Submitted by AutoModerator t3_z63973 in DIY
PatD442 t1_iy3euuf wrote
I have a waffle iron from my grandmother. It's OLD. And works (worked?) great. Not looking to replace it with something modern. Pretty simply workings, but what I can't understand is how the "thermostat" works.
The last few times I used the waffle iron, it seemed like the thermostat wasn't controlling the top element and it was staying on at all times. I kept turning it down, and the top was burning, bottom wasn't cooking. And yes, both elements do work.
I'm not understanding how one element could stay on while the other is off based on the thermostat. So I'm trying to understand exactly how this thermostat works. Any thoughts?
--Ty-- t1_iy6g9kk wrote
It's going to be a bimetallic strip. Two pieces of different metal sandwiched together, with different coefficients of thermal expansion. As the temperature changes, the two metals push and pull on each other, allowing the piece to move. Make this piece into a coil (the coil seen in the bottom-left corner), and it will curl and uncurl itself as temperature changes. We harness this movement to connect or disconnect circuits. You can find some great info on it from Technology Connections on youtube.
Chances are, the bimetallic strip has either broken or gotten stuck somehow.
PatD442 t1_iy6kjv3 wrote
Ah, got it. Good info. Now, based on how this is wired, it would appear that BOTH elements are going to be on or off at the same time, though, right? Any thoughts on why, potentially, one would stay on and one would cycle?
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