The blender stopped working: reasons, what to do, how to fix it, analysis of breakdowns

Household appliances always break down at the most inopportune moment. For example, you urgently need to bake a cake for the New Year's table, and suddenly the blender stopped working. In another situation, you can take it to the workshop, but in such conditions you have to deal with the problem yourself.

Types of blenders

There are many instructions and recommendations to help repair household appliances. It is only necessary to correctly diagnose the breakdown, disassemble and fix the problem. To start repairing a blender, you need to know its features, each has its own “weak” points. This makes it easier to understand why the device stopped working. Especially if you use the blender often and for a long time.

Blenders are divided into 4 main types:

1. submersible models. This is a hand-held device, in the handle there is an electric motor with a gearbox, on which an extension nozzle is put on. Knives are attached to the shaft. On the case (usually metal) there is a protective skirt. The protection will prevent the blades from touching the walls of the food container (fingers) if the blender is removed, but the motor has not yet stopped working.
2. Guided models. The blender consists of a removable electric motor, a lid with a gearbox mounted inside, a shaft with knives and a set of glass containers. This is the only type of blender in which the shaft with blades has 2 points of support - on the cover with a gearbox and on the support at the bottom of the container.
3. Stationary blenders. In fact, this is a body with a motor and a planetary gearbox, to which a glass container with a built-in shaft and knives is connected. Such blenders are considered the most reliable. You need to try to make the device stop working.
4. Combined blenders. The design uses elements of all of the above models - a stationary housing and a cover with a gearbox. The model can work with dishes of various capacities and sizes.

There are also false models of blenders with a metal container, equipped with heating elements for making mashed soups, cereals, special food for children and the sick. If such a device stops working, then for repair it is better to contact a specialized workshop.

You can repair simple models yourself, for example, mounted or submersible. If a hand blender stops working, then repairing it on your own will cost less than a visit to the workshop.

We disassemble the blender depending on the cause of the breakdown

Repair work always begins with the disassembly of the device. The place and sequence is chosen depending on the reasons why the blender stopped working.

Mechanical failures that are easy to diagnose visually:

1. Breakage of the blades.
2. Broken or deformed blades.
3. The gearbox has stopped working, the blender motor is buzzing, but the shaft is not spinning.

Minor damage is also possible, for example, the shaft mount is broken, the sealing gland leaked, the container cracked.

The most unpleasant cause of failure can be considered the case when the electric motor stopped working. You need to disassemble it or check the condition of the speed controller. Most often, silence means that it was the engine that stopped working. About half the time the blender is thrown away because of this.

If the motor stopped working due to a short circuit in the winding or jamming of the bearings, then repairs will cost a little less than buying a new blender.

Knife replacement

In most models, the cutting part (blades) is made of high-quality carbon steel with a hard chrome coating. Such knives can break before the gearbox stops working only if a large and hard object gets into the blender bowl.

Sometimes for manual low-power devices, knives are made of mild steel. It is believed that bent or broken blades are easier to replace than if the gearbox jams or the engine burns out. Then the blender will definitely stop working forever.

In stationary models, the knife is installed in the bottom of the bowl along with a gear clutch. The blades can be replaced as a block together with a clutch and gasket.

This will require:

1. Remove the cup, turn it upside down and put it on the table.
2. Using a pin wrench (you can make it yourself from wire), unscrew the flange.
3. Pull out the knife block.
4. Install a new one and screw the flange back into place.

In order for the blender to work without beating, the knives must be exactly set according to the marks of the old block. If this is not done, then the blades will stop cutting after a while, and a leak may appear under the seal.

Video: how to replace a knife in a blender

Video: blender shaft nozzle

Knife repair on submersible models

For simple blenders, replacing the knife is more difficult. Typically, submersible models stop working precisely because of the destruction of the blade mounts. A petal with a cutting edge is simply placed on a tetrahedral (square) seat on the shaft, after which the end is flared.

Under load, the flaring breaks, the knives become loose, and the chopper stops cutting in one plane, and often cannot chop anything at all.

