The need to change the direction of opening the door of a refrigeration unit often arises when moving to a new apartment or after rearranging furniture in the kitchen. The standard factory configuration usually requires opening from right to left, which is not convenient for all layouts. Properly executed door hanging allows you to ergonomically fit the equipment into the space and avoid collisions with neighboring objects.
Modern models, be it Indesit, Atlant or LG, are designed taking into account the possibility of dismantling and reinstalling the hinges. However, this process requires care, since the wrong sequence of actions can lead to skewing of the canvas or damage to the seal. It is important to prepare the necessary tools in advance and free up space around the appliance.
Before starting work, make sure that you have accurately determined the side where the refrigerator should open. Please note that after rehanging, it will be more difficult to change the direction back due to possible marks from the fasteners. If your model is equipped with a display on the door, be sure to check the length of the cable - in some cases it may not allow you to rearrange the door without extending the wire.
Preparation of tools and workplace
High-quality installation begins with competent preparation. You will need a set of tools that will allow you to carefully dismantle heavy structural elements without damaging the coating. You should not use improvised means, since specific fasteners often require the exact size of the keys.
- 🛠️ A set of screwdrivers (phillips and flat) for removing decorative plugs and screws.
- 🔧 Open-end or socket wrenches (often required size 8, 10 or 13 mm).
- 🔨 A small hammer or mallet for carefully knocking down the plugs.
- 🧤 Work gloves to protect your hands from sharp metal edges.
Free up space in front of the refrigerator. You will need to move the unit away from the wall at least one meter in order to have easy access to both sides of the housing. Remove all products from the door shelves in advance to reduce the weight of the structure and prevent cans from falling when the equipment is tilted.
⚠️ Attention: Do not start work without disconnecting the refrigerator from the power supply. Although the risk of electric shock is minimal, accidental damage to the wiring when dismantling the loops can lead to a short circuit.
If the model is two-chamber, it is recommended to first defrost the chambers so that draining water does not damage the floor covering when tilting the case. It is also worth laying thick cardboard or soft fabric on the floor so as not to scratch the front panel if you accidentally touch it.
Dismantling the top hinge and removing the door
The process begins from the top part of the structure, since it is the top hinge that holds the main weight of the door leaf. First you need to remove the decorative plug that hides the mounting bolts. Usually it is simply pryed off with a flat screwdriver or a knife.
After gaining access to the bolts, do not rush to unscrew them completely. First, just loosen them to make sure the key is set correctly and the threads are not stripped. Then finally unscrew the top hinge fasteners. If your model Beko or Samsung has a decorative trim at the end, it should also be dismantled.
☑️ Check before removal
Now the most crucial moment is removing the door. It is heavy and can slip out of your hands. It is better to carry out this operation with an assistant. One person holds the door, and the second finally unscrews the bolts of the upper hinge. Carefully lift the canvas, removing it from the lower axis, and put it in a safe place.
Rearranging handles and plugs
After the door is removed, you need to move the handle to the opposite side. On most models, the handle is attached to screws, which can be accessed after removing decorative elements or from inside the door card. In some cases, for example with older models Zanussi, the handle may not be removable, and then the entire outer panel has to be replaced.
The holes remaining in the place of the old handle must be closed with special plugs. They usually come with the refrigerator and are in a bag with instructions. If the supplied plugs are lost, you can use decorative screws or special plastic plugs of a suitable color.
- 🔩 Find the holes for fastening the handle on the new side.
- 🔩 Screw the handle using standard screws.
- 🔩 Close the old holes with plugs.
- 🔩 Check the reliability of the fixation by lightly pulling the handle.
Do not forget to also rearrange the opening limiters, if they are provided for in the design. These are small plastic or metal pins that prevent the door from swinging open more than 90-110 degrees. Their rearrangement is often overlooked, which leads to damage to the wall or the door itself with a strong tug.
Installation of the lower hinge and hanging of the canvas
Now we move on to the bottom of the refrigerator. Remove the decorative cover from the bottom hinge and unscrew the mounting bolts. Unlike the top hinge, the bottom hinge often has a pin (axle) on which the door fits. This pin needs to be moved into the hole on the opposite side.
