Toaster Frustration

[TheScullster]

Hi all

Have tried googling on this, but it appears that an appliance exists called a "toaster oven" which hijacks the search engines!

What causes a toaster to stop latching down? For toaster, read the UK device which toasts bread for most people in the morning these days. Ours is a Russel Hobbs chrome affair, suitable for 2 standard slices of bread side-by-side. Intermittently (and with increasing frequency) either the latch won't make, or it makes and then releases as soon as you have turned to get the butter. I know these things don't cost the earth, but this appliance still looks smart and I would hate to contribute to landfill.

TIA

Phil

[Roger Cain]

Most toasters I have seen use a bimetal strip fixed to the chassis which engages with a lug on the bread carrier. Gets hot, bends, unlatches, carrier pops up.

The usual trouble is that the bimetal strip gets permanently distorted over time and fails to latch. Remedy - bend it back to shape.

[TheScullster]

"Roger Cain" wrote

Thanks Roger

Useful to have a starting point when trying to fault find/repair.

Phil

[Andy Burns]

In cases like that it helps any to negate some search words, i.e. search for "toaster -oven" without the quotes, or use a URL like this

[Joe]

We had one with a magnetic holddown. Once a few crumbs had settled on it, the inverse square law came into play. Worth greasing the sliding bit while it's open. And you wouldn't believe where burnt crumbs can get...

[John]

And the toaster with the sloping top (Tefal) has the magnetic hold-down and I have had a few crumbs spoiling the magnetic hold down due to introducing a gap.

[Dave Liquorice]

That's how they used to work but these days they pop up if you have a power failure as well. Must be a solenoid playing a part somewhere but the basic bimetal strip is the crude timer.

My toaster when set for prefection on the first two slices from cold will burn the next two.

[Guy King]

The message from "Dave Liquorice" contains these words:

Tell her to concentrate more.

[Matty F]

Have you checked for a dead mouse inside? That usually affects the latch.

But seriously, take the toaster apart methodically, putting the screws in a row in the order they came out. Toast crumbs gum up the mechanism, or maybe something has bent or is worn, or just plain bad design.