How to repair an iron: we disassemble, consider typical malfunctions, eliminate them. Repair of steam irons Dismantling and repair of the Orion iron

It often happens that the user inserts the plug into the outlet to iron things, but after a few minutes he realizes that the iron does not heat up. This does not mean that the device should be thrown away immediately, since in many cases it is possible to repair irons and it will not be as difficult as it seems. If you are at least a little versed in technology, you should try to solve the problem yourself, and the best solution would be to contact a service center where the repair of the iron will be guaranteed to be done professionally. What can cause the iron to stop working? Let's look at five reasons that contribute to this.

1. Power cord. One of the main breakdowns of the iron can be considered precisely the power cord, which, in fact, is inserted into the outlet. To repair irons, in this case it will be necessary to get to the place where the contacts are connected to the heating element. When there are no visible malfunctions, you will have to use the tester and ring the cord, this will help determine whether it is working or not. If, nevertheless, the power cord became the culprit of the malfunction, you may have to reproach it, or change it to a new one.

2. Temperature controller. This item is second in line. It also needs to be checked using a dialer, which is attached to the contact group. If the temperature regulator is turned in the direction of closing the circuit, the electrical circuit should work. Light bulb not on? You will have to clean the contacts with sandpaper and check again.

3. Thermal fuse. This element of the circuit is able to fail more often than the power cord. Its main purpose is to separate electrical circuit when the temperature of the heating element exceeds the nominal value. With the help of dialing, it is necessary to determine the operability of the fuse. If it caused the failure of the iron, it will become necessary to replace it, or even exclude it from the circuit altogether. As iron repair practice shows, during normal operation of the temperature controller, there is no need for a fuse.

4. Heating element (TEN). Another reason why iron repair is required is a malfunction of the heating element. When the device is turned on, the light is on, while the sole does not heat up to the required temperature, this is the fastest reason. As before, you will need to check the performance of the equipment. The heating element is fixed to the sole, so when the attachment point is one-piece, the fastest recovery is not possible. If, however, the heating element is connected to the sole by means of tips, it is possible to repair the iron. To do this, you will have to clean the contacts. If after that the iron does not heat up further, it is better to buy a new device, since a new part will cost almost the full cost of the device.

5. Steaming system. When the breakdown is that the steamer does not function in the iron, it will be necessary to clean the internal cavities of steam generation. For these purposes, you can use water and vinegar. Another reason for the breakage of the sprinkler can be the steam button, which in most cases has to be changed.

In any case, if your iron is dear to you, you should contact the specialists who undertake the repair of all models of irons in Kyiv and perform it professionally.

However, manufacturers are against unauthorized repairs, and therefore constantly complicate the system so that it is almost impossible for an ordinary person to repair. It is not profitable for all manufacturers to produce eternal things; it is more profitable to constantly buy appliances necessary for everyday life. Still, let's try to study the theory of repair at home.

Necessary tools

For repairs, we will take care of some tools, they are made independently without much spending. Here is the list:

• a pair or two push-ups;
• wringer secret fasteners;
• an inexpensive LED flashlight and a magnifying glass;
• a long and narrow piece of suede, a nail file, alcohol;
• the last item can be replaced with a slate or ink eraser, or a cut of a clean rag, alcohol is required.

pusher

It is made from the upper strong shell of bamboo, its dimensions are approximately equal to the thickness of an ice cream stick, one end is cut into a wedge. Often they use a non-fixed mount; in service workers they are removed with special tongs. The covers are hooked at home: the teeth of the latch have a double-sided bevel and leave the grooves without breaking. It is not recommended to remove the cover on tight latches with a table knife or a screwdriver, as shown in the figure. Steel deforms plastic and can make the cover unusable.

Why you need to use bamboo - the strength of its upper layer for bending is greater than plastic, but less for shear. A bamboo wringer, with the right manipulations, will remove the lid, if everything is done incorrectly, it will deform itself, but will not spoil the coating. To remove, use a pair of pushers, prying off the lid on both sides.

You can make a wringer by cutting a plastic coffee stirrer into a wedge, which is placed in coffee machines. It is thin and suitable even for a thin gap, carefully removes the whiskers of fixed fasteners, does not scratch them and does not break anything inside the device.

Flashlight and magnifying glass

Small cheap flashlights with LEDs shine hard, casting harsh shadows. For our renovation this is an advantage, as this illumination comes through even in very small gaps, with a magnifying glass you can see what is holding the part. To carry out this operation, they pry off the cover with a dismantling problem, shine a flashlight there and look through a magnifying glass to see what is holding it.

How to remove latches

It is optimal to find a dismantling scheme in the service book, but often they are simply not there. There is no standard disassembly scheme, since each brand comes up with its own secret latches. Moreover, they can differ even in different models one TM. The book says in this regard: "The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the design that do not affect its performance." This just applies to hidden fasteners, you will have to look for them yourself.

