eBay Joblot of FAULTY Steam Generator IRONS - Can I FIX Them?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- In this trying to fix video I look at a job lot of expensive steam generator irons from eBay that were sent back as faulty. These are recent and current models and sell for approx. £200 each. Well worth fixing if they are indeed fixable???? Let's find out.
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in these videos.
Many thanks, Vince.
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The main cause of failure in a resin potted coil like the one in the solenoid, is tiny air bubbles in the resin around the wire, the air trapped expands at a different rate than the epoxy resin, and that mechanical stress eventually causes the thin wire to break. The solenoid valves made in Italy are degassified, (the epoxi resin is briefly exposed to vacuum, actually lower than atmosphere pressure, to extract the air from it), and they never fail.
Excellent comment, thanks for sharing the info John 👍👍👍
Suspect one of the Italian manufacturers you refer to is CEME
@@mrw6156 Certo. There were others like OLAB, ODE, etc., nowadays most are owned by CEME.
31:51 Why didn't you use the big spanner? 😅
Awhile ago I fixed two of such irons for my wife, too. It was a known good German brand (AEG) and a discounter brand (from Lidl). They both had the same fault. The little waterpump had failed. Interestingly the more expensive AEG (about 150 €) and the discounter one (about 50 €) had the exactly same pump in it. The sparepart is about 45 €. So normaly it makes no sense to fix the Lidl one because of the price of the sparepart. Luckily I could fix both pumps and got both irons to work again (result! 😂). These moments are so satisfying.
Carry on making such videos because they are so entertaining and educational (yes they are).
Greetings from Germany.
Thomas
Best Part? Mrs. Vince is using all the stuff Mr. Vince repaired. That's work sharing. I really enjoyed that video.
What you need is a bigger spanner Vince
Vince, bloody hell the size of that adjustable spanner, not sure if you don't have the appropriate tools or its for comedic value. Either way, it makes for a giggle. Well done on the repair.
Another great repair video. Never seen irons like those in the USA. Best wishes from the USA!!
You have a very kind and understanding wife, Vince.
The solenoid when energised undergoes a large magnetic field pulse which when it is deactivated causes a flash back of energy to the controller which has to be mitigated and that most likely failed and caused the coil in the relay to blow. Try using acetone to dissolve the potting compound.
The solenoid may have a really bad duty cycle which is causing the wire to break inside due to overheating. That's my guess and great fix.
This was one of your better videos, very good filming of such a complex device.
Excellent video Vince! I really enjoyed it. You can tell that the white ones are far much better quality than the purple but it also goes to show that design and ergonomics are sometimes as important or even more important like in this case
Unfortunately Vince the water from your Brita filter will not stop scale build up. Brita filters are basically just carbon filters so they will remove elements like chlorine but you need to remove dissolved solids which includes calcium and lime to stop scaling.
Distilled or deionised water is completely free of dissolved solids and it what I use in my steam iron and steamer and never get any scale.
Thank you Adam, I didn't know that. Cheers for sharing 👍
Depending on manufacturer, some say that water from Condenser dryers are ideal for steam irons, whilst other say not.
@@Mymatevince You could just move to Scotland, where we don't have that problem 😃
Water from a dehumidifier however is perfect.
That enamelled wire is perfect for your vids that need tiny traces fixing. Good to keep in parts bin.
the red one might be a modified version, to prevent the them failing like the black ones have been
Keep that failed solenoid, it's now a reel of wire for future PCB repairs 😉
Brilliant idea!
@@victor58010 un wind it see if you find the break
I’d rather watch a video on irons than England playing football.
Or the Astros at the White Sox, in my part of the world.
😂
I wonder if Vince can do a video on fixing the England Football team.
That was 90 minutes of my life I’m not getting back 😂 At least this video won’t be a waste of my time !!
Amen to that
Solenoids are large coils, when they are energized the coil receives a large current, if the plunger doesn't close the high-current continues and that causes the coil to overheat and burn out.
