Waffle Iron Troubles

Stoves, Fridges, Radiograms and more
User avatar
SwierkE
Just Arrived
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:13 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by SwierkE »

Hello there! I am hoping that you may be able to help me with my waffle iron troubles....

A while ago I stumbled across this working Universal 1920's (?) waffle iron. The previous owners said that they used it often some years ago and assured me it worked. And so began my dreams of fresh waffles.....

Once we got it home, my husband and I carefully took it apart and cleaned all the years of black goo off the outside (picture is before cleaning). The inside workings is very simple and looked to be in great shape (a heating coil weaving around ceramic posts for both top and bottom plates). The wiring from the plates to the plug was original and in "ok" shape, however my husband went ahead and replaced it with new wires, which happened to be a slightly larger gage. The cord may not be original, but is indeed very old.

Sadly it did not come in an instruction manual and my working knowledge of waffle irons in general, is slim to none.

My trouble is that although it will get hot, it seems to just keep getting hotter and hotter, with no means of regulating the heat and/or shutting off. It will warm its little self to the point of smoking and becoming almost too hot to touch the base or handles.

This does not seem right to us. The only things we could think of is maybe the gage of the new wire is allowing it to heat too much. Or we are missing some sort of control, possibly on the original cord? Any ideas or thoughts?

20150730_073533.jpg
20150730_073533.jpg (158.78 KiB) Viewed 2798 times

phil
Has many leather bound books
Posts: 4616
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
Location: Near Vancouver BC

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by phil »

I think it should have a heat activated switch that turns the heat element on and off.
If you went to a larger gauge of wire for the cord, that for sure will not create the problem you are having. to be correct it shoud have rubber wire, not plastic so a cord off an old iron or kettle might be ok. if you had put a smaller cord on it that would be unsafe, but larger just means it can conduct better. that
s not your problem.

check how it is wired. it is heating ok so the element is fine. I don't know where the thermal switch is physically but I think there is one. it might be hidden or stuck.

not sure what it would look like physically but the thermal switch should be in series with the heat element so it can open ( stop conducting ) when it gets up to temperature

as a quick example here is an adjustable one but yours might look entirely different.

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Ove ... e_Switches

it might look somethign like this
http://canada.newark.com/multicomp/55h1 ... dp/68C5873

the replacement should be capeable of carrying enough amps . it might be stated on a tag what the amperage of the device is. it is fine to use one that exceeds the amperage rating but if it is one that is rated for less amperage than your machine draws, it will burn out.

coffee pots have a similar device, so do irons, and a lot of newer kettles. they regulate the set temperature and that would be specific to the device. Is there a temperature control knob anywhere? maybe take more pictures of the insides?

is it grounded? have you connected a ground wire up ok?

it's good if you unplugged it when you realized it was getting to hot. You don't want to deal with a burned out element and it sounds like you unplugged it in time. you should also be paying attention to the hot and the neutral wire. the hot wire is the one with the smaller hole in your outlet. normally that one goes to the switch. if you get it backwards it will still work it just isn't as safe.

some simple checks you can do with a meter. between the two flat spades on the plug you should see some resistance but it will pretty much appear as connected, as the heat element is a conductor. there should be no connection between ground and any other wiring. The ground should be connected to the case. That way any wiring that touches the case will blow the circuit breaker instead of electrifying the device and causing injury. The ground is not part of the circuit and it should never be tied to the neutral.

put one lead of your meter on ground and make sure you have no connection from there to the other two wires at the plug looking at it, stay away from any sources of ground. If you plug it in and touch a hot wire and a ground like a tap or sink or part of your heat duct, or the grounded case of the device the current will go right through you. Usually if you get a shock from something it is a memorable and shocking event causing you to pull away, but if you get a shock through you to ground it's likely to send current right through you and that is much more likely to stop your heart. if that doesn't make sense STOP!

Im trying to help but your waffles aren't worth taking chances. Not trying to be insulting but since you thought maybe using a heavier line cord might cause it to not work I know from that that you aren't very electrically savy so please be careful. I don't' want to be insulting. I just started to feel that I shouldn't be leading you down the garden path and maybe putting you in danger in doing so.

If you aren't comfortable with it. It might be best to consult someone who is, to assist. as long as it isn't plugged in you are safe of course.

Daniel Meyer
Stalwart
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:24 pm

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by Daniel Meyer »

The better wiring to the elements should make no difference.

In the later models there should be some sort of control...a little snap-disk thermostat...even most of the old ones had that...and OR a built in thermometer...

SOME of the old ones had no thermostat or thermometer...basically, the waffle is done, ya pop it out and add new batter, and it won't be too hot or overheat as long as the waffles are cooking...it won't overtemp until the waffle batter is finished cooking because of the inherent wattage of the elements and the moisture boiling off it doesn't get over 212 degree (boiling point of water). Once most of the moisture boils off they start to brown rapidly and I think they are nicely browned at about 350 degrees.

Ya get the hang of it...the times are VERY consistent...and they sizzle less as they are about ready, but...If heard it said of the old ones...if you are a collector, no thermostat is fine. If ya want waffles, get one with a thermostat.

The "click" of the bi-metal (snap disk) is what tells ya it's done!

