How to outweigh the refrigerator doors on your own without resorting to the services of a specialist

Almost all modern models of refrigerators have a pre-provided option for overhanging the doors in their design. And as a rule, employees of a specialized store carry out this procedure at the request of the buyer directly at the time of purchase unit. But the need for outweighing may arise after the purchase, and, moreover, when the device warranty expires. In this case, you will have to act independently, using the necessary tools available in the house and the corresponding skills of a home craftsman.

Reversing refrigerator doors

The need for outweighing may arise due to the series objective reasons, namely:

• During operation, it suddenly became clear that the owner is more convenient to open the refrigerator in the other direction than in the one provided in the factory version.
• The kitchen was redeveloped, and after that it became inconvenient to open the refrigerator in the usual direction.
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• After several years of operation, the seal has lost its elastic properties, the fasteners have aged and sagged. As a result, the door ceased to fit snugly, and the refrigerator partially lost its tightness. In this case, simply re-hanging the door to the other side can help correct the situation.

Preliminary preparation

Before starting the procedure for re-hanging the refrigerator doors, you need to make sure that it, in principle, can be carried out on this model. You can find out about this by reading the operating instructions. In cases where the instruction cannot be found for one reason or another, it is necessary to carry out a simple visual inspection. Identical technological holes must be located on the opposite side of the hinges. If you can't find them, forget about this venture. Do not outweigh the doors on your refrigerator model.

If on the opposite side of the hinges there are symmetrical grooves and holes, proceed to the outweighing procedure. First, you need to free the refrigerator from food and disconnect it from the electrical network. The reinstallation itself can only be carried out after the refrigerator has completely defrosted. If this requirement is neglected, you can end up with a loose fit after re-hanging.

Set of tools

To work, we need a simple set of tools:

• Wrench. The size is determined by the specific brand of the refrigerator.
• Two screwdrivers. One is flat, the other is cross.
• Masking tape.
• A thin piece of paper.

Sequence of stages of outweighing

It must be said right away that it is much easier to rearrange the doors of two-compartment refrigerators than for single-compartment refrigerators. In the latter case, you will have to simultaneously outweigh the freezer door.

Removing the top mount

Before starting with masking tape, we fix the door from the side so that during dismantling it does not accidentally fall to the floor.

• Remove the plastic plugs from the mounting holes using a screwdriver.
• We unscrew the bolts of the upper hinge and dismantle the upper mount.
• After that, it is necessary that someone from your family begins to actively help you, namely, to hold the door that has already been half-dismantled. The scotch tape may not hold up, and the door, under its own weight, may simply break off the bottom fastener.
• Peel off the masking tape, lift the upper door and remove it from the pin of the lower attachment. Then set the top door aside.
• The upper plugs are rearranged to the opposite side, into symmetrical technological holes.

Dismantling the lower door

After that, we begin the lower dismantling. We fix it on the side with the same masking tape.

• Remove the plastic gasket from the middle fixing pin and unscrew the middle hinge using a wrench or a suitable screwdriver.
• Gently holding the lower door, remove the masking tape from it and, slightly lifting it, take it out of the lower fixing pin. After that, we set aside the lower door to the side.
• On the opposite side, using a screwdriver, remove the plastic plugs and rearrange them to the newly freed side.
• Using a screwdriver, disassemble the lower mount and remove the mounting pin from it.
• We remove the bottom plugs and then move the pin to the opposite side, having previously secured the lower loop in a new place.
• After all the fasteners have been reversed, we hang the doors on them. First the bottom and then the top in reverse order.

In conclusion, check the tightness of the doors to the refrigerator body. For this, a visual inspection of the fit is carried out and, if large gaps are found, the fit is adjusted using the fastening bolts. After all gaps have been eliminated, check the tightness with a thin sheet of paper. The sheet is inserted between the door and the body of the refrigerator and then the door is closed. If the fit is tight enough, the sheet cannot be removed and break in half., which speaks of a perfect fit. Otherwise, if the sheet is easily removed from the contact gap, it is necessary to adjust the tightness using the fixing bolts.

Refrigerators with display

Some modern models have a refrigerator control module built into the door. The order of work in this case does not change. The only feature is that it will be necessary to transfer several wires to the other side, connected into a single loop. This requires:

• Remove the top cover of the refrigerator body.
• Find a tight wire harness and disconnect them. As a rule, in this place in all wires there are special terminals. Therefore, it is quite easy to separate them. Difficulty can arise at the time of the reverse connection. In order not to confuse which wire to connect to, sketch the connection diagram or take a photo before starting the disconnection.
• After removing the door of the upper chamber and dismantling the cover, which contains the wires, transfer the wires to the other side and reinstall everything in the reverse order.

If your refrigerator is still is under warranty, then the best option is to invite a specialist who, in the shortest possible time, and most importantly, competently and competently will do this seemingly simple work. Otherwise, if after a while the need for more serious intervention arises, you will not be able to use the free services of the service center specialists.