Do-it-yourself iron repair - how to disassemble the iron at home. Iron repair: disassembly, typical malfunctions and their elimination How to disassemble a vitek steam iron

Do-it-yourself iron repair is a classic of the household genre, but now, unfortunately, a stream of surrealism is becoming stronger in it. A novice master, in order to disassemble a modern iron, needs to have the skills to solve Chinese puzzles: hidden latches everywhere, tricky spike connections, shaped fasteners. Take it to the workshop? The repair price may be such that it is easier to buy a new iron. Let's try to fix our own, without professional training and without special tools.

abstract thinking

Manufacturers justify turning the iron into a kind of combination lock with safety, design and ergonomics requirements. But, sorry, from the visible fasteners on the irons, as there were 1-2 screws in the back, it remains. Moreover, the parts of the cases of old irons were made of brittle bakelite and polystyrene, and the current plastics compete with metals in strength.

In fact, we, alas, live in an age of not eternal things. One of the fundamental principles of the consumer society is inexorable: a product of mass demand must flawlessly work out (the reputation of the manufacturer, but what about) no more than 2-2.5 warranty periods, and then quickly and irreversibly become completely unusable. At the leading manufacturers of consumer goods, up to half or more of the design personnel are involved in ensuring that, God forbid, the product does not turn out to be too durable.

How the work of the industry for a garbage can affects the environment, and how the mass consciousness is affected by the involvement of really highly qualified specialists in actually harmful activities, is another question, but the iron almost does not lend itself to such attempts: it is too simple, and inside it is too hot and humid. Therefore, damage to the iron at the design stage is reduced mainly to making it difficult to disassemble it outside the service center. Nevertheless, it is still possible to fix the iron at home with improvised means, if you know where and what secrets can be hidden in it and how to open them without risking ruining the iron completely.

Tool

To successfully repair the iron, let's prepare some homemade tools first; it will not take much time and will not require significant expenses:

• 2-4 squeezers for caps;
• wringer for hidden latches;
• a cheap LED flashlight (specifically LED) and a magnifying glass;
• a strip of suede, a nail file, alcohol;
• or, instead of item 4 - a pencil eraser, an ink eraser, a piece of a clean cloth, alcohol.

Note: on the appointment of tools according to paragraphs. 4 and 5 see below.

push-ups

The lid squeezer is made from the top, most durable layer of bamboo, the size and thickness of an ice cream stick; one end is cut into a wedge. Covers on the body of irons are often put on latches without fixing. In the service center, such a cover is compressed with special tongs and removed. To remove it in a handicraft way, the cover must be pry off: the teeth of the latches without fixation are beveled on both sides and come out of the grooves intact. But open the covers on tight latches with a table knife or a wide screwdriver, as in fig. on the right, do not: the steel will leave traces on the plastic. The bending strength of the surface layer of bamboo is higher than that of plastics, and the shear strength is lower. Therefore, a bamboo wringer will remove a correctly prying lid, but, perhaps, it will wrinkle itself from the surface without damaging the plastic. If the lid is not attached incorrectly and does not give in, the bamboo wringer will break without damaging the iron. They operate with bamboo pushers in pairs, prying the part from 2 sides.

A good thin squeezer for locking latches is obtained from a wedge-cut plastic coffee stirrer that dispenses coffee machines. The wringer from the agitator goes into any slot and gently removes the mustache of the latches with fixation, without scratching or breaking either them or the body parts.

Flashlight and magnifier

Cheap mini LED flashlights produce very hard light with harsh shadows. In this case, this is an advantage: such light penetrates deep into thin cracks, and under a magnifying glass you can see what the part is holding there. To do this, they first pry off the lid, which it is not clear how to remove, with bamboo pushers, highlight and look at what is holding there.

How to manage latches

It is best, of course, to find a diagram for disassembling the iron of this model, but try it! And do not look for typical layouts of secret constipation either: they may be different for the same model of the same manufacturer. Did you read in the instructions: “The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the design that do not affect the performance of the product”? That is, when disassembling the iron, you will most likely have to look for hidden connections yourself.

It must be said that Western firms are gradually moving away from the principle: “Do you want to fix it yourself? Well, break it down and buy a new one!” But Asians stubbornly cling to it. For example, if your iron is Chinese, then the bow fixing screw (see below) will most likely not be under the filler cap, but ... under the water and steam supply buttons!

Light it up, let's see. See the one circled in green in the pic? So, this is not a latch, but a sliding spike in the groove. Clips on the other side of the buttons. To remove the buttons and disassemble the iron, you need:

• Push the button forward.
• Insert a wringer from the mixer behind it.
• Release latch.
• Without removing the wringer, lift the button up to the stop. A slight click of the latch tooth should be heard as it emerges from the slot.
• While holding the button so as not to fall, remove the wringer.
• Continuing to hold the button, move it forward with an inclination so that the sliding spike turns out of the groove.
• Do the same with the other button.

Shaped fasteners

Screws in irons of Western manufacturers are most often either conventional with a cross slot or a hexagon. It makes no sense to buy a special screwdriver with a set of bits for a one-time repair for the latter: a hexagonal screw is simply unscrewed with a flat screwdriver with a thin sting of a suitable width. It can also be used to unscrew the screws with a shamrock slot, which the Chinese are very fond of (on the right in the figure), but without strong pressure: a significant lateral force is created in this case and the screw in the thread can simply jam. If the screw sits tight, it is torn off with a series of small jerks, rearranging the screwdriver into other pairs of grooves.

The most difficult thing will be to unscrew the screw with a TORXX slot (on the right in the figure): scissors or tweezers will only take it if the screw is loose in the thread. It is most convenient to unscrew the TORXX screws without a special wrench with small platypus pliers; it is possible with side cutters, but then dents will remain on the slot jumper. There will be nothing for the screw from them, but an experienced master, suddenly this iron gets to him, will throw it on for repairs for the previous unqualified access.

How does a steam iron work?

But where to look for all these secret screws? To do this, you first need to familiarize yourself with the device of a modern iron with a steam generator (steamer). Its general scheme is given in Fig.:

The impact steaming system (superheated steam) is installed only in individual models, because. it is effective only in the position of the thermostat close to the maximum (three points). In good irons with shock steam, the shock pump is blocked if the regulator is set to 1-2 points. What is always written in the instructions, how, pray tell, does a normal housewife read the instructions for the iron? That is, if there is no steam boost, then, perhaps, to eliminate the “malfunction”, you just need to turn the temperature control.

The positional protection module turns off the heating element if the position of the soleplate of the iron differs from the horizontal: it was placed upright, dropped, etc. This is perhaps the only electronic innovation in irons. In high-quality irons, positional protection is the second most common source of breakdowns (after scale in the steamer, see at the end), but at home it is most often quite maintainable.

How do the Chinese soar

If you look at the soles of not even cheap Chinese irons, it turns out that many drip humidification nozzles are fictitious, fake. In fact, when fully heated, a steam boost is obtained by pressing the steam button; in the same position of the thermostat, soft steam comes from the button with droplets, and for drip humidification, in this case, you need to press both buttons at once.

wiring diagram

The electrical circuit of the iron is shown in the following. rice.:

Relay KM and position transmitter SK constitute the position protection. On its own board, there may be a power indicator, which in this case is LED, and not on neon. Positional protection can be turned off without compromising the consumer qualities of the iron, but if the indicator is LED, then when the “positioning” is completely turned off, it will stop working. This is inconvenient, so the faulty positional protection must be partially disabled (see below).

The numbers with indexes show the continuity of the “hot” and “cold” circuits with a multimeter: one probe with a crocodile clip is connected to the pin of the power plug, and the other goes through the points. Both continuity calls should converge on the contacts of the KM relay. The fact is that the KM contacts are normally open: when the iron is connected to the network and the contacts of the KM thermostat are closed, its contacts are closed and current flows through them to the heating element. So it is necessary that any malfunction of the positional protection itself turns off the heating element (the principle of excess safety), but this circumstance can be misleading for an inexperienced master.

