Refrigerator plastic melted?

[RVR2RSQ]

OK, just pulled my old Norcold out from winter storage. I had a few ice packs left in it. Well it looks like one leaked and has melted/softened the plastic in the bottom of the fridge. It is tacky and soft to the touch. I tried to use a paper towel to wipe it out and it started pulling the plastic up like melted cheese.

Does anyone know if this will ever harden back up? Anything I can put on it?

Thanks
Brian

 

[scramfan01]

I wonder if you tried putting a little dab of the hardener, that comes with Bondo, on a small "test" portion. Maybe that would do it.

 

[4xdog]

This does not sound good at ALL.

I'd guess the fridge liner is a thermoplastic, probably vacuum-formed into the shape needed, and the polymer was attacked by the contents or the material of the ice pack.

Fridge liners are (AFAIK) often ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) a fine material for the task as long as certain materials aren't in contact with it. I think they can be PS (polystyrene) as well, a less desirable material for strength and solvent resistance. I have no info specifically on Norcold.

Both of these polymers are attacked by a number of chemicals. The contents of an ice pack are normally pretty innocuous. The film the ice pack is made from may contain plasticizers, as in a flexible PVC, in which case these might attack the fridge liner irrespective of the contents leaking. Was the damage clearly only where the contents leaked?

Was this a self-cooling cold pack, as in the kind used for sports injuries, or the ice packs that one pre-chills for later use? The self-chilling kind contain different chemicals, usually ammonium salts. Does the ice pack give any idea of materials inside or of the film it's made from?

I'd probably give it a good water-wash and then lots of air to hopefully evaporate whatever solvent, chemical, or plasticizer led to the attack.

What's there now may harden back up as the attacking material volatilizes off. I think a hardener such as peroxides for unsaturated polyesters in Bondo or amines for epoxies such as Araldite may very well make the problem worse -- thermoplastics are not hardened by crosslinking resins.

You may be in the market for some sort of patch or a new liner if the damage has perforated the liner.

 

[sixbennetts]

I'd cut the bad section out and pop rivet in some new plastic with sealant under the edge.

 

[RVR2RSQ]

It appears to only be where it leaked, looks like it puddled under the basket. There are dents from the basket and the freezer pack. This is not the self cooling type, but the blue gel filled hard translucent type that you get from walmart,target, etc. Like the ones below.

 

[RVR2RSQ]

I went home for lunch to grab a pick (see below). Think temperature would effect/help it, hot (hair dryer) or cold (set to freeze)?

I turned on the fridge just to make sure it was getting cold, but did not let it continue to run.

 

[4xdog]

I'd definitely wash off whatever caused the attack. Dilution is the solution here. I'd use cold water -- warm at most and wouldn't use hot at all. I'd let room temperature and time take care of things once the surface is free of the agent damaging the plastic.

What exact brand is the ice pack? There is probably an ingredient list online somewhere that will help identify whatever attacked the liner.

If a patch is needed -- later, after the agent has evaporated or dispersed -- do it with an adhesive only, not by drilling holes.

 

[RVR2RSQ]

I'll wash and let air dry, not sure the brand of the ice pack, I'll have to dig it back out of the trash and see if there was a name on it.

Thanks

Brian

 

[RVR2RSQ]

No luck with the plastic hardening back up so far. Just wiping it down with water couple of times a day.

I dug out the freezer pack, unfortunately no name on the pack. I have attached a couple of pictures. Not sure if anyone else uses these freezer packs in their fridge, but I would suggest caution.

Thanks
Brian

 

[RVR2RSQ]

Well now I know what not to do

So, I was trying to dilute the chemical that was melting the plastic, I had been wiping it down several times a day and I did not really seem to be making any headway.

So.... I got the bright idea to lay a wash cloth on it and keep it wet. Well let me tell you that was not the thing to do. I left it on there for a couple of hours occasionally pouring a little water on it. I go to take the wash cloth off and rinse it out and it was stuck to the bottom like fresh caulking. Anyway long story short I now have a hole in the plastic liner.

Great, just great.....

 

[Ramjet]

That little blue ice pack unfortunately changed the molecular structure of the liner. I don't think it would ever harden back up due to its properties that are now present. I really hate that for you as well. You might start looking around for a used fridge to see if you can part it out or mix and match. You might end up buying a new one altogether.

 

[Honu]

Can norcold sell you a new liner ?
Bummer for ya for sure

 

[evilfij]

Why not just find some similar plastic and put a patch over it? It should not hurt anything other than looking a bit odd to do so.

 

[Honu]

I might want to cut it out make sure it did not leach down into the insulation part ?

 

[RVR2RSQ]

I looked at what is below the plastic liner that melted, it looks like yellow fiberglass insulation. There appears to be a clear plastic sheet (like a vapor barrier?) that was between the plastic that melted and the fiberglass insulation. Strangely enough that thin liner does not appear to be damaged at all.

So now I guess I need to cut out what didn't stick to the cloth, but is still soft and find something to cover/protect the bottom of the fridge.