Would it be only caused by scale on the steam side that at some point provided the solenoid from opening?
@@3DAM. Yes, could be.
To seal threaded pipes from leaks, most people use a thread sealant like locktite or pipe thread compound. As pressure build's up the thread's arent enough to hold pressure
Great video, Vince.
And I love to see that your wife has a Dutch Brabantia ironing board!
That really made my day
I almost skipped this episode as iron repairs didn't seem like they'd be very interesting. I was wrong. These irons have many more features than we have in the US. Thanks for taking the time to take us on your repair journey. Thought: You could probably repair the relay you cut open by cutting out the old wire and winding replacement wire on the bobbin. You already know the total ohms you need from the working relays. You can measure the gauge of the wire with your calipers. There are ohms/foot tables from most vendors that sell enameled wire, so you don't need to worry about how many turns are on the original relay. Just wind the calculated footage of wire to get the ohm value you need. You can use a drill to wind the new wire on the old bobbin. Maybe a project for a new video? Thanks again!
Well done, Vince!
I'll admit, I know next to nothing about irons. But I was intrigued by the fact that all these had the water reservoir in a separate base unit. All the irons I've never used (or seen!) here in the US have been compact units with the water reservoir built right into the iron itself, with just a single power cord to the wall. I don't know if that's a locale thing, or if I am just naive in my iron knowledge 😂
I think these are the fancy version and create a lot more steam. I presume they are worldwide...BUT I don't actually know that. Cheers Steven 👍
@@MymatevinceThey're specialist tools here, used mainly by professional dressmakers. I doubt one in 100 people even know they exist.
Of course, I doubt more than one in 10 people owns a regular iron these days.
Me neither ... those crazy brits ... 😀
Yeah our normal irons are like the the same you pour the water in the iron.
It is a newer innovation in Europe generally - my older Tefal steam generator iron fills directly into the steam boiler. It does make it easier to refill the iron as you don't need to unplug and carry it to the tap.
My guess is the red relays are a modified version of the original black version due to consistent faller highlighted by manufacturers same specification but modified version. Red so manufacturers can tell on returns.
Hi Vince that solenoid is more common fault by every steam generat , philips , seb, rowenta , calor and . Also pump goes defect for descale the iron put water in boiler turn it op side down. Put water in l sink bodem put the iron floating on water push the steam button. That gets the brown /scale out the iron.
Mrs Vince . It's like the Claw in Danger Mouse you just see the hands. Brilliant.
I think Dr Claw was in was the baddie in Inspector Gadget.
Really enjoyed this video - the steam boilers seem very similar to an older Tefal unit I (successfully - much to my amazement) repaired a couple of years. Obtained for free, via a skip stored inside a storage place I was using, it worked but after 5 minutes the pressure built up and popped the relief valve (very noisily - got glares from my wife !). No control boards just a pressure sensor screwed into the boiler which was stuck closed hence never cutting the power to the element. Solenoid was fine (a CEME unit made in Italy) but found a replacement steam sensor (another CEME unit - via an Italian eBay seller) and replaced it using Flomasta Liquid PTFE thread sealant. It has been working fine for a couple of years so it is possible to replace these components although you do need to have a clue about what you are doing - getting high (ish) pressure steam and mains power wrong is a recipe for disaster if you don't take care.
More please !
Somehow I knew Mrs. Vince would want the purple and black one given the choice. It has the auto descaling, which is a plus, just seems like a chincy housing.
I got an ex-Guardsman's 3Kw steam iron, tames just about anything needing an iron in seconds, wrinkled shirts just give up and I always do my shirts with spray starch and razor sharp creases. Can blow through the water in the tank very quickly it gets that hot and its an iron you pay attention to the ironing instructions a lot because it will burn through the wrong material in seconds and spoil the soleplate with molten materials lol
When a solenoid is first energized, its coil receives a high inrush current that decreases as the plunger closes. If the plunger does not close/open, the high inrush current continues, causing the coil to overheat and potentially burn out. This is the most common cause of solenoid failure. Overheating can also occur if the ambient temperature is too high, reducing the coil's ability to dissipate heat, or if the solenoid cycles too fast, allowing heat to build up faster than it can be dissipated.
