UCP210BCLWH (8V012) Maytag Freezer - Overview

Remove lower door hinge only, and door pops out. Then lay door on floor and remove the screws fastening the inner freezer tray & gasket to the door; this is where the cordless drill w/nut driver attachment is handy as there are 30+ screws to remove and an open freezer with all your food gaining temperature. At this point drop the new gask ... Read more et in the dryer on low heat for 5-10 mins to soften it, regardless of it's condition. Have someone clean the sealing area on the freezer and where you have removed the old gasket on the door while you fit the new gasket in. Renew all rusted screws and smear a little grease on hinge for future protection since the door is off. Remount door and check for leaks, the door should close and seal on it's own WITHOUT pushing. This is where I realised the importance of warming the gasket, I got lucky by passing a blow dryer along the leaking areas with the door closed.
Point: When buying a new freezer look for compression of the gasket which is an indicator of a warped door. My freezer is only 5yrs old and I shouldn't be changing the gasket so soon!

Using a 3/8" wrench I took the top hinge off of the door. I had a friend around so I put him to work but the project could be done alone. We set the door on a countertop and began removing the old gasket with the nut driver on a cordless drill/screwgun. We eventually decided it was worth the extra effort to set the door on sawhorses in ... Read more the garage (where the freezer is located).

I had stored the new gasket in the garage before installation and wished I had brought it inside to warm it up first. I remembered reading posts about using a hair dryer to soften the gasket but forgot about the post about putting the gasket in the clothes dryer for a few minutes. Stretching the new gasket around the door while it was cold was tricky in some spots but doable. One or two of the the corners of the new gasket began to pull apart but not enough to compromise the seal - although for the price of the gasket, I would have rather this not happened. I wish I would have used the clothes dryer first. Instead, we simply threw in a few screws in places and stretched the gasket around the corners. This was one time I was especially glad to have another person around.

After negotiating the corners and replacing all of the screws, we quickly placed the door back on the bottom hinge and put the top hinge back on. It was again nice to have a friend help square up the door before tightening the top hinge. We used a hair dryer to soften the gasket and a lot of hand work to mold the gasket and close the gap beyween the door and the freezer. Again, I think the clothes dryer would have saved time here as well. The gasket was quite compressed and needed a lot of work to help it "open up" and make a good seal.

Good luck on your own repair!

My seal around the freezer door was in need of changing. Placed the new seal in the dryer for about 10min while I removed all the screws from around the door. When I got to the bottom of the door the screws were rusty. Removed the old seal. Have back up screws on hand incase this happens. I cleaned the area at the bottom of the door that ... Read more had become rusty. Then draped the new seal over the top of the door and started screwing the new one to the door. It was done! Pretty quick and easy.