Did you know that your toaster works by metallic handles together to hold your bread? And the pieces of metal wouldn’t attract together without an electromagnet. Of course, there are other functionalities such as the circuit, timer, capacitor, springs, and resistor. They work concurrently to toast your bread.
So, the electromagnet isn’t working. Your toaster will not give you the crusty golden brown mouth-watering bread! Let’s see what is happening. We will show you how to make it work again.
Causes Of Electromagnet failure On Your Toaster
Before you look at the manual to access your toaster’s magnet, you must find the causes. And the fixes too. Here is why the electromagnet in your toaster is not working.
Bread Residue
A dirty electromagnet will neither hold bread nor release it once toasted. Bread crumbs that remain inside the toaster make the feature dirty. The build-up hinders current flow and magnet functionality. So the magnet may be intact, but the extra layer is causing the failure.
How to Fix
If the magnet doesn’t have any defect, its power is intact. The most straightforward way to get it functional is to clean the toaster. You will need to shake it and remove the crumbs. But that’s not all. Follow these prompts to clean your toasting machine effectively;
Steps
- You will need a soft brush and a bowl to pour the crumbs.
- Disconnect the toasting machine from power.
- Shake the toaster and turn it bottom up. Empty the bread crumbs into a bowl.
- To deep clean your machine, remove the cover. That allows easy access to the interior. Do not dip your appliance in water. So you will use the scrubbing brush and other aids.
- Brush the remaining bread crumbs gently and pour them into your bowl. Give special attention to the metal grates in the slots.
- Remove the crumb tray and empty the residues. Soak the tray in warm water. Use dish soap and a sponge to wash your tray. Keep aside to dry as you clean the rest of the unit.
- Wipe the toaster’s exterior toaster, with a damp cloth. You can apply dish soap to remove any stubborn dirt and stains. A piece of lemon can help to degrease the exterior. The juice leaves the stainless steel surface shiny and spotless. Be careful not to let any drop of liquid inside your toaster.
- Rinse your toaster with a clean damp cloth.
You did it! Your electromagnet will work.
Power Source
For your toaster to work, there must be power. Powering it activates the electromagnet. You might have to check the power connections whenever the toaster isn’t browning your bread. There are various points to inspect;
- Plug And Cable
These two work together to conduct power into your toaster. Check if the cable is intact. That there are no physical tears. The wires are in place if the insulation is smooth and without breakages. But you also need to find out if the plug pins are sound. And the fuse too. The three pins shouldn’t wobble. Also, the fuse should not be brown or have soot. If so, change it and try to reconnect.
- Socket
The socket should have a sufficient power supply. How do you determine that? With an ammeter. You can also insert an electrical screwdriver. The latter is easy to use. It illuminates to show a working socket. Before you plug your toaster, confirm if there is enough voltage and flow of current.
- Junction Box/Main Meter
All the electric wires in your house get power from the junction box. It is your house’s primary meter and contains a safety switch. The switch trips to protect your house from high voltage when there is a power defect in your house. That, too, will cause your toaster electromagnet not to respond. Please switch it on or wait for the power to be back.
Faulty Lever
The lever performs many roles in your toaster. Besides lowering and lifting the bread, it works with the power button, switch contact, and circuit breaker. All these play a part in electromagnet functionality. For example, the lever aids in completing the electric circuit. If the lever is not working, the other functionalities will stop and affect the electromagnet.
How to Fix
Once you power a toaster and push a functional lever down, it should remain in that state until toasting is completed. If not, then it isn’t very correct. Check the following;
- Springs
Any lever functionality involves a spring mechanism with good tension. Suppose the springs are old or broken; the lever won’t work. Open your toaster and access the springs. You may need to replace old and non-functional springs.
2. Circuit
A cut circuit disconnects the lever. Before inspecting your machine’s circuit, ensure a power supply from the source. Narrow down the inspection to the circuit to ensure it is complete.
How To Fix A Toaster That Won’t Pop Up
Your toaster is not popping up! Here’s how the toaster pops up. Power runs through to heat the metallic plates when you plug in your toaster. The plates expand and push apart, thus breaking the circuit.
That last action releases the latch springs, and your bread toast pops up. That’s not happening. Your toaster stays in. it shouldn’t be complicated for you to solve this mess. You can quickly check a few features.
Step 1: Check The Plug
Did you fix your toaster plug on the wall source? Failure to plug in the toaster will have no voltage, thus no power to run it and pop up the toast. Once you plug in your machine, ensure it is also turned on.
You could inspect whether the fuse is intact and also the code. Any bends after turning on your machine will disconnect it from power. The bread may be ready but won’t pop up without power.
Step 2: Physical Connection
Inspect whether there is power. You may begin the toasting process with power but lose it before you complete it. A toaster without power cannot pop up. You might need to inspect further whether the machine is functioning well.
Check out for short circuits in the interior wiring of your toaster. That, too, can hinder functionalities such as popping up. Your slices of bread might also come out half-toasted.
