I know you are here because you own the Vitamix blender and experiment with a lot of healthy recipes with your blender.
Vitamix is the brand that most home cooks and professionals would know as a high-performance blender.
You can add more greens to your daily meal by experimenting with different recipes with the Vitamix.
Actually, if you would like to be more adventurous, then undoubtedly Vitamix is worth investment.
But as you know it’s just a machine, sometimes it may undergo some problems over a period of time owing to its durability life.
Imagine, you are excited to have a smoothie early in the morning on one fine day, but you notice the Vitamix blade is not spinning.
You may wonder, why the Vitamix blade is not spinning?
In most cases, the major reason would be the worn-out drive socket of a blender.
So, you need to inspect the drive socket, if it is really worn-out then replace it with a new one.
There also may be other reasons like wrong order of ingredients in the container, overfilling the container, or too much frozen ingredients to blend.
Keeping the container in the fridge or freezer may lead to the blade getting stuck and not spinning.
Here you’ll get to know how to fix the Vitamix blade that is not spinning with small tips and tricks.
Technical Reasons: Why Vitamix Blades Not Spinning?
If you notice your Vitamix blade is not spinning, the key reason is the drive socket.
There could be a problem with the drive socket which causes the blade not to spin.
The drive socket should be attached precisely so that the blades can spin properly.
The drive socket is worn out
If your Vitamix blade not spinning there may be the reason for the drive socket wearing out.
But how do you know whether the drive socket is worn off?
Here is the simple trick.
Check the cracks, nicks, or scratches in the outer surface of the drive socket.
Also, inspect the inner gear teeth of the drive socket whether they are worn out or in good condition.
If you notice any of these presents there, you need to replace the drive socket.
Drive socket attached solidly and unable to move
The drive socket should attach to the Vitamix container should not be too tight. Because of the tight drive socket, the blade won’t spin at its optimum speed or it won’t spin at all.
Drive socket is easily removed or it is loose
The loose drive socket is yet another reason for not spinning the blade. The drive socket should not be too much loose.
It should be popped out and can move slightly up and down. It means the drive socket is not too much loose or tight.
Why the Drive Socket is Important for Blade Spinning?
The drive socket of the Vitamix couples the motor to the blade assembly. It protects the Vitamix motor if the blade assembly is blocked from rotating.
It is made with durable material because of which it lasts longer. It is easily replaceable.
So, if you notice that your Vitamix blade not spinning, then here drive socket plays a vital role to spin the blade assembly.
The drive socket is the main thing between the motor and the blade.
It also acts as a silencer to keep your Vitamix silent.
Why has Vitamix Drive Socket Worn out?
Following are the reasons for to worn out drive socket of Vitamix.
1. You have taken out a Vitamix jar from the motor before it stops running.
If you are doing so, it may be the reason for wearing out the teeth of the drive socket.
2.You placed the Vitamix container on the motor while it is running.
3. There is a foreign object in the container and it restricts the blade from spinning.
If there is any foreign object in the container while Vitamix is turning on, it may cause cracking the setscrew.
You should not put any foreign objects in the container while blending.
This can lead to wearing out the drive socket and blade to chip.
It also causes personal injury.
4.You are operating a Vitamix blender without a centering pad.
If you operate the blender without a centering pad, it leads to worn grooves on the drive socket.
5. You are trying to tilt the container to move the inside ingredients while the motor is turned on.
6. If you are not using the right Vitamix component parts, the drive socket may wear off sooner than expected.
You should check out the condition of your Vitamix drive socket every 3 to 4 months and make sure the “Teeth” are sharp.
Technical Fixes: How to Fix Vitamix Blade That is Not Spinning?
If your Vitamix blade not turning because of the drive socket, you can identify this issue.
For this, you need to turn on the blender and if the motor is running but the blade is not spinning.
Then make sure the drive socket is the reason behind the blade not working.
You can fix the issue of the drive socket in the following ways:
Drive Socket replacement
If the drive socket is cracked or worn out, you need to replace drive socket the right way. So that the blades will spin easily.
Before going to do any maintenance, make sure the Vitamix is unplugged. It should be in Off position.
Take out the container from the base as it won’t need you for now.
Just peel off the centering pad and remove it.
Look at the little housing for the drive socket and find the hole.
There is a brand name on the top of the drive socket ‘Vitamix’ and also a little arrow.
You need to line the arrow up with the hole in the housing.
Take Allen wrench and place it at 45 degrees until clicks into setscrew. Turn clockwise and the drive socket will pop out.
If you are troubling to getting it out, you can use the flat-headed screwdriver and get some leverage underneath.
