KARCHER SC3 STEAM CLEANER REPAIR
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- čas přidán 10. 01. 2022
- An old friend brought in a KARCHER SC3 steam cleaner which had never been used, and he complained that it was it was unable to produces any steam.
When I first plugged the unit in I could feel that the heater unit was warming up, but still no steam.
It turned out the solenoid operated valve was not allowing water to flow from the water tank to the heater element due to a bad connector on the circuit board. One of my viewers mentioned that the solenoid device I mentioned is actually a solenoid pump, and I think he's probably right since I heard it something making fast clicking noises when I powered it up.
Thanks a lot. I fixed the steam cleaner by hitting it near the location with the loose contacts and it started working! Note: I have it for 3 years and used it less than 20 times. The issue occurred while it was in storage.
Thanks a lot. I was just about to throw mine away, when I decided to check the YT, and... voila :).
I disconnected the connector you showed, adjusted the pins with a screwdriver and to my astonishment it is working again :). Mine broke while in storage.
Thank you for explaining how this things work, really appreciate you informative videos
Thanks, this saved me hours of work. I had the exact same problem. looks like a manufacturing bug. just tightened this loose connector and it's as good as new.
Wow Dave, great job!!!! Very happy you found the issue and fixed it :-)
I have just been watching some of your crazy videos. I thought I was the only one when bored. I have recently created a playlist of my crazy stuff from making vaping fluid to smoky joe etc. Cheers from an ex TV man in the UK. 👍👫🇬🇧
Thanks for the comment George.
Thanks so much for your video! We just bought a similar unit at the Habitat Restore, brand new. We could not figure out why someone would donate a brand new unit until, guess what, no steam!!
We are going through diagnostics now, and your video helps quite a bit!!
I hope this video helps you get it going. Thank you for the comment.
Good find Dave! I love tearing odd things apart to see how they work and to hopefully repair them.
Thanks Steve. I've been the same since I was a kid. Now we get paid for doing what we love.
Thanks for video.
In my case there was no steam production because of clogged descaling cartridge. Water is flowing out from the tank only through the cartridge. Device was hot with buzzing noise. Now I know it was coming out from solenoid pump without water. I am going to replace the descaling cartridge.
There is mechanical valve in the tank. Inserting cartridge will open the valve. Without the cartridge tank is closed, so no water is going to the solenoid pump. With removed cartridge you can manual open the valve and test steam production by pressing the pin in middle of the hole using screwdriver or pen.
Also there is floating ?magnetic? water level indicator in the bottom of the tank. One of the blue component on the circuit board under the tank should be related sensor.
Your vid helped me with a pressure switch problem, thank you 👊🏽
good tip,,nnice to see you work on all things,,as i do
I've had 2 Karcher pressure washers fail and a steam cleaner. I've come to the conclusion that their stuff is junk trading on what was a good reputation.
Karcher says it all about the company apart from arrogance. Well done 👌
Good troubleshooting.
Thank you! I had the same problem and you got it right!
I had the problem no steam motor would kick in ,I checked the float which was fine ,I put a long metal thin screwdriver in the hole where the filter cartridge goes and checked that ,emptied water out and left the unit upside down for a while filled wtank up put cartridge back in turned on immediately heard gurgling noise pump kicked in and 30secs steamer produced steam unit back up and running ,I don't know if it was clogged or turning it upside down did the trick
Thank you very much for this video. 5min fixing time :) I was sure that my SC3 is a rubish. :)
Did you have the same issue as mine?
Have you or anyone else noted a arc flash from the "O", off button, when shutting the unit off as the pump is running? The arc is bright enough to be visible through the housing.
Thank you very much for your video. I have the same probleem Kaerchër brand new from Germany made in China no steam and very bad costumer service hier in Holland.
Your welcome. All the best.
Hi Dave ,I'm thinking that part is more likely to be a solenoid pump .Good informative video as always
Now that you mention it I'm thinking you may be right. I didn't realize there was such a thing, but considering I heard a lot of fast clicking noises when I powered it up that would make sense. Thaks for the information.
It got mine going too but it was saved from the trash and was used 😮
How do you take the top of the steamer to get to the inside
Hi.
My unit works but the descaler light will not go off.
Rarely used. I have descaled it but still the same 🤷♂️ Float switch was stuck but now ok. Any ideas🤔 Possibly the sensor if all is working. Just need to trace it out 👍
I need to replace the tube as it tore from the outside and is leaking. I opened my cleaner but the tubes are very firmly locked by these 'clamps' that you see. Anyone know the name of them? And where to buy or can they be reused and opened somehow?
My Karcher SG 4/4 has spent more time in the repair shop than I have spent time using it. One thing after another
Hi. Mine has no steam but gets very hot same as the video. I took it apart and the water tube feeding into the solenoid pump is brown, as if charred and there is definitely some sort of electrical activity in there as when I turn it on it makes sparking noises and rattling in the pump plus water does not travel from the tank down the tube. Any ideas? Where would I order a new solenoid pump? Thank you!
This is just a guess on my part, but perhaps the noise you hear from the pump could mean it's trying to work but it's clogged.