By the way, Western manufacturers are gradually moving away from the manufacture of structures that, with self-repair, can only be broken even more. But Asian companies stubbornly follow it. For example, in some Chinese products, the nose locking screw is not behind the filler cap, but behind the water and steam spray buttons.

We shine and see. In the figure it is highlighted in green - this is not a latch, but a spike in the groove. The latch itself is on the reverse side. To parse, remove the buttons:

• push the button forward;
• we push a thin wringer from the back;
• we press the latch;
• the clamp is in its original position, we raise the button up as far as it goes, while we will hear a soft click of the tooth, which means that it has left the groove;
• we support the button from falling, we take out the pusher;
• continue to support, move forward at an angle, turning the spike out of the groove;
• repeat all the manipulations with the second button.

Shaped fasteners

Fasteners in European models are often used for a conventional Phillips screwdriver or a hexagon. If there is no suitable hexagon, you do not need to buy it, you can unscrew such a clamp with an ordinary flat screwdriver with a sting right size. It is also suitable for screws with a trefoil slot, a favorite of Chinese manufacturers. But the screwdriver should not be strongly clamped, since a significant side clamp is created and the screw can jam in the thread. If the fastener is twisted very tightly, it is removed with several sharp turns, placing the tool in different pairs of grooves.

The situation is worse with the bolt in the figure on the right - a TORXX slot, scissors or tweezers will help here if the fastener dangles in its socket. The easiest way to carry out the operation is with small platypus pliers or side cutters, but the latter will leave marks on the slot jumper. Nothing will be done to the fastener itself, but if you have to contact the service next time, experienced master sees that an unskilled person was trying to gain access to the inside of the device, and uses this excuse to increase the cost of repairs.

Steam iron device

To make it easier to find all the secret screws, let's carefully study the device of the steam iron. Its standard layout is shown below:

Impact steaming with superheated steam is not installed in all models, the effect of it is only if there is a maximum position of the regulator - three points. In expensive models with shock steam, the steam pump is blocked when the regulator pointer is set to lower positions. This is written in the instructions, which few people read. If there is no steam boost, you need to set the regulator to maximum, this may solve the problem.

Innovation in the electronic part - turning off the heating element when the position of the sole changes. When the device is placed vertically on purpose or due to a fall, the heating is switched off by the positional protection module. It is this part that is in second place in terms of breakdowns in high-quality models, in the first place is the formation of scale, which will be discussed later. Both breakdowns often fall under the category of self-repair.

How the Chinese steam

Having examined the soles of irons from China of different categories, you can see that most models of drip humidification nozzles are not real. In fact, it turns out that during capital heating, you can get a steam boost by holding down the steam button, in the same position of the regulator, soft steam appears from the button with droplets to get drip moisture, both are clamped at once.

Electrical diagram of the iron

KM relay and SK location sensor - positional protection. Here you can often find a power indicator, a neon, not an LED. The protection can be turned off, which will not affect the operation of the iron for the consumer, but the LED indicator will also not work, and this is already an inconvenience to use. We disable protection in parts, while maintaining its functionality.

The numbers with indices are written in the picture - this is the sequence of actions when ringing the “hot” and “cold” chains with a multimeter: one probe with a crocodile is hooked onto a pin with a network plug, the second goes through the positions. Both continuity calls will meet on the contacts of the KM relay. In the normal state, the KM contacts are not closed: if the device is connected to the network, the contacts of the KM thermostat pull, closed contacts supply current to the heating element. A malfunction of the direct positional protection turns off the heating element according to the principle of redundant safety. For a master without relevant experience, this fact can become a rebus.

It may happen that when you call back, there will be a lack of contact in the connecting cap. In such a situation, only a bite of the wires and re-sealing them into a new one will help.

Thermal protection (termichka)

The overheating fuse is activated if the temperature threshold of the sole goes beyond 240 degrees or a current of the specified value passes through the heating element. A new fuse is selected for the current and power of the unit:

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

Thermal protection is selected with a margin, 220 V is an effective indicator of the voltage in the network, the amplitude is 220 V x 1.4 = 308 V. The half-cycle of the frequency lasts 50 Hz 10 ms, the thermal works 4-5 ms. In the situation of a current surge up to the threshold of 245 V, the thermal for the operating current of the heating element in a fully working device may deteriorate.

Fuses are presented in three modifications - one-time, to be restored and self-restoring. The first is melted in an emergency, in order to avoid damage to other parts, it is placed in a sleeve that is dielectrically resistant to temperatures, most often it is made of fiberglass. Otherwise, it can break through the mains voltage to the sole. In the second case, there is a bimetallic plate with voltage, it snaps and disconnects the contacts. To return everything to working condition, it is squeezed out through a specially left window, pressed with something sharp until it clicks. The third option returns the plate to its original position by itself when the equipment cools down. Such thermals are paired with a temperature controller and are always equipped with a current fuse.

thermostat

The temperature regulator of the sole is one of the most important vital parts and therefore most often breaks down. This is a trigger device based on mechanical action, functioning at the expense of a bimetallic plate. It has nothing to do with the temperature controller in the refrigerator. The similarity is only in the presence of a trigger, the design is completely different. It works according to this principle:

1. The spare part with a moving contact is fixed in a static area by a toggle spring. When the contacts are closed, the heating element is energized. Spring compression is set using a special knob on the body.
2. The reverse side of the contact is combined with a dielectric pusher rod equipped with a bimetallic platinum.
3. The last part is deformed from heating and acts on the movable contact through the rod, this effect continues until the spring is overpowered.
4. The spring flips the contacts and separates them.
5. The heating element is turned off, the sole reduces the temperature.
6. The plate gradually returns to its position, when the pressure on the spring decreases, it is thrown back and the regulator becomes in the starting position.

