At times, electrical appliances may give you a hell of a time. That includes your air fryer. It always happens if you are clueless about troubleshooting steps. The air fryer heating element not working won’t allow you to cook as your food remains cold in the chamber. You have got to figure out an alternative meal, which is quite frustrating.
The possible reasons for failure include a cracked or dirty heating element. It could also be due to a faulty heating element, an unplugged unit, a dead thermal sensor, a faulty cable, or an unlatched door. Your appliance could be old hence requiring a replacement. To resume cooking, you can fix faults or call an air fryer expert. Learn the causes and how to fix your air fryer’s heating element issues.
- Unplugged Unit/Power Failure
Let’s begin with the most straightforward possible cause for your air fryer element not working. It could be as easy as an unplugged unit or power failure. That’s not strange. More often, I embarked on a cooking mission only to realize after a few minutes that I hadn’t plugged my unit. In other instances, the power disconnected soon after ensuring the air fryer had started.
How To Fix
Plug it! If the display is blank, your electric system could have a power issue. You can have an expert inspect and fix it for you.
- Unlatched Door
Possibly, you didn’t close the air fryer door well. It must latch. A click proves your door is in the correct position and latched well. If not, examine your oven door. Failure to latch means the door sensor doesn’t communicate with the relevant buttons responsible for activating the heating process.
Fixing your air fryer locking mechanism depends on the cause. There are several causes and distinct fixes for errors;
- Overfilling the air fryer crisper basket: If the air fryer is overfull, the overfill may block the door from closing. Some marks show the limit.
Filling your crisper basket beyond that point interferes with the latching mechanism and can cause door breakage. If the locking is faulty, the unit cannot heat as a safety measure to prevent splatters, fire, and injury.
The way to fix an overfilled basket is to reduce the contents. Even if you have pounds of fries to air fry, do it in batches. Pressing the chips in the basket won’t save you time. Besides, you will get poorly cooked fries.
- Broken latching system: Due to overfilling, impact, or banging your air fryer drawer, the latching system may break. The sensors become dumb, don’t signal the air fryer to start, and cause the unit not to heat up.
- Fixing a broken latching system is not easy. A technician has the know-how to access and fix your air fryer’s latching system.
- Wrong door assembly: Have you replaced your door assembly recently? The new parts may not be matching with your air fryer requirement. That causes latching issues. Eventually, the air fryer element won’t work.
- Fix this issue by replacing the door assembly with its original match. Order the replacement from your dealer or directly from the brand. That way, you have an assurance of quality.
3. Faulty External Cable
Have you inspected the external cable that connects your air fryer to the power source? A faulty one is a cause for your air fryer heating element not working. The defects could be in the plug fuse, or the cable has cuts and dents. When there is a bend on your wire, the wires may have a cut.
How To Fix
The problem requires a simple inspection. Unplug the unit and check if your air fryer cable is straight and without cuts. Then, unthread the screws that hold the plug fuse. Once you get hold of the fuse, inspect it for coloration. If it isn’t white, it will be a blown one. You can fix another fuse and see if the appliance works. For a damaged cable, replace it with a new one.
4. Faulty Internal Wiring
Your air fryer heating element has no batteries. It gets its power from your house’s main supply. If the power is faulty, the heating components won’t work. Also, a fault in the unit’s internal wiring causes heating errors. The heating element may begin heating and stop mid-way. That could be an electrical wiring fault that needs testing and fixing.
How To Fix
For safety reasons, unplug your unit. The next step will be to open the top cover (depending on the unit) to expose the guts. Examine all the terminals to be sure they are intact. If there are loose wires, fix them. Remove and replace worn-out, broken, and burnt wires.
While there, you can check various components, including the thermostat and the heating element, for continuity. This task is complex and doesn’t allow guesswork. Attempting to repair the electrical parts of your air fryer is risky. You might damage your air fryer beyond repair. If you are unsure what to do, call a tech for assistance.
5. Dirty Heating Element
When cleaning your air fryer, it is not necessary to always touch the heating element. You will clean up the basket, tray, racks, and other accessories. Also, you can wipe the unit in and out but leave the internal components. Though not always, your air fryer guts require a specialized clean-up.
How To Fix
You can blow off the dust from the heating coil, wiring, fan, and other components with a hair blow dryer. Grease and oil require careful removal. You cannot use water to clean your air fryer’s electrical components. That can cause a short circuit.
So, how do you clean up a dirty heating element? Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Before you begin the processes, you need to note that this component is brittle. It can break due to impact and mishandling; once that happens, no repair can rectify the issue. You have to go for a heating element replacement. Here’s how to clean up a dirty heating element.
6. Dead Thermal Sensor
The thermal sensor ensures that your gadget doesn’t overheat. You don’t have to worry that if the sensor dies, your unit will overheat! The design is such that the heating element stops working, though it may not be faulty.
Once you replace the thermal sensor, the heating coil will begin working. But how do you know that the thermal sensor is dead? By conducting a continuity test. You do the testing with a multimeter.
How To Fix
Ideally, you cannot fix a dead thermal sensor. The only solution is to replace the component with a new one. Determine if you can do it yourself or need assistance from a qualified tech. Also, your brand’s customer care desk can help with repairs and other after-sale services.
7. Cracked Or Broken Heating Element
Once you access your heating element for cleaning, you can first assess if there are any cracks. The breakages mean that the accessory is dead and cannot function, so you will need a replacement.
How To Fix
You can take your appliance to the repair workshop or follow the processes in the user manual. If you will replace it yourself, be sure to order for original components.
8. Faulty Heating Element:
Sometimes, your air fryer heating element can be faulty for several reasons and can cause your air fryer heating element not to work.
How To Fix
Check your air fryer heating element and ensure it is okay. If you cannot check it by yourself, then take your air fryer to a qualified technician to check if the heating element is faulty. If the air fryer heating element is faulty, replace it with a new one. Or contact your air fryer manufacturer’s customer service team and inform them about the issue for solutions.
9. Old Unit
When your air fryer has lived on your countertop for over five years, it will become weary. Some of its components, including the heating element, may begin dwindling in performance. Others may fail to work. You will begin replacements but soon discover that your kitchen appliance suffers from obsolescence. Costly repairs won’t solve the pain.
How To Fix
Contact your air fryer dealer or manufacturer for a new appliance. Once they deliver the air fryer, the functionalities will surprise you. As the unit has modern features, you will have a list of delicacies to try. With the new gadget at home, you have modern heating technologies where you can fry, bake, grill, roast, and cook your food with little or no food.
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