The seal on my garaze freezer is giving out

[teeroy]

Just noticed this today when I was stuffing a bunch of meat I bought on sale into the freezer. Don't know how long it has been like this. The unit is a fridge/freezer combo with the freezer on the bottom. It is about 9 years old and is a Whirlpool.

Pics of the issue are below. Figured I'd post here since most of y'all probably have extra freezers and have probably run into issues once or twice. My first question is "can this be fixed?" Second question is "if so, is it something I can do like just pick up a new sealant strip at my local hardware store or do I need to get a Whirlpool guy out?"

I noticed that the corner of the fridge unit is starting to do the same thing. It gets hot here in the California central valley and with this being in the garage and it being 9 years old I guess they are just giving out. Thanks for any help.

Here it is from an angle. Notice how the corner is peeled back. When I put my hand there when the door is closed I can feel cold air coming out.



Here it is directly from the side. Notice how far back the corner is peeled back.



Side shot of the sealant strip with the door open:



Straight shot of the sealant strip. Not sure if these shots help or not, but figured if there is a refridgerator person on this board it might help to identify which unit/sealant strip it is.

 

[beer-b-q]

Any appliance repair should be able to get and replace the seal or you can order one yourself online from Whirlpool if you know the model # of the unit...

 

[the iceman]

Try hitting it with a heat gun or hair drier in the areas that are pulling back. Heat up the gasket just to soften the plastic a little & pull it out a little beyond the desired width & hold it until it cools or put a cool damp rag on it till it cools. It doesn't always work but is worth a try before you try to replace it.