Note: during dialing, it may turn out that there is no contact in the connecting cap, see fig. on right. The only way out is to bite it off and remake the wires into a new one.

thermal protection

The thermal fuse (termichka) is triggered if the temperature of the sole of the iron exceeds 240 degrees or the current through the heating element is a certain specified value. That is, the thermal fuse instead of the unusable one must also be selected by current, depending on the power of the iron:

• 2200 W - 25 A.
• 1500 W - 16 A.
• 1000 W - 10 A.
• 600 W - 6.3 A.

Thermal redundancy in current is needed, because 220 V is the effective (effective) value of the mains voltage; the amplitude is 220 V x 1.4 \u003d 308 V. The duration of the half-cycle of the frequency of 50 Hz is 10 ms, and the response time of the thermal is 4-5 ms. Suddenly, the mains voltage jumps to the maximum allowable value of 245 V, the thermal fuse for the operating current of the heating element can burn out in a perfectly serviceable iron.

Thermal fuses are disposable (pos. 1 in the figure), renewable, pos. 2, and self-healing, pos. 3. The first burn out and must be installed in a dielectric heat-resistant sleeve (usually made of fiberglass), otherwise a breakdown of the mains voltage to the sole is very likely. In a resettable thermal fuse, the prestressed bimetallic plate "clicks" and opens the contacts. To restore it, you need to press it through the window in the contact until it clicks back with something sharp. The self-resetting thermal protection will reset when the iron is unplugged and allowed to cool completely. Self-healing thermals are structurally combined with a thermostat (see below) and are always supplemented with a current fuse.

thermostat

The soleplate temperature regulator is the most important node of the iron and one of the most prone to breakage; it is a mechanical trigger device driven by a bimetallic plate. There are no “magnets, like in the refrigerator regulator” in the iron thermostat. As in the refrigerator thermostat, there is also a mechanical trigger, only of a different design. The principle of its operation is simple:

1. The part with the movable contact is pressed against the fixed contact by a changeover spring. The contacts are closed, the heating element is heating up. The degree of compression of the spring is regulated by the temperature setting knob.
2. On the other hand, the movable contact is connected by a dielectric pusher rod to a bimetallic plate.
3. The bimetallic plate, bending from heating, presses through the stem onto the moving contact until it overpowers the spring.
4. The spring is thrown and opens the contacts.
5. The heating element turns off, the soleplate of the iron with the bimetallic plate cools down.
6. The bimetallic plate is straightened. When its pressure is sufficiently weakened, the spring is thrown back and returns the regulator to its original state.

The heating element heats up again, the cycle repeats. In old irons and some of the new ones, the thermostat is assembled according to the scheme with a free rocker (item 1 in the figure):

Its disadvantages are 2 pairs of contacts subject to burning, and a large hysteresis, i.e. the difference between the actuation and return temperatures of the controller. Therefore, in regulators with a free rocker arm, there is always an adjustment screw under the handle, which is turned if the iron heats up too much (twist 1-2 turns) or weakly (unscrew by the same amount). The temperature adjustment knob must be removed to access the calibration screw. She sits on the axis on friction, but is held in the body by paws with stops, see fig. on right. To remove the handle, turn it to the minimum until it stops (behind the first point) and pull it up.

Most modern irons are equipped with a unified double spring thermostat, pos. 2: it works very clearly and almost never requires re-adjustment during operation. Its weak points, firstly, as in the previous. case, contacts, see below. Secondly, there is a ceramic stem (indicated in blue), which sometimes cracks. The stem length is 8 mm, and a new one can be made from an MLT-0.5 W resistor, pos. 2a. The resistor leads are bitten to a length of 1.5-2 mm, the paint is washed off with dichloroethane or a surfactant wash, the conductive layer is cleaned with sandpaper. If the resistance of the resistor is more than 620-680 kOhm, some people put it instead of the rod as it is, the paint burns without smoke and stink. However, then the soleplate of the iron can be unpleasantly "plucked" by electricity. And what is much worse, the resistance of a resistor with an unprotected conductive layer can decrease several times, and the leakage current through it can increase to a dangerous value.

Note 3: sometimes washers-inserts crack in thermostats. A new one in return can be machined from fluoroplast; drawing see pos. 2b.

How to clean contacts

It is not necessary to clean the burnt contacts of the iron temperature controller with sandpaper, as advised in many sources: they work under high current and quickly burn again after cleaning with sandpaper. In the regulators of modern irons, the contacts are thin-walled stamped, and in this case they burn out to holes. To clean the contacts, you need to wrap the nail file along the suede moistened with alcohol, put it between the contacts and rub until the suede is no longer heavily soiled with soot. An alternative is to cut a thin wedge out of an ink eraser and clean the contacts with it. Then - with the same wedge from a pencil eraser. Finally, wrap the nail file with a rag soaked in alcohol instead of suede and remove the adhering particles of the eraser from the contacts with it.

Note: due to the thermostat, such a situation is also possible - the iron heats up to the maximum, regardless of the position of the temperature setting knob; adjusting the calibration screw does not help. This means that the contacts of the regulator are welded and it needs to be changed.

How to get there?

All this is good, but our iron has not yet been dismantled. In general, the disassembly of the iron is carried out as follows. way:

• Remove the temperature setting knob.
• Remove the back cover (possibly along with the top).
• Remove the contact block.
• Remove the top cover.
• Take off the body.
• Remove the thermostat housing (if any).

After that, all iron components become available for inspection and repair. Of course, each stage has its own subtleties and peculiarities. We will consider some further not with examples of models from individual manufacturers, but for now let's dwell on the general "troubles".

Back cover

This is the only part that is fixed with a screw(s) visible from the outside. The last can be 2 below. In this case, 2 options are possible: the back cover is integral with the top and separately. In the first case, the handle of the iron will be straight, and both covers are immediately pulled back, pushing the top one with your fingers: it sits with horizontal spikes in the longitudinal grooves.

If the covers are separate and the back one is on one or 2 screws, then again, 2 cases are possible: the back cover is flush with the case and overlaid. In the first case, the lid is pulled by the bottom towards itself - at the top it is fixed with spikes in the grooves that will turn out and the lid will come out. The second case concerns almost exclusively covers on one screw in the middle. If the cover, after unscrewing the screw, does not come out and does not reach the bottom, then the spikes with the grooves are double, at the top and bottom. Then the cover must be pushed up to release the lower spikes, and then pull the bottom so that the upper ones turn out of the grooves.

Block

After removing the back cover, the contact block will be visible, this is already a hotbed of malfunctions. In some irons (not necessarily cheap ones), the terminal block is an ordinary screw one (pos. 1 in the figure), it can melt, then you need to change it to propylene. Polyethylene and PVC in the iron will not stand!

Blocks with captive terminals (pos. 2) are the most reliable, but for further disassembly of the iron, the terminals must be removed. To do this, their latch protrusions are pressed through the holes in the contacts with an awl or a thin screwdriver.

To remove the one-piece cutting block (pos. 3), you need to unscrew the 2 screws of the power cord clamp and 2 screws holding the block itself. If the network wires do not ring on acc. sockets of the block (green arrows in pos. 4), the block must be changed or the wire terminals must be put on the wires, because wires in the cutting block cannot be re-wired.

Top cover

The curved top cover is held on tight latches without fixation. At home, it is removed with a pair of push-ups (see above), starting, as a rule, from the back end. It doesn’t work - you need to try from the front.

Positional Defense

Most irons have a positional protection module under the top cover. The most vulnerable in it is the position sensor. As a rule, this is a plastic box (red arrows in the figure) with only a couple of leads. The position sensor is either closed with a tight-fitting lid, or filled with a compound on top that can be picked out.

A position sensor malfunction is typical: the iron does not turn on, and if you shake it, it may turn on for a while and then turn off spontaneously again. When disassembling the sensor, it turns out that inside there are a couple of contacts and a metal roller covered with something viscous and dirty. Initially, the sensor was filled with clean and transparent silicone grease, but the coil current of a powerful relay is sufficient for the contacts to spark. The filling is contaminated with soot, the roller closes the contacts poorly and does not go as it should.