The heating element is gaining temperature, the cycle is restarted. In older models and some of the new ones, the regulator is designed with an unfixed rocker arm - 1 in the figure.

There are significant disadvantages in the structure - four burnable contacts and a large temperature fluctuation between the operation and the reset of the regulator to the starting position. This design is complemented by a calibration screw under the handle, it is twisted when the temperature is set too high with an iron or unscrewed if it heats poorly. To get the calibration screw, remove the temperature controller knob. It is seated on friction on the axis, in the body it is fixed with paws on a spacer. To remove it, turn it to the minimum value until it stops and then pull it towards you.

In most of the models there are unified temperature controllers with a double spring system - 2 in the picture. It works with high accuracy and it does not need adjustments. Weak points - as in the case described above, contacts will be discussed below. Marked in blue ceramic stem, in some cases it cracks. Its length is 8 mm, for replacement, a part is made from an MLT-0.5 W resistor, 2 in the picture. Cut its conclusions to 1.5-2 mm, remove the paint layer with dichloroethane or surfactant remover, remove the conductive layer with sandpaper. With a resistance index of 620-680 kOhm, it is set so that the paint will burn without fumes and odors. But the sole will pierce and pinch the hand. An even more unpleasant situation is a decrease in resistance if there is an unprotected conducting current on the resistor, and the leakage current will increase by several positions.

It happens that the insert washer cracks in the regulator. The replacement is made of fluoroplast, picture 2b.

Cleaning contacts

Sometimes it is recommended to clean the contacts with sandpaper, but this is not true, a lot of voltage passes through the wires, cleaning with this method reduces the time before burning. In current models, contacts use thin-walled stamped ones, they burn out completely. For cleaning, we take a nail file, wrap it with suede soaked in alcohol, put it between the contacts and three, until carbon traces remain on the suede. Or cut a narrow wedge from an ink eraser, clean it with it, and then go through the same wedge, but from a pencil eraser. At the end of the procedure, we take the same nail file, wrap it with a rag in alcohol and remove the eraser particles with it.

It happens that the iron heats up as much as possible, changing the position of the regulator knob and the calibration screw does not affect the situation. This symptom indicates a soldering of contacts. Only replacement will help.

How to disassemble an iron

Standard disassembly is carried out as follows:

• dismantle the temperature knob;
• remove the back cover, sometimes together with the top;
• behind it is a contact block;
• top cover;
• frame;
• temperature controller cover, if applicable.

Now the interior can be inspected and repaired. Each stage provides for the nuances of dismantling. Separately, some of them will be considered on the example of products of Western companies, now we will describe the general nuances.

Back cover

Only it has fasteners with a screw or several. They can be located below the pair. There are two options here - a single back and top cover or separate ones. The first option provides for a straight handle, then the covers are removed by pushing the fingers back, the fastening is carried out by horizontal axes in the longitudinal sockets.

In the case of separate covers, the back cover is fastened with one or two screws, here there are also two options: the back cover is flush with the body or overlaid. If it is flush, then it is dragged by the lower part towards itself, in its upper part there is a fastening with spikes in the grooves, they turn out and the lid will get out. The second situation applies only to fastenings with one screw in the middle. If the screw is unscrewed, and the cover does not move and does not reach for them, then it is fixed with double spikes in the grooves - from below and from above. We push it up, release the lower spikes, then pull it down, turning the upper ones out of the grooves.

Block

After dismantling the back cover, a contact block will be found, it in itself is a source of breakdowns. In models of different cost, it is the simplest screw, they replace the fused one with propylene. Do not put polyethylene and PVC, as they will not withstand temperatures.

The most robust construction- with captive terminals - 2 in the figure, unscrew 2 screws of the mains cord clamp and a pair of screws for fastening the block itself. We call the network wires to the block sockets related to them, if this does not happen, it is necessary to replace the block or install captive terminals on the wires. Rewiring the wires into the cutting block will not work.

Top cover

The uneven top-mounted lid is latched but not locked. You can remove it with two push-ups, discussed above, the process starts from the rear edge, if it doesn’t work out, we take it from the front.

Positional Defense

Most models have a positional protection module under the housing. Here weakness- position sensor. Most often, it is a plastic box - indicated by red arrows in the figure, there are always a couple of exits there. The position sensor is securely covered with a lid or smeared with compound on top, it is easily picked off.