That makes a lot of sense. if the plunger is in contact with the hard water or steam. the scale may build up at the plunger, causing it moves slowly or issues with close or opening. therefore overheating the coil. That said, you probably should change the entire solenoid valve assembly, instead of just the coil. Usually, a solenoid valve is sold with an actuator and plunger. The life of solenoid valve certainly depends on what kind of media they are serving -- gas, oil, and chemicals etc. This particular solenoid valve may be designed for water, but not too hard water. I was a bit surprised that manufacturer didn't do something electronically to prevent the solenoid coil from overheating.
@@zhengyuan5047 This is a very good example for planned obsolescence.
If the solenoid valve had appropriate dimensioning for the requirements and working conditions, it would last much longer.
I repair two ones like those, one was the steam switch, the other one was the steam electrovalve.
It's the most used part, the steam injection is always being used intensely.
Interesting video Plus enter the Ironing Queen 😁
i think you hit the nail on the head with it being on a hot source i think the heat is weakening the joints/wires or maybe there is/was something causing the power to go through the wires constantly which is burning them out
Hi Vince. Great video as usual. I can confirm that the brass fitting that goes into the boiler from the solenoid is threaded. That red compound is probably thread sealant (available at toolstation, screwfix) so even that should be possible to rerpair
Thank you bitter truth 👍👍👍
Yes - I got a Tefal steam generator iron from a skip (aka dumpster) in a storage unit site I used (it was inside so no water problems) - the issue was a failed pressure sensor on the boiling unit. After getting the sensor (from Italy via an eBay seller) it was straightforward to replace. It was a threaded fitting and I used Flomasta Liquid PTFE sealant (Screwfix in the UK do it) which has worked well for the last 2 years and weekly use. The unit, being older, was very simply wired with no control units other than a power switch and a microswitch to control the steam solenoid.
Perhaps the coils fail due to the repetitive heating and cooling, causing the metal tabs to expand and contact, weakening the tiny solder point where the coil wire attaches the tabs.
Many years ago working in a factory making solenoids for (mainly) audi - they were all black until they brought out a new car and decided they wanted them grey (which required running loads of batches of grey ones fit for the bin as they'd still contain some specks of black and that was apparently unacceptable) - not sure it's relevant in this case but it brought back some of that annoyance it caused 😂
Ive got an iron from the 1920s and it still works , just put it on the stove for 10min and off you go💨💨 👍
While england is playing the eurocup i Was so impatient to see vince New episode!!!
Very nice fault finding and fixes 👍
As I get older, I too seem to accidentally stab and cut myself with sharp tools and things more than when I was younger :P
Today managaed to get a cut in my finger from manual lawn mower blade. It wasn't cutting the grass very well, so looked at it, I guess a bit too careless way, and the darn thing was still sharp enough to make a cut on my finger.
I can't believe anyone could make irons so interesting! I almost went out and bought one, although we don't do a lot of ironing and our ordinary steam iron will probably outlast us. Thanks, Vince.
😂😂 Thank you!
Maybe there's a red coil in their because they noticed the black ones kept dying, so they switched to the red. Great job on analysing the faults.
not unknown in the car industry.......improved and superceded parts to solve known issues
Only down to cost, I did injection moulding back in the 90s, the factory is long gone, and we would get different colour pellets in the stores, it was down to cost. Most customers did not care what the colour was as long as they got the part met the specifications required. Most parts like Vince found are inside products anyway, so it is purely cosmetic.
