Does your deep fryer keep shutting off, and you’re unsure why?
You’re not alone! Faulty deep fryers affect thousands of people and major restaurants every day.
Although convenient and built to last, deep fryers are not failproof. There are several reasons why your deep fryer might keep shutting off – from a damaged power cord to overheating.
I know the situation seems concerning, but don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place for answers. Below you’ll find a list of the 6 most common causes behind a deep fryer that keeps shutting off and the steps you can take to address each.
Are you ready? Let’s dive right in!
Why Your Deep Fryer Keeps Shutting Off
Although you might be tempted to open your appliance immediately and try to find the culprit in one of its internal components – please don’t. At least not yet.
Opening your deep fryer without a proper sense of direction is something I strongly advise against. You can end up voiding your warranty or causing more damage to the deep fryer.
Instead, please follow the steps below to get to the bottom of the situation.
#1 Check Your Outlet
If your deep fryer keeps shutting off, chances are its power source is failing and supplying power intermittently.
From what I’ve seen, bad wall outlets are not always a sign of a greater electrical failure in your home; however, they mustn’t be ignored.
Solution: Try a different outlet.
Carefully unplug your deep fryer, let it cool down, and remove any leftover oil from the basket. Then:
- Take your deep fryer to a different section of the house, preferably as far removed as possible from the outlet you normally use.
- Plug the deep fryer back into a different wall outlet.
A faulty outlet does not always indicate a greater malfunction in your home’s wiring. However, if you’re up for a challenge and want to be 100% certain that the issue is not of major concern, you can use a multimeter to test the outlet for continuity.
#2 Your Power Cord Is Damaged
Another possible reason your deep fryer keeps shutting off is that its power cord has sustained damage.
While appliances’ power cords seem sturdy, daily bad habits, such as storing them improperly, keeping them tangled, or pressed against a wall at sharp angles, are more than enough to cause permanent damage.
In my experience, when your deep fryer keeps shutting off after turning on for a while, the damage is not total, which means that some electricity is still passing through. Please stop using your deep fryer in such a case, as there’s a risk of electrocution and fire.
Solution: If you have a spare cable you can use for testing, go ahead. Otherwise, you can do a quick Google search on your deep fryer’s make and model to find a replacement at any online marketplace for cheap.
You can also check your User Manual for part numbers.
#3 Overheating
Overheating could also explain why your deep dryer keeps shutting off.
Being a deep fryer an appliance that handles scorching-hot oil, you’d think overheating wouldn’t be a problem, but it is.
It’s one thing to have hot oil in your basket and another entirely different one to have extreme temperatures inside your deep fryer’s internal components.
Some deep fryers have safety mechanisms built into them, designed to protect both the appliance and the user. So, if your unit keeps shutting off, it’s probably just trying to keep you safe from overheating.
If you suspect hot oil is leaking into your deep fryer’s internal components, my usual advice is to stop using the appliance immediately to prevent hurting yourself or damaging the fryer.
#4 Your Heating Element Is Faulty
A faulty heating element could be to blame when your deep fryer keeps shutting off.
If you’re unfamiliar with what heating elements do, it’s quite simple. Heating elements transform the electrical energy drawn from your power outlet into high temperatures to heat up your vegetable oil.
What makes faulty heating elements dangerous are the symptoms that come along with such a situation. When your heating element goes bad, you might be stuck with a deep fryer that does not generate heat or one that produces too much.
Solution: To your deep fryer’s heating element, you’ll have to go inside the appliance. Please follow the steps below:
- 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 of the deep fryer’s body.
- Undo the screws with a screwdriver, and remove the outer panel to expose the fryer’s guts.
- Gain comfortable access to your heating element.
- Test the heating element for continuity.
I’d be remiss not to mention that you can have a faulty heating element that gives positive continuity readings, so please don’t base your conclusions solely on the readings.
#5 Blown Fuses
If the heating element is ok, a blown fuse could be causing your deep fryer to keep shutting off.
Fuses are responsible for “blowing” whenever they sense extreme temperatures, or large power spikes, interrupting the electrical continuity inside your deep fryer to protect it from further damage.
If your deep fryer keeps shutting off due to an overheating problem, your fuse might have already blown as a safety measure.
Solution: Please follow the steps from the previous point to expose your fuse and check it for viability.
Unlike the other components on this list, the naked eye can easily identify a blown fuse. All you must look for are signs of a small explosion, such as blackening and a broken filament inside the fuse’s glass body (remember that not all fuses are see-through).
If you see any signs of damage, you’ll have to replace the fuse to get your deep fryer back to normal. I find that the simplest way to get the right fuse is to remove it from your appliance and take it with you to a nearby hardware store for reference.
#6 Your Circuit Board Is Dead
From what I’ve seen, if a damaged circuit board is the reason your deep fryer keeps shutting off, the appliance shouldn’t even turn on. So, if your deep fryer won’t even start, the board is likely the issue.
Extreme overheating and large power spikes are the most common reasons a circuit board can fry. A circuit board that’s only partially fried but not entirely dead could explain why your deep fryer keeps shutting off unexpectedly.
Solution: In my opinion, if you’re no longer under warranty coverage, and your deep fryer was not very expensive, your best bet is to buy a new model. While the cost of a new circuit board for your appliance is not high, the cost of labor to have it repaired can be.
If you’re still under warranty coverage, or the proud owner of an expensive, professional-grade deep fryer, you can always send the appliance in for repairs with your manufacturer.
Fixing a Deep Fryer That Keeps Shutting Off
When your deep fryer keeps shutting off, your plans for a nice and crunchy meal can come to a screeching halt.
Luckily, as I hope this article has helped you better understand, addressing the most common causes behind a deep fryer that keeps shutting off is easy and quick. In most cases, simple actions, like replacing the fryer’s power cord and checking for oil leaks, will do the trick.
Thanks for reading. If this article was useful and answered your questions, please check out our other resources below and consider subscribing to our newsletter.
Happy frying!
-Craig.
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