I have a 20+ y/o Whirlpool SxS and no matter what I do every 6-8 months the screw in the slide on fridge door handle gets loose. I've simply tightened it early on but for the last few years I tucked a tooth pick in to tighten up the screw. Well it happened again, looking for a better solution. It's always the top screw and I have reversed the handle in the past. Ideas?
Refrigerataor door handle repair
- Thread starter mattl
- Start date
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Blue Loctite?
Does lock tight work on plastic/vinyl? The handles is not a hard plastic.
Bigger screw?
It's a specialty screw. WP used too soft of a plastic or should have inserted a metal sleeve to secure the handle. Blue lock tight indicates it for metal, no reference to plastic.
The handles are about 4' long and the screws in the handle slip into spring loaded clips mounted on the door, clips are top and bottom.
I just put another tooth pick in the handle and tightened down the screw, need a better long term solution for next time. Kind of stumped.
The handles are about 4' long and the screws in the handle slip into spring loaded clips mounted on the door, clips are top and bottom.
I just put another tooth pick in the handle and tightened down the screw, need a better long term solution for next time. Kind of stumped.
I had a problem with the tilt adjusting screw on my 1948 GE Vortalex oscillating fan. The hole's threads were stripped. I fashioned a sleeve from a portion of a lead cork cover on a wine bottle and haven't had a problem since. I know your screw is much smaller, but this might be worth a try.
I had the screw on my tea kettle lid constantly coming loose. The fix that finally held for good was to not just insert a piece of toothpick, but I also put some glue in the hole first, then the small piece of toothpick, tightened it down and let the glue harden overnight.
This has held now for over a year, You were on the right track with the toothpick you just need to reinforce this with a little glue. I used Gorilla Glue because thats what I had handy at the time. I once saw this trick on the old PBS show “Hometime” when Dean Johnson repaired the screw hole for a door hinge that had become too loose to hold the screw. He used a wooden matchstick and some wood glue for the fix.
Eddie
This has held now for over a year, You were on the right track with the toothpick you just need to reinforce this with a little glue. I used Gorilla Glue because thats what I had handy at the time. I once saw this trick on the old PBS show “Hometime” when Dean Johnson repaired the screw hole for a door hinge that had become too loose to hold the screw. He used a wooden matchstick and some wood glue for the fix.
Eddie
Matt, if I understand it correctly; the screw goes through the handle and tightens into a metal clip inside the fridge door? At the plastic handle, the screw head simply tightens against the plastic?
If this is how it's working, you may be able to place a star-type lockwasher underneath the screw head. This will create indentations in the underside of the screw head; and in the plastic against which it tightens. This will help the screw to resist backing out as the handle is used. Shops like Lowe's and other hardware stores carry them.
Loctite isn't going to set when used on plastic, and if it is used on the threaded tip of the screw (which goes into the metal clip), it could cause the screw to break when removed.
If this is how it's working, you may be able to place a star-type lockwasher underneath the screw head. This will create indentations in the underside of the screw head; and in the plastic against which it tightens. This will help the screw to resist backing out as the handle is used. Shops like Lowe's and other hardware stores carry them.
Loctite isn't going to set when used on plastic, and if it is used on the threaded tip of the screw (which goes into the metal clip), it could cause the screw to break when removed.
The screw has a button type head, maybe 5/8-3/4" with a large washer positioned a fixed distance behind it. This course threaded screw is tightened down in the molded plastic handle. Over time the stress of opening the door has loosened and slightly deformed the plastic.
Being as tall as I am I generally grab the handle near the top putting most of the stress there, a shorter person might grab more in the middle of the 4' span spreading the force more equally.
Next time I will add some glue, good suggestion Eddie.
Being as tall as I am I generally grab the handle near the top putting most of the stress there, a shorter person might grab more in the middle of the 4' span spreading the force more equally.
Next time I will add some glue, good suggestion Eddie.
