Contents
If the iron stops heating, you can buy a new one, but often the damage is not very serious and you can fix it yourself. If you know how to work with a screwdriver and a multimeter, you can handle it. We will talk about how to repair the iron with your own hands in this article.
Common Device
Since irons are produced by very diverse companies, they differ slightly – in shape, heating rate, quality of spare parts, etc. But here the general device remains the same. Available:
- A sole with the heating element built in it. If there is a steamer function, there are a number of holes in the soleplate for steam to escape.
- Thermostat with a handle that allows you to set the required heating temperature of the sole.
- Container/reservoir for water, which is used for steaming.
- There is a nozzle for spraying water, forced steam output. There is also a steam intensity regulator. With its help, the frequency of automatic supply of evaporated water is set.
- The iron is connected to the network using an electric cord, which is attached to the terminal block located in the back under a plastic cover.
After you have in general terms familiarized yourself with what is where, you can start repairing the iron with your own hands.
What will be needed for work
To work, you will need a set of screwdrivers – Phillips and flat. You will need a wide knife or an unnecessary plastic card – pry off parts of the iron with latches. To check the integrity of the parts, you will need a multimeter (read how to use it here). You may also need a soldering iron – this is if you have to change some parts.
Of the tools, everything, but in the process of work, sometimes you need electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing, you may need sandpaper, pliers.
How to disassemble an iron
The first difficulty faced by those who want to repair the iron on their own is disassembly. This is far from simple and obvious. The easiest way is to remove the back panel. There are a few screws that are visible and which are difficult to unscrew. In addition to screws, there may be latches. So, having unscrewed all the visible fasteners, we pry off the cover with the tip of a screwdriver or an old plastic card, and separate the cover from the case.
Under it, a terminal block is found to which the cord is attached. If there are problems with the cord, you can not disassemble the iron further. But if everything is fine with the cord, you will have to disassemble it further, and this may cause problems.
In some irons – Philips (Philips), Tefal (Tefal) there are still bolts under the cover. We twist them too. In general, if we see a fastener, we remove it.
Each manufacturer develops its own design, and it often changes from model to model. That is why difficulties arise. But there are a few points that are found in almost any manufacturer.
Immediately you need to remove the temperature control dial and the steam supply buttons, for which they must be clamped in your fingers and pulled up. The buttons may have latches, so you may need something thin so that you can wring them out a little – you can pry with a screwdriver.
In some irons, such as Rowenta, as in the photo, there are bolts on the handle (there are some Scarlet models). If there are, we unscrew them. A screw is also hidden under the removed buttons, we also unscrew it. Then remove the top plastic parts. They are usually fastened with latches. To make it easier to remove them, you can insert a knife blade or a piece of plastic (plastic card) into the lock.
There are usually a number of bolts under the covers. Having unscrewed them, we continue disassembling until the body and sole are separated. Unfortunately, it is impossible to give more accurate recommendations – there are too different designs. What can be advised – to act slowly and carefully. And a few videos on how to disassemble irons of different brands.
Power cord
Power cord failure is a fairly common type of breakdown. With such damage, the iron may not turn on at all or work in fits and starts, the soleplate may not heat up well. The cord can bend, curl, the insulation is damaged at the bend, some wires can fray completely or partially. If there is such damage, it is better to replace the cord, regardless of whether it is the cause or not. In any case, all places with damaged insulation must be insulated.
In case of any damage, any repair of the iron begins with a cord check. To accurately determine whether it is in a normal state or not, it must be called. To do this, just remove the back cover. The terminal block to which the cord is connected will become available. You will need a tester or multimeter. We put it in the dialing mode, we press one probe to one contact of the plug, with the second we touch one of the wires on the block. When you touch the “correct” wire, the multimeter should beep. This means that the wire is intact.
The color of the insulation of the conductors can be any, but yellow-green is necessarily grounding (it must be checked by placing the probe on a small metal plate at the bottom of the plug). The other two are connected to the pins of the plug. Here one of these two wires should ring with the pin to which you pressed the multimeter probe. We repeat the same operation with another pin.
