 litre double door refrigerator. It's magnetic gasket. When I was measuring the size the tape was sticking to it.
I measured wrong too. We need to measure the gap the gasket is put into by removing the gasket completely.

Apparently it's custom made to fit fridge dimensions. Seems costly to order from China or other countries.

I put a led torch inside and saw too much light bleed near the edge. I put some foam tape inside the gasket to make it fatter and close the air gap. Had to check 4-5 times to see no light from torch is visible outside.

 

[adder]

Unless the model is present in EU or US or AU, you wont find any parts catalog or service manual.
But LG service center should have them, unless the model in question is more then 10 years old since its discontinuation, even still there should be stock some where in India which only LG india will know.

Its high time we have laws like EU and US where the parts catalog or service manuals should be available for the public.

In the meantime what you have done should do the job. If its still leaking air and if you don't plan to use the freezer, you can use a silicone gasket maker to either seal the door, or try putting it on the cracked gasket areas and see if you can get creative. It needs humidity for silicone to dry. Also use GLOVES, that thing if it falls on the finger, will take days to take it off.

I used silicone in my front load washing machine repair, for the rubber seal in between the two halves of the plastic tub, not to be confused with the door gasket.

 

[adventureguy]

If your fridge has lock, try to lock it and see how much air escapes

 

[6pack]

Had kept the fridge shut off the entire month to see how much electricity units it consumes. Just took meter reading today and saw meter reading of 60 units. Usually it is 110-120 units per month. So just the fridge is consuming 60 units per month. And all these years it was on minimum cooling settings for both freezer and main compartment. Damn. So much power consumption for a 300lt double door fridge.
This was brought years before the star ratings and must be like -5 star rating now.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2020

I started the fridge now and the freezer fan is not running. No air coming from any holes and only the vent in the bottom has since cool air in it. Main compartment is not cooling at all.

Looks like it failed? Does shutting down the fridge for a month cause such failure?

 

[adder]

Had kept the fridge shut off the entire month to see how much electricity units it consumes. Just took meter reading today and saw meter reading of 60 units. Usually it is 110-120 units per month. So just the fridge is consuming 60 units per month. And all these years it was on minimum cooling settings for both freezer and main compartment. Damn. So much power consumption for a 300lt double door fridge.
This was brought years before the star ratings and must be like -5 star rating now.

I started the fridge now and the freezer fan is not running. No air coming from any holes and only the vent in the bottom has since cool air in it. Main compartment is not cooling at all.

Looks like it failed? Does shutting down the fridge for a month cause such failure?

I have started my old 165l godrej fridge after a break of 4 years and they run fine.
Your fan cannot run for various reason, check if the vent mechanism is not broken.

It could also be due to a faulty door switch, which cause the fan to not run. Normaly when you open the door the fan stops to run. But if that door switch is faulty, then the fan may not run.

Also check if the compressor is running.

 

[vyral_143]

OT:

So just the fridge is consuming 60 units per month. So much power consumption for a 300lt double door fridge.

@adder Has electricity consumption for newer fridges improved with inverter fridges ? I am running about 15 years old LG 265 Lt fridge.

 

[6pack]

I have started my old 165l godrej fridge after a break of 4 years and they run fine.
Your fan cannot run for various reason, check if the vent mechanism is not broken.

It could also be due to a faulty door switch, which cause the fan to not run. Normaly when you open the door the fan stops to run. But if that door switch is faulty, then the fan may not run.

Also check if the compressor is running.

This fridge is very old model. The fan used to run at full speed even with the door open. I could feel the cold air coming on my hand near the door itself.

Around 2 years back it started making weird noises when the fridge was running. Like some animal scratching something inside the walls of the fridge near the frezer section. I was wondering what the hell it was. I was troubleshooting it and the noise is coming from the fan. Like it's stuck on something and trying to move. I remember, in February, when the fridge timer got spoilt and after repairing it, the technician was checking to see if the fan was running when he heard the noise. Maybe he knew the problem was of fan but didn't say anything because it was working.

Now I wonder if the inside of the fan motor rusted or clogged with dirt. I wanted to open it but stopped halfway. I can't bother with it now. Even if I bought a new fan motor and replaced it, the fridge using too much electricity is bothering me.

I was watching YouTube videos on how to remove the back cover. Looks like trouble. LG, Samsung, Whirlpool all have similar top compartment in double door fridges.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2020

OT:



@adder Has electricity consumption for newer fridges improved with inverter fridges ? I am running about 15 years old LG 265 Lt fridge.

BPL side by side 564L Frost free fridge.
Power Consumption: ~ 1.1 units/day

BPL 564 L Frost Free Side-by-Side Refrigerator(BRS564H, Steel): Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

BPL 564 L Frost Free Side-by-Side Refrigerator(BRS564H, Steel): Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

www.amazon.in

I haven't seen inverter motor written in the specs.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2020

I opened the back cover and cleaned the fan. Also tried turning it backwards and forwards and it started running when i turned the fridge on.

 

[adder]

OT:



@adder Has electricity consumption for newer fridges improved with inverter fridges ? I am running about 15 years old LG 265 Lt fridge.

