Frequently Asked Questions
General | Blenders | Shaver Blenders | Drink Mixers | Glass Washers | 932 Juicer | Stand Mixers
General:
Q: What does HBB stand for?
A: Hamilton Beach Brands.
Q: How can I contact Technical Services?
A: Technical Services can be reached via the link on this website or by calling at 1-866-285-1087.
Q: What is the NEMA number for the three, prong plug used on all of the 120-volt products?
Applies to: All three prong, 120 volt, commercial products except the HTS toasters.
A: NEMA-5-15
Applies to: HTS450
Q: What is the NEMA number for the three, prong plug used on the 120 volt HTS toasters?
A: NEMA-5-20
Q: What is ECSP?
A: Express Care Service Program. This is a warranty program that applies to specific products. Please refer to the warranty information supplied with your product to determine the type of warranty coverage your product carries.
Q: With the ECSP coverage is the unit that you send to me a loaner?
A: No, it is a replacement and carries the remainder of the warranty of the original machine.
Q: With the ECSP coverage do I get a new warranty with my replacement unit?
A: No, the warranty is prorated based upon the original purchase.
Q: I have had a unit that was replaced under warranty. Do I need to return the defective unit?
A: Yes, The defective unit must be returned within 21 days or the warranty is voided on the replacement unit.
Q: My warranty has been voided because I did not return my defective unit within 21 days. How can I get my warranty reinstated?
A: Call Technical Services to arrange for the return of the defective unit, return the unit and follow up to ensure that your warranty has been reinstated once the machine has been returned.
Q: Can you assist me with my household product?
A: We do not have information necessary to support you with you household product. You will need to contact the Retail Consumer Service Team at 1-800-851-8900.
Blenders:
Applies to: All blenders
Q: My new blender doesn’t blend well. Why?
A: Most complaints of this type stem from a few common causes:
- Make sure the blender you purchased is intended for your application. For example: The HBF400 blender is intended for food preparation. It may perform poorly for mixing drinks.
- Make sure to read and understand the usage instructions in your Operation Manual. The order in which you pour ingredients into the container, the size and density of solid ingredients, and more, all affect the performance of your blender. Example: Always pour liquid ingredients in first, and ensure that you have enough liquid for the product you are blending.
- Do not overfill the container. Exceeding the maximum recommended capacity of the container will result in poor blending, and can result in damage to the unit.
- Ensure that your recipe uses enough liquid. If the mix never achieves a free “flow” inside the container, then your recipe is too thick or too dry.
If you feel that you are exercising the proper usage for your unit and still experiencing problems, please contact us.
Applies to: All blenders.
Q: My blender doesn’t blend as well as it did when new. What is wrong?
A: Inspect the base and container drives for wear. If wear is visible they may slip under load, preventing the cutter assembly from turning at full speed. Also, evaluate the cutter assembly for replacement, as it will eventually wear from use. Refer to your Operation Manual for recommended maintenance periods for your unit. If replacement of the drive couplings and cutter assembly do not improve performance please contact us.
Q: I need to change my rubber coated drive couplings. What is the proper way to replace them?
Applies to: All blenders with rubber coated drive couplings
A:It is recommended that if the cutter assembly drive coupling is worn that you change the cutter assembly. The drive coupling on the base unit can be removed as follows:
- Obtain a blunt pointed punch and a hammer.
- Place the tip of the punch against one of the teeth on the drive coupling on the slanted side of the tooth.
- Lower the handle of the punch to approximately horizontal and strike the handle of the punch with a hammer.
- The impact of the hammer blow will shock the mating threads and begin to loosen the drive coupling.
- The drive coupling will spin away from you when you strike it. This is natural and to be expected. When the drive coupling stop spinning pick another tooth and repeat the process.
- After a few strike you will normally see that the drive coupling is unscrewing.
- Continue this method until the drive coupling is completely unscrewed.
Note: the HBB250 and HBB250S have a right hand thread so you will be striking the drive coupling in a counter clockwise direction. - All other machines with this type drive coupling have a left had thread and will turn clockwise to unscrew.
Applies to: HBH450.
A:All current blender models with metal drive couplings have some method of holding the armature still from the bottom of the motor. Secure the armature and use a hex key to remove the drive coupling in a counterclockwise direction.Q: While using my blender, I smelled something burning / saw smoke. What should I do?
