A gasket rarely fails all at once. It gets gradually worse for months while the compressor quietly works harder to compensate.
Close the door on a dollar bill so half sticks out, then pull. A healthy seal grips it firmly enough that you feel real resistance. If it slides out easily, the seal is weak at that point. Repeat it at six or eight spots around the door — top, bottom, both sides, and near the hinge — because gaskets almost always fail unevenly, usually at the handle side and the top corners first.
Moisture beading on the outside of the door frame, water collecting in the gasket channel, or frost concentrated in one corner of the freezer all point to warm room air getting in at that spot. Portland's damp air makes this show up faster here than it would in a dry climate.
A leaking seal means the unit is continuously replacing cold air it's losing. If the fridge seems to run nearly all the time, or you notice it cycling on far more often than it did a year ago, a gasket leak is one of the cheapest causes to rule out. An energy bill that crept up without any other explanation fits the same pattern.
Look along the full length for cracks and splits, sections that have gone hard and lost their springiness, areas compressed permanently flat, tears at the corners, or a gasket that has pulled partly out of its channel. Black residue or a musty smell in the folds means mold has taken hold in the gasket, which also prevents a clean seal.
Most refrigerator doors have a slight magnetic pull that draws the last inch closed. If the door now needs a push to latch, or drifts open on its own, the magnetic strip inside the gasket has weakened or the door is out of alignment.
Items on the door shelves or the front of the top shelf going off before they should, while the back of the fridge stays properly cold, suggests a temperature gradient created by air leaking in at the seal.
A surprising number of "failed" gaskets are simply dirty. Sticky residue, crumbs, and dried spills in the folds hold the seal open by a hair. Wipe the gasket and the surface it meets with warm soapy water, dry it, and re-run the dollar-bill test. If it passes afterward, nothing needed replacing.
A warped door, a sagging hinge, or a unit that isn't level will leak air with a brand-new gasket installed. If a replacement seal doesn't fix the symptoms, this is usually why — which is worth diagnosing before parts get ordered rather than after.
A leaking seal doesn't just cost energy. It makes the compressor run a much longer duty cycle than it was designed for, and the compressor is the most expensive component in the appliance. A gasket is a comparatively minor repair; the failure it accelerates is not.
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