Don't Throw Away That Broken Appliance!

SURGERY ON A COFFEE MAKER

Jack Bragen

Copyright 2010

We bought a new Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker about a year ago. At one time, maybe fifty years ago, that was a renowned appliance brand, known for being overbuilt and very long lasting. Today, this is a little less so.
Recently when I was using this product, the power switch fell apart. I got the appliance to work temporarily by having what was left of the switch function as "always on." Then, another piece of metal fell out of what was left of the switch. I tried to get it to work by stuffing in a piece of aluminum foil, but it was to no avail.
Since, at one point I was in no hurry and wanted my coffee, I decided to try surgery on the coffee maker. With some difficulty I pried and unscrewed the bottom panel. It required that I use a tool left over from my VCR repair days: a slotted screwdriver. This was because the coffee maker used special tamper resistant screws on its bottom.
Once the bottom was off, I studied the wiring of the coffee maker. The power switch had actually four wires on it because two wires went to a tie point for the opposite side of the circuit, and this also served as a supply for the tiny light that once glowed while the unit was on. The other two wires, of course, were the ones to splice and connect together to create an "always on" state.
I put duct tape around the wires that I had twisted together. And I reminded myself that if the coffee pot caused an electrical fire that would make the apartment building burn down, I would be liable.
I pressed and re-screwed the bottom of the unit back on. I plugged the unit in, and once again I had a working coffee maker. I put more tape on the unit to cover the gap where there had once been the outside of the power switch.
If you need surgery on an appliance, please feel free to contact me.