Applies to: All blenders
A: Immediately unplug the unit. If you have a unit with rubber-to-rubber drive couplings inspect them for damage or wear. Slipping drive couplings can smell like they are burning or give off smoke. If they are clearly worn, they require replacement. This can result from:
- Incorrectly loading the container and locking the cutter, preventing it from turning.
- Placing the cutter gasket under, instead of on top of, the cutter flange, resulting in spacing the drive couplings apart.
If there is no sign of drive coupling wear, or your unit has metal drive couplings, then the unit may have suffered a failure. Do not attempt to use the unit before contacting us.
Q: Can HBC blender containers withstand laboratory sterilization?
Applies to: All blenders.
A: No
Shaver Blenders:
Q: What has happened when I receive a “rotation error message”?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: The shaver portion of the machine is not counting the number of turns the ice shaver has made. Most common reason is a broken magnet on the shaver motor.
Q: The shaver is turning but the ice is not coming down. What has happened?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: You have an ice jam. The ice has melted and has begun to refreeze causing the ice to stick together creating an ice chunk. Use a metal or heavy plastic ice scoop to break up the ice.
Q: I am getting the message, “inner hopper not in place”. What is wrong?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: There is a plastic diversion fin in the inner hopper that sticks out about 3 inches from the outside rim of the hopper. Looking down on the hopper from the front of the machine this fin should be in the 1:00 position. Remove the ice, lift and rotate the inner hopper until the fin is at the 1:00 position and then place the inner hopper down into the proper holes.
Q: I am getting the message, “lid not in place” but I can see that the lid is in place. What is wrong?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: Most of the time you are getting the “lid not in place” message is for the same reason as “inner hopper not in place” message.
There is a plastic diversion fin in the inner hopper that sticks out about 3 inches from the outside rim of the hopper. Looking down on the hopper from the front of the machine this fin should be in the 1:00 position. Remove the ice, lift and rotate the inner hopper until the fin is at the 1:00 position and then place the inner hopper down into the proper holes.
Q: I am getting the message, “replace memory card.” Why?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: Either the memory card has shaken loose or an electrical surge has interrupted the signal. Unplug the machine, remove the ice, place the machine on it’s side, remove the screws holding the clear plastic cover in place, pull the memory card out paying attention to which way the electronics are facing, replace it in the slot, replace the cover, stand up the machine, plug it in, try the machine without replacing the ice. If the machine runs okay, replace the ice and continue using the machine. If it doesn’t work, contact Technical services.
Q: I am getting a “speed sensor error”. Why?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: The blender portion of the machine is not counting the number of turns the blender motor has made. Most common reason is a broken magnet on the blender motor.
Q: I am getting too much ice in my 14ounce drink. What should I do?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: Follow the directions on the Ice Volume Customization Sheet to adjust the amount of ice for any drink combination.
Q: How can I adjust the blend time?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: Follow the directions on the Ice Volume Customization Sheet to adjust the amount of ice for any drink combination.
Q: Water is running into the container instead of down the drain. Why?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: The drain is plugged, the drain hose has a kink or is running up hill at some point. Another possibility is that the end of the drain hose is submersed not allowing it to drain.
Q: There is a jelly like substance growing in my drain and clogging the drain flow. What is it and how do I get rid of it?
Applies to: All shaver blenders.
A: Slowly melting ice can form, what we call “cold water algae”. It is very simple to avoid or remove the algae. Once a day, remove the ice from the inner hopper, fill the blender container with hot tap water, plug the drain hole to the rear of the blender jar pad and slowly pour the hot water into the inner hopper. The hot water will dissolve any algae and flush the drain.
Drink Mixers:
Applies to: All drink mixers.
Q: My new mixer doesn’t mix well. Why?
A:
- Make sure that you’re using the correct agitator. Be sure to use the correct agitator for your recipe.
Hard ice cream (-10 F or lower): Solid agitator.
Ice cream with candy / cookie mix-ins: 929 agitator - Make sure the unit is correct for your application.
HMD200: Used for medium volumes of hard or soft ice cream with standard agitator, low volumes of mix-in shakes using the 929 agitator.
HMD400: Used for high volumes of hard or soft ice cream with the standard agitator, medium volumes of mix-in shakes using the 929 agitator. - Make sure the recipe uses enough liquid. If the recipe is too thick or too dry, you will not achieve the proper “flow” necessary for complete mixing.