Step 3: Dispose Of Crumbs
A pound of crumbs in your toaster lowers its performance. The crumbs stuff it, so its lever cannot work. You must empty and clean up your toasting machine to enhance its performance. Turn/Switch off the socket and unplug the toaster from the power source. It is very safe to avoid electrocution while opening the unit; shake and remove the breadcrumbs.
Crumbs build up and block the electromagnet that holds the toaster lever. Therefore, holding down the lever will be inevitable. Popping up will not be efficient. Follow the cleaning steps we analyzed earlier to bring your machine back to work.
Step 4: Timer
If your toaster is free from crumbs and has a good power supply, its problem could be the timer. You need to confirm whether the function is working. A timer that has gone mute will not signal the machine when your bread is ready. The toaster won’t pop up.
The function is a simple circuit and not a clock parse. The capacitor charges through the appliance resistor and reaches a specific voltage. It then cuts off the power that runs the electromagnet. Next, the spring pulls your bread up.
For a timer that is not working, you must disconnect the machine from power, or else your bread will continue to burn. Resolve the circuit problem to ensure your toaster pops up. If you aren’t sure about accessing this feature, take your appliance to a tech for inspection and repair.
Step 5: Thermostat
It is the thermostat that controls the amount of heat that toasts your bread. The regulation is consistent so that your toast comes out evenly cooked. When the timer alerts your machine that the piece of bread is ready, disconnection from power happens, and the thermostat stops heating.
That is automatic and what follows is a toaster pop-up. What if there is no power? The thermostat will not work. And your bread will stay without toasting. If it is heating up, then you are good to go. Before we press on and check something else, let us see why your toaster thermostat will fail!
- Dirt and dust: When your toaster’s electric components are too dirty, the circuits begin to fail. The thermostat will also fail. Please clean up your toaster and watch the faulty thermostat come back to life. But be sure not to dip it in water.
Turn off the power supply and uncover the thermostat. You will use compressed air like your blow dryer but on the lowest setting. Or a small soft brush will do the trick for you. Remove all the dust from its housing and replace the cover. Reconnect to see if it works.
- High voltage: A thermostat will blow due to dangerous voltage. The voltage control in your appliance could be faulty. Also, it could be the inadequate power supply. This problem needs an electrician to determine.
- Old thermostat: The heating device might be old and failing. Replace it to get your toaster to work.
Step 6: Electromagnet
Your electromagnet may be worn out. The frequent striking of the electromagnet by the lever wears it out.
Follow the procedure below to access and replace it:
- Detach the cover. Unplug and turn the toaster upside down to access the screws. Depending on the model of your toaster, get compatible screwdrivers. Remove the screws and be careful not to break or damage the cover.
- Remove the side plastic panel by sliding. Take off the lever to access the electromagnet. Remove the connectors holding the cables which connect the control buttons.
- Using a soldering iron, unsolder the electromagnet connections. Unsolder one at a time as you test using a multimeter. Remember to set your meter to ohms and let it read zero. Infinite resistance reading indicates that the electromagnet is faulty.
- Unsolder both sides of the electromagnet and replace it with a new one, before soldering back, test and confirm that the circuit connection is well.
- Assemble the toaster by returning the panels, cover, and screws. Power it on and test.
Tip! Ensure that you do not reverse polarities. Or else your electromagnet will not work.
Does A Toaster Have A Fuse
Besides the plug fuse on the head of the cord, a toaster has an internal fuse. The functionalities are similar to other electrical appliances. A fuse protects the toaster from overheating.
Each model has a different setup, but the fuse functionality is similar. You can locate the fuse through the guidance of your manual. Access it by removing the toaster cover.
The fuse blows off when there is excess power. It can also blow off due to the following:
- Poor Wiring
When the circuit is poorly connected, it causes power interruption. Faulty/damaged wires disrupt power. Power eruptions blow a fuse quickly.
- Poor Maintenance
Regular cleaning of a toaster maintains it. Failure to empty crumbs can result in the malfunction of the toaster. With time this can injure the fuse and toaster. Have regular checks for maintenance and cleaning.
- Faulty Circuit Board
A fuse on a faulty circuit board keeps blowing off. You will have replacements after a short time. Confirm that connections on the board are well and other components are working.
- Incompatible Fuse
Having a fuse with fewer amps than required, it will blow off. Check the ratings of the fuse before replacing it. Ensure that the fuse has the correct capacity to hold the voltage.
- Overloading
Connecting the toaster with other high-voltage appliances is strenuous. They will blow a fuse for the toaster. Dedicate a specific circuit for the toaster.
- Toaster quality
Cost determines the quality of an appliance. Cheap quality damages easily and blows a fuse at any time.
- Overusing
You will be lucky to toast your bread all day and leave your toaster intact. The fuse may blow off. Extensive damage could happen. Use your appliance in moderation. If you want a commercial, consider a more giant toaster than you already have.
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