Mechanical timers are used to regulate the flow of liquids and gases in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump equipment.
When these units start making strange noises or stop working altogether, it could be due to any number of reasons.
Mechanical timers rely on springs and gears to accurately measure time, while electrical timers are powered by electricity.
While they might look similar from a distance, mechanical timers offer many advantages over their electrical counterparts.
it relies on clockwork mechanisms that rotate after you wind them up with a key or handle (which can be done manually or automatically).
Some of these timers even feature additional components like dials or wheels that allow you to more easily adjust times; others don’t include any extra parts beyond your basic spring-and-gear system.
Common Causes of Mechanical Timer not Working
Most timers aren’t precise and can run anywhere from a couple of minutes fast to a couple of minutes slow. Here are some common causes for them not working correctly.
- The timer is placed on an uneven surface, causing it to be unstable.
- The motor in your timer has burnt out.
- Something is jamming up inside your timer, preventing it from moving as freely as needed.
- The timer is exposed to extreme temperatures, which causes it to expand or contract, throwing off its timing mechanism.
- Timer is exposed to direct sunlight, which warms up its components and throws off its timing mechanism.
- The timer is dropped or bumped into something, damaging its internal mechanisms.
- There’s too much resistance in your electrical circuit, which causes your timer to run slower than normal.
- Your mechanical timer has reached its lifespan and needs to be replaced with a new one.
- You have an old mechanical timer that no longer keeps time accurately due to wear and tear over time.
- Your mechanical timer is simply broken and needs to be replaced.
- The gears inside your timer are stripped, making it impossible for it to move properly.
- A foreign object such as dust or sand has gotten stuck inside your mechanical timer, making it unable to move freely through its gears and cogs.
- The battery in your timer has died.
- The battery contacts inside your timer are dirty, corroded, or bent, preventing current from flowing between them and thus stopping power from reaching your timer’s motor.
Solutions to a Mechanical Timer Not Working
Mechanical timers are very useful in the kitchen, especially if you want to prepare food overnight or while away from home.
However, they don’t last forever, and they can malfunction over time, requiring you to find ways to fix them or replace them with new ones.
Rely on other Mechanical Timers
An obvious solution is to use another Mechanical timer if possible. Be sure that you set these timers for an appropriate amount of time.
Additionally, you will want to know if there is an automatic shut-off option on your device.
Some have these settings, and others do not. If there is no automatic shut-off feature, be sure that you will remember to check them before they time out.
You may also want to invest in several types of timers so that you have options available in multiple situations.
Use your Phone
Many people rely heavily on their phones these days so much. So that they keep their phones nearby at all times (and even sleep with them under their pillows).
If using another timer isn’t an option for whatever reason, then consider using your phone instead.
Make sure your watch isn’t Damaged
The first thing you want to do is make sure your watch isn’t damaged. If you can see exposed gears, or if some parts of your watch aren’t moving, you need to get that fixed as soon as possible before it becomes too late.
Once you know that everything is in working order, all that’s left is setting it up.
Change the Battery
- If your timer has trouble keeping time, try changing its battery. Make sure that you remove and replace it with a fresh battery.
- If your battery is still functioning properly, you might want to check if your mechanical timer is set correctly by setting it back to zero.
Re-position
This is another simple solution that works for most timers
- If you’re having trouble with time accuracy, chances are there’s something wrong with its orientation when you’re using it. You just need to re-position it so that it can keep track of time accurately.
Replace
You can also opt to replace your current timer with a new one if none of these solutions work for you. However, before replacing anything, make sure that you have checked all of these solutions first.
How to Fix
- Turn it off and on again, it’s actually a little more complicated than that.
- Turn it off, wait five minutes, and then turn it back on.
- If your timer is plugged in, unplug it and plug it back in. Check if there’s a fuse box for your home; sometimes these get overloaded with too many electrical appliances being plugged into them.
- Finally, try resetting your breaker. This can be done by flipping all of your breakers to off positions and then flipping them back to on one at a time until you find which one is causing issues with your timer.
- Once you know which breaker isn’t working properly, you can call an electrician to fix it or replace it altogether.
Also go through: Fix Emerson Thermostat Troubleshooting
Conclusion
If your timer is blinking, it’s because there is no electricity getting to it. This can happen if you have a loose wire or bad outlet that isn’t supplying power to your home.
Have an electrician come out and diagnose what might be wrong before replacing any parts on your own. Also, try plugging something else into your outlet just to make sure it isn’t blown.
