Instant Pot completely dead, usually just two things?

[Thomas Martinez]

Saw several threads about the Instant Pot that will not power on at all. From what I’ve read about these models the issues is generally one of two things. I thought I’d share my findings in the discussion forum to help anyone experiencing this troubleshoot.
The first thing to try is ensuring the power cord is properly seat into the unit. These get loose over time. The second issue is a blown internal fuse. This require removing the unit’s bottom panel and testing continuity with a multimeter. If the multimeter display an open circuit, then you should replace the fuse. I have noticed in some of these models there is a fuse inline on the red wire. You can easily overlook these when diagnosing the issue with the pot.
When the fuse on these models blows is there generally an issue with the component that follow the fuse? Or is it generally just age and power surge related and the fuse just fails in the same manner each time?

 

[My Little Racc]

fuses don’t blow for fun. If its popped theres a reason. Could be a one time surge sure but i’d be checking the element resistance and looking for any signs of cooked component on the board before just slapping a new fuse in and walking away.

 

[We Love Mounta]

The inline fuse on my Duo about 3 years ago. Since then it’s been working great. The only issue we were having with power during that time of year. I know for sure it was the power brownout. Tested the element right before replace the fuse. Read fine.

 

[Enchanting Elk]

wait is the inline fuse on the red wire a different part number/size than the main fuse on the unit?

 

[Double Sta]

lol just buy a new one they're like 60 bucks on sale

 

[My Little Racc]

wait is the inline fuse on the red wire a different part number/size than the main fuse on the unit?

different rating on the fuses. Inline on the red wire is a smaller thermal fuse whereas the main fuse is the higher amperage fuse on the unit. Always check the printed part number on the fuse itself.

 

[Crazy Crane]

the power cord issue is real. My mom called me up in the middle of the night thinking hers was dead. I drove 40 minutes to have a look at it. Once I reattached the power cord to the unit it started working instant. She had no idea it had a detachable cord.

 

[Enchanting Elk]

different rating on the fuses. Inline on the red wire is a smaller thermal fuse whereas the main fuse is the higher amperage fuse on the unit. Always check the printed part number on the fuse itself.

ok thats helpful. And is the fuse generally a glass fuse or ceramic fuse? I’ve only ever replaced car fuses.

 

[Tender Trout]

hard to believe the fuse is the issue. The membrane on the control panel generally go bad on these models. They will appear as if the unit is dead when it’s actually the membrane not recognizing the power button press. I’ve seen this on a few older versions of the Duo model.

 

[My Little Racc]

ok thats helpful. And is the fuse generally a glass fuse or ceramic fuse? I’ve only ever replaced car fuses.

ceramic fuses and they are soldered into the control panel. You’ll need an iron to pop them out. If you haven’t soldered before you might want to pay someone to do it instead. Or practice on a junk control panel first in case the soldering heat affect the solder joints on the panel.

 

[Inc]

hard to believe the fuse is the issue. Ive replaced fuses on a dozen dead Instant Pots. 9 out of 10 they had an issue with the power cord or the thermal cutoff switch located under the inner pot. Not the inline fuse.

 

[Double Sta]

hard to believe the fuse is the issue. Ive replaced fuses on a dozen dead Instant Pots. 9 out of 10 they had an issue with the power cord or the thermal cutoff switch located under the inner pot. Not the inline fuse.

see this is why i said just buy a new one

 

[Attractive A]

same with mine. Mine died last fall. Replaced inline fuse on red wire. Pulled the thing apart, nothing looked wrong. Then reattached the power cord and it turn on.

 

[Tender Trout]

hard to believe the fuse is the issue. Ive replaced fuses on a dozen dead Instant Pots. 9 out of 10 they had an issue with the power cord or the thermal cutoff switch located under the inner pot. Not the inline fuse.

thermal cutoff switch is a great point. People rarely consider this. There are actually three potential issues with the Duo that can prevent it from turning on. The line fuse, the inline fuse on the red wire, and the thermal cutoff switch located under the inner pot.

 

[Topsy-Turvy C]

its always the cord

 

[Enchanting Elk]

ceramic fuses and they are soldered into the control panel. You’ll need an iron to pop them out. If you haven’t soldered before you might want to pay someone to do it instead. Or practice on a junk control panel first in case the soldering heat affect the solder joints on the pan…

sorry one more, to test the inline fuse on the red wire with a multimeter do you have to desolder it first?

 

[3D Karate Jr]

had an old Lux model that refused to turn on for what i thought was a faulty pot. Spent 2 hours diagnosing it and eventually found where it had been unplugged from the outlet while i was vacuuming. Felt smart sharing it with the group though!

 

[My Little Racc]

sorry one more, to test the inline fuse on the red wire with a multimeter do you have to desolder it first?

on a fuse you can test it in circuit with the multimeter. There shouldn’t be any alternative path for the circuit around the fuse. On the control board however, you could get misleading reading.

 

[We Love Mounta]

to answer your question about whether the blown fuse means there’s an issue with the component after the fuse. Half the time it’s just age and a one off event that caused the fuse to fail. If you replace the fuse and it fails again in the same instance, then something is short on the element or the relay on the control board.

 

[Divine Worm Ma]

these are basically disposable device. The gaskets get nasty over time, the lid sensors fail, the membrane buttons on the control panel fail. Replacing the fuse on a 6 year old model is basically like washing a paper plate.