Fridge door opens during travel

[joinco70]

After finding food on the floor and blaming the kids for leaving the door open, we've realized it's opening by itself going down the road. Oops! We have a 2017 23WS. I'm not sure what the fridge brand is. Anyone know of a solution? It doesnt seem to be adjustable, and the I'm not sure about the effectiveness or compatibility of the options on Amazon. Thanks!

[Bama Rambler]

It's most likely a Dometic. They have a type of catch built into the handle that catches on a small plastic insert in the door frame when closed. If the catch part of the handle is bent or broken it won't hold the door closed, and also if the insert in the door frame gets rounded off or is missing, it won't hold the door closed.

The little insert got rounded off on the fridge in our last unit so we just used a bungee cord to hold the door closed.

The fridge comes with an insert in both sides, so if yours is rounded off or missing, and you're up for a challenge, you can remove it from the hinge side and install it on the handle side.

[bitNine]

I know that my fridge and freezer door both do not latch if you just close the door. They have to be really pushed closed to latch fully. Same goes with the microwave. My son opened the microwave once, and closed it at the bottom of the door. The top latch didn't catch, and around a corner the glass tray came flying out, and shattered everywhere. I blamed him for leaving it open, and he swore he closed it. A couple weeks later I accidentally reproduced it, and had to apologize for misplaced blame. Now we all know.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by bitNine

I know that my fridge and freezer door both do not latch if you just close the door. They have to be really pushed closed to latch fully. Same goes with the microwave. My son opened the microwave once, and closed it at the bottom of the door. The top latch didn't catch, and around a corner the glass tray came flying out, and shattered everywhere. I blamed him for leaving it open, and he swore he closed it. A couple weeks later I accidentally reproduced it, and had to apologize for misplaced blame. Now we all know.

X2. DW's always complaining I didn't close the door hard enough.

[ebcobra93]

Originally Posted by bitNine

I know that my fridge and freezer door both do not latch if you just close the door. They have to be really pushed closed to latch fully.

X3
We figured that out on our 2nd trip with a new trailer last year. Give the door a firm push after closing. You should hear a "click" indicating that it locked. To confirm, grab the door edge and try to pull it open. It shouldn't open unless you use the handle, which unlatches the door. This is the same for both the fridge and the freezer.

[joinco70]

Thanks everone! I'll give the door a good push and see if that helps.

[tuckerfamily]

For piece of mind, you could get a door safety latch from the baby proofing section in a baby store. I have one on our freezer bc the kids slam the home fridge and the freezer will come open.

[tuckerfamily]

Scottie King Size Adjustable Children Safety Locks, Baby Latches To Refrigerator, Drawer, Cabinet, Dishwasher, Toilet Seat, Easiest Installation, Brown Color https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9SPZ3G..._OFfpxbB5NHRWP

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by ebcobra93

X3
We figured that out on our 2nd trip with a new trailer last year. Give the door a firm push after closing. You should hear a "click" indicating that it locked. To confirm, grab the door edge and try to pull it open. It shouldn't open unless you use the handle, which unlatches the door. This is the same for both the fridge and the freezer.

Right On !!! You must hear the click,,, if your doors are right !!!

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by joinco70

After finding food on the floor and blaming the kids for leaving the door open, we've realized it's opening by itself going down the road. Oops! We have a 2017 23WS. I'm not sure what the fridge brand is. Anyone know of a solution? It doesnt seem to be adjustable, and the I'm not sure about the effectiveness or compatibility of the options on Amazon. Thanks!

On our old trailer the six cu ft domestic was always stuffed full. We found that some of our plastic storage containers were too wide for the lower shelf, by just a fraction of an inch. That put pressure on the lower end of the door and not only made it hard to fully latch the door, but kept the bottom edge of the door from a tight seal. Made it hard some trips to keep the frig cold, and eventually broke the door latch about the time we figured out the problem. Surprisingly small pressure at bottom of door kept it from closing tightly at the bottom edge.

[joinco70]

We weren't pushing it closed hard enough. No food on the floor this weekend. I love this forum. Thanks so much for your helpd

[rockfordroo]

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know when our advice works out.

[Bama Rambler]

Thanks for updating us with the fix. We really appreciate it when people come back and let us know what the fix is. It helps us and others in the future.

[Rupkin2]

On a side note, if the door isn't closed fully I would think the fridge will be working harder, thus the contents may not be a cold as they should be.

My wife and I are in the habit of listening for the click (latches)when shutting either fridge or freezer door, this way we know the doors are fully closed.

John

[Summer2Go]

I have the opposite problem. My door closes and gets stuck closed. I had a warrantee claim, and they installed a new door handle in January, but I don't think it was a good fix. Now that it is camping season, I discovered the door still getting stuck. What should they have done to fix it?


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[GalsofEscape]

Our fridge door handles are hard to to work when opening the fridge - we just push on the door as we pull on the handle and it pops right open.

We figured that this was the way it was supposed to work, keeps everything in the fridge.....

[lablover]

I found a solution for keeping things in the fridge from rolling around. Buy some of those small spring loaded curtain rods. Works like a charm.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by lablover

I found a solution for keeping things in the fridge from rolling around. Buy some of those small spring loaded curtain rods. Works like a charm.

They also work GREAT in the Med Cabinet !!!

If fridge doors are sticky,,, always check to see if Door Seals are clean !!!