Why is my fridge door seal hot?

There are two main reasons why your fridge door seal may be getting hot, and an inefficient refrigeration system is the most likely culprit, especially for newer fridge models.

How a refrigerator releases heat

Before answering the question: why is my fridge door seal hot?, it is useful to fully understand your fridge's refrigeration system, particularly the heat-generating part of the cycle.

The refrigerant in your fridge is a chemical with a very low boiling point. The heat absorbed from the interior of your fridge is enough to turn it from a liquid to a gas. This gas then flows into your fridge's compressor which pressurises the gas, increases its temperature and pushes it into condenser coils, the loops you often see at the back or underneath the fridge.

In an efficient system, the heat is quickly released into the air, through the condenser coils, and the refrigerant changes state back to a liquid. Fridges are designed so that the coils do not have to heat up much before this exchange happens.

The next piece of the puzzle involves your door seal. What has the door got to do with heat exchange? In most cases of a hot door seal, there is part of a 'Yoder loop' behind the gasket. This is a loop of the condenser system that circulates refrigerant through the door to prevent condensation.

The reason most condenser coils get too hot

The most common answer to the question: why is my fridge seal hot?, is a faulty or inefficient condenser system. The component most likely to be faulty is the condenser fan. This is designed to cool the compressor so that the condenser coils don't get too hot. If the fan is broken or clogged up, you will find that the condenser coils and - due to the Yoder loop - your fridge seal get too hot.

You can find out whether the fan is working properly by moving your fridge away from the wall and removing the access panel. You should turn the power to your fridge off first and only restore it once you have removed the panel. In addition, please follow all safety advice in your appliance handbook.

If your condenser fan seems to be fine, the overheating is likely to be caused by poor air flow and/or dirty condenser coils. In short, anything which interferes with the transfer of heat from the coils to the surrounding air can cause the compressor to work harder and the coils to get hotter than they're supposed to.

With the power off, use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust from the air vents, condenser coils and other parts of the system. If needed, clean the condenser coils following the care instructions provided by the manufacturer.

You should also make sure that you have left the recommended space around your fridge unit.

Does your fridge include a door heater?

A less common answer to the question: why is my fridge seal hot?, is that your fridge includes an electric door heating system. This is rare on new models, especially in the UK, but if you have an old fridge, particularly an old American model, you may come across such a system.

Like a Yoder loop, the purpose of the door heater is to prevent condensation on the fridge door. This can happen in hot, humid environments which explains why the feature is rarely necessary in the UK.

If your fridge does have an integrated door heating system, you should be able to simply switch it off. Sometimes, this feature is controlled under your 'energy saving' settings. By turning your energy saving switch on, the unit will turn off the door heating system to conserve power.

Will I need to replace my fridge door seal?

It is unlikely that a hot door seal will need replacing once you have resolved the issue behind it, but if the heating was extreme (and it can be), there is a possibility that the seal will have melted.

We have written several articles on how to check if your door seals are working, and if you find that they aren't doing their job, we can quickly help you source and order a replacement.