Using spanner as a mirror genius 😎
😂
Interestingly (to me, anyway) is that the steam solenoid looks to be less robust, and probably smaller wire, than the descale one. I assume (maybe wrongly) that the steam solenoid operates for much longer and more frequently. That, along with the many other things that may cause a solenoid to fail, is probably not helping.
Hey Vince, great video as always. Let's start with the solenoid. I think it was under spec and thus a design flaw. If you notice it was rated 230V, this is borderline of line voltage. The actual specs for UK voltage are 215-253. This means if there is any condition which raises the voltage significantly for any period of time, that solenoid could blow if enabled at the time. They really should provide overvoltage protection or over spec the operating range. As for why the iron didn't work when the relay was bad, likely because the iron never came up to temperature and there is probably an inhibit to prevent steam until that temp is reached. You can test this theory by quickly raising the set point and immediately trying the steam.
Thank you Rob 👍👍
51:03 It looks like it’s the same coil on the descaling valve. You could use one of those extra coils from another unit to get one of the purple ones running with two working solenoids.
The solenoids get very hot when in use. Ive had 2 12v solenoids fail because they got stuck on in the circuit and just over heated and burnt out.
The solenoids are probably failing due to a combination of getting hot then cooling down and the thickness of the wire. The metal pin/plunger of the solenoid will transfer heat to the coil. The larger solenoids probably have slightly thicker wire so are not as prone. A lot of companies especially these days only care about the parts lasting till the end of the equipment's warranty.
I agree. The current flowing through the solenoid coil is too high for the calibre of the wire, which subsequently burns out and breaks the connection somewhere inside the solenoid coil....
Thanks PDS
hi i think there is a thermal fuse in the solenoids and i think the relay stops all power from the iron eg if it is descaling then it prevents the steam
Ok 2 minutes in, I had a similar iron and one of the wires failed where it entered the body of steam unit.
I ordered a new cable and modded the case to accept the old strain relief. Been good so far.
52:40 the pipe for the big coil thing looks like it is removable without screwing it out of the tank
BigClive usually have around 245 volt in the grid. If that is common in UK it might be too much for those 230V solenoids.
230V +5%/-10% gives 207-241V.
240V +5%/-10% gives 216-252V.
I've seen 249 where I am. I have solar so they always produce a slightly higher voltage so you consume that before from the grid. A neighbour on the same phase would cause a similar spike as well.😊
Those solenoid valves also have a non resetable thermal fuse so maybe they got very hot or the temperature of the steam caused them to fail
Nice of them to at least make the coil replaceable with no need to deal with the high pressure part.
There is Christmas, anniversary, and birthday sorted! Lucky wife 😂
Maybe the red electro magnet valve is an upgrade ? Also does that relay do more than one job ? Once the power goes through it further down the circuit to tells the element relay to work?
The solenoids can be ordered relatively cheaply from China/Aliexpress. If only the coil failed - you can simply order the cheapest model and only take the coil. I've bought one for around 7€ with 8 day delivery.
They are also used in coffee machines.
I was a little big surprised that the earth terminal was not connected (the 3rd terminal) - since I've recently seen on that had developed a leak for earth and through another fault, gave someone a good shock.
For some reason they have strange earthing arrangements on boiling equipment such as these or kettles. If you look on a kettle they are usually marked class 2 double insulated so no earth, if you however test on the element you will get a reading to earth. I don't know why they are like this.
@@HA05GER Hard to imagine that irons or kettles are allowed to be classed as class 2 - since you can at least come in contact with the water - even if they are encased in plastics. And with irons it is even more questionable.
@@TylerDurden-pk5km yeh it's strange but if you look on most kettles they will be marked class 2 I used to do pat in my old job.
Yes! Stranger Things! 1:09:44 that iron sound is kind of reminiscent of a Pip Boy sound in Fallout when you change a radio station.
👌
Excellent lol! A reminder too that I need to do my ironing =/
😂 Cheers Gadget
How did you comment 3 days ago on a video uploaded today? is this a re-upload or are there channel benefits that let you see videos early? Thanks!
