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Old 07-01-2020, 05:22 PM   #1
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THOR #14595
Whirlpool Fridge Door

We arrived in Wintrop, WA on Friday for a nice five day outing. Upon opening the fridge the contents of the middle door shelf came tumbling out. Inspection showed the small plastic nib on the door that holds the shelf had broken right off. The design of this door is pretty crappy, it doesn't look very strong but the shelf is the perfect size for juice, milk, etc.

Has anyone experienced this? The plastic is simply molded into the inner door panel - the bit sticking out is the insulating foam from inside the door. I'm going to try to glue it back in but don't hold out a lot of hope that it'll be a long term solution.

I went on the Whirlpool site and the cost of a new door is around $750. This model is WRT111SFDM03 and it appears I can get something similar for around $500.

So...any recommendations on fixing this or replacing the fridge with a similar model?


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Old 07-01-2020, 06:15 PM   #2
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Any reason to not use some good double sided tape or even a small, fat screw to hold it on? Much cheaper than the $500 to make it look perfect.

Then I would not place the heavy items there too.
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Old 07-01-2020, 06:17 PM   #3
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If this broken clip is not totally removable from the door and replaceable from the manufacturer (looks like it is a different color than the door plastic around it), I would be concerned that glue or epoxy would not hold the broken off piece. The other side could also be an accident waiting to happen too.

Depending on what the original shelf support clip looks like and how it supports the shelf, you might be able to modify a short length “sleeve anchor” from Home Depot/Lowes. They are cheap also. You would need to drill a suitable hole for the sleeve anchor, through the broken hanger clip area (ensuring that your shelf would stay level after being rehung on the new sleeve anchor though).

There is not much space in the plastic door edge from your picture, but a sleeve anchor is all metal and a “very short depth version” should be able to mushroom up inside the door space to hold solidly in place. A suitable washer under the head of the sleeve anchor bolt may be enough to hold the fridge shelf securely with some mods/adjustment (depending on how the shelf hold mechanism works of course; like just a slot perhaps?). If it works on the damaged side, do the other side also and then you should have a little more strength overall for your shelf, and more piece of mind the shelf will be stronger than a glue job.
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Old 07-01-2020, 07:10 PM   #4
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(snip)... Then I would not place the heavy items there too.
When it happened I suggested to my wife that she not load it up so much. That didn't go over well.
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Old 07-01-2020, 07:13 PM   #5
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If this broken clip is not totally removable from the door and replaceable from the manufacturer (looks like it is a different color than the door plastic around it), I would be concerned that glue or epoxy would not hold the broken off piece. The other side could also be an accident waiting to happen too. (snip)...
Thanks Javelin. The picture is not entirely clear so it is sort of confusing. There isn't a clip there but you are seeing the inside insulating foam sticking out through the hole in the plastic where the molded-on nib tore off.

I haven't gone all McGiver yet but that is the next step.
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Old 07-01-2020, 07:24 PM   #6
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Happy DW = Happy RV life (and anywhere else usually).

Well that explains the color difference in your picture. Since you already have a square hole in the door......a small cylindrical "sleeve anchor" is not going to work very well. Try the manufacturer first and see if they can supply new support clips only...since they seem to be "clip ins" and are not actually molded as part of the plastic door casing during manufacture.
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Old 06-05-2021, 12:47 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Islandsmith View Post
When it happened I suggested to my wife that she not load it up so much. That didn't go over well.
Me too when this happened to us
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Old 06-05-2021, 12:51 AM   #8
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Same thing happened to us and had Ginger Beer all over the floor once wifey opened the door that she loaded....

Did you come up with a solution for the problem?
Glad I came across your pic.

For those wondering, that tit is a molded part of the door, not a clip in, not a glue in, an actual part of the molded door inner panel.
And yes my other side is cracking as well.

Just been without a middle shelf since Dec.

Thanks,
IrnBear
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Old 06-07-2021, 06:46 PM   #9
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Same thing happened to us and had Ginger Beer all over the floor once wifey opened the door that she loaded....

Did you come up with a solution for the problem?
Glad I came across your pic.

For those wondering, that tit is a molded part of the door, not a clip in, not a glue in, an actual part of the molded door inner panel.
And yes my other side is cracking as well.

Just been without a middle shelf since Dec.

Thanks,
IrnBear
Still haven't found a solution to try and glue that part back in. I did try some "super glue" but it didn't stick. Am thinking 2 part epoxy but I don't think that will adhere to the plastic. Maybe if I scuff it up a little.
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Old 06-07-2021, 07:58 PM   #10
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Would you have to replace the entire door, or can just the inner plastic portion be removed and replaced without having to replace the exterior also?

Also, have you checked any RV salvage yards or appliance repair shops to see if they might have what you need?
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Old 06-09-2021, 10:17 PM   #11
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Would you have to replace the entire door, or can just the inner plastic portion be removed and replaced without having to replace the exterior also?

Also, have you checked any RV salvage yards or appliance repair shops to see if they might have what you need?
Wonderful Whirlpool doesn't offer just the inside of the door. Proven now by the fact that I too researched this when the same happened to my door.
They only have the option to purchase the entire door for 700+ dollars....
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Old 06-09-2021, 10:24 PM   #12
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Your post has motivated me to move onto a repair..
Plus any reason to purchase a new tool.
I have been eyeballing a RivNut tool for awhile now.

I'm going to reinstall shelf with a series of RivNuts
I will let you know how it turns out

IrnBear
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