How can I fix moulding on fridge door that holds a shelf ?

[brokenfridge]

The moulding lug on our fridge door that holds the bottom door shelf has been damaged. Can you suggest how to repair and what product to use ?

The door holds bottles so it will need to be able to take some weight.

The fridge is a Fisher and Paykel but not certain what material it is made out of I suspect it is either ABS polypropylene or polystyrene. 

Photos of the damaged lug and the undamaged one from the other side of the door shelf for reference.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @brokenfridge. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a fridge.

Is this damage from the weight the shelf was holding or some type of impact? Any repair you perform will likely not be as strong as it was originally. If the damage was from excess weight, you'd need to have a reduced weight on the shelf from now on.

To repair the lug, you could try using a strong adhesive like a two-part epoxy or a plastic bonding adhesive. It's always a good idea to perform a test section to make sure the adhesive is compatible. Before applying any adhesive, clean the area around the damaged lug with a mild detergent and water solution, and let it dry completely.

Apply the adhesive according to the manufacturer's instructions and hold the lug in place until the adhesive has cured. Some cloth tape will come in handy for holding it in position. Be sure to test the strength of the repair before putting any weight on it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[brokenfridge]

Hi Mitchell,

thanks very much for responding.

The damage was from someone wedging a bottle that was slightly too tall for the gap between the 2 door shelves onto the shelf.  The end result was a saggy shelf that no longer wants to take the weight it was designed for.

The bottom part of the lug is still attached the fridge, but it is cracked down the side so I was worried it was going to continue cracking down the side and the lug would eventually fall off.

Does the fridge need to be empty and turned off before I fix it ? or will these products cure at low temperature ? (its just a beer fridge so there is no food that is likely to taint).

Andy

[MitchellMc]

The products will cure at lower temperatures, but the cold will retard the process @brokenfridge. If it's not too much hassle, I'd do it with the door open.

Mitchell

[Mark21]

Similar issue, but mine was more badly damaged.  I figured  glue would not hold as the plastic molding is very thin.  I cleared some of the door's foam filler near the lug and used a stainless steel screw to make an "anchor" in the foam below.  This provided a strongish surface area to attached the lug back onto to.  I then used Shelly's epoxy putty to fill the lug and attached to the screw head.  Once that was cured, I neatened it up with more putty, making sure it still fit into the shelf grove. 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Mark21,

It looks like an effective fix. Has it been holding up well?

Using the screw would certainly add some strength. 

Thank you for sharing, I'm sure any future readers will find it helpful to see what you've done.

Jacob