Unusable silicone is removed with table vinegar, but you can’t leave the roller dry: when ironing, the relay will “clap” all the time, the iron will heat up unpredictably, and the sensor will soon completely fail. Instead of silicone, the sensor must be filled with any liquid machine oil; it, by the way, is more resistant to pollution and extinguishes sparks better than silicone. The sensor is washed with alcohol, a needle from a medical syringe is put on the nozzle of the oiler and the sensor is filled carefully so that the oil does not flow onto the walls. After filling, the lid is glued back with "Titan" or other superglue, but if the walls are oily, then the glue will not hold.

Note: in irons Brown and some. others, the signal from the position sensor is processed by the microcircuit (upper position in the figure). In this case, the position sensor roller can be left dry.

Another possible malfunction is burnt contacts or a burnt relay winding, then the iron will not turn on at all. To check the module, you need to remove it from the iron and apply its operating voltage of direct or alternating current to the relay winding, which is indicated on the relay case (green arrows). A click should be heard, and the tester should show a contact closure. No - the relay needs to be changed.

Note: if you are not sure that the voltage of the winding is indicated on the relay, you need to measure its resistance. Suddenly, the winding current at the specified voltage turns out to be more than 80-100 mA, it cannot be applied to the winding. It is necessary to check the relay from a regulated power source. As a rule, the operating voltage of the winding does not exceed 24 V.

It is quite possible to do without positional defense. To partially turn it off (for the heater indicator to work), you need to unsolder the white wire and connect it to brown, or unsolder red and connect to blue. At the same time, the relay can click and rattle, so it's better to unsolder it too.

Frame

After removing the back cover and the terminal block, the spikes holding the case in the grooves (lower position in the figure on the right) or screws will appear, but take your time: the case holds another screw or two in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe iron nose. How the Chinese hide them has already been said, but in other irons they are on the spout under the filler cap. It stays in place after removing the top cover. To remove the filler cap, you need to lift the filler hatch and remove the cap with it with pushers, then the nose screws will be visible (upper pos.)

The iron body is removed along with the pumps, and their malfunctions become visible, from which either there is no steam, or water flows into the body, the iron cracks, sparks, beats with current: cracked tubes, nozzles and valves (nipples) clogged with salt deposits. It is not worth gluing the tubes, in the iron any glue is like a dead poultice. It is necessary, firstly, to clean the hydraulic system from scale. For plastic, this is done mechanically, with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. The nipples are washed with a solution of citric acid (1 tsp per glass of water). A solution of acetic acid (vinegar) emits chemically aggressive fumes that corrode the metal. Then the fragments of the cracked tubes are collected together, pieces of a heat-shrinkable tube (HERE, heat shrink) are put on them and heated with a household hair dryer.

What is wrong with someone

Tefal

The repair of the Tefal iron is unique. First, the case is removed along with the top cover. Second, the nose screw is hidden under the water dispenser cover (left and center in the figure); it is visible through translucent plastic. Third, to get to the pumps, you need to remove the top cover already with the housing removed. Its screw is hidden under the buttons (on the right in the figure), and it must be unscrewed so that the cover can be removed.

Finally, Tefal is the leader in the production of cordless irons. They are of several types: with contacts on the site, with a thermal storage sole, with a discarded (shooting back) cord. The first two are unsuitable for amateur repair, and the last one, which seems to be faulty, may turn out to be quite working.

The cord from the iron throws off the pusher, acting from a separate trigger mechanism with its own bimetallic plate. That is, if you, for example, ironed the cuffs and want to warm up the iron by inserting the cord, but it does not climb, then the iron has not cooled down enough. You need to let it cool down, insert the cord, turn the regulator to more heat and wait until the cord rebounds. It’s inconvenient, of course, so irons with a detachable cord are not in great demand.

Philips

A feature of Philips irons is a double body. For example, the popular Azur is first disassembled in the usual sequence, pos. And in the figure, but the fastening of the back cover is 2 screws from the bottom. Under the decorative case with pumps there is an internal one with protection (pos. B), and already under it - a massive sole (in fact, the third case) with a thermostat and a thermal, pos. V.

Bosch

The design of Bosch irons can be considered typical, and Bosch disassembly is even easier than others: the back cover is on one screw and without tricky fasteners. To remove it, you need to unscrew the screw and pull back on the inlet hose of the power cord (see the figure on the right), the cover will open along with the hinge, after which further disassembly has no features.

Brown

A congenital defect of inexpensive Brown irons is a thin-walled steam generator tank made of galvanized steel and fastening the thermostat housing with folding legs from it. Both rust well, see fig. on the right, after which the repair of the iron loses its meaning.

How to make steam

The same congenital defect of all steam irons without exception is scale. It is difficult to remove it from the non-separable tank of the steam generator, and in no case should you boil the iron in a pan with vinegar, as in fig. Vapors of acetic acid will brittle plastics, corrode nickel on the sole to roughness, and if it is Teflon-coated, it will begin to peel off. Firstly, the iron must be disassembled to the soleplate for cleaning, see e.g. video how to clean Philips 3240:

Video: an example of disassembling and cleaning the Philips 3240 iron

Secondly, as already mentioned, it is better to use not vinegar, but a solution of citric acid. Thirdly, the contacts of the heating element together with ceramic bushings must be tightly wrapped with good soft electrical tape in 3-4 layers or, better, with heat-shrinkable tape before cleaning. Fourthly, if the nozzles are clogged with scale, also pierce them with a toothpick before cleaning. And fifthly, after cleaning, rinse the hydraulic system of the sole with plenty of clean water from top to bottom, pouring it into the steam generator tank. Then you can be calm: the iron will serve after cleaning as well as before it.

What does such a necessary device in everyday life as an iron consist of? According to the principle of operation, a modern iron has remained the same as it was in the days of our mothers. So, the iron consists of: a massive soleplate into which an electric heating element (heater) is embedded, a bimetallic type temperature controller, a thermal fuse, a water tank used in the steaming system, a handle, indicator lights for operating modes and buttons (knobs) for controlling the operation of the steaming system. Next, we will consider in more detail the purpose of the components of the irons and find out what you should pay attention to when buying a new appliance.

Sole. It is the most important element of the iron. It is on her that your success in the “ironing” field mainly depends. First you need to decide what kind of sole quality plays a major role for you - durability or ease of sliding. If the first, then the sole should be based on stainless steel, which has been holding the lead for several decades, being still the most common material for making iron soles, but it does not differ in ease of sliding. True, in order to eliminate this drawback, devices from many manufacturers (Braun, Siemens, Bosh, Tefal, etc.) form a special air cushion between the sole and the fabric during vaporization, making it easier for the iron to slide. But still, it will not replace the sole, which already contains materials that provide a high slip coefficient. Most often, this is an ordinary enamel coating, which, although it has such an indispensable property, is still a delicate and vulnerable material, and if handled carelessly, scratches and chips may appear on such a sole. The same applies to Teflon coatings.

Today, every self-respecting company has patented soles made from special compounds (compounds of various materials). Alas, apart from the mysterious beautiful names, we can get little specific information and, accordingly, we cannot blindly believe the manufacturer, who claims about the unique strength of his sole.

In my opinion, the ideal option is a polished (mirror) steel sole.

Temperature controllers are used mainly of the bimetallic type, this is a completely reliable iron assembly that does not cause much trouble. Irons with electronic regulators are less common, and their price is very different from ordinary bimetallic regulators.

The electrical circuit of the irons, in principle, has not undergone any changes. The only thing that has been added is a thermal fuse that turns off the heating element if the main regulator does not work and the temperature of the soleplate exceeds the temperature of the thermal fuse. There are two schemes for connecting the heating element to the network.

Thermal fuses There are two types: disposable and reusable.

Reusable thermal fuses are made according to the bimetal principle (as is the main iron regulator). When the set temperature is exceeded, the contact breaks and the power supply circuit of the heating element is interrupted. After the iron has cooled down, the bimetallic contact again closes the power supply circuit of the heating element. Thus, the reusable thermal fuse prevents the iron from overheating (if the main thermostat has not worked) and burning out completely.

A disposable thermal fuse can only perform its function once. When the set temperature is exceeded, it breaks the power supply circuit of the heating element, thus protecting the iron from overheating and burnout of the heating element. Unfortunately, after the disposable thermal fuse has been triggered, further operation of the iron without repair is impossible. It is disposable and disposable in Africa.

