Talking about the kitchen, a blender is one of the equipment that must exist, usually used as a tool for refining food ingredients. If in the past, we needed extra energy to refine food ingredients, now after the invention of a blender, we only need to turn or press a button and instantly the food ingredients are smooth.
A blender is simply defined as an electronic kitchen utensil equipped with a rotating blade that is used to mix, stir, grind or soften food ingredients. When buying a blender, it is important to check the details so that the blender can last a long time.
Just like other man-made equipment, blender components can also be damaged. The damage can be identified based on the occurrence of the damage. The following are some of the malfunctions that often occur in blenders.
1. Blender Off
The most common damage is the blender cannot be turned on. This damage can be caused by many things, such as a broken power cable, a short circuit in the motor or dynamo, a short circuit in the on/off switch and the speed controller.
- If a problem like this occurs, there is no need to worry and panic, just do the following steps to check.
- The user must remember in advance what events happened to the blender before the blender turned off.
- If cannot finding a specific cause, the user must check one by one the electrical components starting from the power cable.
- Take a multimeter that can measure cable resistance, then set the electrical path detection function, usually shaped like a picture of a diode (Figure 2).
- Attach the iron end of the multimeter probe cable to the iron end of the power cable as shown in Figure 3. If the multimeter makes a squeaky sound, then the power cable is in good condition. Test the phase (red) and neutral (black or blue) wires.
- Next, check the connectivity of the on/off switch and blade speed control switch. Blenders generally consist of 4 switches, one of them is an off switch. To check the switch is the same as when checking the power cable. The main tool used is a multimeter with a setting to measure cable resistance (Figure 2). Take measurements with the form of a circuit as shown in Figure 4.
Position the red probe cable on the phase cable in the power cable (if the power cable is in good condition or at the terminal where the power cable phase is attached and the black/blue probe cable on the switch output line. Press the switches one by one, if the multimeter makes a shrill sound, then the switch is in good condition.
However, if it does not make a sound, there is a possibility that the switch has been “dolled”, there is insulating material such as rust or dust so it needs to be cleaned. If after cleaning, it still does not make a sound when testing using a multimeter, the user can replace the switch with a new one.
If the two possible damage above does not occur, then the other possible damage is the electric motor (dynamo). For this part, it is better for the user to leave it to the experts, because it has a high level of complexity and must be done according to the experts to avoid more serious damage. The cause can be from several events such as leaking rubber bossing so that water seeps into the machine and causes a short circuit or there is also a broken winding on the dynamo.
The only step the user can take is to check the bossing rubber. If the rubber feels brittle or loose, it can be concluded that a leak has occurred and has caused the engine to short out. Replace the bossing rubber with a new one or you can also use the rubber on the LPG cylinder.
2. Heavy Blade for Spinning
The rotation of the blender blade should match the speed set on the switch. However, if the phenomenon of slow blade rotation occurs even though the speed control switch is already at its highest rotation, then we can assume that there is a disturbance in the axle.
The possibility is that there are impurity particles on the axle that hinder the distribution of the dynamo rotation on the axle. The user can perform steps to clean the axle or if there is damage to the axle, it can be replaced with a new one.
3. There is a Buzz but The Blender is not Working
The phenomenon of signs of damage is the appearance of a buzzing sound on the blender motor, but the blade does not rotate. This can occur due to the electric motor (dynamo) losing its rotating moment due to a short circuit in the rotor or stator winding.
If it happens like this, the user is not advised to force run the blender continuously. The impact that occurs if you force it to run is a fire in the blender motor. It is better for users to immediately submit to the experts for repair.
4. There are Sparks
If the blender motor works but the blender emits sparks which is a sign of a short circuit between the brush and the commutator.
The commutator acts as a rectifier for the AC current that enters the rotor coil. While the brush serves as the main electric current distributor into the rotor.
The brush and the commutator rub against each other to transmit electric current. For that the position of the brush must always be considered. Try to position the brush so that it is always perpendicular to the commutator.
Shifting positions can cause friction between the brush and the commutator to be imperfect, so that it can trigger sparks, besides that the distribution of electric current becomes unstable and another impact is that the motor rotation is not optimal.
5. There is a Vibration in the Blender
Often there is a vibration phenomenon in the blender body when the blender is operating. This condition indicates that there is a problem with the mechanical blender system such as:
- Hardened brush. The hardness of the brush used is no longer appropriate. So that when in contact with the commutator surface it becomes unstable. If this happen, replace the brush with a new one.
- Uneven commutator surface anymore. The use of a blender in the long term has an impact on the possibility of damage to the surface of the commutator that constantly rubs against the brush. This causes the brush to “jump” when in contact with the commutator. If it happens like this, the user can either buy the commutator part only or replace the whole rotor.
- Wear or fracture of the coupling teeth between the stir bar and the rotor. If this happen, the user inevitably has to replace the coupling gear.
- The last possibility is that the rotor axle is not centric. Thus, the rotation of the rotor becomes swayed. The user can replace the rotor axle if needed.
6. Rough Sound Occurs in Blender
The blender can spin well but the sound of the motor turning sounds is rough or too loud. This is generally caused by wear and tear on the axle bearings. Chances are the ball bearing is too worn or the ball has broken so that, when the rotor rotates, it spins too much.
The shock that causes the motor rotation to sound rough. In this case, the user can first check the condition of the bearing. If it is not possible to reuse it, replace the axle bearing.
7. The Knife Doesn’t Rotate
This condition occurs where the blender motor rotates, but the stirring blade does not rotate. The indication that there is a problem with the coupling teeth.
Maybe the gear couple is worn out and can no longer grip the knife gear in the cup. If so, the user must replace the coupling gear.
8. There is Liquid Under the Cup
Often this case occurs when the blender is being used to grind food ingredients in liquid form, there is liquid dripping from the bottom of the blender cup. This indicates that there is fluid leaking from the inside of the cup to the outside.
The damage that occurs is in the bossing rubber (water-resistant rubber) which is no longer able to hold the liquid from seeping. If this happen, the user can replace the bossing rubber, it can be by buying a new one or using the rubber contained in the gas cylinder mouth tube.
9. Slow Blender Speed
If the blender speed is not stable or if it is rotated at a certain speed, this can be caused by wear on the brush or the condition of the brush is very thin. The user must replace the brush with a new one so that the blender can rotate steadily again.
Those are some types of damage that often occur in blenders along with their causes and solutions. This method is only an emergency response method. To get better repair results, it would be better if the blender was immediately taken to an expert for repair.
It is important to take good care of the blender to avoid damage as mentioned above.