Hot Air Popper Popped Out...
 

Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.) On the
other hand, I know that coffee aficionados do this sort of thing with
hot air poppers all the time to tweak them for roasting coffee beans.
Will it work for popcorn kernels, or just burn them before they pop out
of the popper?

Thanks for your feedback,

wrote:

Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.) On the
other hand, I know that coffee aficionados do this sort of thing with
hot air poppers all the time to tweak them for roasting coffee beans.
Will it work for popcorn kernels, or just burn them before they pop out
of the popper?

Thanks for your feedback,


Hi Bruce...

Please do yourself and your family a favor, and
don't even think about bypassing or even tampering
with the thermostat!

If the element is glowing it's working fine... are you
sure you're not just a little too anxious for the popcorn?
(it's not instant popping, you must wait a bit)

Take care - safety first.

Ken

Agreed!! The thermo cutout is there for a very specific reason, for you and
others protection if the device indeed does overheat. Servicing it would
probably not be worth the effort or the risk. These take a couple of minutes
to produce enough thermal energy to actually pop the corn kernels. I have
one of these items, love it, but will not attempt servicing it.
"Ken Weitzel" wrote in message
news:btDpe.1600219$8l.1315580@pd7tw1no...


wrote:

Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.) On the
other hand, I know that coffee aficionados do this sort of thing with
hot air poppers all the time to tweak them for roasting coffee beans.
Will it work for popcorn kernels, or just burn them before they pop out
of the popper?

Thanks for your feedback,


Hi Bruce...

Please do yourself and your family a favor, and
don't even think about bypassing or even tampering
with the thermostat!

If the element is glowing it's working fine... are you
sure you're not just a little too anxious for the popcorn?
(it's not instant popping, you must wait a bit)

Take care - safety first.

Ken

writes:

Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.) On the
other hand, I know that coffee aficionados do this sort of thing with
hot air poppers all the time to tweak them for roasting coffee beans.
Will it work for popcorn kernels, or just burn them before they pop out
of the popper?

Of course there is a fire hazard if you bypass the thermostat.

But, did you wait long enough for the cord to pop and not overload it?

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wrote in message
ups.com...

However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

Don't even think about doing this. Try http://freecycle.org and maybe
someone local has one you can have for free.

N

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.) On the
other hand, I know that coffee aficionados do this sort of thing with
hot air poppers all the time to tweak them for roasting coffee beans.
Will it work for popcorn kernels, or just burn them before they pop out
of the popper?

Thanks for your feedback,


NEVER bypass the thermostat, as someone else said, if the element is glowing
then it's hot enough. We had one of these units when I was a kid, and as I
recall it took about 10 minutes to heat up to the point where the corn would
start to pop. It's possible you have insufficient airflow if it still
doesn't work.

"James Jones" wrote in message
news:AaSpe.11580$Hj.3557@lakeread02...
wrote:
Hello People:

I bought an "old school" Presto PopCornNow hot air popper from a thrift
shop last weekend, and I noted that the unit doesn't heat up enough to
pop the kernels.

The motor works fine, but I pulled the unit apart to check the
thermostat, which checked out okay (no resistance). The heating
element glows orange when the popper is plugged in so I know that it's
getting current. However, I believe that it isn't getting hot enough,
so I would like to confirm my choice of bypassing the thermostat to
generate more heat in the element.

If doing this would create a fire hazard, then it's not worth it. (I
can always spring for the $25.00 bucks to get a new popper.)

Go to Target.com and do a search for Toastmaster Hot Air Popcorn Popper.
It sells for $14.99--pretty cheap and much safer for you and your family.



Well first he should make sure the one he already has doesn't actually work
just fine, as I suspect it does.