To be completely sure that the cord is in good condition, you need to wrinkle / twist it during the dialing. Especially in those places where there are problems with insulation. If the squeak from such actions is interrupted, it is better to replace the cord. It is also subject to replacement if one or both pins “do not ring”. You may be lucky and you will not need further repair of the iron.
Checking the performance of the heating element
If the iron does not heat up at all, the heating element may have burned out. If this is the case, then it is worth buying a new iron, since a replacement will cost almost the same amount. But first of all, you need to make sure that it is the heater that is to blame.
In order to check the heating element, we get to the very sole of the iron. On it, closer to the back, there are two outlets for the heating element. We translate the multimeter into the position of measuring resistance (up to 1000 Ohms), we take measurements. If the display shows numbers of the order of 25 ohms, then the heating element is normal, if more, it burned out. As already mentioned, in the event of a heating element burnout, it is not worth repairing the iron – it is more profitable to buy a new one.
Checking the thermostat
The thermostat looks like a plate with a group of contacts and a protruding plastic pin, on which a disk is then put on.
There are two contacts on the plate. We install the probes of the multimeter on them and check the performance (we call). In the “off” position, the sound of the multimeter should disappear, when turned on and turned to any position, it should continue to sound.
The damage may lie in the fact that in the “on” position there is still no contact – then the iron does not heat at all. There may be a different situation – it is not turned off by the regulator and / or does not respond to the position of the regulator. Both reasons are in contacts. And, most likely, they burned.
In the first case, carbon deposits can interfere, which can be cleaned off by putting a piece of fine-grained sandpaper between the contacts and a couple of times and “crawl” over the contacts. If there is no sandpaper, you can use a nail file, but you must act carefully – the temperature settings depend on the bending of the plates. So you can’t bend them too much.
In the second case – if the iron does not turn off – the contacts may have burned out – fused. Iron repair in this case consists in an attempt to separate them. But such a focus rarely succeeds. The solution is to replace it.
There may be another point: when falling, the contacts could somehow interlock. When the soleplate of the iron is heated, the curving thermoplate presses on the contact groups, but the contacts cannot open. The result is the same – the iron does not turn off when heated. Iron repair is also similar – we are trying to restore mobility to the plates, trying not to bend them. If it doesn’t work, we change it.
Checking the fuse
Approximately in the same area where the thermostat is located, a thermal fuse is installed. It stands in case of overheating of the soleplate of the iron – it burns out if the iron is heated to dangerous temperatures. Usually a protective tube is put on this fuse and most often it is white.
Find contacts, call. In the normal state, the fuse “rings”, if blown – silence. If desired, you can move the handset, ring directly – there may be a break / burnout of the connecting wire. If the fuse is blown, unsolder it, look for a similar one and install it in place.
It is not worth excluding the thermal fuse from the circuit – it will save you from fire in case of problems with the thermostat: it will simply burn out and the iron will not work. And although the iron will require repair, your home will be safe.
Steam spray system
If almost no steam comes out of the iron, and there is water in the container, most likely the holes are clogged with salts. Restoring performance can be done with a simple trick. In dishes with low sides (a pan or baking sheet is suitable), pour water and vinegar (regular, table without dyes). One glass of vinegar per liter of water. The second recipe is for 250 ml of boiling water 2 teaspoons of citric acid. In a bowl with the prepared liquid, lower the switched off iron. The liquid should cover the sole.
Put the container with the iron on the fire, bring to a boil, turn it off. Wait until it cools down. Warm up again. So you can repeat 3-4 times. Until the salts dissolve.
Sometimes water stops flowing from the sprinkler. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the tube is disconnected. In this case, the repair of the iron consists in dismantling the panel on which the injection buttons are fixed and reinstalling all tubes and wires.
The second way to descale the iron is to disassemble it completely so that only one soleplate remains. Seal the sole with tape so that water does not seep through, but you can also put it in a bowl. Pour hot water with vinegar or citric acid inside the sole, let it cool down, drain, pour again. Continue like this until you are satisfied with the result. Then rinse with water and collect.