Is Super Glue The Wonder Fix To A Broken Refrigerator Seal?

A broken refrigerator seal is a problem you need to deal with ASAP. There's a good chance it's letting cold air out, so your food will start to spoil more quickly. It's also likely that your refrigerator motor will be working harder to keep the interior cool, which is adding to your electricity bill. There is a Vaseline life hack that could be a perfect fix for your fridge temporarily, but it's not something you want to rely on for long. There are suggestions that super glue is a wonder fix for a broken refrigerator seal, but is that true?

Maybe. The problem is, it depends on what your refrigerator door seal is made from. According to experts, most are made from PVC. That's great, because super glue (properly called cyanoacrylate) works well on PVC. In fact, one manufacturer of refrigerator door seals actually recommends it.

There's a fly in the ointment, though. Refrigerator seals (or refrigerator gaskets) might also be made of synthetic rubbers like EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), neoprene, or silicone. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to tell one from the other. So while super glue might work, the repair could also fail quite quickly.

As you may have noticed, there's more than one kind of super glue. Specialist products like Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control are formulated to give better adhesion with different rubbers and may also be shock- and vibration-resistant. They would seem ideal for a refrigerator door. Specific rubber and silicone glues are also available. Of course, they're only a good option if you know exactly what the seal is made of.

However, even the best super glues have some drawbacks. First there's the cost — they can be surprisingly expensive. Second, there are some hidden downsides to using super glue to fix things around the house that you'll definitely want to take into consideration. Finally, there's the question of whether you should try to glue a broken refrigerator seal or simply replace it.

If the damage is the result of an accident, an attempt at repairing the seal could be worthwhile. If it's an old refrigerator, the seal will likely have become dry and brittle as it aged. If that's the case, then you could find yourself repairing one crack only for another to appear soon afterwards. Replacing a refrigerator door gasket is a fairly straightforward DIY, so given the uncertainties over glues and the potential for deterioration, changing it may be the best way forward.