@@miro_trendafilov Early access.
@@miro_trendafilov The latter.
(Why is TH-cam deleting my comments???)
Nice session thanks Vince I really enjoyed the long video, great trouble shooting so weird about the solenoids, maybe the red ones are the upgraded ones like you said… solenoids normally work for years on end 🤔
Thanks Gary, others mentioned the same thing about the red ones as well. Cheers mate 👍
@@Mymatevince great minds and all that ☺️
Little surprised that when they got to temperature at the start, you didn't immediately beat the crap out of them all. I mean, I thought you would strike while the iron was hot.
:)
good fixes. Saved the 3 from a landfill
At the start of the video you said Tefal was 20 years old. My first Tefal lasted 20 years. I was replaced it with another Tefal. They look better built than the Morphy Richards you repaired.
If You haven't tossed the very obvious broken purple iron maybe those tubes and clips could be useful for something.
Could part it out as much as possible then toss it. 🤷🏻♂️
"How can I show you it's getting warm?"
I think that a large blister on a finger would be satisfactory proof - if indeed proof is needed. Or we could simply take your word for it! 🙂
I wonder if the red coil is a replacement coil to the older faulty black coils?
Always quids in with a Joblot Vince, fair play!
I think those solenoid valves are fitted with a one shot thermal fuse
Are you sure that the gurgling sounds are only coming from the irons (it's also you, in your element)? Multiple reasons solenoid valves and relays can fail, including poor manufacture, heat, coils continually energised (generating their own heat), little or no snubbing when deenergising, amongst others.
Solenoids might break if they are powered for a long time while the iron core does not move. In this case the AC current will be higher than normal. But honestly, you would expect they are not that poorly designed.
I don't iron t-shirts, i just put them on a hanger straight from the dryer. I have never irons like those ones with the big base unit.
To avoid more creasing put them straight on a hangar from the washer & allow to air-dry: the dryer process will induce more creases as the fabric will 'stiffen' as its fibre moisture content reduces
Haven’t watched the whole video yet but have a question. All of these units are really big and purpose built for descaling. Is distilled water not readily available? That’s what you should use.
The coil is 12 volts, check the voltage when you press the trigger. If the voltage is over 12 volts a simple resistor mod would increase the life of the coil. Also, there is two coils in each are they the same voltage? If so, you have another in your parts iron.
Haha, Vince suddenly pushing the steam-button was hilarious! Nice fix once again!
😂
Would love the audio of your videos to be a podcast as I listen to them only as well as watching.
Hmmm, bad run of parts. Maybe inferior varnished wire? As someone else noted, they might have switched to a red case in order to complete replacement of faulty coils in inventory.
"inferior varnished wire" would result in a short, not OC shirley? The colour coding surmise may be correct tho
@@snafu2350 Well maybe, I'm just hypothesizing. But I'm thinking a momentary pop at the short and that fine filament snaps apart rendering the coil broken. That's pretty fine wire to take a 240V short. Vapor.
I,ve just bought a new beko fridge and separate freezer (the tall ones) no screens or wifi or any connectivity ! i'm still wondering how long (in months) they are going to last !? If they last 3 years i'll be f**king amazed !
32:35 that kink may have gotten stuck in the assembly stage after the test phase i think i see copper :)
Please please Vince use an isolating transformer for all mains electrical devices!
And I was horrified to see you using the Dremel without special gloves.A&E is very busy at the moment! If not mount the device in a vice🙁
Hi Vince. Another excellent vidéo. I tried to fix our steam iron that had the same symptoms (iron heats, but no steam). I suspected a faulty solenoid valve, but after opening it up, I didn't find a solenoid. It was a cheap Philips, that doesn't even have a boiler. I tested several things but ended giving up. On the other hand, I already replaced a solenoid valve twice in 20 years in my espresso machine. Those coils seem to be wear items.
