People will say that air fryers are a real-life changer, and in reality, they are. Air fryers allow you to “bake” some of the crispiest foods you’ve ever tasted but without added fats from oils, butter, and grease. However, one of the worst things that could happen to anyone is their air fryer not turning on.
If your air fryer doesn’t turn on, you should:
- Check that the food basket is in place
- Turn off the safety switch
- Inspect the air fryer’s fuse
- Check the power cord and make sure it’s plugged in
- Try another outlet in your kitchen
- Inspect the cable for damage
- Leave the air fryer alone for 15 minutes before trying again
- Try preheating the air fryer
- Contact the manufacturer
In this guide, I’ll explain the steps you should take in an attempt to fix your air fryer if it doesn’t turn on. I’ll also go into detail about other problems people commonly experience with their air fryers.
Air Fryer Won’t Turn On—What to Do
Air fryers are relatively new kitchen appliances. While most of the bugs have been worked out, you might find yourself dealing with an air fryer that won’t turn on at all.
If this is the case with your air fryer, you should try these steps.
1. Check that the food basket is in place
Your air fryer will not turn on or receive inputs when the food basket isn’t locked into place. So, before playing with the control board, you should make sure the food basket is in its correct position. Some models will produce a clicking sound when the food basket is secure, while others will make a dull thudding sound.
This safety mechanism is in place to ensure that the plastic portion of the food basket is not exposed to the air fryer’s heat. As you already know, plastic is not very fond of temperatures of over 200°F.
If you’re positive the air fryer’s basket is locked into place, but it still won’t turn on, proceed to the next step.
2. Turn off the safety switch
Many air fryer models will have a safety switch located at the back. This switch prevents users from turning the air fryer on when it’s not needed, as well as prevents unauthorized users (children and pets) from altering the cooking temperature and timer. If the safety switch is on while the air fryer is off, it will not turn on.
Just reach around the back of the air fryer and flip the switch. Sometimes, the switch might be stuck due to grease or solid food debris that somehow got trapped back there. Remove the debris and try flipping the switch again.
3. Inspect the air fryer’s fuse
Air fryers will typically come with a 3-prong plug. If it does, it has a fuse built into it. The fuse should last anywhere from 12 to 24 months, but excessive use of the air fryer may cause the fuse to blow. You’ll know whether or not there’s a fuse inside the plug if it comes with screws.
Remove the screws and inspect the fuse. If the fusing element—the tiny wire that runs through the center of the fuse—is damaged, or if the fuse’s glass is fogged up, you will have to replace it.
4. Check the power cord and make sure it’s plugged in
Sure, this sounds like a simple step, but if you tend to store your air fryer in the pantry whenever you’re done, you should double-check to make sure it’s plugged in. If it looks plugged in, make sure the cord is secure in place. If the cord isn’t plugged all the way in, it might not receive electricity from the outlet, thus, preventing it from turning on.
5. Try another outlet in your kitchen
In extreme cases, the outlet in your kitchen might be faulty. You’ll know whether or not the outlet is in working order by plugging in an electronic you know for certain is working. If it doesn’t receive electricity from the outlet, odds are the circuit has a blown fuse or that it’s shut off.
If this is the case, go to the circuit breaker and see whether or not flipping the switch fixes the problem. Inspect the fuse to make sure it’s not damaged. If none of these solutions work for you, continue on to the next step.
6. Inspect the cable for damage
Air fryers will come with thick power cords that can withstand kinks and bumps. However, they’re not indestructible, and bumping the power cord one too many times may have caused its inner wires to snap or become frayed.
To figure out whether or not the cable is faulty, you’ll have to cut it open. I don’t advise doing this if your air fryer is still under warranty or if you’re not particularly handy with electronics.
If your air fryer is younger than three months old but won’t turn on, there’s a good chance that it was faulty to begin with. You should reach out to the manufacturer to see what they can do for you. If it’s still under warranty, they might ship you a replacement air fryer free of charge.
7. Leave the air fryer alone for 15 minutes before trying again
Some of the best air fryers come with an auto-shutoff feature that stops the motor from running for too long. This safety measure is in place to ensure that the motor doesn’t burn itself out. If your air fryer was in use for around an hour, unplug the appliance and leave it alone for around 15 minutes.
Letting the air fryer rest will give the motor enough time to cool down. When the motor cools, the auto-shutoff switch will disengage, allowing you to turn the unit back on to air-fry crispy non-friend foods.
This might be a stretch, but it’s worth doing, especially if you just finished air-frying a meal for a group of people.
8. Try preheating the air fryer
Some air fryer models do not come with an electric control board. Instead, you control it by turning dials and hoping the appliance will do what you want it to do. Basically, there are no visual cues that the air fryer is even on.
To test whether or not the air fryer is on, try preheating the appliance. Set it to around 200°F and wait for a few minutes. Usually, you’ll hear the fan spinning inside the device, indicating that it’s in working order. If the fan isn’t on and the oven doesn’t heat up the food basket, you might have to…
9. Contact to manufacturer
If none of the above solutions worked for you, you will have to reach out to the manufacturer. Although you might be able to salvage the appliance by taking it to an electronics repair shop, you should ask the manufacturer what steps to take to avoid voiding the warranty.
Air fryers that are still under warranty may be replaced with a brand-new model or, at the very least, the company will send a trained technician to check out the problem for you. If it’s not under warranty, you might have to pay for replacement parts.
Common Air Fryer Problems
Here, I’ll describe other air fryer problems people commonly experience, as well as what you can do to resolve the issues.
The air fryer won’t stay on
There are several reasons why your air fryer won’t stay on:
You didn’t input cooking commands before its auto-shutoff time expired. After inserting the food basket and making sure it’s in place, immediately input a cooking mode and temperature. This will trigger the air fryer to commence the next phase—i.e., air-frying your food.
The air fryer is overheating. Again, the auto-shutoff feature might have been triggered due to an overly hot motor. Your air fryer will even stop what it’s doing in the middle of cooking a meal when its motor has gone beyond a certain temperature threshold. Let the air fryer rest for 15 minutes before trying it again.
The basket became displaced during cooking. If you or something bumps against the air fryer in the middle of a cook cycle, its food basket might have become dislodged. Air fryers will automatically shut off if the food basket is displaced to prevent the user from burning themselves.
The fan isn’t working
Here are the possible causes why the air fryer’s fan doesn’t work and what you can do about it:
Blockage in the fan. Over the course of dozens of cooking cycles, it’s not uncommon for food debris to get in the fan. When you allow food debris to accumulate in the fan, they might prevent the fan from spinning. Let your air fryer come down to room temp before using a soft-bristle brush to brush away solid remnants in the fan area.
The safety switch is engaged. Again, the safety switch will stop the air fryer from doing anything, including spinning its fan. Shut the safety switch off before turning your air fryer on again.
The food basket is in the way. Inspect the food basket for damage. A misshapen food basket may get in the way of the fan. Remove any bits of plastic that are hanging off the brim of the food basket and try cooking with the air fryer again.
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