New fridges are much more efficient by around 150% , example my 2011 panasonic 343L, 5 star non inverter consumes 399 units a year according to BEE label vs say a modern 3 to 4star inverter fridge of similar capacity consumes less then 170 units. Despite the fact that the newer BEE testing is more stringent compared to what was a decade back.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2020

Around 2 years back it started making weird noises when the fridge was running. Like some animal scratching something inside the walls of the fridge near the frezer section.

Clear sign of fan issue, worn out bearings. It best to replace the fan.

Now I wonder if the inside of the fan motor rusted or clogged with dirt. I wanted to open it but stopped halfway. I can't bother with it now. Even if I bought a new fan motor and replaced it, the fridge using too much electricity is bothering me.

What could have happened is that when the fridge was switched off, the ice/frost would have melted completly along with it any dirt or gunk and may have fallen on the fan, creating all sorts of problem on a old worn out motor.

Fan replacement is cheap. Did you fix the door gasket or get a replacement gasket.

 

[nRiTeCh]

I started the fridge now and the freezer fan is not running. No air coming from any holes and only the vent in the bottom has since cool air in it. Main compartment is not cooling at all.

Looks like it failed? Does shutting down the fridge for a month cause such failure?

Sure shot Refrigerator Ga has exhausted! Top it up and the mechanic will also be able to nail down on other factors you are suffering with...

 

[NotMyRealName]

Clear sign of fan issue, worn out bearings. It best to replace the fan.

What could have happened is that when the fridge was switched off, the ice/frost would have melted completly along with it any dirt or gunk and may have fallen on the fan, creating all sorts of problem on a old worn out motor.

What also happens in old fans (motors) is the bearing grease dries up. If it's running multiple times a day, it may not completely seize up. But since he kept it off for a month, it got stuck. It's an easy fix for someone who knows how to open, clean and lube fan motors. There will be some kind of a seal (removable or permanent) covering the open end of the shaft. Then there will be a retainer like a circlip holding the fan on the shaft. After removing this clip, you can remove the blade and access the bearing to clean and lube. But again, this is also very tricky for someone doing it the first time. Just saying because sometimes getting a replacement fan of the exact same specs may be difficult so cleaning and reuse is the only option.

 

[nRiTeCh]

OT:
@adder Has electricity consumption for newer fridges improved with inverter fridges ? I am running about 15 years old LG 265 Lt fridge.

In last few yrs 5 star has declined to 3 and today 3 star is the new 5 star. It may be due to the additional factors like inverter technology, convertible, stabilizer inbuilt etc. Same goes for other peripherals. Got to learn during our purchases hunt to various showrooms and shops.
Barring those rare ones all are either 2 or 3 stars.
And yes my new fridge is eating very less electricity compared to my single door 11yr old fridge.

 

[6pack]

Fan replacement is cheap. Did you fix the door gasket or get a replacement gasket.

Neither. I just put some double sided tape on edges of fridge to stop outside air from going inside and vice versa.

The fan in this is just held on to the motor shaft by spring clamp. So i will have to oil or replace the motor.

Edit: it looks like this one

Refrigerator Fan Motor - MI 9.8 W (GNF) for Whirlpool Refrigerators : Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

Refrigerator Fan Motor - MI 9.8 W (GNF) for Whirlpool Refrigerators : Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

www.amazon.in

Sure shot Refrigerator Ga has exhausted! Top it up and the mechanic will also be able to nail down on other factors you are suffering with

In just thinking of saving money and then i will get new power saving fridge under exchange. Won't waste one rupee on this old fridge from now on.

Just a new 3/4 star 250L fridge would cost 25-30k. But that fridge will take just ~140 units a year compared to this taking same amount in just 2 months. I would be saving 300 rupees a month on electricity bills with a better fridge. ROI would be around 5-6 years because even electricity rates would have increased by then.

 

[NotMyRealName]

Just FYI, my 5-star rated single door Panasonic NR-A195S single door from 2013 uses about 30 units a month on minimum (warmest) setting of 1 out of 9, without opening the door even (was away from home but left it on). I shudder to think how much it would be using with normal opening and temperature setting.

P.s. they're claiming 260 units per year which is absolute bollocks. How can it use lower than this at the warmest setting without even opening the door.

Edit: my bad, mine is a bi-monthly bill which means it's using 30 units over two months, which is around 0.5 unit/day.

 

[6pack]

I think only single door inverter fridges have got 5* ratings. I've never seen any double door get more than 3*. Even the dual inverter type ones are at most 3*.

Opening the fridge i think the materials used are substandard. They have used thin 1cm sponge or thick thermocol for insulation. Even the door design could be changed to make it better to avoid air leaks i think.

One thing i noticed is the air flow setting in the freezer. It is just an opening for a semicircular plastic valve. It sits directly over the air chamber (right side of fan in pic) connecting the freezer and main compartment. Setting it to max just closes the valve and the freezer gets all the cold air. The freezer bottom has another opening in front to allow all that cold air to go to the main compartment. I thought the setting regulated fan speed but it did not. The fan runs at a constant speed directly.

So simple in operation imo.

