How to Repair an Electric Rice Cooker at home
An electric rice cooker is a great appliance that is often used to save a lot of time and effort in preparing quick meals after a long day. By using an electric rice cooker the user can quickly make some rice without worrying of overcooking or burning. Many times people will set up the rice cooker in place of pasta or potatoes as a side dish. Like many electrical appliances the electric rice cooker can have some problems as it ages. There are electrical problems that surface as the appliance gets some age on it. Many owners will simply throw it in the trash and buy a new one. However, with the right types of components a do it yourselfer can easily fix their rice cooker for prolonged use.
Step 1 - Unplug Power Cord from Wall
Before you start to work on the electric rice cooker you will want to make sure it is not plugged into any power source.
Step 2 - Remove Cover
Take the covering dish of the electric rice cooker and place it aside. You will also need to remove the burner plate and inner bowl. This will allow you to get to the inner parts of the cooker.
Step 3 - Remove Base of Cooker
On the bottom of most electric rice cookers there are some tabs, or screws, that hold the base together. Remove these screws, or fold back the tabs, so that you can remove the base.
Step 4 - Test Heating Element
The cooker's heating element may not be working properly. Disconnect the heating wire from the terminal and test it with the multimeter. Set the meter to read Ohms and touch the wire to the terminals. If it reads "0" ohms the wire is fine.
Step 5 - Test Resistor
If the heating element is fine, then the next space to test is the resistor. Use the multimeter again on the same setting and touch the probes to the resistor. If the reading comes out to 20 Ohms then the resistor is fine. If not, then you will need to replace it.
Step 6 - Check and Clean Contacts
Another problem that is associated with older electric rice cooker appliances is that the switch contacts can become dirty or corrode. When this happens they will not allow a solid current to flow when the switch is pressed to star the cooker. With the base removed, check the contact areas. Check to see if they are burned. If so, you will need to replace these contacts. If not, then use some electrical contact cleaner and a clean rag.
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