The steam system control buttons are used to adjust the supply of water for steam generation. Usually there are two buttons and a knob. One of the buttons serves for a one-time supply of a portion of water into the steam generation chamber (the so-called steam boost), the other for wetting clothes from a sprayer installed in the front of the iron. The knob serves to adjust the water supply for constant steam production (remember to turn off the water supply when the iron is not in operation, as this may cause a large puddle under the iron).

Indication of the operation of the iron is carried out using light bulbs. Usually there is one red light bulb, it indicates that the process of heating to the set temperature is taking place. However, there are models with two bulbs - one red and one green. The red light performs the same function as in the first case, and the green one indicates that the iron is plugged into the mains (socket).

Repair.

Nothing is eternal under the Moon. One fine or not very day, plugging the iron into the outlet and waiting for 5-10 minutes, you realize that it does not work. So beautiful, comfortable, familiar and still does not work. The way out is to throw it away and buy a new one is not the best option. So, repairs are needed. In 80% of cases, the iron can be returned to working condition. In 20%, the heating element burns out and in this case it is really cheaper to throw it away and please yourself with a new purchase.

For repair, you will need the following tool:

• Screwdriver Set
• tester or battery with light bulb

Before starting repairs, it is necessary to evaluate the external manifestations of the malfunction. 99% of irons have a light alarm. This, as a rule, is a red light bulb, signaling the process of heating the heating element (thermoelectric heating element). There are options with two lights - green and red, in this case the green light indicates that the iron is plugged in and 220 V is applied to it, and the red one indicates the process of turning the heating element on and off.

If not one of the bulbs is lit in all positions of the thermostat, then the first suspicion falls on the serviceability of the cord.

The biggest difficulty in repairing modern irons is their disassembly. Designers dictate their own rules, and therefore all the screws holding the structure are hidden, and it is quite difficult to find them. It is impossible to describe all the designs, there are a great many of them, but there are several general principles:

• The plastic body of the iron is always fastened to the soleplate with screws (I have not come across a single iron in which only plastic latches were used for fastening)
• The screws are usually hidden under decorative caps, light filters for light bulbs, water tank of the steam system.
• You should always try to disassemble the iron so that after assembly it would not be embarrassing to look at your work.
• Be careful not to break the plastic clips

Electrical cord repair

First of all, you need to remove the back cover that covers the place where the electrical cord comes from. Finding the back cover screws is usually straightforward. By removing the back cover, you can check the integrity of the electrical cord, 20% of faults are associated with a break in the wire at the point where the cord exits the iron or plug.

To check the integrity of the cord, you will need a tester or an ordinary dialer (a battery, a light bulb and a piece of wire).

One end coming from the light bulb is connected to the pins of the plug, and the other, coming from the battery, alternately to the wires coming out of the power cord. It is not necessary to check the wire in yellow-green insulation, this is the so-called protective-zero wire. If the light is on, then the wire is in order and you need to look for a malfunction further.

If the light is off, then you can be congratulated on finding the problem.

To eliminate this malfunction, it is usually enough to shorten the cord by 10-15 centimeters and reconnect it to the place where these wires were screwed (after checking its integrity again, if the continuity light is off, then the wire is damaged near the plug and it must be replaced) It should be noted that the electric cord of irons is special, its wires have rubberized insulation that can withstand high temperatures. Therefore, any wire will not work here, it is needed in rubberized insulation.

If the wire is normal, then you have to disassemble the iron further. Before further disassembly, it is necessary to sketch the wiring diagram, then this drawing will greatly facilitate assembly for you.

Temperature controller repair.

Having disconnected all the wires, you should try to remove the plastic case in order to get to the temperature controller and the heating element. First, remove the handle of the temperature regulator, for this we put a flat metal plate (you can use a knife) under the handle of the regulator and try to lift it up, applying little effort. If it doesn’t work out, we leave everything as it is and look for the screws that fasten the iron body to its base. There are no difficulties with the back of the case, but in front the screw is usually hidden either with a special plug or a lid (closing the hole for pouring water into the steamer).

Be that as it may, after a thorough inspection, you will still find, guess, get to this screw or screws.

By unscrewing all the screws, you can remove the case and get to the details of the internal structure of your iron. Now you can continue troubleshooting further.

First, let's check if the temperature controller works, to do this, turn the regulator rod from one extreme position to another. It happens that the regulator is very difficult to scroll, in this case it is necessary to resort to the help of pliers and try to develop a rotation unit by turning the regulator rod several times from one extreme position to another. Having achieved ease of rotation, rub the threads of this knot with a simple soft pencil. Graphite is not afraid of high temperatures and has good lubricating properties.

Turn the regulator rod from one extreme position to another.

In one of the positions, the contact group should work (with a characteristic click). Using a continuity test, check for the presence of an electrical circuit with closed contacts. To do this, we connect one end of the continuity to one contact, the other to the other, and, turning the axis of the regulator, we observe the light bulb coming on and off. If the light does not light up, you need to carefully clean the contacts with a strip of sandpaper or a nail file (from a manicure set).

Thermal fuse repair.

Next, you should check the integrity of the thermal fuse by connecting the continuity wires to it on both sides. If the light is off, then the culprit of the malfunction and the hour of your lost time is He. This happens in 50-60% of cases.

The simplest way out of this situation would be to throw out this thermal fuse, and short-circuit the electrical circuit in this place. If the main temperature regulator is in good working order, the absence of a thermal fuse at work and the safety of the iron will not affect at all.

In order to short-circuit an electrical circuit, you need a little imagination. There may be many options. This includes soldering with high-temperature solder, and crimping the conductors with a copper tube (from the stem of a ballpoint pen), using a spring from a lighter, switching the 220 V supply wires. The main thing is to achieve reliable contact between the junctions.

Heating element repair.

If the thermal fuse, temperature controller and electrical cord are in good order, we are left with the only and most unpleasant option - the heating element burns out. In most cases, the heating element is rolled into the sole of the iron and its replacement is a technically rather complicated procedure and, accordingly, not economically feasible.

However, there are designs in which the current-carrying conductors are not welded to the contacts of the heating element, but are connected using ferrules. Rarely, but there is such a strong oxidation of the contact points of the tips and the heating element that the electrical circuit breaks. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the reliability of contact in this joint, which is achieved by carefully cleaning the joints with sandpaper, a file, a nail file, etc.

If, nevertheless, the heating element burned out, and you decide to throw away the once so useful and beloved iron, keep the cord from it. You may need it when repairing your new favorite iron or other electrical appliance. In the end, it can serve as a weighty argument in the difficult task of educating the younger generation.

Steam system repair

Steam iron systems have several nuances:

1. Always use distilled (ideal), filtered (drinking water filters), or boiled water. This will protect your iron from the formation of scale in the steam cavity and ensure a long service life.
2. If you are not using a steamer, empty the iron and set the steam control to maximum. This will prolong the life of the steam dosing unit.

Repairing a steam system usually involves removing scale from your pet's internal steam cavities. During normal use of a home iron, after about half a year there is a need to clean the steam system. When using distilled water, this period increases several times.

Cleaning the iron at home is quite simple. To do this, we need a container for water, in which we need to place it so that the water covers the metal sole by 1-1.5 cm. This container can be an ordinary large frying pan. Do not forget to set the steam regulator to maximum or to clean.

The iron should stand on metal spacers, the role of which can be successfully performed by ordinary coins. It is enough to lift only the back of the iron. In our case, no spacers were required, since the back of the iron rests on the edge of the pan and water can freely enter the steam chamber.

Add table vinegar to the water at the rate of 1 glass of vinegar per 1 liter of water. after these preparations, we put our entire structure on the stove and bring it to a boil, after which we turn off the stove and let the water cool a little. We perform this procedure 2-4 times. Instead of vinegar, you can use citric acid or descalers for kettles.

I have tried many branded products for removing scale from irons, but none of them allowed to achieve such a result as the method proposed to you.

And I'd rather not say anything about the price of these funds. After removing the scale, the iron is washed in cold water and left for a couple of hours to dry.