Hi there, I just brought one of these and was having the same issue, I then went back to exchange it and the new one done the same! So coming across your video I done the same thing, pulled the electrical board out and fiddled with the plug and it worked, but I find the steam is very weak and intermittent, any ideas?
There are only a few possibilities, but I would wonder if your connector is still not attached to the board correctly.
great video but how did you get the case off, I have removed 4 screws from the base but can only prise it off at the pipe end and no further
It's been so long since I repaired this unit I can't remember, but I often find hidden screws behind labels and rubber plugs that cover screw holes.
Two in the front under the hose
thanks, you help me, thanks
Any way same the way I get problem in my karcher cs3 I fixed my self I see the under battel water border I took off and I cheak it there is little problem its even dosent working the light
I have a question. I have a switching bench top power supply. 30v 10a and it worked fine then one day just started to flash a small red led on 5he power board. I've checked a few components but I'm so new to electronics. I want to fix it myself rather than take it to someone as I need to learn. Where could I start.
Modern day variable power supplies can be a challenge even for an experienced technician if you don't have a schematic, but I'd start by checking the simple things like the fuse, and the transistors, diodes and capacitors to see if any of them are shorted..
@@GrantsPassTVRepair I'm wondering if it's the over current circuit. It came on for one day then back to not working.
Hi Dave - mine heats up and releases a good blast of steam, but then it slows to a trickle. If i release the trigger the pressure kind of builds up again, then the same: blast to trickle. I just bought and replaced the solenoid but it made no differnce. Any idea what it could be?
Did you try plugging the solenoid directly to the 120 volt AC mains just to see what happens? Someone mentioned the solenoid is actually a pump, and I was able to plug mine directly into 120 for a few seconds just to see if it was pumping as it should.. If that makes it work I'd be wondering if the AC vo;tage that normally drives it was missing.
@@GrantsPassTVRepair Thanks for replying! yes the solenoid is fine - i even bought a brand new solenoid kit and replaced it (wasted money there :-( ) . The steam gets into the main hose and builds in it but, after the initial burst, just doesn't come out with any power or pressure
@@rynie6334 Does you check the presure activated switch on the output of steam generator? I believe it was normall on with no pressure from the steam. If that checks okay I'd be suspicious of the logic circuit board with the relays on it, or the connections on it as I described.
@@GrantsPassTVRepair Really thanks Grants! It does sound a bit too complicated for a novice like me... might have to pay the money for a repair. Cheers for taking the time to reply though
@@rynie6334 Sometimes you just need to sleep on it and see if any new ideas come to mind, but don't forget there isn't much to this device electronicaly speaking. If the heating unit is getting hot enough and there is water going to it there should be steam, but even if you see water in the hose from the water tank at the input to the solenoid pump, is there enough water coming out of the solenoid pump? On mine I was able to pull off the hose on the output side of the pump to see if water was actually coming out of it.
my sc5 res tank never moves and 10 min after use i the solid red light comes on and the boiler tank is empty but the res tank is still full
Nice catch. But if it's new, why not return it ?
Missed the return period...
hi bro I have a CS2, this model has two lights one green another orange/red ... at the time that I connect the plug to the electric source only the green light is turning on.
I have been using the machine for an hour and now the device is broken
I don't know any specifics about the model other than what i showed in this video, but I hope you can figure it out.
Hi Dave. I borrowed this machine from a friend and used water with kitchen acid. I didn't know that it wasn't allowed. Now it doen't steam anymore. Would you know what the problem may be. I opend the Kärcher, but now i dont know what to do.
I don't know what kitchen acid is, but perhaps you can tell me?
@@GrantsPassTVRepair Excuse me I mean cleaning vinegar, so the vinegar is a little bit stronger than the normal for cooking
@@GrantsPassTVRepair and than 4 parts of water er 1 part of cleaning vinegar
@@user-rj3ot5cz2l Thanks for the clarification. I'm not sure a little vinegar mixed with water is the cause of this malfunction, but if it was, I'd suspect the water pump, which I mistakenly called a solenoid in my video is could have gone bad, but that's just a guess since I have not seen it. the pump operates on 120 volts AC, so testing it should be fairly easy.
@GrantsPassTVRepair thank you for the answer. Since I am a little hobby repair woman, I don't know much about electrics. That solenoid gets hot and also de metal part in the middle where all the cables come together. When I press the pistol there comes a little bit water, but no steam. I can't see water moving through the waterhose towards the solenoid. What can I do?
Seek and ye shall find.
If it's made of chinesium, there is no quality control. Lol.
Piece of crap, mine broke down after exactly 5 uses!!! Amazing that it's made in Germany. Same issue user below, barely any steam after the initial blow. Mine is in the warranty period but who wants to wait 14 days for a repair + shipping cost???
I understand, but it might be worth your time to see if the same connector to the PC board is poorly connected.
I know this getting old post now anyone here have this board out I'm in need of help desperately I can't get the board here at all in Australia I can't find any pics or find PCB diagram and one of the 4 legged MOSFET near that 3 pin power connector has died on my board can some one please tell me the numbers on this MOSFET please, Karcher won't tell me, only thing stopping my unit from working
All I need is those numbers on-top of that chip has 4 legs on other side of the board near the removable 3 pin cable
Thank you everyone thanks
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