Solenoid not 'steam generator thingy' lol :) nice fix.....cheers. Edit :- maybe it's failing due to being overdriven or the quality of the build is poor lack of test or QA dunno
more than likely the issue with the solenoid failed because people held them open - the coil overloaded with power and burnt out - they likely aren't meant to be run permanently on. As for the iron hotplate failing - its probably 2 separate faults. the hot plate failed - possibly due to the heat plate taking too much power through the relay. and then they used the solenoid of steam thinking that was why it wasn't staying hot, and that burnt out the solenoid
Just wondering if your adjustable spanner was big enough there Vince? 😂😂
😂
Finally get my Vince repair fix. I am looking forward to watching this. ☕
My guess why those solenoid valves have failed is because it's completely incased but through the heat of the steam in the pipe and cooling down, the metal and plastic move slightly and the wire can only break off where it's connected to the poles. The red one might be a later revision?
Having read a significant portion of the comments, i note the word obsolescence is appearing; especially so where i live, the water is extremely hard, I wonder how many of these will goto to Landfill just because they haven't been descaled properly? Or seemingly because the same component is seemingly the source of the failure? I haven't owned or used an iron for the majority of my adult life. A very interesting video, like always, a great repair. but I'm not at all tempted to acquire an iron, anytime soon, except maybe for use as a means flatten instruction manuals or box art covers, for my retro video games collection, and probably a dry iron would suffice, for that?
If I were you Vince I'd put that 25 yr old Tefal in the cupboard, just in case these fancy dancy newish Morphy Richards pack it in after a months time.😉
I'm thinking the same thing Walter😂👍
Prices of faulty Morphy Richards steam irons rising now it's an easy fix!
Lol I thought my screen was frozen at 21:53 Great video. Like to see how you work things out.
Oh dear, cutting the solenoid open with a Dremel while holding it in hand without gloves 😰 Great fixes though 😃
great Video Vice, you are now able to work on espresso machines ! Expect you to be wearing wrinkle free tee shirts from now on. !!!
i would love to see more of your tips with consoles, i think u did get way more views doing that videos! God bless U
I bet the solenoids are not rated for constant use, and they overheat. or burn out.
Do you think you could repair a job lot of England players then stick them on EBay for £36 plus postage?
Omg what size adjustable do you call that for a 13mm love it
Great fixes Vince! Have you not learned how to iron? 😉
Very interesting
You quite often find circuit boards that are "potted", or covered in a resin, in items that may come into contact with steam or water. You also find some PSU's are potted, I have an Xbox PSU that is a complete block of resin in a black plastic case with no serviceable components at all.
The Commodore 64 power supply was encased in resin like that, too. That thing would sear a steak if you had it running for a long time.
@@Snufl The Xbox one was the same and I assume that was it's failure point, overheating over a 10 year period. The new replacement one I bought is a fraction of the weight and runs 20 degrees cooler, it is a knock off but for the use my Xbox one gets it might only get turned on 3 times a year...
Theory about the red solanoid. The blacks are prone to failure and the Red one is better quality
are you taking in loads of ironing to help pay for the petrol station season ticket??😛😉
😂😂😂😂😂
Some people are not very good when packaging things . Before I move to Ukraine I sold a huge amount of things but always made sure the packaging was good
Is the red solenoid of an ‘updated’ design I wonder?
Morphy Richards was started by two Bromley businessmen, Russell Hobbs who had their factory next door to the hospital in Croydon I was born in were founded by former employees of Morphy Richards. Both companies in the 70's had lively "back door bargains" going on where you spotted the "right" chap a "brown one" or £10 and said what you wanted and he would disappear and reappear with the thing you asked for. Peak Freans and Percy Dalton's in Deptford were also up for a bluey or £5 and get a bin bag full of broken biscuits or peanuts.
The good old days even with massive loses the companies still made huge profits.