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What Happens When You Have Cracks in a Refrigerator Liner?

Modern refrigerators have one-piece, plastic liners inside that serve primarily to provide insulation and keep spilled food from damaging the cooling system -- namely, the compressor, evaporator and condenser. Whether or not a crack in the liner is something to immediately concern yourself with largely depends upon the size of the crack. Left untended, like a car windshield, it might grow from a simple visual blemish to an actual threat to the service life of the appliance. Luckily, a little bit of silicone applied early can fix the issue.

  1. Manufacturing

    • With refrigerator liners, like most other consumer products, you tend to get what you pay for. Higher-end refrigerator models have thicker liners that are more resistant to cracking. Conversely, manufacturers save a few pennies by stretching liners quite thin during installation, lowering the final price but creating a higher possibility of cracking. If you're concerned about the possibility of a cracked liner, spend more on your refrigerator.

    Efficiency

    • The good news is that a single small crack won't have much of a detrimental effect on your refrigerator's performance. In other words, it won't send your electric bill shooting through the roof or leave you with a constantly running compressor. The problem becomes slightly more pronounced if the crack develops into a longer break or manifests itself in multiple places. The more tears in the material, the better chance it will run at less-than-optimal performance.

    Food Spills

    • Another reason that refrigerators are designed with a one-piece plastic liner is that food spills are contained and can be easily cleaned up. Imagine the possibilities if you accidentally overturned a gallon of buttermilk and it all ended up inside the compressor. Consider the same scenario with a dozen dropped eggs or a mishandled jar of syrup. The refrigerator's mechanical cooling system components work much better in the absence of food product exposure.

    Considerations

    • While you can call a professional to tend to liner cracks that develop, there is a simple way to make the repair yourself, according to HomePartsAndRepair.com. Simply drill a 1/8-inch hole at either end of the crack, which stops it from spreading. Next, use either a small amount of silicone or some liner repair tape to finish the job. There's a good chance the manufacturer of your refrigerator can provide a crack repair kit if you contact the company.

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