Unscrew the axle from the old socket and screw it into a new, prepared hole on the other side of the case. Make sure it is screwed in all the way and is perfectly vertical. Play in the lower axis will cause the door to be skewed and not fit tightly to the body.
| Element | Action | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom hinge | Rearrangement axis | Tighten until it stops |
| Door leaf | Putting on the axis | Assistant required |
| Upper hinge | Fixing the position | Do not tighten immediately |
| Seal | Checking the fit | Checking with a magnet |
After installing the lower axis, carefully slide the door from top to bottom. Align the holes on the top of the door with where the top hinge attaches. Press the top hinge into place, but do not fully tighten the bolts yet. First, make sure that the door is level and nothing interferes with its movement.
⚠️ Attention: When hanging the door, make sure that the lower pin of the hinge fits exactly into the counter hole at the end of the door. An attempt to forcefully slam the door may break the plastic sleeve or damage the metal.
Adjusting the gaps and tightness
The final stage is adjustment. Even if the door visually stands straight, there may be nuances with the tightness of the seal around the entire perimeter. First, fully tighten the top hinge bolts. Then check how the door closes.
If the door does not close tightly or, conversely, is too tight, you can try adjusting the position of the hinge. Loosen the fasteners literally half a turn, adjust the position of the door and tighten again. Some models Liebherr or Bosch provide for adjusting the height of the legs of the refrigerator itself, which also affects the angle of inclination and self-closing.
Check the operation of the magnetic lock. Run a piece of paper around the perimeter of the closed door. If the paper is pulled out too easily or, conversely, gets stuck tightly, the position of the loops needs to be adjusted. Uniform force around the entire perimeter is a sign of a high-quality installation.
What to do if the door does not close itself?
If after rehanging the door no longer closes tightly on its own, check the angle of inclination of the entire refrigerator. The body should be slightly tilted back. Adjust the front support feet by unscrewing them to raise the front of the unit. This will ensure gravitational closure.
Common mistakes and troubleshooting
In the process of work, beginners often make mistakes that can cost time and nerves. One of the most common is loss of fasteners. The bolts from the top and bottom hinges often have different lengths and threads. By mixing them up, you can damage the threads in the body or not tighten the loop to the end.
Another problem is damage to the seal. When removing and installing the door, it often hits the sharp corners of the body. To avoid this, experienced craftsmen recommend lightly lubricating the rubber seal with silicone grease or just water so that it slides easier during installation.
- 🚫 Do not use an impact tool (drill, screwdriver) to tighten the hinges - you can break the thread.
- 🚫 Do not leave the door open for a long time without a fixed position - the hinges can be deformed under the weight.
- 🚫 Do not ignore rearranging the plastic door travel stops.
⚠️ Attention: If during the dismantling process you find that the threads in the body are torn off or the bolt is broken inside, do not try to drill out the remaining parts yourself without experience. Contact a service center, as the threads will need to be restored or the entire panel replaced.
After completing all work, let the refrigerator stand for 2-3 hours before turning it on, especially if you tilted or shook the unit strongly. The oil in the compressor should return to the crankcase. Then turn on the device and check operation in normal mode.
Is it possible to hang the door on a refrigerator with a display?
Yes, it is possible, but only if the design of the model provides for an extended cable or the possibility of resoldering contacts. In most modern models with a screen No Frost the wires are already laid with a reserve. However, in budget series, the cable length can be strictly limited, and then re-hanging is technically impossible without intervention in the electrical system.
What to do if the holes for the hinges do not match?
If you move the door to the other side, the holes must be provided in advance by the manufacturer and closed with plugs. If there are no holes at all, then your refrigerator model does not support hanging doors. It is strictly forbidden to drill new holes in the body - this will break the tightness of the thermal insulation.
Is it necessary to change the opening side of a two-chamber refrigerator separately?
Yes, in two-chamber models (freezer on top or bottom) it is necessary to rehang both doors separately. The principle of operation is the same: first the upper door is removed, then the lower one. It is important not to confuse the hinges, as they may differ in design and load capacity.
How to remove the gap between the door and the body after rehanging?
A small gap can be eliminated by adjusting the height of the refrigerator support legs. If the gap is large or the door is skewed diagonally, it is possible that the hinges are not in their proper places or the seal was damaged during installation. Try loosening the fasteners and re-positioning the door.