Hello,
Our steam iron isn't working. When plugged in the pilot light does not come on and the sole plate does not warm up. I checked the fuse and that was ok. I managed to unscrew it (with the power switched off of course) hoping to find something black and charred so that I could replace that part, but there's nothing that looks obviously damaged and not much inside to go wrong. Is it like a kettle whose element only lasts so long. Do the sole plates eventually give up?
Thanks, Stephen.
Yup.
It's most likely to be that the cable has broken near the flexible cord reinforcement. It might be possible to feel a break through the outer sheath of the flex.
You don't say whether or not you checked the continuity of the cable from plug to iron. You will need a multimeter. The most probable problem is a break in one of the wires at the iron end
get a multimeter and find out where the fault is. Good chance its easily repairable
NT
...but the elements do fail. They are embedded and cannot be replaced.
As the OP said "When plugged in the pilot light does not come on" I assume this is the light to tell you the heater is on, usually wired in parallel to the heater, so it sounds like power is not getting as far as this, I would expect a failed element to still light the light, but fail to heat.
So I would guess it is either the thermostat that has packed up (to the OP - Does it click when you turn it all the way down and the up - most of the ones I have used do) or as others have suggested, the cable - if you put the irn on max, then bend the cable that enteres the iron back and forwards, does it help?
Toby...
if the stat failed, in most cases it would still click. The op needs a multimeter. If money is so incredibly tight that that isnt an option, a bulb & battery could be used.
NT
Take a bloody long time to do the ironing with a bulb and battery!
NT
Perhaps a 100W mains bulb, if they still exist? ;)
Thanks for all your replies. I have checked the continuity of the flex and it is perfectly ok. The cable goes inside the iron where it is then crimped.
Starting with the neutral side of things:
The blue neutral wire from the plug is crimped to another blue wire inside the iron. This blue wire runs to a square metal box at the bottom of the iron. I guess the box contains the element? The continuity from the neutral pin of the plug to the crimp to the "box" is ok (tested with multimeter bleeping).
The live side: the brown wire from the plug (fuse checked and ok) is crimped to a white wire inside the iron and the white wire runs to the thermostat dial. The continuity of the plug, fuse, white wire, thermostat is ok.
The other side of the thermostat is connected to another blue wire (seemed a funny choice of colour to me) and this second blue wire goes to the metal box. This seems to be the problem: I had noticed before I took it apart that the thermostat dial is not clicking when it is turned. If I connect the meter across the white and blue wires on the thermostat, the result is open circuit. No bleep. I have tried the various resistance ranges on the meter, none gives a value (I have turned the thermostat dial through its complete range whilst doing this).
If I measure the resistance across the two blue wires to the "box" I get a reading of 23 Ohms. Does this mean the element is ok?
There is something small sitting on top of the "box" from which a wire runs to the neon pilot light. This is also open circuit but I presume it is a bimetallic strip that turns on the neon when the element is heating?
So I think the problem is the thermostat. It looks as though it just screws in. Does it? Are these available and is it an economic repair? Any idea who stocks them?
It is a Bosch iron. Bosch power tools come with an exploded diagram; I wonder whether such a thing exists for the iron? I did take a couple of photos to remind me how to fit it together but I want to be sure ;)
Thanks, Stephen.
I went to the Bosch site and it sells parts and includes a diagram - I wasn't sure where those ball bearings had come from ;)
I assume the thermostat has broken, as soon as someone confirms this, I'll place the order.
Thanks again, Stephen
The Bosch web site lists this as a thermal fuse. Should it show a resistance? Does this also need replacing?
So - looks like yours has 'died' - and you would need to replace it
Hope this helps Adrian
Thanks. Why would this blow: does it mean the plate has got too hot? Since the stat has failed in the off position, it shouldn't have got hot at all! Do thermal fuses blow the same way that electrical fuses do? I thought they were a bimetal strip that closed on cooling? I assume that I need to buy a stat too, since that is also o/c?
Thanks.
I'm no expert on steam irons - but the thermal fuses I've seen come in two flavours - one self-resets as it cools down, the other is one-time only....
Again - it's hard to see from this distance - but an o/c 'stat isn't good news - odd that it's failed like that - unless, possibly, the stat failed 'on', the iron element 'went critical', blew the thermal fuse and then the residual heat about the place was sufficient to kill the 'stat as well - but it's an odd failure mechanism.
You'd sort of expect the thermal fuse to protect the other components - like they don't in transistorised circuits
Puzzling - but the only way to know is to replace bits. You may find that it works out just as expensive as buying a new iron, though...
Adrian
Sorry for the delay in replying. The thermostat and fuse seem to be quite cheap from Bosch, cheaper than a new iron, which is a nice surprise in today's disposable age. Unfortunately the thermal fuse is screwed to the element "box" and the screw is very, very rusty. I haven't been able to remove it. SWMBO has a new iron now any way ;)
If I could move the screw, I might buy the parts (£12 IIRC) just to see if it can be bought back to life.
Thanks.
Try Asda price for a new iron.
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