That's all, now your assistant will not throw out scale flakes and leave stains on your snow-white linen.

Before proceeding with the ironing process itself, it is necessary to prepare a workplace and an iron. The surface of the sole must be perfectly clean, as fluff and dust can stick to the fabric. Do not wipe the soleplate if it is still hot.

It is advisable to iron woolen items and dark fabrics through a special ironing cloth, otherwise it will begin to shine. It is not recommended to put on clothes immediately after ironing, because a still warm fabric tends to wrinkle quickly: hang it on a hanger for half an hour, and it will retain its shape longer. Today, there are many types of different fabrics, both natural and synthetic, so before ironing a thing, look at the label, which indicates the optimal temperature for this type of fabric. If there are no recommendations on this matter, then first try ironing a small piece of fabric from the wrong side and, depending on this, increase or decrease the heat of the iron.

Start ironing with thin fabrics (silk, acetate), which require a minimum temperature, gradually move on to fabrics that can be ironed at high temperatures.

Start ironing mixed fiber fabrics first, look at the composition, and set the iron to match the fiber that requires the lowest temperature. Then proceed to things made of silk and synthetics (by the way, artificial silk can be ironed at medium temperature), and do not forget that it is undesirable to use the steam function on such fabrics - the fabric may shrink and lose its appearance. Natural silk can be wetted first and ironed immediately. Woolen items are recommended to be ironed at a moderate temperature, without using a steam boost. Fabrics such as crepe de chine shrink quite a lot after washing, so first soak it in warm water and then iron it at about 100°C.

The easiest way to iron products made of cotton and linen: they can be ironed at the highest temperature, feel free to use steam. The only "but": linen and colored cotton should also be ironed from the wrong side, otherwise there is a chance of shine on the fabric.

Faux fur, suede and leather should not be ironed with steam (the fibers can simply melt). Fabrics with a shiny surface can be ironed on the right side and with steam, while matte fabrics can be ironed on the inside so that unnecessary shine does not appear. Fabrics with pile should be ironed from the back and in the direction of the pile, and for greater efficiency, you can put a pile fabric under it, then the pile will not wrinkle (a terry towel can also be used for this purpose).

Save time

To make the ironing process as efficient and fast as possible, we can give you some useful tips:

start ironing shirts and blouses with a frill (if any, of course), then iron one sleeve (preferably on a sleeve specially designed for this), then the collar and top of the back, the back itself, and lastly, the tucks.

iron pleated fabric as follows: the folds in the upper part of the skirt, at the waist, are the most difficult to iron, so just steam the fabric without pressing the iron strongly against the fabric, and then hang the skirt on a hanger and let the fabric cool.

iron dresses made of wool from the wrong side, and pockets and finishing details - from the front, but through a slightly dampened fabric. The ironing scheme is the same as for shirts: first the details, then along the entire length.

to keep the creases on the trousers for a long time, run along them from the inside with dry soap, and then iron from the front side through a damp ironing cloth.

Always carefully monitor your appearance, take care of your hair, clothes and shoes. Everyone knows that the main thing in a person is the mind, but they still meet by clothes ...

Conclusion

Naturally, there are more sophisticated irons with an electronic temperature controller, with a water supply for a pressure steaming system, cordless irons with a heating stand, etc. However, all of the above causes of malfunctions and methods for their elimination are also suitable for their repair.

If the repair failed, we go to the store and choose a new assistant.

Now let's talk about buying such a necessary household item as an iron. Before buying, first of all decide what exactly you need an iron for. If, in addition to your own person, numerous relatives also live in your apartment, and the wardrobe is filled to capacity with clothes, an iron with maximum power (2000-2400 W) and steam supply will be indispensable. But keep in mind that such a purchase will lighten your wallet by about $ 70-80

You can even purchase a steam station with which ironing time will be reduced to a minimum. But, firstly, it takes up more space than a regular iron, and secondly, such devices are quite expensive, in the range of $ 120-170, which is available only to wealthy people. If you are a lonely person, then an average power iron will be enough for you. (~ 1500 W).

Equally important is the weight category of the iron. It was in the days of coal and cast iron irons that the laundry was ironed mainly due to the heavy weight of the device. Today, there is no need for this, so the lighter the iron, the easier it will be for you to handle it, although some people like heavier irons.

A separate item is the water tank. In this case, the larger the capacity, the better. The most common models are with a capacity of 250 ml. The largest tank to date is 350 ml (one of the achievements of Siemens).

Next, pay attention to the variety of steam supply functions. You should not buy an iron that does not have a constant supply of steam and a steam boost, which are necessary to smooth out deep wrinkles: even without steam, the wrinkle has disappeared from the surface of the fabric, you cannot be sure that it will be permanent. Most likely, after 1-2 hours it will appear again.

Be sure to ask the seller to show the detailed characteristics of the steam functions, they are also of no small importance: if the maximum steam supply reaches 15 g / min, you are unlikely to be able to iron a thick fabric with it. It is also necessary to have an adjustment of the steam supply, since different types of fabric require different intensity. Some firms do not specify such parameters at all. Well, in this case, we can only hope for the good faith of the manufacturers.

If you want the iron to last for a long time, then it must be equipped with protective functions (anti-lime rod, self-cleaning function, etc.) Each company has different protective functions, so ask the seller what the model you like is equipped with and how these functions are working. It's hard to recommend anything specific here, as they say, the taste and color ... Although I do not recommend you buy an iron with a replaceable cartridge, because it will not be so easy to buy a spare one, it is likely that you will have to go around more than one store before than you find it.

So, you have already found out for yourself which device will suit you completely. There are little things left: choose the design you like and estimate the amount that you are willing to pay for the purchase. The main thing to consider in this case is the trademark of the iron. Philips, Siemens, Braun, Tefal, Rowenta, Bosch are leaders in the production of household appliances. Their quality is more reliable, and the devices themselves are more expensive, $ 60-80. If you are counting on the amount of $ 20-30 when buying, then you should pay attention to irons Scarlett, Unit, Binatone, Clatronic, Vitek, Vigod and etc.

Remember that if the iron meets all your requirements, ironing will cease to be torture, and when working with it, you will get, if not pleasure, then at least complete satisfaction.

I hope that reading this article will help you choose, properly operate and extend the life of such a necessary device as an iron.

I love puzzles... especially unexpected ones. Here is such an unexpected puzzle “fell on my head” today. More precisely, it fell not on my head, but on my shirt, and did not fall off - but fell off.

The iron fell apart in my hands, while ironing a shirt .... I just took it and the sole fell off (it remained hanging on the wires). The case turned out to be in one unscrewed screw (the fragility of fastening the sole of the iron aroused suspicion from me from the very beginning), which fastened the sole on the “nose” of the iron.

In order to screw this screw into place, it was necessary to disassemble the entire iron, which was a puzzle. A cursory "google" did not bring a solution and I had to "storm" the iron ... So I decided to combine the solution of the puzzle with a photo session. Maybe it will be useful to someone, although the model of the iron is not known .... but still..

This is how my iron looked at the very beginning, the sweat that fell off and the assembled top of the iron:

The heel of the sole is fastened without screws, with some kind of grips-anchors)) Ie. the reliability of the design rests on the same screw on the nose of the iron.

I note that I took the photos after disassembling the iron ... so there will be a “reconstruction of events” next.

So meet - the iron itself:

Disassembly should begin with a vile hidden screw under the lid of the water tank:

But you need to remove the cover from the closed state by grabbing it with a screwdriver and lifting it up.

Unscrew the first screw:

We take out the "horned garbage" from the end of the handle and take out the rotary control. To do this, unscrew it counterclockwise until it stops, and then pull it up.

Unscrew this screw, this is the second hidden screw. I only found it when I was assembling the iron… I broke it or it was broken before me (the iron is not mine) will remain a mystery!!! In my case, there is an option to buy super glue or find dichloroethane and glue the plastic together:

The next 2 screws are hidden under the temperature controller cover. It will have to be severely torn out with a screwdriver. (in my case it was easier, I pushed it out from the inside, because the sole was not screwed on yet)

Loosen the screws here and near the heel of the sole. There will be 4 more screws: two big ones and two smaller ones...

