Keep your fridge from flying open

There is something about the holiday spirit that I just can’t help but embrace. People treat one another with more kindness it seems, and we are constantly celebrating. Before Thanksgiving even rolled around, our December calendar was already full with an ugly sweater party, Christmas cookie exchange, secret Santa and a white elephant filling all our weekends.

All the fun means lots of food to go with it. With our friends and family, we party by the unspoken agreement that we will make more than enough, so that everyone can bring home leftovers. Our fridge will get plenty of use this holiday season, which means now is as good a time as any to stop the door from flying open every time we use it.

There are several ways to remedy the problem. One is to level the legs. Many modern refrigerators come with leveling legs that you can easily access without a lot of manpower. If you have a Samsung refrigerator, like us, then you can access the legs through the front of the appliance.

First open the doors and remove the leg cover if you see one there. This may require a screwdriver. Next, adjust the leveling legs so that you raise the refrigerator to its highest position. You will need a flat-head screwdriver to rotate each leg. Work on one at a time.

Use a carpenter’s level to check that the appliance is level from left to right. The refrigerator is not meant to be level front to back. “When leveled correctly, the refrigerator will have a front-to-back slant, with the front of the refrigerator higher than the back,” according to Samsung’s support page.

If your refrigerator is level and you are still encountering a problem, you may need to adjust the doorstop. Many refrigerators come with built-in doorstops, but not all are adjustable. Consult your manual to check if your doorstop is adjustable. If it is not, consider purchasing a doorstop kit.

Make sure to purchase the appropriate kit for your refrigerator make and model. Replacing the doorstop is usually relatively simple. Often, the doorstop is located at the front of the appliance at the bottom hinge. You can see it when you open the doors. There should be one on each door. Simply remove the old one and install the new one. This usually requires removing a screw, sliding off the door-stop, and then replacing it.

Have a comment or question for Joanne? Email thefixisinhawaii@gmail.com.