Bear cooker won't power on, is it usually just the fuse?

[Thomas Martinez]

A few peoples has posted in the last few days regarding Bear cookers that has gone dead completely, with no lights, no response from the unit when you operate it, and none of the indicators on the cooker display any information. The most common reason for this is a blown fuse within the cooker. In the majority of cases, the solution is simply to unplug the Bear cooker from power, flip it over and remove the bottom cover, find the fuse that is located on the cooker’s main circuit board, and use a multimeter to test the continuity of the fuse. If the multimeter beeps when testing the fuse, then the fuse is intact and the issue with the Bear cooker is somewhere else in the unit. If the multimeter does not beep when testing the fuse, then the fuse is the issue and you should replace it with one of the same rating as the failed fuse.
What I'd like to know from others who use Bear cookers is whether you've encountered any Bear cookers that have had issues beyond the fuse itself.

 

[Dist]

yeah had one where the fuse popped twice in a row, ended up being the thermal cutoff on that cooker was stuck in the “on” position and the element overheated due to the setting staying on. Once I replaced the element the cooker has been working fine for the last 2 years.

 

[Esca]

wait is continuity mode with multimeters suppose to make a beep with these cheap meters? mine just shows a number for the resistance. Should i just be looking for near 0 ohms?

 

[Stormy Stag]

99% of the time its the fuse. People way overthink these.

 

[Future Rabbit Orches]

Honestly if you have to take it apart and fix something with a Bear cooker its probably time to just buy a new one, they are only like $30.

 

[Dist]

Honestly if you have to take it apart and fix something with a Bear cooker its probably time to just buy a new one, they are only like $30.

30 bucks for a Bear? where are you shopping lmao, the decent ones are 80+ and the ceramic liner ones are well over a hundred

 

[Biblical Chicken]

had a customer bring in a Bear cooker a couple months ago, the fuse was blown on it so I replaced that. Later that same day the cooker popped again though. Found that the issue with the cooker was that the triac on the control board was cracked which allowed for shorting of the internal elements of the cooker. Replaced the triac and it’s been working fine since.

 

[Impossible Ibex]

is the fuse for a Bear usually a glass fuse or one of those ceramic square fuses? trying to figure out what to have in my supply

 

[Esca]

wait is continuity mode with multimeters suppose to make a beep with these cheap meters? mine just shows a number for the resistance. Should i just be looking for near 0 ohms?

also a follow up question, if the element is shorted to the cookers chassis should the fuse still blow or should it trip the breaker instead?

 

[Mist]

i had a bear do this a while back, its definately the fuse. Popped open the cooker and replaced the fuse, done in 15 minutes or less. Didnt even need to look up a video to find the fuse due to how obvious it was on the board.

 

[Stormy Stag]

is the fuse for a Bear usually a glass fuse or one of those ceramic square fuses? trying to figure out what to have in my supply

depends on the model but most are the little ceramic square ones rated at 10A 250V

 

[Claustrophobic Animal]

Honestly if you have to take it apart and fix something with a Bear cooker its probably time to just buy a new one, they are only like $30.

lol at people who say just buy a new one. That is how our landfills fills up with these appliances. Its 5 cents for a fuse and 20 minutes of your time versus buying a new one and throwing away a perfectly good cooker minus one part.

 

[Future Rabbit Orches]

lol at people who say just buy a new one. That is how our landfills fills up with these appliances. Its 5 cents for a fuse and 20 minutes of your time versus buying a new one and throwing away a perfectly good cooker minus one part.

chill, not everyone wants to be an at home repair tech. Some of us has jobs.

 

[Electric D]

well said above. The thermal fuse on the Bear cookers should be tested separately from the main fuse on the unit. They are located in different spots on the cooker and people tend to miss the thermal fuse altogether when they should be looking for an issue in that location. I know because after spending 1 hour trying to diagnose a Bear cooker with a blown fuse, I found that the fuse was fine, it was the thermal fuse that was the issue.

 

[Impossible Ibex]

depends on the model but most are the little ceramic square ones rated at 10A 250V

oh nice thanks, is it slow blow or fast blow for the thermal fuse on a Bear cooker?