Let's take a detail:

Mesh filters at the bottom of the cylinders...

You also need to watch and not tear off (as I did) the tube leading to the sprayer on the iron nose:

EVERYTHING, finally I got access to the ill-fated screw on the toe of the sole. It can be screwed down and iron assembled. But I recommend checking the integrity and tightness of all contacts. And in general, carry out maintenance of the iron, the races have already been dismantled ....

When assembling, do not forget to put in place various little things so that there are no “extra parts” after the repair:

two damn things that I almost forgot to put back on. Those are some pads...

Everything, I tighten the ill-fated screw:

And I begin the assembly ... in the reverse order of disassembly ....

The only thing I note is that in order to properly assemble the temperature controller, I unscrewed it all the way clockwise and accordingly knew in what position it was necessary to put on the regulator cover itself ... this was the position of the maximum temperature:

Look like that's it…. do not forget about the screws and do not get nervous when assembling and disassembling))))

This entry was posted on October 5, 2008 at 01:47 pm and is filed under with tags . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. You can, or from your own site.

Since people took off their animal skins and began to wear woven clothes, the question arose of removing wrinkles and folds from things after washing. Things were pressed down with flat stones, ironed with frying pans with hot coals, and that only housewives did not come up with, until June 6, 1882, the American inventor Henry Seely patented an electric iron.

And only in 1903, the American entrepreneur Earl Richardson brought the invention to life by making the first electric heated iron, which seamstresses really liked.

The principle of operation and electrical circuit of the iron

electrical circuit diagram

If you look at the electrical circuit of the Braun iron, you might think that this is an electric heater or electric kettle circuit. And this is not surprising, the electrical circuits of all these devices are not much different. The differences lie in the design of these household appliances due to their different purposes.

The supply voltage 220 V is supplied through a flexible heat-resistant cord with a molded plug to the XP connector installed in the iron body. The PE terminal is a grounding terminal, does not take part in the work and serves to protect a person from electric shock in the event of a breakdown of the insulation on the case. PE wire in cord usually yellow - green colors.

If the iron is connected to the network without a ground loop, then the PE wire is not used. The terminals L (phase) and N (zero) in the iron are equivalent, which terminal receives zero or the phase does not matter.

From the output L, the current is supplied to the Temperature Controller, and if its contacts are closed, then further to one of the outputs of the heating element. From the output N, the current through the thermal fuse is supplied to the second output of the heating element. Parallel to the terminals of the heating element, a neon lamp is connected through the resistor R, which glows when voltage is applied to the heating element and the iron heats up.

In order for the iron to begin to heat up, it is necessary to supply voltage to a tubular electric heater (TEN), pressed into the sole of the iron. For quick heating of the sole, high-power heating elements are used, from 1000 to 2200 watts. If such power is constantly supplied, then after a few minutes the sole of the iron will warm up red-hot and it will be impossible to iron things without ruining them. For ironing items made of nylon and anide, an iron temperature of 95-110 ° C is required, and things made of linen 210-230 ° C. Therefore, to set the required temperature when ironing things from different fabrics, there is a temperature adjustment unit.

The temperature control unit is controlled by a round knob located in the central part under the iron handle. Turning the knob clockwise will increase the heating temperature, turning it counterclockwise will lower the soleplate heating temperature.

Rotation from the handle to the thermostat assembly is transmitted through an adapter in the form of a sleeve or a metal angle, put on a threaded rod of the thermostat. The handle on the body of the iron is held by several latches. To remove the handle, it is enough to pry it over the edge with a little effort with a screwdriver blade.

The operation of the Philips iron thermostat and any other manufacturer is ensured by installing a bimetallic plate, which is a strip of two metals sintered together over the entire surface with different coefficients of linear expansion. When the temperature changes, each of the metals expands to a different degree and as a result the plate bends.

In a thermostat, the plate is connected to a bistable switch through a ceramic rod. The principle of its operation is based on the fact that, thanks to a flat curved spring, when passing through the equilibrium point, the contacts instantly open or close. Speed ​​is necessary to reduce the burning of contacts as a result of the formation of a spark when they open. The switching point of the switch can be changed by turning the knob on the body of the iron and thus control the heating temperature of the soleplate. When the thermostat switch is turned on and off, a characteristic soft click is heard.

To increase the safety of iron operation in case the thermostat breaks down, for example, the contacts are welded together, in modern models (there was no thermal fuse in Soviet irons), a FUt thermal fuse is installed, designed for a response temperature of 240 ° C. When this temperature is exceeded, the thermal fuse breaks the circuit and voltage is no longer supplied to the heating element. In this case, in what position the temperature control knob is located does not matter.

There are three types of thermal fuse designs, as in the photo, and they all work on the principle of opening contacts due to bending of the bimetallic plate as a result of heating. In the photo on the left is the thermal fuse of the Philips iron, on the lower right is the Braun. Usually, after the temperature of the sole drops below 240 ° C, the thermal fuse is restored. It turns out that the thermal fuse works like a thermostat, but maintains a temperature suitable for ironing only linen items.

To indicate the supply voltage to the heating element, a neon lamp HL is connected in parallel to its terminals through a current-limiting resistor R. The indicator does not affect the operation of the iron, but it allows you to judge the performance. If the light is on and the iron does not heat up, then the heating element winding is broken or there is poor contact at the point where its terminals are connected to the circuit.

wiring diagram

The entire electric circuit of the iron is mounted on the opposite side of the sole, made of high-strength aluminum alloy. This photo shows the wiring diagram of a Philips electric iron. Wiring diagrams of irons of other manufacturers and models of irons differ slightly from those shown in the photo.

The supply voltage 220 V is supplied from the power cord with the help of captive terminals put on pins 3 and 4. Pin 4 is connected to pin 5 and one of the pins of the heating element. From pin 3, the supply voltage is supplied to the thermal fuse and then to the temperature controller of the iron, and from it already through the bus to the second output of the heating element. A neon light bulb is connected between pins 1 and 5 through a current-limiting resistor. Pin 2 is grounding and is riveted directly to the sole of the iron. All circuit busbars are made of iron, and in this case this is justified, since the heat generated in the busbars is used to heat the iron.

Do-it-yourself electric iron repair

Attention! Care must be taken when repairing an electric iron. Touching exposed parts of a circuit connected to an electrical outlet may result in electric shock. Don't forget to remove the plug from the socket!

To carry out an independent repair of the iron is within the power of any home master, even without experience in repairing household appliances. After all, there are few electrical components in the iron, and you can check them with any indicator or multimeter. It is often more difficult to disassemble an iron than to repair it. Consider the technology of disassembly and repair using the example of two Philips and Braun models.

Irons stop working for one of the following reasons, listed by frequency of occurrence: breakage of the power cord, poor contact of the terminals at the point where the cord is connected to the wiring diagram, oxidation of the contacts in the thermostat, malfunction of the thermal fuse.

Checking the health of the power cord

Since the power cord constantly bends during ironing and the greatest bend occurs at the point where the cord enters the body of the iron, in this place the wires in the cord are usually frayed. This malfunction begins to manifest itself when the iron is still heating up normally, but during ironing, the heating on indicator flashes, without being accompanied by a click of the thermostat switch.

If the insulation of the conductors in the cord frays, then a short circuit may occur with an external manifestation in the form of a flash of fire with a loud pop and the circuit breaker in the shield will turn off. In this case, you need to unplug the iron cord from the outlet and do its own repair. A short circuit of the wires in the cord of an iron is not dangerous for a person, but housewives are very impressive.

If the iron stops heating, then first of all it is necessary to check the presence of voltage in the outletby connecting any other electrical appliance to it, such as a table lamp, or connect the iron to another outlet. Before doing this, do not forget to turn the temperature control on the iron clockwise at least to the first circle on the scale. In the extreme left position of the thermostat knob, the iron can be turned off. If the outlet is working, and the iron does not heat up, then, with the cord plug inserted into the network, move it at the entrance to the iron body, simultaneously pressing it in, while observing the power indicator. The same operation must be done in the area where the cord enters the power plug. If the indicator lights up even for a moment, it means that there is definitely a wire break in the power cord and you will have to take the iron to a service workshop or repair it yourself.