In order to fix the knives, you need:

1. Cut off the flare at the end of the shaft with a file.
2. Drill a 2.5 mm hole in the center of the shaft, to a depth of 8-10 mm.
3. Cut the M3 thread and tighten the screw with washer.

Now you can change knives at any time. It is convenient to remove the blades to sharpen them on the machine.

Electrical related breakdowns

One of the reasons why the blender stopped working stably is a stray contact. It could be a loose plug, or the problem could be with the outlet itself.

If the blender stops working for no apparent reason, then it is not the motor or the speed controller. Most often, the malfunction comes down to a torn cord contact at the point of attachment to the motor brushes. The tear of the core can be soldered, or it is better to replace the entire cord.

Speed ​​controller problem

Most often, under the device that regulates the speed of rotation of the knives, they take a rotary knob with a graduated scale or a pair of buttons on the body of the submersible apparatus. The blender speed controller is a board with several electronic components. Any violation of the rules of operation, for example, with a "sparking" electric motor or disappearing contact in the power cord, cause the blender to stop working due to the burnout of the board regulator.

Sometimes a part is damaged during disassembly, but more often a powerful thyristor or transistor burns out. If there is a swollen capacitor on the board, then at the same time you can change it.

Another type of breakdown - the blender stopped keeping the rotation speed. The knives randomly accelerate and slow down to the point that the motor stops working. The blender buttons can also be the cause of such a breakdown. Most often, touching leads to a sharp acceleration, after which the device stops working.

If the blender has stopped: how to repair

You can check the device only by disassembling it to the engine and the speed controller board. To do this, remove the cover and cap that cover the motor shaft with an expansion clutch. It remains to unscrew the screws and pull out the engine block.

Access to the electric motor allows you to solve most of the problems that caused the drive to stop working.

If you need to replace the silicone buttons (the motor runs, but you can get an electric shock), you will have to open the back of the case. Remove the cover, unscrew the fastener. Access to the main control node is opened. Often in this way you can find a stray contact (non-soldered) on the board, due to which the blender stopped working stably.

Blender hums but doesn't work

If the device works with a rattle, then most likely it is necessary to repair the gearbox, change the gears or the entire gearbox unit as a whole.

In stationary blenders, the cause of the blender humming but the shaft has stopped turning is the drive gear clutch. Since the bowl is made removable, the torque is transmitted using a detachable coupling, consisting of a sleeve, inside of which the teeth are cut, and a gear wheel.

Each time the bowl is removed from the body, these 2 parts open, and accordingly, after the container is returned to its place, they again engage. The gap between the teeth is large. There are usually toothed clutch kits available for stationary blenders. After disassembling the bowl, one part must be installed on the bottom, the second on the gearbox shaft.

If, after replacing the clutch, the blender works jerkily, then the problem is in the gearbox. Sometimes a situation happens when the device stops working, but there is no time to buy a repair kit. In this case, the drive gear can be soldered with tin solder, or a temporary replacement can be made with a suitable aluminum homemade product.

No buzzing when turned on

If the blender does not make any sound, but power is supplied to it, then the electric motor itself may be the cause. More precisely, wiring or brushes. If, when you press the button, the engine does not work or jerks and stops rotating, then the brushes can be considered the cause.

Pulling the motor itself is easy. It is enough to unscrew the fixing screws with a screwdriver, release the shaft and remove the motor from the housing. As a rule, electric motors from different manufacturers are used in models. But it is always a collector high-speed motor with a power of more than 500 watts.

The winding burns out with sparks and burning. Usually a short circuit occurs under load. It is worth putting the bowl on the clutch and turning it on, as the motor stopped working with cotton. Such an engine needs to be changed, repairs will cost more.

If the electric motor twitches at times, “sparks”, then the reason is in the brushes. First of all, you need to clean the copper contact pads with a match or a wooden stick. Then wipe with alcohol and dry.

An old blender may stop working due to heavy wear on the graphite brushes. In this case, you will need to disconnect the terminals on the brushes and remove them from the mounts. By marking, you can determine the model and purchase new brushes.

