If you are fortunate enough to move into a new home or apartment that comes fully equipped with brand new, or at least decent, appliances, then it is safe to assume the way the refrigerator door opens is optimally functional. However, often times, people bring in their own refrigerator and quickly find out that the direction in which the fridge door opens are impractical and inconvenient.
This does not mean you have to go out and buy a new refrigerator or deal with the awkward wall that collides with the door when you open it. There is actually an easy fix to this fridge problem. All that is required to tackle this DIY project is a few basic tools and about an hour of your time.
Before you get started, make sure you pay close attention to where you put all the different pieces during the disassembling process. If something goes missing, it will significantly affect the refrigerator door once you reattach it. Other than that, follow the simple steps below to make your fridge more functional:
1. Remove – Surprisingly, in order to remove the door from the base of the refrigerator, all you need to do is get a tight grip around the door itself, and simultaneously tilt it while lifting it off. Once you’ve accomplished that, lay both doors off to the side and out of your way.
2. Switch – The actual door handles need to be flipped as well, so you first need to remove the plastic covering, followed by the actual screws. Reattach on the opposite side.
3. Reverse – The hinge is what really makes the reversal process occur. Remove the reversible pin from all of the hinge holes with pliers, turn them in the opposite direction, then put them back where they came from.
4. Attach – The final step is to put the doors back on to the base of the refrigerator, which is done the same way you took them off. It might be necessary or at least helpful to get some help aligning the hinges and making sure the door is sturdy and leveled.