It is not difficult to determine the breakdown: the unit does not turn on, but a small chatterbox will make it work for a short time and turn off again. Inside the sensor, you can find a couple of contacts and a metal roller in a dense and dirty coating. Initially, it is pure and colorless silicone, but a spark appearing from the relay contributed to the modification. As a result, carbon deposits prevent the roller from closing contacts and moving as expected.

The spoiled grease is removed with table vinegar; it is not recommended to put the roller without grease into operation. During use, the device will heat up randomly, the relay will clap, and the life of the sensor will be significantly reduced. If silicone is not available, machine oil can be used, this option is even better, as it tolerates dirt and does not perceive sparks. Before applying, the sensor is wiped with alcohol, a needle from the syringe is placed on the oiler, the oil is carefully applied without staining the walls. After all the manipulations, the lid is fixed back with any superglue, the greasy walls will not stick together.

Brown and some others put the encoder signal through a microchip where it is processed. In this design, it is better to leave the roller without lubrication.

Another possible malfunction is burnt contacts or a winding on the relay, in such a situation it will not turn on at all. To check the module, it is removed and the operating voltage of direct or alternating current is applied to the winding, this figure is written on the case - the green line. We will hear a click and the tester will determine the closure. If this does not happen, the relay needs to be replaced.

If there is any doubt about the data written on the relay, measure the resistance. If the winding current in a given voltage is from 80-100mA, they are not allowed to enter the winding. Check the relay from the regulated power supply. Most often, the operating voltage is up to 24 V.

Positional defense is not an important element. To recline it and leave the indication of the heating element, solder the white wire, make a connection with brown, or solder and connect red. The relay sometimes starts to make clicking and rattling sounds, we unsolder it too.

Frame

When the back cover and the terminal block are dismantled, we will see the spikes fixing the case in the grooves - at the bottom of the figure. There may be screws there, we don’t remove it yet, as there may be a couple more screws holding the case in the spout area.

It has already been considered how the Chinese hide the screws, from other manufacturers they need to be looked for under the cap of the mouth of the bay. When the top cover is removed, the neck will remain in place. To remove the neck, raise the hatch of the bay and remove the cover with the help of a wringer, we will see the screws on the nose - the upper part of the picture.

Next, the iron body is dismantled and removed with pumps, we see all the malfunctions that lead to the lack of steam, the ingress of water inside, because of which the iron throws sparks, makes noise and breaks through. These can be salt deposits in pipes and valves or cracks in the pipes. It is impossible to glue the tubes, as this is ineffective at high temperatures. First, we clean the water supply system from scale. In nipples, we do this with a solution of citric acid in the proportion of 1 tsp. on a glass. We fold the burst tubes, put on pieces of a heat-shrinkable tube, heat it with a household hair dryer.

Problems of different brands

Tefal

There are individual nuances. The case is dismantled with the top cover. The nose screw is under the water dispenser cover (left and center in the picture), it is visible through the translucent plastic. To access the pumps, remove the top cover on the dismantled housing. The screw is located behind the buttons - the right side of the picture, to remove the cover it is removed.

This brand is the leader in the production of irons without wires. Products of three types: contacts are located on the platform, the sole accumulates heat, the cord shoots. The first and second options can be repaired by yourself, the third may falsely appear to be faulty.

The cord ejects a pusher powered by a non-system trigger mechanism with an individual bimetal plate. If it seems that the temperature has already dropped and the cord is not plugged back in, it may be that the appliance has simply not cooled down enough. We wait until the temperature drops, try to put it again, set the regulator to high temperature and waiting for the shot. The system is not very convenient, therefore it is not bought up.

Philips

A distinctive feature of TM Philips is a double case. The popular Azur model is dismantled according to the standard scheme - And in the picture, the difference in the placement of the back cover latches is a pair of screws at the bottom. Under the decorative layer with pumps, we find an internal protective casing with protection - B in the picture, then there is already a massive sole, in fact, the third case, on which the thermostat and thermal - C in the picture.

By their design, they are typical, they are disassembled as easy as shelling pears: the back cover is on 1 screw without tricky fasteners. For dismantling, unscrew the screw and pull back the inlet hose of the mains cord - in the figure, the cover will be removed together with the hinge, then disassembly proceeds as usual.

Brown

The ineradicable sin of these devices is the steam generator tank with thin walls made of galvanized steel and the fasteners of the regulator casing with foldable tabs made of the same material. It rusts very well, repairing it is pointless.

We return steam

Expensive and cheap models are prone to scale formation. It is problematic to clean it without dismantling the tank, it is absolutely impossible to do it as shown in the figure - the owners boil their iron in a pan with vinegar.

The acetic acid will float on the plastic, making it brittle, it will corrode the rough surface of the nickel on the sole, and the Teflon coating will peel off. For proper cleaning the device is disassembled to the sole, as in the video.

