What to Do When Freezer Door Pops Open?

Imagine going to the freezer and finding the door open. Your response could be either guessing who left it open or trying to remember if you were distracted while closing it.

You can close it and walk away. It is a sign that you should address quickly if the same thing happens several more times.

How would you solve the problem if you had the chance? We looked at the possible reasons for you.

Four main reasons why your freezers might pop open on their own are listed below. The following are some of the things that they are:

  • The freezer could be off-balanced.
  • There is an excessive food stock.
  • The gasket or seal is faulty.
  • A lot of weight on the door.

There are only a couple of causes that take a minute or two to notice. It might take a little bit of effort to solve some of them.

Each of them was solved by providing freezer door seal tips. As we demystify these reasons and their solutions, please continue reading.

How Can I Solve My Freezer Door Problem?

The Freezer Could Be off Level

As they tower vertically, this problem is more common in upright and built-in fridge freezers. You might not have noticed it, but the legs of the freezers are not the same.

The freezer stands less than 90 degrees to the back to allow the door to close more firmly because the two legs in front are a bit higher than the ones in the back.

You can make the door pop open with the right angles when the freezers are off-balanced. Adjusting the leveling screw under the freezer door is an easy fix.

The leveling screw should be turned counterclockwise to raise the front leg of the upright freezer by a quarter of an inch.

If you use a level, you can get the exact front leg height measurement.

Replacing the legs with new ones from the nearest appliance store will be your only option if the legs are worn out.

Freezer Door

There Is an Excessive Food Stock

Sometimes the problem with the freezer door popping open is due to the bad habit of overstuffing it.

It is recommended that a packed freezer is used to minimize energy consumption, but filling it with too many goods will do more harm than good.

The seal on the freezer door is only able to hold 10 lbs of weight. The freezer door can be pulled open due to the added pressure from the overflowing content inside the appliance.

Depending on the shape and size of the freezer, it can come in different capacities. It is not necessary to have strong mathematical skills to know how much food your freezer can hold.

Simply observing and following the labels on your freezer units will give you insight into the number of goods you can store in the unit.

The Gasket or Seal Is Faulty

A faulty gasket or door seal is one of the most common reasons why your freezer door pops open. The gasket is the white magnetic elastic strip on the freezer or fridge door.

It’s a seal that keeps the cold air in the freezer out of the environment outside.

Even if the freezer is balanced or contains just the right amount of goods, the freezer door will open even if the gasket loses its magnetic energy or accumulates dirt.

Fortunately, you can solve this problem in the simple ways below:

Freezer Door

Cleaning the Gasket

The grooves on the door seal are most often the result of continuous unconscientious usage, so it’s important to remove the grime buildup on the door seal.

If you want to make a strong cleaning solution, mix a bowl of hot water with a dash of detergent soap and a dash of water.

To clean the door seal, soak a towel in the solution and wipe it with it.

It’s a good idea to make another warm cleaning solution when the water gets cold. Warm water is necessary to make the strips stick to each other again.

Applying Petroleum Jelly

If the malfunctioning door seal is not caused by demagnetized strips, then applying petroleum jelly will be enough to reseal the door.

Sometimes the reason a gasket can’t stick on the freezer door is that it has dried up.

It is possible to bring back its sealing power by remoisturizing it with a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

Re-magnetizing the Door Seal

If you want to re-magnetize your freezer door, you have to run the magnets on the gasket 50 times.

The strips will be filled with magnetic energy to bring the gasket’s sealing ability back.

Only use this method if you are certain that the door will malfunction due to the absence of the magnetic energy in the strip because this can destroy the gasket.

A Lot Of Weight on the Door

The gallons of ice cream on the shelves of the freezer door is one of the things that can make your freezer open on its own.

Remove the heavy goods from the freezer door shelves to fix the problem.

Small foods, such as ice cream popsicles and chocolates, are what these compartments are intended for. The main shelves should have any heavy stuff on them.

How Can You Make Your Freezer Door Seal Better?

It’s not enough to know the reasons why your freezer door keeps popping open. Constantly observing good practices is what you need to stop the cold from leaking out again.

If you want to make your door seal better, there are two freezer door care practices you should do religiously.

Timely replacement

If the gasket gets damaged or torn, you may want to look for replacements in your local home appliance centers.

The step-by-step instructions for replacing the gasket can be found here:

  • Loosen the mounting screws.
  • The damaged gasket needs to be pulled from the fridge door.
  • Before moving on to the next step, it is advisable to clean the exposed gasket slot.
  • Attach the gasket with the mounting screws after installing it on the slot.
  • The gasket needs to be rubbed with a thin film of petroleum jelly to fight premature drying.
Freezer Door

Regular cleaning

This may seem tedious, but never let a day go by without cleaning the door seal.

Instead of a scheduled general freezer cleaning day, make it your habit to clean the gasket every day with a clean cloth to avoid the build-up of mold.

Dirt can be removed from the folds and grooves by using an unused toothbrush.

The areas where the gasket touches the freezer door frame can be sealed by rubbing a small amount of petroleum jelly on the gasket after each cleaning session.

It is possible to blow hot air on the gasket using a hairdryer. This will make sure that the magnetic strips fit on the doorway.

What Happens When You Left the Freezer Door Open?

If you don’t follow the steps above and let the freezer stay ajar, an excessive ice formation on the evaporator coils can prevent the appliance from reaching the desired freezing temperature.

And it doesn’t stop after that. When the freezer door is left open, there are other negative effects.

Your Utility Bill Will Be A Skyrocket

By the following month, the higher energy bill will be a result of all this. The bigger the energy the system needs to keep working, the harder it is to work.

System overheat

The temperature will be brought down by up to three times the amount of work the compressor does.

If the thermostat doesn’t give the compressor a signal to slow down, the system may become overheated, which may lead to detrimental effects on your appliance and your home.

Excessive condensation

Since the inside of the freezer is exposed to the hot and humid air, condensation will start to form inside the compressor’s attempt to maintain a desirable freezing temperature.

As a result, frost will start to build in the freezer and your goods.

How Long Is It Possible to Keep a Freezer Open?

It is not advisable to keep the freezer open for a long period. If you are in a place with a warm climate, we recommend that you only keep your freezer open for 10 minutes.

It is best to keep the door closed all the time so that your appliance lasts longer than its expected lifespan, even if you accidentally leave the freezer door open overnight.


Simple steps, such as cleaning and applying petroleum jelly on the gasket, ensuring that it is balanced properly, and avoiding overfilling the appliance, can help in efficiently sealing your freezer door.

If you do this, you will avoid freezer burn, overheating, high electricity bills, and permanently damaging your freezer. There are more freezer care tips that you can read.

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