Blenders are a wonderful invention that can turn whole pieces of fruit into a refreshing smoothie in seconds. But the power of a blender can take a bad turn if it starts to overheat.
Any kitchen appliance that overheats can present a safety threat, so it's important to be aware of the tell-tale signs of any faults and to use your blender at intervals. If anything seems wrong with your appliance, always first unplug it. Once it's disconnected, you should empty the blender and allow it to fully cool before inspecting it for damaged parts.
It's disappointing if your blender starts to smoke and overheat, but it doesn't necessarily mean you'll never get to use it again. Keep reading to learn why your blender might overheat, how to prevent overheating, and what to do when your blender is overheating.
So, why is my blender overheating? A few things could cause your blender to overheat, ranging from the motor to the blades to the food you're blending. Below are some of the most common reasons a blender starts to overheat.
If the ingredients in the blender are too heavy or thick, they may overload the blades, meaning they don't have enough strength to spin.
Overfilling Your Blender with Overly Thick Food Can Lead to Overheating
When a blade can’t spin, the motor has to work harder to try and spin the blades, which can lead to overheating. If you notice the blender blades are motionless even when the motor is on, turn off the blender.
A motor can get overworked if the blades stop spinning while you're using the appliance. Hard ingredients, like frozen foods, can overwork the motor. When this happens, you'll likely notice an unpleasant burning smell.
Every blender has a seal or gasket that protects the motor from the ingredients in the blender jar. In other words, it's like a drain plug that prevents food from getting into the motor.
Unfortunately, these seals don't stay perfectly functional forever. Over time it may tear, become too rigid, or wear down. When this happens, liquid and food particles can get into the motor and internal components, leading to its malfunctioning and overheating.
The coupler is where the blender jar attaches to the blender base. The coupler also works as a failsafe, as the blender will turn off if the coupler is not secure.
But a damaged coupler may allow the blender to run even if the blender jar is not firmly secure. The damaged coupler may rub against the motor, causing it to overheat.
Blender brushes are an internal component that transfers electricity to the motor. If these brushes malfunction, they can create a burning smell and you may even notice the blender base smoking.
The brushes can break from consistent use over time or if the blender is overworked and overloaded.
Lastly, a dirty blender may overheat. If you don't thoroughly clean all the parts of your blender, like the jar, gasket, base, couplers, and blades, food remnants can work their way into the motor parts and cause a burning smell.
Thoroughly Clean Your Blender After Each Use to Prevent Blender Motor Overheating
The food remnants may be burning from the heat, or the particles may be jamming parts of the motor or blade, causing them to overwork.
So what should you do if you notice that burning smell and think your blender is overheating? Take the steps explained below to prevent your blender from causing a fire, and you can also try to diagnose the cause of the overheating.
The first thing to do is immediately turn off the blender. Whenever there is a burning smell, always turn off any kitchen appliances you think may be the culprit to stop the flow of electricity.
Empty any food in the blender when using it, but don't stick your hand in as you may burn yourself. You may run water through it quickly if you feel comfortable doing so.
Flip the blender jar over and let it cool down. Leave the blender base alone, unplugged, until it cools down completely. The cooling can take up to an hour. Ensure you do not place it near anything highly flammable, like paper towels.
Once Your Blender Overheats be Sure to Let it Coold Down Completely to Avoid Permanent Damage
Disassemble the blender to the best of your ability and assess the parts for damage. Most importantly, check the gasket and couplers for signs of damage or wear. Ensure the blade assembly is correct and nothing looks out of place.
If you find damaged parts, try to order replacements from the manufacturer so you can get the blender up and running again. If you have a Ninja blender or Vitamix blender, finding replacement parts is usually a breeze.
If you saved your blender and want to know how to prevent it from overheating again or to prevent it from happening at all, here are some tips. As long as you treat your blender with care, keep it clean, and mind these tips, it should rarely overheat. It certainly can be frustrating to have to wait thirty minutes or more for your blender to cool down and be usable again.
Vitamix Advice on Avoiding Blender OverHeating. The Lower the Speed, Volume of Food, and Lower Viscosity of Blender Contents - the Less Likely Your Blender Will Overheat. The Vitamix motor will typically self shut off for around 40 minutes.
The first rule of thumb when using a blender is that you should not overload it. Check the manufacturer's instructions about filling the blender, but try not to fill the blender more than halfway and a maximum of two-thirds full.
The more ingredients you put into your blender, the harder the blender motor has to work to spin the blades and create a vortex. If you have to blend a ton of ingredients for a big batch of smoothies or sauce, try to do it in small batches, so the blender doesn't overheat.
Don't turn on your blender and then saunter off to take a shower or walk your dog. Instead, you should monitor your blender while it's running and blend things in short bursts. The longest you should let your blender run is about two minutes.
But the best practice is to run the blender for 30 to 60 seconds and then pause for a few seconds before doing it again. This break gives all the blender parts a chance to cool down so the motor won't overheat.
When blending super hard ingredients, like frozen fruit or frozen foods, it's best to blend small portions at a time. These tough ingredients can cause the blades to get stuck and stop, leading to the motor trying extra hard and possibly overheating.
If you're blending ice or frozen fruit, put it in the blender in small portions, like one cup at a time, to ensure the blades and motor are not overwhelmed. The same goes for extremely thick ingredients, like peanut butter or nut butter, which can clog the blades if it's a large quantity.
Below are common questions others ask about blenders overheating.
Yes, some blenders do have safety shut-off features. The fancier blenders often have safety features that automatically turn off the blender if it starts to become too hot or the motor gets overworked.
However, if you notice a burning smell or smoke, don't rely on this safety feature. Shut off the blender as soon as you see any troubling signs of overheating.
If you notice your blender overheating, it doesn't mean you need to throw it away just yet. If you have a high-tech blender, you may need to replace a single part or give it a good cleaning.
Oftentimes not overloading your blender can be the solution. For expensive blenders, you may wish to it repaired before tossing it, as you may be throwing away a $500 blender that is fixable.
As long as the manufacturer's instructions support the blending of hot liquids you should be ok. Many blenders are durable enough to handle hot foods, even boiling water, and blend thoroughly without issues.
It is a bad idea to put a blender in a colder environment as this could potentially result in condensation forming on the blender which could potentially damage electronic components in the blender. For more information on the risk of damaging your blender by exposing it to cold air,, watch the Vitamix video above in its entirety.