It has already been said above that to remove scale in the iron, it is better to take lemon acid. Before cleaning, the contacts of the heating element and ceramic bushings are tightly wrapped with high-quality soft insulating tape in 3-4 layers or with heat-shrinkable tape.

The scale from the nozzles is cleaned with a toothpick. At the end of the procedure, the system is generously washed with clean water from top to bottom, pouring it into the steam generator tank. Only such a procedure will guarantee the service of the iron.

and reassembly of the iron.

Do-it-yourself iron repair

So, an iron has broken down in your house, no matter from which manufacturer, the question arises: "How to fix the iron."

Testing the electrical circuit as for the whole household appliances carried out with a probe \ for example OP-1 \

or digital multimeter.

There is no significant difference in the schemes of irons from different manufacturers.

Iron diagram

For a general idea, consider a series electrical circuit of connections Philips iron

The first wire of phase or zero potential from an external power source has a contact detachable connection with a terminal, from the terminal through the thermostat - the wire goes to the heating element. The second wire from the external power source has a plug-in contact with the second terminal, from the second terminal the electrical circuit has a serial connection passing through the thermal fuse and closes at the second terminal of the heating element. The control lamp and the fuse are connected in parallel to two contact connections of the heating element.

The electrical circuit closes on the heater - heating element and light bulb. The temperature regulator sets a certain temperature regime for heating the iron.

The closing and opening of the electrical circuit occurs in the thermostat itself due to a change in the bimetallic plate under the influence of the heating and cooling temperature of the heating element. The reasons for the malfunction of the iron are as follows:

• broken cord wiring at the base of the plug;
• mechanical damage to the cord wiring along its entire length;
• burnout of heating element \sole of iron\;
• oxidation of the contacts of the bimetallic plate of the thermoregulator;
• thermal fuse blown

What can be replaced here during testing:

• replace cord;
• replace the cord plug;
• clean the contact of the thermostat;
• replace thermostat;
• replace thermal fuse

It does not make sense to replace the heating element in case of its malfunction, which is the sole of the iron, since the sole of the iron itself is more than half the cost of the iron itself. In this case, the soleplate of the iron is thrown away, everything else from the iron goes to spare parts. When dismantling \ disassembling \ iron, care should be taken to avoid damage to the iron body.

It should be remembered that testing to identify a malfunction of the iron is carried out in a passive way without connecting to an external power source. Immediately before connecting the iron to an external power source, it is necessary to measure the total resistance of the electrical circuit with a digital multimeter, which should not be zero on the display of the device.

Iron repair - Mulinex

This topic is supplemented with personal photographs and an accompanying description of the repair of the iron. As an example, consider the malfunction of the Mulinex iron.

Photo-with explanations

So, before us is the Mulinex iron and the cause of its malfunction is unknown to us in advance, that is, we need to establish the exact cause of its malfunction.

In the back of the iron \photo No. 1\, in order for us to remove the cover, we need to unscrew the screw. The screw head, as you pointed out, is not suitable for our domestic screwdrivers. How to get out of the situation if there is no such screwdriver? - Here, too, you can find a way out, for this we need small scissors with sharp ends. We insert the two ends of the scissors and it is easy for us to unscrew the screw.

After unscrewing the screw, carefully open the cover with a screwdriver \photo No. 2 \. At the same time, we try not to damage the cover body.

After removing the back cover of the iron \ photo No. 3 \, we can see the terminal connection of the wires of the network cable with the elements of the iron:

thermostat;

heating element \heating element\.

To directly get to the contacts of the thermostat \ photo No. 5 \ and the heating element, or in other words - the soles of the iron, we unscrew the parts one by one.

For beginners, you should remember the sequence of such disassembly so as not to create confusion for yourself in the further assembly of the iron.

A screwdriver in the photographs shows the attachment points of such parts.

That is, here you need to be careful about disassembly. The body and individual parts of the iron are supplemented with fasteners such as latches.

The screwdriver shows the thermostat knob \ photo No. 7 \ and we need to remove another cover, which is the heat sink of the iron plate.

The photograph shows additional places for such connections \photo No. 8 \, we also continue to unscrew the screws and release the sole of the iron from the cover.

Well, we got to the most interesting, so to speak - thermostat contacts \ photo No. 9 \. The thermostat contacts are indicated by the tip of a screwdriver.

The thermostat knob sets the heating of the iron sole set by us. To prevent overheating of the heating element, the design of the thermostat has a bimetallic plate, which, upon reaching set temperature heating - disconnects the contacts. As the bimetallic plate cools down, the electric circuit closes and the sole of the iron heats up again.

We carefully examine the contacts of the thermostat, that is, we check this section of the electrical circuit with a probe.

For this example, the malfunction of the iron was the oxidation of the thermostat contacts. We clean the thermostat contacts with a piece of fine sandpaper and once again carry out diagnostics with a probe for this area.

Additionally, of course, you should also check the heating element of the iron itself.

