Conceived in 1921 and headquartered in Olmsted Township, Ohio, Vitamix is a world-renowned, and leading American manufacturer of blenders for both the consumer, restaurant, and hospitality industry.
The company’s blenders are widely considered as the best in the market, but on the downside aren’t cheap, owing to their stellar track record of performance.
While you can always buy a cheap blender, great chances are that you’ll end up having an adversarial relationship with it, most notably due to poor quality of components.
But, just like anything else, Vitamix blenders aren’t perfect and do suffer from a couple of issues.
One of the most common issues customers experience is the Vitamix burning smell, which is caused by myriad different reasons.
If you’re experiencing a Vitamix burning smell from your blender, there’s no need to break a sweat yet!
First, because Vitamix blenders are backed by impressive warranties, and next we’ve got the lowdown on how to fix Vitamix burning smell.
Why Does My Vitamix Smell Like it’s Burning?
Before revealing the fix for Vitamix burning smell, let’s quickly take at the reasons that cause the blender to emit an electrical burning smell.
Your Vitamix blender is made up of several components, some of which are likely to cause the Vitamix burning smell such as:
- Couplers (also dubbed as couplings)
- Blades
- Seals (O-rings, gaskets, sealing rings, or washers)
- Motor
The couplers of a Vitamix blender come in a variety of shapes and materials.
They generally fail due to the overload on the blades, resulting in smells from your Vitamix blender.
The blades are made up of three different components — blades, bearings, and the sealing plate.
Bearings located in the blades can seize at times, which can cause the motor to work overtime, resulting in overheating.
If the other parts fail such as damaged seals, it may have a detrimental effect on the motor, so you may need to replace it with a new one.
O-rings aka gaskets tend to get cracked over time, which allows the liquid to seep through to the motor.
Just like gaskets, brushes are prone to wear and tear over time and can cause a burning smell.
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How do I Fix Vitamix that has Burning Smell?
If you notice Vitamix burning smell, the first thing you should do is check your warranty rather than trying to fix things yourself.
Next, refer to your owner’s manual for Vitamix burning smell troubleshooting steps.
Most, if not all Vitamix blenders are equipped with hardened stainless steel blades, made from aircraft-grade stainless steel.
The Vitamix 5200 blender even comes with both wet and dry blades, where the former is designed for processing liquids such as sauces and juices, and the latter for grinding dry materials.
Blades are often the cause of Vitamix burning smell and can be replaced easily.
To determine if there’s an issue with the blades, inspect the assembly for signs of wear such as nicks, cracks, and gouges on the outer surface.
If your Vitamix blender is making a squeaking sound, this may indicate damage to the blade assembly.
Another way to detect whether the blade assembly is the cause of the Vitamix burning smell is when grease is leaking around the machine.
You can buy a new Vitamix blade assembly and replace it easily with a Vitamix retaining nut wrench.
Take note that you can’t use any other wrench to replace the blade assembly, as this may result in damage of the Vitamix blender.
All Vitamix blenders including the lower-priced models such as the Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender come with automatic overload protection.
This feature is designed to protect the motor of the blender, and prevent it from overheating.
There are a few things you can do to prevent your Vitamix blender from overheating, starting with blending the right quantity of items.
Items such as cooked rice, potatoes, and beans can be a burden on the machine if added in large quantities, so reduce the quantity of such items by half when using your blender.
Your Vitamix blender comes with a tamper, and for good reasons. It is designed to improve the flow of food by directing the food right against the blades.
The tamper also releases any air pockets around the blades to create a continuous flow of food through the blades.
In the even the automatic overload protection gets engaged, you can reset the feature by turning off the power switch for up to 45 minutes in 12-volt machines, and pressing the reset switch in 220-volt blenders.
With automatic overload protection, great chances are that the motor may not be the cause of Vitamix burning smell.
If you still feel the motor is the cause of the Vitamix burning smell, get in touch with customer service to make a claim under the manufacturer’s warranty or replace the motor with a new one if you know your way around.
Even though all Vitamix machines are tested at the factory, the company says that heavy use causes further curing of the motor windings, especially in new machines.
This is a good thing, because the issue is common with wound motors, and the company claims that the Vitamix burning smell with dissipate after a few heavy uses.
Even if your machine is older than 10 years, and you notice a strong Vitamix burning smell at the base, you don’t have to trash it just yet.
The company will generally fix non-warranty blenders, or if not at least guide you in the right direction.
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Conclusion
Buying a Vitamix blender is possibly one of the best investments you can make and one that will serve you well for many years to come.
With regards to Vitamix burning smell, even the company says that it is nothing to worry about, as it’s part of the curing process, and does dissipate after a few uses.
However, if the Vitamix burning smell is still around after you’ve used the machine a few times, your best bet is to troubleshoot the machine with the aforementioned solutions or get in touch with customer support while the machine is still under the warranty period.
References:
https://www.vitamix.com/media/other/files/Blender-Care-Maintenance-Guide.pdf
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vitamix/comments/6jnpj5/is_the_vitamix_supposed_to_smell_a_bit_like/
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