Using a multimeter or pointer tester

If you have a multimeter or arrow tester, the power cord can be checked without connecting to the mains, which is more secure by connecting the probes of the device, which is switched on in the resistance measurement mode, to the pins of the mains plug. A working iron should have a resistance of about 30 ohms. Even a slight change in the reading of the device when the cord is moved will indicate the presence of a wire break in it.

If the power cord is frayed at the point of entry into the electrical plug, then you will not need to disassemble the iron, but it will be enough to replace the plug with a new one, cutting it off at the point of damage to the wire.

If the power cord frayed at the point of entry into the iron or the proposed method did not allow to determine the malfunction of the cord, then the iron will have to be disassembled. Disassembly of the iron begins with the removal of the back cover. Difficulties may arise here due to the lack of a suitable bit for the head of self-tapping screws. For example, I don’t have bits for an asterisk type slot with a pin in the center, and I unscrew such screws with a flat screwdriver with a suitable blade width. After removing the cover from the iron, all the contacts necessary to find the faulty part in the iron will become available. It will be possible, without further disassembly of the iron, to check the integrity of the power cord, the serviceability of the heating element and the thermostat.

As you can see in the photo of the Philips iron, three wires come out of the power cord, connected with the help of captive terminals to the terminals of the iron in insulation of different colors. The color of the insulation is the marking of the wires.

Although there is no international standard yet, most European and Asian electrical appliance manufacturers have adopted yellow-green mark the ground wire with the color of the insulation (which is usually denoted in Latin letters PE), brown– phase ( L), light blue- neutral wire ( N). The letter designation, as a rule, is applied on the body of the iron next to the corresponding terminal.

Conductor in isolation yellow-green color is grounding, is for safety, and does not affect the operation of the iron. The current-carrying wires are brown and light blue insulation, so they need to be checked.

With table lamp

There are many ways to check the iron's power cord, and it all depends on what tools the home master has at hand. If there are no tools at hand, then you can use the simplest method.

To do this, you first need to remove the cord terminals from the iron terminals. The plug-in terminals on the contacts of the iron are usually held by latches and in order for them to be easily removed, it is necessary to press the latch with a sharp object, as shown in the photo. At the same time, at the same time, it is necessary to inspect the contacts for their oxidation or burning, and if any are present, clean the contacts from below and above to a shine with fine sandpaper. If the terminals are put on without effort, then it is necessary to tighten them with pliers. Step-by-step instructions for repairing terminal connections in photographs are given in the article "Restoring terminal contact". After that, you need to put the terminals in their places and check the operation of the iron by connecting it to the network. It is quite possible that this was a malfunction and the iron will work.

If the terminal connections are in order, then you need to remove the terminals attached to the brown and blue wires and connect them to the pins of the plug of any electrical appliance using insulating tape, a desk lamp with an incandescent or LED bulb is best suited for this. The switch in the table lamp must be in the on position. After that, plug the iron plug into the mains and crumple the iron wire at the point where it enters the body and at the plug. If the table lamp shines steadily, then the iron wire is working and you will have to look for a malfunction further.

With phase indicator

Checking the tubular electric heater (TEN)

Heating elements in irons rarely fail, and if the heating element is faulty, then the iron has to be thrown away. To check the heating element, it is enough to remove only the back cover from it. Typically, the outputs of the heating element are connected to the extreme outputs and, as a rule, the outputs of the heating on indicator are connected to the same outputs. Therefore, if the indicator is on, but there is no heating, then the reason for this may be a break in the heating element spiral or poor contact at the welding points of the iron leads to the contact rods coming out of the heating element.

There are models of irons, such as the Braun model shown in the photograph, in which the thermostat is included in the gap of one output of the heating element, and the thermal fuse is in the gap of the other. In this case, if the thermal fuse is faulty, then an erroneous conclusion can be drawn about the failure of the heating element. The final conclusion about the state of the heating element can only be made after the complete disassembly of the iron.

Checking the health of the iron thermostat

In order to get to check the thermostat, you need to disassemble the iron completely. The handle of the iron and the plastic part of the body are attached to its metal part with screws and latches. There are a huge number of models of irons, even from one manufacturer, and the methods of fastening in each of them are different, but there are general rules.

One attachment point is usually located near the nose of the iron and the plastic body is fixed with a self-tapping screw, as in this photo of a Philips iron. In this model, the self-tapping screw is located under the steam quantity adjustment knob. To get to the head of the screw, you need to turn the handle counterclockwise until it stops and pull it up. After removing the steam adjusting unit, the self-tapping screw can be unscrewed.

In the model of the Braun iron that I had to repair, the self-tapping screw was hidden under the decorative cap of the water nozzle. To unscrew the screw, the nozzle had to be removed. She just stuck in tight. By the way, this way it can be removed for cleaning in case of clogging.

The second attachment point is usually located in the power cord entry area. The plastic body of the iron can be fastened both with self-tapping screws and with latches. The Philips iron model shown in the photo uses a threaded fastening method. From the point of view of the maintainability of the iron, fastening with self-tapping screws is preferable, since during disassembly the risk of damage to the fasteners of the plastic case is reduced.

And in the model of the Braun iron, the plastic part of the body with the handle is fixed with two latches hooked on the lugs. For disassembly, you need to disengage the latches by spreading them to the sides.

This work must be done carefully so as not to break the latches and eyes. The latches are disengaged and the body part with the handle can now be separated from the iron. It, in turn, is attached to the transition cover with screws or with flags.

In this photo of a Philips iron, the lid is attached to the soleplate with three self-tapping screws. Before unscrewing the screws, you need to remove the power indicator, which is held by the terminals on the terminals of the iron.

And for the Braun iron model, the lid is fixed to the sole with four metal flags threaded through the slots and rotated. To release the cover, you need to turn the flags with pliers so that they become along the slots. In this iron, two flags at the spout were completely rusted out, and I had to bend a special adapter out of a steel strip and cut two threads in it for screw fastening.

After removing the cover, the thermostat assembly will become available for dialing and repair. First of all, you need to inspect the condition of the contacts. The Philips iron also has a thermal fuse in the thermostat assembly. When cold, the contacts must be closed.

If the appearance of the contacts does not raise suspicions, then you need to ring them using a dial tester or a multimeter included in the minimum resistance measurement mode. The photo on the left shows the continuity diagram of the contacts of the thermal fuse, and on the right - the thermostat. The multimeter should show zero. If the multimeter shows 1, and the dial gauge shows infinity, then the contacts are the fault, they are oxidized and require cleaning.

Checking the contacts of the thermostat assembly can also be checked using an indicator to find the phase according to the method of checking the power cord described above, by touching one and the other contacts in sequence. If the indicator shines when touched to one contact, but not to the other, then the contacts are oxidized.

You can do without checking by immediately cleaning the contacts of the thermostat and thermal fuse with sandpaper. Then turn on the iron, it should work.

If there are no devices for checking contacts at hand, then you can turn on the iron and use a screwdriver blade with a well-insulated plastic handle to short-circuit the contacts. If the indicator lights up and the iron starts to heat up, it means that the contacts are burnt. Do not forget about extreme caution.

To clean the contacts, you need to insert a narrow strip of fine sandpaper between the contacts and stretch it a dozen times. Next, turn the strip 180° and strip the second contact of the contact pair. It is useful to clean the contacts of the thermostat to extend the life of the iron if, for example, when repairing the steam supply system, the iron had to be disassembled.

Examples of self-repair of irons

I recently had to repair two defective Braun and Philips irons. Describe the problems that had to be fixed.

Braun electric iron repair

The iron did not heat up, the indicator did not shine at any position of the thermostat adjustment knob. When bending the power cord, there were no signs of iron operation.

After removing the back cover, it was found that the supply voltage was supplied through the terminal block. Access to the terminal blocks was difficult. The marking of the wires corresponded to the generally accepted color marking. Previously, the iron had already been repaired, as evidenced by the broken left latch on the terminal block.