Iron diagnostics

The photograph shows a signal lama \photo No. 10\. The lamp in the electrical circuit is connected in parallel and if it burns out, this does not entail a malfunction of the iron as a whole.

In this photograph, the fingers of the hand show the contacts of the heating element \photo No. 11 \. We carry out diagnostics of the heating element.

To do this, set the multimeter device to the resistance measurement range. With two probes of the device we touch the contacts of the heating element, on the display of the device we can see the resistance reading - 36.7 Ohm.

The reading of the device corresponds to the resistance of the heating element. We carry out diagnostics for the general electrical circuit of the iron \ photo No. 13 \.

We connect two probes of the device with the pins of the plug, the result is clearly visible to us on the display of the device. That is, the resistance reading for the general electrical circuit of the iron is obtained by two tenths more.

So we figured out the malfunction and fixed the iron. As you have seen, we cannot do without diagnostics both for individual sections and for diagnosing the circuit as a whole.

The theme will be updated in the future.

Irons as household appliances appeared a long time ago. They were bulky, heavy and inconvenient to use. The advantage of these devices was their "indestructibility" due to the simplicity of the design. They became unusable only when hot coal burned through their metal bottom.

Today, an iron is a high-tech device consisting of several nodes that have fine tuning and coherence.

Rice. 1. Repairable iron

When all this is violated, the device junks and eventually fails. This happens due to various reasons. Incorrect operation, falling of the device, use of chlorinated water for the steam generator and much more. As a result, such a necessary device turns into a useless piece of plastic and metal.

What to do if your favorite device stops heating? The main thing is not to panic, but try to return the iron to its working capacity. Often the cause of the problem is minor and easily fixable.

Below, the article will describe the troubleshooting of an electric iron and how to fix it and repair it yourself.

Of the tools, you only need a Phillips screwdriver, a multimeter or ohmmeter and small pliers called "ducks".

Although this iron does not have a steam generator, its electrical circuit and design are practically the same as the first ones. Therefore, the method for diagnosing and repairing the electrical part is identical for them.

In photo 2, a device that does not heat up when it is connected to the network and the thermostat wheel is rotated.

Rice. 2. Turn the knob, but the iron does not heat up

Mains voltage is present, visually the cord and plug have no visible damage.

Judging by the tag (Figure 3), the power of the device is 1000 watts. This is not a big figure, as there are instances with a power of up to 2500 watts. The more watts the iron consumes, the faster it heats up, but the more current passes through its circuits and contacts. Therefore, such devices are more likely to be subject to conditions under which they fail.

Rice. 3. Specifications

As with many irons, you should start by removing the back cover of the case (Figure 4). It rests on one screw, located exactly in the middle of the cover.

Rice. 4. Remove the back cover of the case

Loosen this screw using a Phillips screwdriver.

After the screw is removed, the cover will be removed freely and you will be able to see the incoming electrical circuits of the iron.

Rice. 5. Electrical circuits of the iron

For ease of installation, there is a terminal block inside (Figure 6), to which the incoming cable comes. On the other side of the terminal block, the wires go deeper into the device.

With a high power of the iron, wires can burn out in this place or the terminal block body can melt. The fact is that this method of clamping with screws is not entirely reliable, since over time the connection heats up and the screw loosens.

In this case, the connection heats up even more and as a result the wire burns out. And this place is often a weak link in the electrical circuit of the device.

Rice. 6. Terminal block

But everything looks great in the photo. No hints of heating, let alone a broken wire. Most likely, this is due to the low power of the heater.

But in order to make it convenient to disassemble in the future, it is necessary to remove the cord clamp, which is held on by two screws.

Rice. 7. remove the upper part of the iron body

Using the same Phillips screwdriver, unscrew one screw and loosen the other.

When the cord is released, pull it out and unscrew the case screws.

Rice. 8. unscrew the case screws

Now let's move on to the front. Both screws in this location are under the water container. This is an ordinary spray bottle, for irrigating clothes before ironing.

Rice. 9. Press the release button

To remove it, press the release button (Figure 9) and remove the atomizer itself. Next, take out the water container.

Rice. 10. Take out the atomizer
Rice. 11. Water container

Under it, two screws are hidden that fasten the case to the sole of the iron. We unscrew one, and then the second screws.

Rice. 12. Unscrew 2 screws

After these manipulations, the top cover can be easily removed.

Rice. 13. Remove the top cover

Only the sole with a protective cover and electrical circuits remains.

Rice. 14. Iron sole

Photo 15 shows that the indicator lamp is moving away from the terminal block.

Rice. 15. Indicator light

It should signal the operation of the iron when the mains voltage is applied directly to the heater.

In the center is the thermostat slider (Figure 16) with an oblique guide cut. This cut is necessary for docking the regulator wheel on the top cover with the temperature sensor engine.

Rice. 16. Thermostat engine

We take out the neon lamp from the seat (Figure 17) and unscrew the three screws securing the protective cover of the sole (Figure 18).