Q: I need to replace my agitator. How do I get the old one off?
Applies to: All drink mixers
A: The agitators employ a standard thread. So they would be turned counterclockwise for removal.
If food build-up prevents you from removing the agitator by hand, try filling your cup half way with warm soapy water and placing the cup on the machine for a couple hours to soften the build-up.
Q: I have a new HMD 400 with one motor much louder than the other two. What should I do?
Applies to: HMD400
A: It is possible to receive a unit with a “loud” motor as compared to the others. The motor operating volume is no indicator of its life expectancy, but an extremely loud motor is not desirable. Contact Technical Services for a resolution.
Q: I need to replace one of my motors on my HMD400. What is the procedure?
Applies to: HMD400
A: Unplug the machine, loosen the screws that hold the top cover on, roll the cover backward onto a box or like platform to keep from straining the wires, unplug the motor you want to remove, lift the motor out of the unit. To install the new motor reverse the process. Make sure that the rubber motor donut is correctly placed on top of the motor before putting the cover back in place.
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Glass Washers:
Q: My glass washer shuts off by itself after it’s been running for a while. What’s wrong?
Applies to: All glass washers
A: Both the 97500 upright and 97510 submersible glass washers employ a thermal protection circuit to prevent damage from overheating. As outlined in the Operators Manual, the glass washer should only be in operation while the user is actively washing glasses (5-10 minutes). The unit should not be left running between batches.
Applies to: 97510
Q: My 97510 submersible glass washer shuts off in hot water. What is wrong?
A: The 97510 should not be used in water hotter than lukewarm. The 97510 has a thermal cut off that is triggered at 130 degrees. If the water is not significantly cooler than 130 degrees it will not properly cool the motor and the motor will shut off. The motor will restart once until it cools to below 130 degrees.
Q: What kind of detergent is best for use with my glass washer?
Applies to: All glass washers.
A: Use a low suds liquid detergent. Use of a powdered detergents can damage the unit.
Q: My glass washer motor runs, but the brushes aren’t turning. What should I do?
Applies to: All glass washers.
A: It is possible for the motor to shift or the setscrews to loosen causing the drive the drive gear to loose contact with the primary driven gear in the base of the unit.
Observe the area where the motor mounts to the unit – is the motor fully seated and straight?
* If yes, check the setscrews to ensure that they are tight. If they aren’t, tighten them using a hex key.
* If the motor is not fully seated and straight on top of the standpipe, loosen the three setscrews slightly and adjust the motor. Be sure to retighten the setscrews when you are done.
If this does not resolve the problem please contact us.
Q: The GFCI plug on my glass washer trips. What is wrong?
Applies to: All glass washers.
A: Several conditions can cause your GFCI to trip:
- Loss of power to the outlet / low voltage to the outlet.
- High voltage to the outlet.
- The motor may have an internal defect.
- The GFCI could be defective.
- Sometimes plugging a GFCI plug into a GFCI receptacle will have an adverse effect on either the plug or the receptacle.
*Please contact us if this condition exists.
932 Juicer:
Q: The handle on my 932 juicer is difficult to pull down. What’s wrong?
Applies to: 932
A: Most likely, there is food product built-up in the gear rack and bracket, preventing the unit from operating correctly. Inspect and clean the gear rack occasionally with a non-abrasive cleaner.
Applying excessive pressure while juicing can damage the gear rack / gear bracket / or pinion gear. Look for indications of damaged teeth over the entire length of the rack. If the rack appears to be in good condition the problem may be in the gear bracket or pinion gear. In either case, the fix for this problem is replacement of the damaged piece(s)
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Stand Mixers:
Q: My unit shuts off while mixing. What is wrong?
Applies to: All stand mixers.
A:The stand mixers employ a thermal protection circuit. If the unit is over loaded, it will heat up and shut down. Evaluate your recipe to confirm that you are not exceeding the maximum weight for the recipe type, as outlined in your operation manual. If your recipe falls within the guidelines of the manual, contact us.
Q: What are the accessory ports used for on the unit? Does HBB offer attachments?
Applies to: All stand mixers.
A: The ports are used on other versions of this stand mixer for various attachments. HBB does not offer these attachments for sale currently. HBB cannot attest to the proper function of attachments produced by other manufactures.