 

[rdst_1]

Replacing the freezer compartment fan is a piece of cake. Even I have a 20yr old LG 330L fridge and it seems similar from your pictures. You will find the spare part easily if you can find a refrigeration repair/parts shop/market in your city. I bought mine from Chandigarh. You might even find your gasket or some replacement part there. I have to open up my freezer compartment and manually defrost the ice every few weeks because my defrost circuit doesn't work. Still have been using the fridge without any issues for nearly an year. There is some wiring issue and I'll have to get the whole fridge rewired and it will be as good as new but not planning to do that.
Gonna buy a commercial fridge as replacement, same as the ones Coke supplies shopkeepers with. Every single part is easily repairable and available for those units. There are versions of those fridge in which the whole equipemnt part slides out as a cassette and one can carry out repairs or even change the whole refrigeration system without changing the body.

 

[adder]

I have to open up my freezer compartment and manually defrost the ice every few weeks because my defrost circuit doesn't work. Still have been using the fridge without any issues for nearly an year. There is some wiring issue and I'll have to get the whole fridge rewired and it will be as good as new but not planning to do that.
Gonna buy a commercial fridge as replacement, same as the ones Coke supplies shopkeepers with. Every single part is easily repairable and available for those units. There are versions of those fridge in which the whole equipemnt part slides out as a cassette and one can carry out repairs or even change the whole refrigeration system without changing the body.

That manual defrosting that you doing actually may save electricity considering the cold climate you have there. Defrosting by heating element takes lots of power.
Commercial fridge will consume lots of power, don't think you get fridges with high insulation (doors have poor insulation due to it being just glass) . They have slightly more powerfull compressors because they factor in that it will opened and closed more often.

Post automatically merged: Jul 14, 2020

I think only single door inverter fridges have got 5* ratings. I've never seen any double door get more than 3*. Even the dual inverter type ones are at most 3*.

Opening the fridge i think the materials used are substandard. They have used thin 1cm sponge or thick thermocol for insulation. Even the door design could be changed to make it better to avoid air leaks i think.

One thing i noticed is the air flow setting in the freezer. It is just an opening for a semicircular plastic valve. It sits directly over the air chamber (right side of fan in pic) connecting the freezer and main compartment. Setting it to max just closes the valve and the freezer gets all the cold air. The freezer bottom has another opening in front to allow all that cold air to go to the main compartment. I thought the setting regulated fan speed but it did not. The fan runs at a constant speed directly.

So simple in operation imo.

Yes most fridges have just a mechanical flap, to divert air. Except in fridges which have touch controls like my samsung convertible fridge, which has two seperate fans.

I also noticed that my fridge and various other models have revised power consumption units in BEE. Its one thing to reduce the star rating but to revise the power consumption units means they have changed the criteria for testing.
My fridge had higher units listed after a year or so after purchasing it vs what was in the BEE sticker and the then BEE website.

 

[rdst_1]

That manual defrosting that you doing actually may save electricity considering the cold climate you have there. Defrosting by heating element takes lots of power.
Commercial fridge will consume lots of power, don't think you get fridges with high insulation (doors have poor insulation due to it being just glass) . They have slightly more powerfull compressors because they factor in that it will opened and closed more often.

No man. The automatic defrosting is actually much better because the heater only runs for a 15 seconds every 8hrs if I remember correctly from the timer model. Currently, I have to use a 2000W hair dryer for nearly half an hour to melt all the ice. The better way I have found is to just switch off the fridge for 2 days. Since this is my secondary fridge, that method works too.
The commercial refrigeartors probably have a double glazed glass door, but I'll confirm that just to be sure. I'm sure the company also has models without glass doors. For me insulation is important because it will be used to store lots of milk as well apart from my household requirements and reliability and repairability are more important to me.

 

[adder]

No man. The automatic defrosting is actually much better because the heater only runs for a 15 seconds every 8hrs if I remember correctly from the timer model. Currently, I have to use a 2000W hair dryer for nearly half an hour to melt all the ice. The better way I have found is to just switch off the fridge for 2 days. Since this is my secondary fridge, that method works too.
The commercial refrigeartors probably have a double glazed glass door, but I'll confirm that just to be sure. I'm sure the company also has models without glass doors. For me insulation is important because it will be used to store lots of milk as well apart from my household requirements and reliability and repairability are more important to me.

Oh, I thought by defrost means you switch it off. Yes heating with 2000w hair dryer is the most inefficient way to do this.
Do commercial fridges come with modern top rated japanese/korean inverter compressors, they mostly use off the shelf cheaper Chinese compressor and consumer companies spend a lot of time in designing the evaptorator/condensor coils for maximum efficiency.

If these commercial fridges cost more and consume more then not sure how much economic sense it will make for just the easier repair ability factor. Consumer fridges these days last atleast 7 to 8 years before something simple conks off, inverter compressor any have a 10 year warranty.

I don't think I have seen fridges in india having a brushless fan, that will further reduce consumption. Most inverter fridges in india have the same old basic Ac induction fan.

Regarding double glazed glass door fridge its still no match to a PUF or other thermally insulated fridge.