My freezer door seal gave out and I lost $80 worth of meat before I noticed

Came home last Tuesday and found my freezer door slightly ajar. Must have been like that for a day or two. Everything was thawed and slushy. Cost me about $80 for the chicken and pork I had to throw out. I went to Home Depot and got one of those magnetic alarm strips for like $15. It beeps if the door is open more than a minute. Also tested the seal with a dollar bill trick I saw online - just close the door on a bill and if it slides out easy, the seal is bad. Mine failed. Ended up replacing the whole gasket for $30. Anyone else had a fridge seal fail on them without warning?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly9689d ago

Oh man, that exact same thing happened to me last summer! I came home from a weekend trip and my freezer door was barely cracked open, like maybe a quarter inch. Lost a whole Costco run. Ribeyes, chicken thighs, a bag of shrimp, and some frozen veggies. Probably around $100 gone. The dollar bill trick is genius, I wish I knew that before. I ended up putting weatherstripping tape on the old seal since the gasket itself was fine, just not tight enough. The magnetic alarm strip is a lifesaver though. I sleep way better knowing a beep will wake me up before my food thaws again.

tarac169d ago

Wait, just to clarify, the dollar bill trick isn't really a trick. You're supposed to close the door on a dollar bill and if you can pull it out easily, then the seal is loose. It's more of a test than a fix.