Deep Fryer Not Working? All 6 Known Issues With Fixes

Is your deep fryer not working, and it’s driving you up the wall? You might be suffering from a fried circuit board.

Deep fryers are incredible pieces of equipment. I can’t fathom the idea of a world where the delicious foods they provide don’t exist.

However, as versatile as deep fryers are, they’re not fail-proof. If your deep fryer is currently giving you trouble, many factors can be to blame, such as a blown fuse or a bad heating element. To troubleshoot each factor properly, you must have a very clear idea of what you’re looking for.

Below, you’ll find a list of the most common causes behind your deep fryer not working and the solutions you can implement to address them.

Ready? Let’s get to work.

Fixing a Faulty Deep Fryer

“Not working” is a broad term, so let me elaborate. Your deep fryer might not be:

• Staying lit.

• Heating up.

• Turning on.

Since I want to provide you with the clearest solutions possible, we’ll explore each category in detail and their corresponding culprits.

How to Reset Your Deep Fryer

I’d be remiss not to ask you to reset your deep fryer before starting off the list below. Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with your deep fryer; all it needs is a little “refreshing”.

Fixing A Fryer That Won’t Stay Lit

As I said, many possible reasons could explain why your deep fryer is not turning on. Here are the 2 things I typically recommend checking first.

#1 A Faulty Outlet

A faulty wall outlet could explain why your deep fryer is not turning on or staying on.

Ruling out your wall outlet as the first possible culprit is recommended and essential. A faulty outlet can be the first symptom of a larger issue in your home’s electrical layout.

Solution:

1. Carefully unplug your deep fryer, let it cool down, and throw away any leftover oil in the basket.
2. Take your deep fryer to a different section of the house, preferably as far away as possible from the outlet you normally use.
3. Plug the deep fryer into a new outlet and see if it resolves the issue.

If you’re up for a challenge and wish to hone your DIY skills, you can use a multimeter to test the outlet for continuity.

#2 A Damaged Power Cord

If the wall outlet is fine, my usual advice is to move to the power cord next. When your deep fryer is not turning on or staying on, there’s a good chance the cord has sustained some damage over its months or years of faithful service.

Damaging the power cord is simpler than you think. In fact, small bad habits, such as keeping the cord stored improperly, tangled, or pressing against a wall at a sharp angle, are more than enough to do it in.

I find that if there’s a burning smell coming from your deep fryer, a damaged power cord is likely.

Depending on the damage to the cord, the deep fryer will show some signs. If the cord is completely broken, your deep fryer will not turn on. But if the cord is only partially damaged, it could intermittently deliver power to your deep fryer.

The perfect recipe for a short circuit!

Solution: Replace the cord.

If you have a spare cord, feel free to use it for testing. Just ensure the new cord meets the same amperage and voltage requirements as the broken one.

Provided you don’t have a spare, you can do a quick Google search on your deep fryer’s make and model to find the right replacement at any online marketplace for less than $35.

In the event that your deep fryer’s power cord is not easily detachable, you might have to open the appliance up and tamper with its wiring. Unless you’re familiar with such procedures, I usually advise contacting a technician for the job.

Recommended:

Find A Repair Professional You Can Trust

Deep Fryer Not Heating Up?

If your power sources are alive and well, your deep fryer likely turns on but is not heating up. If so, there are several possible reasons behind the problem, and they all need to be addressed immediately.

#3 Your Thermostat Is Broken

A faulty thermostat could explain why your deep fryer is not heating up.

The thermostat is responsible for sensing and regulating the temperature inside your deep fryer, preventing overheating, and guaranteeing optimal frying conditions.

If your deep fryer is not heating up, chances are the thermostat is failing, rendering the fryer incapable of sensing its own temperature.

That said, it’s much better to have a deep fryer that’s not getting hot than one that’s getting hot enough to burn the oil in the basket – at least for safety purposes.

Solution: To fix your deep fryer’s thermostat, you’ll have to go in. While the process varies from model to model, following the steps below will most likely work for you:

1. Carefully unplug your deep fryer, let it cool down, and remove any leftover oil from the basket.

• Turn the deep fryer upside-down.

• Locate the screws at the bottom.

• Remove the screws with a screwdriver.

• Remove the outer panel.

• Expose your deep fryer’s guts.

• Locate the thermostat, and test it for continuity with a multimeter.

If there’s no continuity, the thermostat needs replacing. You can get a new thermostat from a hardware store near you or your manufacturer.

#4 Your Heating Element Is Faulty

Provided that your thermostat is unscathed, we should look at your heating element as the next possible culprit when your deep fryer is not heating up.

Heating elements transform the electrical energy drawn from your wall outlet into usable energy to heat up the vegetable oil you’ll fry your food in.

From what I’ve seen over the years, if your deep fryer is not heating up, chances are the heating element is no longer performing as it should.

When a heating element fails, you’ll either be stuck with a deep fryer that’s not heating up or one that’s getting too hot.

Solution: Please follow the steps from the previous point to expose your heating element and test it for continuity. Wait for the deep fryer to cool down completely, as the heating element can get extremely hot.

#5 You Have a Blown Fuse

A blown fuse is common when a deep fryer is not heating up.

Fuses are responsible for sensing large power spikes or extremely high temperatures and “blowing” to cut off all electrical continuity inside your deep fryer.

In most cases, fuses work wonders at protecting your appliances. However, some fuses might not blow properly, keeping your deep fryer on but without being able to produce any heat.

Solution: Please follow the steps from the previous point to expose the blown fuse in your deep fryer and replace it with a new one.

Unlike other components on this list, the naked eye can easily spot a blown fuse, so you don’t need a multimeter to test the part for viability (unless your fuse is not a glass variant, which is typically see-through).

All you must look for are signs of a small explosion, such as blackening and a broken filament inside the fuse’s glass body.

What if the Deep Fryer Won’t Even Turn On?

If your deep fryer doesn’t even turn on for a brief period, you’re sadly in the worst-case scenario. But don’t worry, even then; there are some things to try.

#6 Your Circuit Board Is Dead

A dead circuit board could explain why your deep fryer is not turning on, as the component is key to the proper functioning of the appliance.

Circuit board frying can happen for many reasons – from overheating to a large power spike caused by a blackout.

In my experience, several components and countermeasures are installed inside your deep fryer to keep your circuit board from frying; however, sometimes, said countermeasures can fail.

If you suspect your circuit board to be fried, there are a couple of routes you can take to address the situation.

Solution: Depending on your current warranty status and coverage, you’ll want to send the deep fryer in for repairs to your manufacturer or replace it altogether.

In case you’re still covered, repairs should be free unless specified otherwise in your document. However, if your warranty period has expired, consider the price of a new deep fryer.

In my opinion, if the cost of repairing your current deep fryer exceeds 50% of the price of a brand-new fryer with similar features, paying for repairs is a bad investment.

Getting Your Deep Fryer to Turn On

As you’ve learned in the article above, your deep fryer can stop working for many reasons.

Luckily, most of the issues can be easily addressed in no time. And even those repairs that might take a little longer should not be too challenging.

That said, if you ever feel doubtful during the troubleshooting process, please do not hesitate to call a technician, and make sure to check your warranty before tempering with your deep fryer, as you may still be under coverage and eligible for free repairs.

Thanks for reading. If this article was useful and answered your most burning questions, please consider checking out our other resources below and subscribing to our newsletter.

Have a great day!

-Craig.