If you're really set on using an old one, and are handy at wiring, add a thermostat. snarf one out of a newer iron or you can probably buy a snap disk for the correct temp (I believe they are set at 360). It should control both elements and read the under-surface of the bottom waffle plate.

Or just practice a lot and NEVER leave that one plugged in unattended.

Ya could get a laser thermometer and shoot it at the case to watch the temp! :)

phil
Has many leather bound books
Posts: 4616
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
Location: Near Vancouver BC

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by phil »

I had another look at the picture, You have only a two wire plug on it. not only that but the spades on the plug are not polarized , they are the same size which means it can be plugged in either way. It definitely wouldn't meet code these days. I think at the very least you should have someone convert it over so it can be grounded properly with a three wire cord. It is nice but I'm afraid it just isn't a very safe appliance especially since the case is metal and you have no ground to protect you. That could perhaps be fixed but as is, well please be careful.

sometimes what can happen is there may be old wires inside that touch the case because the insulation on them is 100 years old. the insulation rots sometimes. if a wire touches the case the whole thing will be electrified instead of blowing your house breaker.

sometimes you still see tools and things with 2 wire cords but to do it that way they are either double insulated or the device may be made of plastic so it can't be electrified

phil
Has many leather bound books
Posts: 4616
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
Location: Near Vancouver BC

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by phil »

one other thing that has changed since that iron was made. back in oh say 1920 the power was 100 or maybe 110 volts, some were even on some weird DC voltage. fast forward to now and I bet you see close to 120V at your outlets. that will make it run about 10% t hotter than it originally did.

phil
Has many leather bound books
Posts: 4616
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
Location: Near Vancouver BC

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by phil »

looks like Daniel and I answered at the same time, that's ok.
I agree that it may have not ever had any temperature switch. It is a cool collectable , it works but if you do choose to use it , put it where you can't touch it and a ground at the same time, not near your sink.

when I work on my old radios I see many issues where they just aren't safe , so when I work on them I plug in through an isolation transformer, wich is a 1:1 transformer. the same voltage in as out ( 110- 120V ) Not sure of the amperage of that thing but it must take about 1000W or so so it would take a pretty big isolation transformer to protect you.

an isolation transformer has two windings which aren't connected electrically so it can only pass the amount of current it is designed for. That protects me somewhat. In this case since you would need quite a big transformer it might not be practical and since the isolation transformer would have to be so big it still might not be very safe.

the other thing I do is eliminate any sources of ground from around my workbench. this helps protect me from the situation of having current run through me to ground. If you do use it , put it on a wooden table where you can't touch the iron and anything that is grounded at the same time.

User avatar
Powermuffin
Forgotten more than most know
Posts: 444
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 5:19 pm
Location: Beautiful Colorado

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by Powermuffin »

Don't know anything about electricity and what you have happening would scare the crud out of me, BUT that is one beautiful waffle iron. If I had it, I would take it to our vacuum fixer guy and see what he could do. I cannot imagine that it can't be fixed. If nothing else, I would display it.
Diane

User avatar
SwierkE
Just Arrived
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:13 pm
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by SwierkE »

Thanks for all the replies! Its interesting to know that SOME may of not had a thermostat, there certainly isn't a thermostat or control on the body of this iron. Upon further inspection of the power cord, we believe that it may not be original, just an old replacement... maybe that is where a temperature control was once upon a time...

For fun, I'll attach a few shots taken earlier today...One of the shots is of the cloth wire that my husband replaced (photo from above, the top taken off), and I believe the brown tape seen is the culprit of the smoke, you can even see a fine black line around at the "fork", which seems a bit charred.

All the suggestion and thoughts are such a great help! Also thanks for the safety concerns, we defiantly try to take precautions when handling these sort of things, but you can never be too safe. Great idea also keep it on a wooden surface! I'll be having the hubby see if he can install a thermostat and I'll keep you posted. Otherwise it will resume in its home in the kitchen where I can oooo and awe at the beauty of kitchen appliances from long ago and continue go to Denny's for my waffles :)

-Elaine
Attachments
20151229_174000.jpg
20151229_174000.jpg (82.08 KiB) Viewed 2773 times
20151229_175410.jpg
20151229_175410.jpg (82.02 KiB) Viewed 2773 times
20151230_074725.jpg
20151230_074725.jpg (74.77 KiB) Viewed 2773 times
20151229_174047.jpg
20151229_174047.jpg (125.04 KiB) Viewed 2773 times

User avatar
Chevygirlalways
Been here a while
Posts: 197
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 1:24 am

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by Chevygirlalways »

I have waffle iron like that. It does just keep getting hotter. I make waffles with the grand kids and keep a close eye on it. Mine has a little heat gage that tells you when it warm med or hot. I just unplug it if it gets too hot. Lots of fun :)

Susan

User avatar
BungalowMo
Been here a good while
Posts: 223
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:51 pm
Location: Front Royal, Virginia

Re: Waffle Iron Troubles

Post by BungalowMo »

That thing is beautiful!! I have a (I believe) 17" table top fan that is a beast. Got new fabric cord to replace the frayed one, but when I took the bottom off the base, the wires from the transformer crumbled apart! I'd love to get that thing running again.

I thought I had a photo of it here on my work machine, but I guess I don't .

Sure hope you get that waffle iron working!!
~ Maureen
1916-ish Craftsman Bungalow

Post Reply