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KitchenAid Instant hot water not heating
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Model: KHWS160 Brand: Kitchen Aid Age: 1 - 5 years
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APPNewbie  
#1 Posted : Monday, November 15, 2010 8:48:17 AM(UTC)
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Does anybody know anything about these? This only worked for a few months. Since then, it has sat unused. I pulled it apart today. Here is what I have checked: BTW, I am new to a multi-meter
1. Power to T-stat OK, reads in range of 120 V
2. If I read the meter right, to check for continuity, place one probe on one end and the other probe on the other and put the meter to what looks like a solid triangle with a plus sign with the horizontal line going through the triangle. I did this on the Element and it reads 19
3. I am wondering what the reading should be if I place the probes on the wire with the thermal breaker on it. My reading is "000" Could this be the problem? I think this breaker is installed in-line to prevent a potential fire if there is no water in tank.

Anyone have any experience with this unit? Testing with the multimeter is new to me, maybe I am doing something wrong. Help!
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denman  
#2 Posted : Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:13:46 AM(UTC)
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Here is a search for your unit.
Replacement parts for FRIGIDAIRE PLHS269ZDB3 Frigidaire/refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com
Your model number seems to be short several digits.

I looked through a couple and did see a thermal fuse (Item 17 in Section).
Perhaps this is blown.
If it is it would be a good idea to also replace the thermostat as that should not have allowed the unit to get hot enough to blow the fuse.

[COLOR="Blue"]1. Power to T-stat OK, reads in range of 120 V[/COLOR]
I cannot comment on this as I do not know which points you were measuring to. It also makes a difference where in the circuit they put the thermal fuse (breaker).
At least you know there is power to the unit.

[COLOR="Blue"]2. If I read the meter right, to check for continuity, place one probe on one end and the other probe on the other and put the meter to what looks like a solid triangle with a plus sign with the horizontal line going through the triangle.[/COLOR]
Not sure what this is. You want your leads in common and ohms. Ohms sign is sort of like an "n". Different meters have different designations for the lead connectors.

[COLOR="Blue"]I did this on the Element and it reads 19[/COLOR]
That sounds OK to me. It would be about an 800 watt heater.

[COLOR="Blue"]3. I am wondering what the reading should be if I place the probes on the wire with the thermal breaker on it. My reading is "000" Could this be the problem? I think this breaker is installed in-line to prevent a potential fire if there is no water in tank.[/COLOR]
The one I looked at did not have a thermal breaker but yours may use this instead of a thermal fuse in which case checking it would be a good idea. Should be 0 ohms.

On using a meter in ohms mode.
With the leads attached to the meter, check the reading. This is then infinite ohms (open). This can vary depending on the meter.
Then short the leads together. You should get a 0 or 000 etc.. This is then 0 ohms (short).
On lowest (most sensitive) scale you may see 01.0 or something like that, this is just a meter offset (could be the battery is a little low, dirtl lead contacts etc.). You then know that 01.0 is actually a 0 reading.

A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
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APPNewbie  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:40:16 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: denman Go to Quoted Post
Here is a search for your unit.
Replacement parts for FRIGIDAIRE PLHS269ZDB3 Frigidaire/refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com
Your model number seems to be short several digits.
You are correct, the total model # is KHWS160VCR1

I looked through a couple and did see a thermal fuse (Item 17 in Section).
Perhaps this is blown.
If it is it would be a good idea to also replace the thermostat as that should not have allowed the unit to get hot enough to blow the fuse.
It is definitely blown. Power to the wire is 124.9, probed the wire before the fuse, 124.9, checked the connection after the fuse, .01V.
1. Power to T-stat OK, reads in range of 120 V
I cannot comment on this as I do not know which points you were measuring to. It also makes a difference where in the circuit they put the thermal fuse (breaker).
At least you know there is power to the unit.
I checked the lead connection before the T-stat.-124.9V

2. If I read the meter right, to check for continuity, place one probe on one end and the other probe on the other and put the meter to what looks like a solid triangle with a plus sign with the horizontal line going through the triangle.
Not sure what this is. You want your leads in common and ohms. Ohms sign is sort of like an "n". Different meters have different designations for the lead connectors.
Just learning a little about this. My meter only measures resistance, voltage in DC and AC and amps.

I did this on the Element and it reads 19
That sounds OK to me. It would be about an 800 watt heater. This was measured with the element out of the tank.

3. I am wondering what the reading should be if I place the probes on the wire with the thermal breaker on it. My reading is "000" Could this be the problem? I think this breaker is installed in-line to prevent a potential fire if there is no water in tank.
The one I looked at did not have a thermal breaker but yours may use this instead of a thermal fuse in which case checking it would be a good idea. Should be 0 ohms.

On using a meter in ohms mode.
With the leads attached to the meter, check the reading. This is then infinite ohms (open). This can vary depending on the meter.
Then short the leads together. You should get a 0 or 000 etc.. This is then 0 ohms (short).
On lowest (most sensitive) scale you may see 01.0 or something like that, this is just a meter offset (could be the battery is a little low, dirtl lead contacts etc.). You then know that 01.0 is actually a 0 reading.
Mine simply reads 1.

A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). That is exactly what I did.Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.
There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.


Thank you very much for your help, I have learned a lot about using the multimeter.
I inadvertantly started another thread about this. When I read the instructions for my multimeter, I wanted to edit this post, but I guess the time that I took to edit was too long and it started a new post. Maybe I hit the wrong button, but I will get the link and post the link here for you to review.
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APPNewbie  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:45:09 AM(UTC)
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I inadvertantly started another thread about this. When I read the instructions for my multimeter, I wanted to edit this post, but I guess the time that I took to edit was too long and it started a new post. Maybe I hit the wrong button, but I will get the link and post the link here for you to review.


Appliance Repair Forum > Appliance Repair Help > Refrigerator & Freezer Repair » KitchenAid Instant Hot water not heating

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Thank you very much for your help, I ordered the thermal breaker from APP this morning. How do you think I can check the thermostat?
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denman  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, November 16, 2010 5:38:28 AM(UTC)
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You can check that it is closed.
It should be 0 ohms at room temperature.

The problem is that you cannot check when it should open.
That is why I suggested you replace it as a precaution.
Even if you could figure out a way to check it, the check would not be reliable as they can go intermittent.

The thermostat's contacts can get pitted and then they stick closed every once in a while.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
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