Take a new drive socket. Locate the raised arrow on side of the new drive socket.
Align properly the squared bottom of the new drive socket with squatted top of the motor shaft.
It means again you’ll have to line up the Vitamix brand name with the arrow to the back of the housing where that hole is placed.
Push down the drive socket and rotate till the arrow is aligned with the slot precisely.
Place the square nut on one side.
Insert the wrench and turn it clockwise until it gets tight. Then back off a quarter turn in the housing hole.
Move the drive socket up and down and make sure it is not too tight.
Caution: The blades of the Vitamix are sharp. You should handle it carefully so that it won’t hurt you. You can use any cloth or towel while handling the blade assembly.
Fixing Vitamix drive socket that is way more loose or tight
The Vitamix drive socket should be a little loose so that it operates in a precise way.
But it is too much loose, the blade will not spin.
So, you should make sure, how much it should be loose and identify whether it is way looser or it is precise.
If it is too much loose, you can fix it easily at home.
If your Vitamix is still under warranty, you can contact Vitamix and fix an issue with their help.
Because technically any home user maintenance voids the warranty.
If your Vitamix is over the warranty period, you can try to tighten it up at home.
For this, you need a small wrench. Tighten up the drive socket with the wrench.
Line up the arrow with a little hole and screw on the drive socket.
Hex the wrench in the little hole at a 45-degree angle.
Tighten it with a wrench and make sure it won’t move around while trying to move by hand. And then pull back quarter turn.
Then check if the drive socket is popped out like moving up and down. So, it will not fix too much tight.
The drive shaft of Vitamix is square, and so is the part of the drive socket that fits over it.
Tighten up the drive socket with a wrench and then check the drive socket is enough tight to spin the blade.
Other Reasons – Vitamix Blade Not Spinning and Its Fixes
Suppose your Vitamix blade gets stuck or jammed while making your smoothie or processing other food.
There could be other reasons for this.
Wrong order of ingredients
You are combining the ingredients in the wrong order. If you put frozen fruits or ice at first, it may catch in the blender blades.
So, you should add the liquid base first in the container. So, it is advisable to put water, yogurt, juice, milk in the blender.
Then put the soft ingredients like soft and fleshy ingredients like oranges.
Next, put the harder ingredients like an apple. But these harder ingredients should chop smaller such as diced apple.
Place the large chunks at top of the container. You can place ice cubes, hulled strawberries, etc at the top.
Then you can add leafy greens, after that frozen fruits and ice. Add the nuts and seeds to the last layer.
So that you don’t need to jostle the components around by using the spatula to unclog the blades located inside.
Vitamix works at its best efficiency when you layered the ingredients correctly.
By putting liquid and soft ingredients at the bottom, the blade has easily grabbed onto something and then can be pulled in hard ingredients easily.
If you put hard ingredients at the bottom, the blade will hit the hard ingredients like ice or frozen fruit at low speed.
It may result in blade stutter and wear out the drive socket.
You can keep your Vitamix drive socket stronger by keeping hard ingredients at the top.
Too much frozen ingredients
You should not place too much frozen ingredients to blend in the blender.
It may cause blander to stall. So, use a mix of fresh and frozen ingredients for getting a smoother blend.
Overfilling the Vitamix container
Overfilling the container is may be a cause of the blade not spinning.
If this is the case, try to empty the container a bit and blend the ingredients again.
You may see the blades are spinning now.
Keeping the Vitamix container in the freezer or fridge
As per Vitamix, you should not container in the freezer and fridge.
The extreme temperatures in the fridge or freezer can affect bearings in the Vitamix’s blade assembly.
It may ruin the blade and lead to stuck the blade for your next use.
So, it is better to use a mason jar or other reusable container to store leftovers in the freezer or fridge.
Final Thoughts
If your Vitamix blades are not spinning, majorly this is because of the drive socket.
The drive socket should be in optimum condition. So, check if it is worn out or cracked.
If it is worn out replace it with a new drive socket.
But if your Vitamix is under warranty, contact the customer support of Vitamix and get fix the issue.
The drive socket should not be assembled way more loose or tight.
If it is too much loose or tight, fix it with a wrench.
There may also other reasons because of which the Vitamix blades wont spin like wrong order of ingredients in container, too much frozen ingredients or overfilled container etc.
So if your Vitamix blade is not spinning try to fix it with the above-mentioned ways and enjoy your delicious smoothie without any hassle.
Resources:
https://lifeisnoyoke.com/vitamix-prolong-life/
https://www.vitamix.com/media/other/files/Blender-Care-Maintenance-Guide.pdf
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