General > General Technical Chat
Salton 3-in-1 Waffle Maker Failure
edy:
Hi folks,
My wife bought a "Salton 3-in-1 Waffle maker" a few months ago and to our surprise it broke in relatively short time. Considering that it was only a few months, I expected to get a little more life out of this little useful appliance. Also, the mode of failure was also not expected but now that I think about how cheap this appliance cost, should have been anticipated.
It costs around or even under $20 at many places:
So what happened is basically the plastic on the unit dried up and started to CRUMBLE. First the hinge snapped the plastic it was connected to. The hinge was intact but the plastic body of the appliance cracked. I decided to take it apart and see what was inside (see "PaperCAD" drawings attached and photos of inside wiring) and was surprised at how fragile the plastic housing was. As I was taking it apart, I was able to grab the plastic and crumble it in my hands! It looked like thick plastic but it was very brittle and took almost nothing to snap!
I assume that the plastic material in this hot environment essentially dried up. The electronics remained intact, but the plastic material was unable to handle the heat and lost all plasticity? Or was it made that way from the start? And would these be a fire hazard with the entire plastic housing going up in flames?
I am also trying to understand the wiring. There are basically 2 heating elements in SERIES through a TF (thermal fuse) which remains OPEN as long as it doesn't reach a certain temperature. If it goes Over-temp then the TF cuts out and therefore no current travels through the heating elements.
What confuses me is the placement of the lamps. I assume lamp 1 just indicates voltage on the mains. It passes little to no current, and would be lit regardless of the status of the TF? It simply indicates that the device is plugged in the mains and that both heating elements are conductive? Lamp 2 indicates conduction of only one of the heating elements? I'm confused.... These lamps were under the RED and GREEN plastic filters in the cover. The manual is here:
https://www.salton.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SM-1069-IB-ENweb.pdf
According to the manual (this manual is a slightly different model, it has 2 red lights, not 1 red and 1 green). The manual says one of the red lights (lamp 1) will stay lit no matter what. Meanwhile the TF will cycle on and off to maintain a certain temperature and will cause lamp 2 to go on and off.
In my diagram I draw the yellow lead to lamp 2 going diagonally downwards to a wire BETWEEN the heating elements. My intuition seems to me that the yellow wire on the right of lamp 2 should be going straight across. If the TF opens, no current will be going through the elements.... but why does lamp 2 turn on/off? You still have lamp 1 on, regardless, indicating voltage on the mains. I would expect lamp 2 to also be on from the start, yet it is not. Is that because the voltage needed to turn on lamp 1 and 2 are different? :-//
[EDIT: I was to correct my drawing, I would draw lamp 2 in series with the TF.... So what would happen is lamp2-TF would be OFF when the TF is open. Lamp 1 would always be one. I am not sure but following my wires in the photo I seemed to come up with that "CAD" drawing but I don't see it as being correct].
Back to the failure more of this grill.... Now I see the TF is really the only thing regulating this system. There is no on/off switch, you simply plug it in and it will keep cycling on/off based on the TF (which I would have expected to fail before the plastic). The device is supposed to be regulated for safety and approved by InterTek, has all the stickers on, etc... But somehow it does not instil much confidence in the design.
Any thoughts, or am I just expecting too much from a ~$20 griller?
edy:
I've attached the updated CAD drawing based on my [edit] above... I think this is what is going on but I can't seem to get this when looking at the wires. Although it makes more sense (see attached file). NOTE: It could be the way the leads go on the heating elements, if I reverse it then the topology seems to fit my intuition (second CAD drawing) and that makes sense.
drussell:
It is amazing how poorly designed and manufactured many consumer devices and appliances are these days. My advice would be to look around on Kijiji or at garage sales, etc. for an old model that will work for generations.
The one I use is at least 50 years old and still working perfectly. It's older than I am, I've been using it since I was a kid and it wasn't anywhere close to new then. It might have been a wedding present for my parents or something. My grandmother had one also and it is still used by my aunt at the old family house. :)
The one I have is this particular old GE model which has the plates that can be flipped from waffle to flat griddle (great for panini-style grilled cheese, etc.) Virtually indestructible. Stainless steel housing, aluminum cooking griddles, bakelite handle and feet. It is the model pictured in this auction....
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-GE-General-Electric-Waffle-Iron-Baker-Automatic-Griddle-A3G44T/183384018084
Some descriptions of this unit incorrectly state that the griddles are teflon coated. They're not. They're solid aluminum and once seasoned have a black appearance. Here is (a slightly newer one, you can tell by the updated label on the front at the temperature control, my Grandma's old unit has this style label) that must have never been used since the griddles are still clean aluminum:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vtg-1960s-General-Electric-GE-Automatic-Grill-and-Waffle-Baker-34G42-EXCELLENT/132699891019
Find something old and "built properly," typically for for about 1/2 - 3X the price of the cheap garbage they sell now (instead of paying 10x+ for a commercial grade unit that is made to last) and you're likely to never need to replace it in your lifetime, even with constant use.
drussell:
--- Quote from: edy on September 09, 2018, 04:42:36 pm ---I am also trying to understand the wiring. There are basically 2 heating elements in SERIES through a TF (thermal fuse) which remains OPEN as long as it doesn't reach a certain temperature. If it goes Over-temp then the TF cuts out and therefore no current travels through the heating elements.
--- End quote ---
That isn't a thermal fuse, it is a thermostat. There will be a thermal fuse in there somewhere also, probably under one of the white fibreglass sleeves, in case the thermostat fails closed and the unit overheats, but it will be an actual one-time thermal fuse, not a thermostat that opens and closes.
After using one with variable temperature my entire lifetime, I cannot imagine trying to use one that doesn't even have a temperature control and just runs at one temperature. Junk!
drussell:
Oh, and the purpose of two lamps is one for power and one is supposed to tell you when the unit is up to temperature so you can do your "one-temperature-fits-all" grilling... :palm:
I suppose, since it can ONLY make waffles (grrr... unitaskers!), it can probably get away with just one temperature, as long as you use waffle batter that conforms to their temperature range for proper baking...
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