Discuss the different brands and sizes of heat presses available on the market, including Hix, GeoKnight, Hotronix, and other smaller manufacturers. Topics include maintenance, selection, styles and more.
My heat press has been working fine for 4 months. Then when i am about to used it again it refuses to heat up. I have checked all the wiring and all but i see no broken/open connections. The timer display is working fine but the temperature display,first with an --L-- the the green LED lit up then,--H-- appears on the display. I've checked the components and noticed that when i turn it on the relay(like a black switch box, dn't know the exact name for it) trips and i think no current flows through the circuit.Anyone know what may be wrong? I'd appreciate any advice. I think it is made from china.
My heat press has been working fine for 4 months. Then when i am about to used it again it refuses to heat up. I have checked all the wiring and all but i see no broken/open connections. The timer display is working fine but the temperature display,first with an --L-- the the green LED lit up then,--H-- appears on the display. I've checked the components and noticed that when i turn it on the relay(like a black switch box, dn't know the exact name for it) trips and i think no current flows through the circuit.Anyone know what may be wrong? I'd appreciate any advice. I think it is made from china.
The fuse is OK, but if you are familiar on how a relay works, at first there was contact and flow of electricity but then it will be shut off. If only i could know what are the names of the components inside the press maybe i can figure it out.
The problem is in the contactor. It de-energized after i turned the press on.
Anyone have knowledge how to troubleshoot contactors. please see the exact picture from the supplier.
The contactor has two sides, the low voltage control side and the high voltage side out to the element. Once you ID the low voltage contacts, you should be able to turn the thermostat up and down to see if the control voltage comes on and off. If you get the control voltage coming on and off and the contactor is not activating then the contactor is likely the problem. If you are not getting the power on the low voltage side then your problem is elsewhere. A brand of press would be helpful.
Since you say it deenergized when you turned the press on, I'm a little suspect. With no power to the press it should be deenergized, then plug the press in and see if the contactor pulls down. If so then the problem is likely on the high voltage side.
One common failure with most brands of heat presses is the high temp wiring coming off the back of the platen. The two wires are typically attached to the platen with a silver solder connection and after a lot of use one or both of those connections can fail. When that happens, everything acts normal except the press won;t heat up. Sometimes you can look at the connections and see them glowing red - not a good thing. They are a pain to repair since you need a hotter soldering setup for silver solder - we use a MAPP gas torch from the hardware store.
We use all HIX air auto heat presses and after 20 years, the only parts we keep in stock now are the ballast springs and the wiring kit for the platen connections. Everything else fails so rarely it isn't a problem.
Thank you so much for that information, it would help a lot. Can i connect directly the power cord to the high temp wire, like by-passing the contactor just to see if it will heat up? will this damage my press?
How to troubleshoot my heat press 
Re: How to troubleshoot my heat press 