The appearance of the removed terminal block is shown in the photo. It also has a neon indicator lamp for supplying voltage to the heating element.

The input contact busbars for supplying voltage were covered in places with an oxide film of rust. This could not have caused the iron to break, which was confirmed by connecting it after removing traces of rust from the contacts with sandpaper.

After complete disassembly of the iron, the thermal fuse and thermostat contacts were rang with a multimeter. The thermal fuse of the display resistance is zero ohm, and the thermostat contacts are infinity.

Inspection showed that the contacts fit snugly together, and it became obvious that the reason for the failure lay in the oxidation of their surfaces. After cleaning the contacts with sandpaper, the contact was restored. The iron began to heat up normally.

Philips electric iron repair

I got my Philips iron in for repair after the owner cleaned the steam system. The thermostat did not work, and the iron was heated to the opening temperature of the thermal fuse.

After complete disassembly of the iron, it turned out that the ceramic pusher, which should be between the bimetallic plate and the thermostat switch, was missing. As a result, the bimetallic plate was bent, but its movement was not transmitted to the switch, so the contacts were permanently closed.

There was no old iron from which to remove the pusher at hand, there was no opportunity to buy a new one, and I had to think about what to make it from. But before making a pusher with your own hands, it was necessary to determine its length. The bimetallic plate and the switch had coaxial holes 2 mm in diameter, in which the standard pusher was previously fixed. To determine the length of the pusher, I took an M2 screw and two nuts. To fix the screw instead of the pusher, I had to raise the thermostat by unscrewing one self-tapping screw.

Attention! The bimetal plate is in contact with the soleplate of the iron and has good electrical contact with it. The switch plate is connected to the electrical network. The screw is metal and is a good conductor of electricity. Therefore, touching the soleplate during the described adjustment must only be carried out with the iron plug removed from the socket!

The screw was inserted into the hole of the bimetallic plate from below, as in the photograph, and fixed with a nut. Due to the possibility of clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the second nut, it became possible to adjust the height of the pusher simulator in order to adjust the thermostat to maintain the temperature set by the control knob.

The length of the pusher, at which the heating temperature of the iron corresponds to the position of the adjustment knob, can be selected by doing trial ironing. But for this you have to assemble and disassemble the iron every time. It is much easier to use an electronic thermometer. Many multimeters have the function of measuring temperature using an external thermocouple.

To measure the temperature of the sole, you need to put the handle on the thermostat and set it to the position marked one, two or three circles against the pointer on the iron body. Next, fix the thermocouple on the sole of the iron, fix the sole in a vertical position and turn on the iron in the network. When the soleplate temperature stops changing, take readings.

As a result of the experiment, it was determined that a pusher with a length of about 8 mm was needed. Since the iron inside the case can heat up to a temperature of 240 ° C, the pusher had to be made of a heat-resistant material. A resistor caught my eye and I remembered that in it a resistive layer is applied to a ceramic tube. The 0.25 W resistor was just the right size, and its shortened copper leads threaded through the holes will serve well as clamps.

The resistor will fit any value. Before installation in the iron, the resistor was heated to red on the gas column burner and the burnt layer of paint and resistor coating was removed with sandpaper. Everything has been removed down to the pottery. If you use a resistor with a nominal value of more than 1 MΩ, which you must be 100% sure of, then you can not remove the paint and the resistive layer.

After preparation, the resistor was installed instead of the spacer ceramic element, and the ends of the taps were slightly bent to the sides. The iron was assembled and the thermostat was re-tested, which confirmed that the thermostat maintains the temperature within the data given in the table.

What is the maximum temperature that a Philips iron can reach?

When calibrating the thermostat, I decided at the same time to find out what maximum temperature an electric iron can heat up.

To do this, the terminals of the thermostat and thermal fuse were shorted. As you can see in the photo, the device showed 328°C. When the soleplate was heated to this temperature, the iron, for fear that its plastic part might be damaged, had to be turned off.

So, during the ironing process, you plugged the plug into the socket, but after a few minutes you realized that the iron does not heat up. It is not necessary in this case to throw out the equipment and go to the store for a new one, because. sometimes the cause of the breakdown is quite simple and does not require professional skills in repairing electrical appliances. Next, we will look at what to do if the iron stops heating up, as well as how to repair existing breakdowns with your own hands.

Where to begin?

To begin with, you must visually inspect the case for cracks, defects and traces of melting of the case. Perhaps the appearance will immediately show what exactly is the cause of the breakdown of the iron. If the inspection did not give anything, you need to completely disassemble the case for self-diagnosis of all constituent elements.

We draw your attention to the fact that it is sometimes quite difficult to disassemble the iron. This is due to the fact that every year manufacturers devote more time to the design of electrical appliances, creating inconspicuous latches and holes for screws. Initially, prepare a set of screwdrivers and a knife that will be useful to you for further actions.

Video instruction for disassembling the case

Power cord

One of the main malfunctions of the iron is precisely the power cord, which you, in fact, insert into the outlet.

Get to the junction of the contacts with the heating element and if there are no visible faults, use a tester to ring the cord to determine its performance.

For dialing, you can use it, consisting of a piece of wire, a battery and a light bulb. If the light is on when you connect the contacts to both ends of the cord, go ahead.

If the power cord is the cause of the breakdown, you can try to shorten it by 10-15 cm (perhaps the problem area will be removed). Is the iron still not working? We replace the cord with a new one!

Second in line is the thermostat. We also check it with the help of a dialer, which we attach to the contact group.

When the temperature control is turned in the direction of closing the circuit, the electrical circuit should function. Is the light bulb not on? We clean the contacts with sandpaper and check again. We immediately recommend watching the video repair instructions:

How to repair a temperature controller

Is the thermostat working but the iron is not heating up? Let's start checking the thermal fuse!

More often than a power cord, this element of the circuit fails. Its main purpose is to disconnect the electrical circuit if the temperature of the heating element exceeds the nominal value.

Using the continuity, we determine the performance of the fuse. If the reason for the breakdown of the iron is in it, we replace it with a new one, or even remove it from the circuit. During normal operation of the temperature controller, the fuse is not required.

Heating element (TEN)

Well, the last of the reasons why the iron does not work is the failure of the heating element. If the equipment turns on, the light is on, but the sole does not heat up to the required temperature, most likely this is the case. As in previous cases, using a home-made tester, we determine the performance of the product. The heating element is attached to the sole and if the attachment point is one-piece, then most likely you will have to say goodbye to the purchase (if the reason is in it).

In the event that the heating element is connected to the sole with the help of tips, you can try to repair the iron with your own hands by cleaning the contacts with sandpaper. Still not heating up? We send equipment for recycling, because a new part is worth almost the full cost of the device!

We draw your attention to the fact that if you throw out the equipment in the trash, it will be more correct to disconnect the power cord and leave it to yourself. Perhaps this element will be useful to you in subsequent repairs, especially since it will not take up much space in the closet!

Steam system

If the malfunction is that the iron steamer does not work, then most likely it is necessary to clean the internal cavities of steam generation. To do this, we recommend that you use a solution of water and vinegar in the ratio of 1 liter to 1 glass. We install the sole in a container (as shown in the picture), bring the water to a boil on the stove, turn it off and wait until it cools down. After that, we repeat the event 3 more times, which is quite enough for high-quality cleaning of the spray gun.

In stores, you can see special descaling products, but we strongly do not recommend using them. This is due to the high cost of funds and at the same time low efficiency, compared with the folk way! It should also be noted that on thematic forums there are many negative reviews about the fact that the iron does not work after cleaning with salt. This is due to the fact that salt crystals clog the steam holes, as a result of which you have to carefully clean the sole.

Another reason why the sprinkler does not work is the steam button is broken. It can also be called by a tester and, if necessary, replaced.

That's all the instructions for repairing the iron with your own hands. As you can see, the event is quite simple and even a novice electrician can do it! Finally, I would like to note that if a red indicator flashes on the case, do not panic, because. this may indicate a certain mode of operation or automatic shutdown after heating. Read the instructions that come with the kit to understand the cause of the flashing. We hope that now it has become clear to you what to do if the sole of the iron does not heat up and how to repair the breakdown at home!

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