Refrigerator Door hard to open

[SingerJC]

Can someone help me? I'm trying to load my refrigerator for the weekend, and the door is stuck! Does it have to do with the leveling of the rig, or is there something I'm missing. A lock, perhaps?

I also couldn't open the freezer at first, but managed to get it open. We have a brand new 2011 Bighorn 3055.

 

[lhetsler]

Are you pushing the locking clip in before pulling the doors open. Also if you shut the freezer and try to open it a minute or two later it will have a vacuum lock. Other than that make sure you are pushing the locking clip in far enough. The clip lock get easier with age.

 

[SingerJC]

Yes, I'm holding the clip in, and also pushing on the door. It seems to work sometimes, and sometimes not. Good to hear it gets easier with age. Thank you.

 

[Recovered from 25-May-2010]

I had the same problem on my 2009 3670 Big Horn. The dealer fixed it by realigning the left door jam.

 

[SingerJC]

Oh, thank you. My husband says he can open it by pushing with both hands and then pulling, but apparently I'm not that strong!

 

[DRGalligher]

I'm glad I found this thread because I'm having the same problem but it seems to be when I open and close it repeatedly relatively close together like when I'm packing it for a trip. I noticed the air lock noise so maybe if I just wait a little it'll be easier to open. Glad to hear it gets easier to open with age.

 

[DRGalligher]

Just a quick note. I tested my theory this morning on the refrigerator door being hard to open during multiple times in a short period (suspect due to the air lock) and I was right. I opened the fridge door this morning with no problem. Upon closing, I immediately tested it again and it was hard to open.

Separate question - not meaning to hijack this thread - should I close the doors (fridge part and freezer) till I hear it click? I noticed that they appear to close but then another push and they click.

 

[Willym]

Yes, I'd make sure that the latch clicks. You then know that the door is latched. This is especially important when you're on the road. The "air lock" effect is due to the cooling of the warm air that got into into the freezer compartment when it was open. When it cools it shrinks and causes a slight vacuum. It's a good thing as it shows that your door seals are working.

Just a quick note. I tested my theory this morning on the refrigerator door being hard to open during multiple times in a short period (suspect due to the air lock) and I was right. I opened the fridge door this morning with no problem. Upon closing, I immediately tested it again and it was hard to open.

Separate question - not meaning to hijack this thread - should I close the doors (fridge part and freezer) till I hear it click? I noticed that they appear to close but then another push and they click.

 

[RollingHome]

Singer, It's not you and you're not weak... Some yahoo at the frig manufacturer thought it would be cool to put in some kind of goofy vacuum suction seal on their units... Mine is a Dometic. You are supposed to do whatever to open it before hand... Know what, I'm a very impatient man who does not have time for nonsense, especially when it involves something as simple as opening the frig door. I was on our 3rd trip with our Dometic frig and my wife wanted in and I didn't have time for nonsense and vacuum seals... I got hold of the door and forced it open past all the BS seals... I heard a snap and walla the door opened ! I broke the plastic BS locks and now we can get in without all the nonsense when we want to. I checked the latch and sure enough I snapped all the plastic junk that stopped us from entering. I am a engineer and I just can't stand some of the idiot ideas these morons come up with. Just get your husband to take an animal fit on the frig... at least you'll make him feel good. Opening your frig should not be a planned event... man I would like to meet the moron who thought this idea up for vaccum sealed doors, I would do bad things to his body ! ... JMHO

 

[Boca_Shuffles]

Our refrigerator was hard to open all the time, even at the initial inspection. A tech tried to fix it at the 2009 Goshen rally and a tech at the dealership tried also.

Turns out that the right frame was loose near the latches. I could squeeze the frame and latches would have more clearances. The original mounting screw near the latch was not hitting solid wood. If you can easily turn the original screw, it may be your problem.

I drilled a new hole about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch in front of the original hole. The screw now firmly goes into the wood and I can adjust the width of the frame. If the door opens too easily in the future, I can just loosen the screw a quarter turn.

 

[Willym]

There is no "goofy vacuum seal" just good door seals as I explained previously. If you are impatient like Tom, you could cut a small groove in the sealing surface so that air can bleed in. I don't recommend this as the purpose of the seals is to keep the cold air in. Adsorption type fridges require good sealing as they have a low cooling capability compared to regular compression/expansion style units. One could keep a blunt blade handy, and ease the seal off the frame to let air in before you attempt to open the door. I expect that I could even make and install some kind of permanent pressure equalizing device if I had less patience.

Singer, It's not you and you're not weak... Some yahoo at the frig manufacturer thought it would be cool to put in some kind of goofy vacuum suction seal on their units... Mine is a Dometic. You are supposed to do whatever to open it before hand... Know what, I'm a very impatient man who does not have time for nonsense, especially when it involves something as simple as opening the frig door. I was on our 3rd trip with our Dometic frig and my wife wanted in and I didn't have time for nonsense and vacuum seals... I got hold of the door and forced it open past all the BS seals... I heard a snap and walla the door opened ! I broke the plastic BS locks and now we can get in without all the nonsense when we want to. I checked the latch and sure enough I snapped all the plastic junk that stopped us from entering. I am a engineer and I just can't stand some of the idiot ideas these morons come up with. Just get your husband to take an animal fit on the frig... at least you'll make him feel good. Opening your frig should not be a planned event... man I would like to meet the moron who thought this idea up for vaccum sealed doors, I would do bad things to his body ! ... JMHO

 

[jnbhobe]

As Willym said make sure the lock clicks, would hate to have a door open while on the road. Just get it ajusted right, It will have some vacuumon the door but it will open

 

[dennis2188]

On our 2010 3055rl the door was hard to open also, as a matter of fact when the salesman tried to open the fridge he ended up breaking the handle. The techs at the dealership readjusted the frame and added some more screws to hold it in place and it works great now.

 

[DRGalligher]

Ouch. Ours is not that hard to open. Seems to be getting easier or I'm getting stronger. Thanks to all here who answered my questions.

 

[lkjcreative]

We just bought our new Big Horn last week in Mesa. The refrigerator door was difficult to open at 1st. The walk thru guy showed me how to press on the upper left hand corner of the frig when opening it. (press in with the left hand on the upper left and open using the handle with the right hand) Then it opens fine. No need to do that with the freezer door as it opens easily.

 

[irvin56]

All the problems. Must be a DIETERs fridge, can not open, can not eat, can not gain weight

 

[wyleyrabbit]

We had precisely the same problem with our fridge when we first got our Bighorn. Our son could not open it at all, my wife only could perhaps 25% of the time and even then it took her several tries.

Our dealer first said, "that's just the way they are" until I took him on to his lot and had him open two or three doors, then had him try to open ours, and he couldn't. They adjusted the door, and I shaved down that gray plastic latch catch on the inside of the frame by maybe the width of a hair, and now we're good.

Hope this helps.

 

[DRGalligher]

This does help. Thanks for the information. Since using it more, it has become easier to open.

 

[Louba]

Interesting...I thought it was just my fridge that was hard to open but it looks like a trend. When I picked up my new Bighorn and spent the first few days in it we were really struggling to open both doors. I was afraid the latch was going to break. Finally after about two days and some experimenting I found the right place to push on the latch to open it. If it makes any sense, I had been trying to press in on the highest part of the latch which seemed logical. Then I started pushing in behind that to where it is the most recessed and it started opening right up. ...or maybe it just started breaking in. Whatever works...I took it off my list of items to be fixed when I dropped it back off at the dealer the next day.

Lou