Next, you need to disconnect the wires going under the casing, otherwise they will interfere. The wires, both incoming and outgoing, have the appropriate color, so there is no need to mark them before disconnecting.

Rice. 17. Take out the light bulb
Rice. 18. Unscrew 3 mounting screws

But before that, we check if the problem is in the cord. To do this, we connect the terminals of a device capable of testing the circuit with blue and brown wires (Figure 19). These colors correspond to the phase and zero of the 220 V network. We turn the thermostat slider first in one direction and then in the other direction.

The device does not show anything, which means that the break is further under the protective cover.

Rice. 19. Looking for an open circuit

Unscrew all wire clamps one by one.

Rice. 20. Unscrew the remaining wire clamps

After removing the wires from the clamps, carefully remove the protective cover.

Rice. 21. Remove the protective cover

We put it aside and again take the chain pointer. We connect its ends with the conclusions of the heater or heating element. The device shows that the heating element is intact, and this is good news, since it is pressed into the soleplate of the iron.

Rice. 22. Checking the heater

The only thing left is the temperature controller.

A brown wire comes to one of its outputs, which comes directly from the network. Having connected the device to this output of the temperature sensor (Figure 23), as well as to the white wire that goes to its second contact, we turn the regulator again.

Rice. 23. Checking the thermostat

Nothing happens, so the thermostat is faulty.

What can be done in this case? The simplest thing is to replace the regulator. But finding the same one will most likely be problematic, especially a working one.

Some short-circuit the temperature sensor with a piece of wire, thus removing it from the circuit.

But this is not an option, because at best, when overheated, the iron can burn the delicate fabric. And at worst, the whole apartment or house, if it is accidentally left plugged into the network. Therefore, a direct connection is not an option.

What then can be done? Just adjust the bimetal plate of the thermostat. If you look closely, you can see that the thermal relay contacts are open in any position of the regulator knob.

But if you press your finger on the bimetallic plate, the contacts will close at some point. So you need to bend the plate a little and everything should work.

We take the “ducks” and, having captured the bimetal plate with them, slightly rotate it counterclockwise (Figures 24 and 25).

Rice. 24. Rotate the bimetal plate
Rice. 25.

This should be done as carefully as possible and in the middle position of the thermostat engine. At some point, a click will be heard, and the contacts will close.

We take measurements after completion (Figure 26). It can be seen that the contact part of the temperature sensor closes.

Rice. 26. Measurements after completion

Now we get the wires into the hole in the casing and stretch them with our fingers from the other side. We also carefully lay out the wires. We put on the upper part of the case and clamp the screws for its fastening.

It is very important that when connecting the body to the sole (Figure 31), the axis of the regulator wheel fits exactly into the cut on the thermal relay engine.

To check if these two parts are connected correctly, you need to turn the regulator wheel in different directions. If it is fixed in two directions, then everything is connected correctly and assembly can continue.

Rice. 31. We connect the body with the sole

We fix the case with screws and put the container with the spray gun.

Rice. 34. Put back the back cover

We turn on the iron in the network and rotate the wheel.

In photo 35, you can see that the iron has turned on and is heating up.

Rice. 35. Iron works

At some point, he himself turned off, gaining the desired temperature.

We spin the wheel to the maximum, and it turned on again. We can assume that the regulator is working correctly and will not fail at the right time. On this repair can be considered completed.

It should be remembered that all work must be carried out with the device disconnected from the mains.

To fix the iron with your own hands, you need to know how this device is made. Considering the device of the iron, we can say that structurally it is similar to appliances such as a kettle or a heater. The differences are only in the purpose of the devices and the presence of additional nodes.

In the iron, regardless of the country and manufacturer, there are four main components:

• heater;
• plug with cord;
• thermal fuse;
• Temperature regulator.

In order for the iron to start working, it is necessary to apply voltage to the tubular heating element located in the sole of the device. IN modern models, such as Roventa, powerful heating elements from 1000 to 2300 W are used. If you do not interrupt the heating process, then the sole of the device will become so hot that it will be suitable only for frying eggs, and not for ironing linen.

In order to prevent excessive heating, a control device is built into the circuit of the apparatus. The thermal regime depends on the temperature regulator of the iron, which is selected taking into account the type of fabrics: some materials can be ironed at a temperature of 100 C, others need indicators of 200 C. In most models, which include Brown irons, the adjustment wheel is located in the upper part of the body under the handle.

The fuse is an important safety feature. When the appliance reaches extreme temperatures resulting from a malfunction, the thermal fuse will open the contacts and the iron will turn off.

Before repairing the iron, it is necessary to check the serviceability of the power wire. Most often, it cracks in places of frequent deformations - at the entrance to the case or near the fork. The malfunction may appear gradually when the indicator lamp flashes during ironing. Such a wink means that there is no normal contact and oxidation of the terminals is possible.

Another malfunction manifests itself more violently. If the wires rub against each other for a long time, the insulating layer may be broken and a short circuit may occur. Outwardly, this is manifested by strong cotton, turning off other devices and a specific smell characteristic of burnt wiring.

