"close with a vacuum" ?? Do you mean magnetic? (As in the door draws itself closed when it gets close?)

Hi, I'm not sure what your problen is but I've changed a few gaskets. First remove the old gasket and clean all the mating surfaces.Then take the new gasket and put it in a bucket or tub of hot water let it set for about ten minutes then drain and install it on the door. When you have the gasket mounted behind the panel gently tighten the screws, not too tight. Close the door and if the door is not square you can tweek it to fit. When the door is square tighten the screws down. Close the door and if there are gaps, take a heat gun or hair dryer and GENTLY heat the gasket and move it to fit. When it mates with the door let the gasket cool. That should do it.
Good Luck Woodbutcher

Sounds like you had magnetic gaskets and the new ones are not.
The little pull and expelling some air is a common thing with the magnetic ones.
If you still have the old gaskets you should be able to see the magnetic strip on the inside of the gasket.

Unless you are really tight for $$, by the time the gaskets are worn out the unit is old enough a new one will be a lot more efficient.

The vacuum effect of refrigerators and freezers is a belief that many people have but it isn't fact. When you open your refrigerator or freezer cold air escapes and warm air enters. Cold air is less dense than warm air so when the warm air that entered your fridge/freezer cools it creates what some people think is a vacuum. But this only occurs when the gasket seals as it should. Follow the instructions of woodbutcher above and I think you will see an improvement in your vacuum effect. You can also apply a light coat of silicone to the gasket and that may help.

Thanks for all your help. We did it, and it works great! It was a used frig when we bought it and we absolutely love the bottom mount freezer. It is a "garage frig" and now I feel that it is energy-efficient. Thanks again!

"Cold air is less dense than warm air so when the warm air that entered your fridge/freezer cools it creates what some people think is a vacuum."

No don.
I have both an extra refrigerator and a deep freeze. Neither has any latch mechanism besides the magnetic gasket. Nothing holds them closed but the magnets.

On refrigerators and freezers with magnetic gaskets you can see the magnets pull the door about 1/8 inch down as the gasket seals and a small amount of air leaks out.
The movement occurs immediately when the door is closed and you can clearly hear the air moving past the almost sealed gasket.

Well you tell me where this magic vacuum comes from. Must be a pump not listed in the parts manual and the manufacturers have decided to keep this a deep secret. Ever heard of urban legends?

Hello,
When replacing a gasket on a door NEVER remove all of the screws. Keep 1/2 of the screws tight. Replace 1/2 of the gasket then the other half. When you do this, the door does not warp. This method is much easier.

I own a Magic Chef side by side. I needed to repair the door handle by removing the inside panel. The door is filled with foam. I had to dig into the foam to repair the handle. I figured since the door was filled with foam, I could remove the entire panel. I WAS WRONG. I spent hours trying to allign the door with the box. I knew better, and I still screwed up.

A fridge old enough to need the gaskets replaced is probably a huge energy waster, regardless of whether or not it has a good seal. New technologies make new refrigerators use in a whole year the energy it used to take for older ones in a single month. Newer fridges typically cost you around $50 a year to operate. That old clunker probably costs at least $20 a month. Penny wise, but pound foolish to replace it's gaskets.

Wow Livewire --- where do you live that electricity costs that much???? Even with the leaking gaskets, our total electric bill is never more than $50 per month. That includes the electricity for two houses -- 3 refrigerators, 2 separate freezers, lights, energy to run the well pump, fans and pump for the radiant heat that is fueled by propane and other appliances that do not run on propane.

We replaced the gaskets and no longer see frost on the outside of the freezer. I don't know how old the "clunker" is, but it sure would cost more than $50 to replace it! We use it as a basement refrigerator/freezer for extras that don't fit in the other ones.

Again man ------ $20 for one appliance????? Wherever you live, maybe it is time to move.

"Well you tell me where this magic vacuum comes from."

Not an urband legend at all.
As the door closes the last little bit and makes contact with the face of the case air flow is resticted. The magnets then pull the door down the last fraction of an inch and expel some air. There is a slight effect from warm air then chilling down.
It is not a 'standing' vacuum but a very tight seal, and when you pull the door open the seal stretches and there is a slight vacuum created before air leaks in and the door opens.

The same affect occurs with two heavily weatherstripped doors in the same opening (typically a storm door and a frniot door). It takes an extra push to close the second door to drive the air out, and an extra pull to open since the air movement is restricted. I can watch my storm move in and out as the heavy front door is openeed and closed.

Good explanation for the magnetic door seal. Not quite what I was expecting from your previous post. There is NO magic vacuum involved at all. It is purely mechanical.

The whole idea of old refrigerators as big energy wasters itself is not true if the refrigerator has been well maintained. It's a common misperception thanks to the need for manufacturers and retailers to sell more refrigerators, plus for utility companies to get your old fridge for basically free and make money off recycling the expensive materials inside.

As an example, I have a fridge from 1950, well sealed and very clean around all working parts, and it uses less power than any new fridge because it doesn't have self-defrost. That's the biggest energy waster because self-defrost uses heat to get rid of the frost, then you need to cool the freezer down again.

Older fridges do waste energy when the seals go bad or when the coils get dust-coated and are never cleaned, or when they are placed in a spot that tends to get hot, like a garage or outside. If they have good seals and are clean, they won't waste energy and they won't use lots more than any new fridge. This has been proven but the tests are never touted.

But you guys go ahead and listen to the baloney the government, utilities and retailers tell you, and spend more money on a new fridge than the so-called savings in power. I got my small sized 1950s fridge for $25 and my 1960s avocado fridge for $50 and would never give them up for a stupid looking new fridge costing hundreds that would work one year and then break down. I don't have any bigger power bill than any other neighbor either.