Mechanical breakdowns

During operation, a polycarbonate glass bowl often gets cracked. Minor damage can be sealed with dichloroethane. If the length of the damaged area is more than 5 cm, the dishes must be replaced.

Another problem that is often found in the attachment models is that the nozzle-shaft with knives fixed at the end rests on an additional support, designed at the bottom in the form of a ledge.

If the blender is operating with overload, then the main part of the shock loads falls on the bottom support. As a result, the part is chipped or covered with cracks.

Since the support is inside the bowl, it is impossible to glue. Such dishes can only be replaced.

Leaking engine and bowl gaskets

In stationary models, the gasket often needs to be changed, even if the blender is running, cutting and chopping food with the same force as before. But since every time you install the bowl on the gear coupling there is a small impact on the bottom, the gasket wears out over time.

There is a leak that needs to be fixed. Otherwise, moisture can get inside the case and short out the wiring. To do this, unscrew the bottom washer, remove the blade unit and replace the gasket. If the leak is small, you can try to just tighten the nut more.

In the event that it was not possible to find a gasket of the desired size and thickness, it can be made with your own hands from thick paper. Seals on the shaft of submersible models should be replaced with silicone automotive sealant or any suitable gasket.

On submersible models, the sealing gasket is installed on the lower bushing, just after the knives. It solves 2 problems:

1. The seal prevents liquids (juice) from entering the nozzle body.
2. The rubber ring compensates for the beating of the shaft that transmits torque from the motor to the knives.

As soon as the chopper stopped working quietly, strong vibrations appeared on the blades. This means that it is time to change the rubber gasket. To do this, it is necessary to press the shaft out of the upper and lower bushings, insert a new oil seal inside and press the shaft into place with force.

If the vibrations do not disappear or the blender stops working quietly (metal rattle appears), then you need to replace the upper sleeve. Often, both bushings are tin-plated in order to reduce the bore size and eliminate runout.

Faulty latch mechanism

The bowl locking system is only used on stationary models. Any latch consists of a clamping plastic lever, a spring and an axis of rotation. Usually, with frequent use, only the spring wears out or breaks. As a result, the bowl warps, the safety limit switch is triggered and the motor stops working.

In this case, you need to squeeze the axle with tweezers and pull out the lever with the spring. Often the latch is simply clogged with dirt. Half the time, you have to change the spring to get the blender to work.

If the device stops working due to a broken latch, it is better not to operate the machine. This is unsafe and without reliable fixation of the bowl, the wear of the gear coupling is greatly increased.

It often happens that the chopper stops working for several reasons, with one failure being the result of a malfunction of another node.

Gearbox repair

The most unreliable part of on-board and submersible blenders is considered to be a planetary gearbox. Structurally, the gearbox is a round box, inside of which are installed:

1. Large diameter central gear.
2. Three small gears are satellites coupled to the wheel.
3. Central gear mounted on the motor shaft.

It is this gear that is subjected to maximum wear and shock loading. If the blender stops working stably, the nozzle shaft rotates with a rattle and noise, this means that the central gear is worn out and does not provide torque to the satellites.

For repair, you need to pull out the block with the shaft and the central gear mounted on it from the housing.

Pliers need to remove the damaged part from the shaft. Buy repair parts in advance. If the blender does not work, then it is better to show the gearbox in the store in order to buy a repair kit of the right size.

Using a light (50 g) hammer and a wooden block, we stuff the gear onto the shaft. We lubricate it with grease (solid oil or cyatim) and install the shaft assembly in place. You may need to glue the block into the blender body.

Be sure to check how the blender works after repair, and whether it has stopped making rattle and noise.

Even if the blender stopped working at the most inopportune moment, nothing terrible happened. Most breakdowns are relatively easy to fix on your own. Enough of the tool that is in every home. An exception may be cases when the device is being repaired, or there is no suitable repair kit.

Video: how to disassemble a blender

Video: blender repair

Tell us about your own experience repairing chopper blenders. How difficult was the recovery process? What problems did you have to solve in order for the device to work again?