Women, who are especially impressionable, such situations hurt to the core. They perceive the breakdown as a natural disaster and respond by calling their husband, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the house management. Most correct option- the first, because any man whose hands grow from where they should be can make the iron turn on again. Otherwise, you should still contact the strong half so that he handed over the item for repair.

The Internet is filled with videos on the topic of repairing irons. Many stories are devoted to the flaws of the supply wire. If the cord is broken near the plug, it is not necessary to disassemble the appliance. In the case when suspicion falls on the part that is hidden by the case, disassembly is indispensable. To do, for example, do-it-yourself repair of the Philips iron, you should remove the back cover. Behind it, the power cord diverges into three wires. If the insulation is damaged, it must be repaired. When the terminals are oxidized, you need to disconnect the wires and clean the problem areas.

Checking the electric heater

The heating element in modern designs is a reliable unit and rarely breaks. When this trouble occurs, it is better not to buy a new heater. It's easier to buy a new iron. But first you need to make sure that the problem is in the heating element.

In all models, the heater contacts are soldered to the device contacts and connected to the indicator lamp. If the lamp is on, but the iron does not heat up, then the malfunction is related to the heating element.

The most common cause of heating element failure is a broken coil. Another reason may be insufficient contact of the heating element rods with the device leads at the connection points.

In some models, the thermal fuse is included in one heater circuit and the regulator in another. If the fuse is faulty, then a false “diagnosis” can be made, suspecting the heating element to be faulty. To accurately determine the cause of the failure of the device, it should be completely disassembled.

Problems with the thermostat

Control temperature regime carried out with a round wheel. It is located in the Azur iron and in other models on the case under the handle. When the wheel is turned to the right, the heating temperature increases, to the left it decreases until the heating element is completely turned off.

The wheel acts on the thermostat through a special sleeve or steel angle and is attached to the body with latches. In the Scarlet iron and in other models, it is enough to pick up the adjusting disc with a screwdriver so that it comes off.

The principle of operation of the thermostat is based on the various properties of metals. In the manufacture of this unit, two plates are soldered, made of metals with unequal coefficients of linear expansion. Thanks to these indicators, the plates behave differently. Outwardly, it looks like this: under the influence of temperature, the common plate is bent, causing the circuit to open, and the iron turns on.

To verify that the temperature regulator is malfunctioning, you will have to disassemble the iron completely.

The handle of the device and the plastic parts of the body are attached to the metal parts with latches or self-tapping screws. Even one manufacturer of models has many, and they all have design features. But there are common points in all species.

To disassemble the iron, it is necessary to examine its sharp part, where there is one attachment point. For example, a Philips iron hides a self-tapping screw under the steam control knob. To unscrew the screw, turn the handle all the way to the left and pull it up. After removing the adjusting unit, you can unscrew the self-tapping screw. In the Brown model, the screw is hidden under the nozzle cover. You can remove the nozzle by slightly pulling it towards you. After its removal, free access to the screw opens. Other self-tapping screws or latches are located under the rear cover of the instrument.

After the plastic part of the case has been removed, you should consider the thermostat of the iron. In cold mode, the contacts must be closed. If there is a special device, it is better to ring the knot. If there is no device, you can clean the contacts with fine sandpaper, and then plug the iron into the network.

The fuse and other malfunctions are to blame for everything

To fix the iron, you can refer to statistics that say that 50-60% of malfunctions occur due to the fact that the thermal fuse fails. This node is single action and reusable. The fuses of the first group, like kamikaze, work only once. The unit is designed so that when the heating element reaches a temperature of 240 C, the circuit breaks. Further operation of the device without additional intervention becomes impossible.

More modern technologies include the use of bimetallic parts. Such a thermal fuse is able to turn off the iron in extreme situations, and then turn it on again. If the iron does not work for this reason, the easiest way is to throw out the knot and short the circuit. You can do this in different ways:

• by soldering;
• by crimping a metal rod;
• switching power wires.

In each case, it is necessary to achieve reliable contact.

Another common disease is a problem with the steam system. Sometimes in the Bosch iron, the button that turns on the process is strongly pressed through, and no steam is supplied. Bosch iron repair should begin by unscrewing the screw at the back and removing the back cover. Then you should carefully pull the two buttons that regulate the steam supply up. They are not fixed with screws and are held on the bushings by friction. Next, you need to unscrew the screw, after which plastic handle should come off easily. There are two pumps under the cover: one supplies water to the sprinkler, the other delivers water to the soleplate to create steam. The steam pump needs to be removed. At the bottom there is a ball, which, due to scale, sticks to the bottom of the chamber. To fix the problem, you need to push the ball into the chamber and assemble the iron in the reverse order.

Whatever iron you have to repair, you need to remember about safety and follow certain rules: turn on the device in the network only when necessary; do not attempt to troubleshoot with wet hands; during repairs, the iron must be installed on a stable, current-resistant and heat-resistant coating.