Winston Fryer Troubleshooting
Frying delicious foods requires a high-quality fryer. Winston makes a wide variety of solutions for different restaurants and commercial kitchens, including the Collectramatic series. While these durable units are extremely durable, there can be small issues that pop up over time. Below are Winston fryer troubleshooting tips for quick diagnosis.
This guide is for Collectramatic models PF46, PF56, LP46, LP56, OF49 and OF59.
Low or No Pressure
- Faulty lid gasket – Have the gasket replaced by an authorized technician.
- Worn or unseated lid valve O-ring – Contact an authorized technician to replace the O-ring.
- Loose lid valve retainer – Adjust the retainer accordingly.
- Dirty weight – Clean the weight carefully following instructions in the operator’s manual.
- Faulty vent tube O-ring – Have the O-ring replaced by an authorized technician.
- Lost weight ball – Older models have a vent ball located in the vent assembly under the weight. If it’s missing, contact an authorized technician to replace it.
- Faulty solenoid – Adjust the solenoid if it seems out of adjustment. If this doesn’t help, have it replaced by an authorized technician.
- Broken power board – Contact an authorized technician to replace the board.
- Loose or disconnected power board plug – Have an authorized technician adjust or connect the plug.
- Dirty or faulty weight lifter – Clean the weight lifter following cleaning instructions in your operation’s manual. If this doesn’t help, the lifter could be broken and will need to be replaced by an authorized technician.
- Shortening buildup in the vent tube – If there is oil, shortening or crackling buildup in the vent tube, clean the tube accordingly following the instructions in the operator’s manual.
- Faulty computer – If the computer is broken, contact an authorized technician to remedy.
No Heat or Heats Slowly
- Tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse – Reset the tripped breaker. If the fuse has blown, it will need to be replaced.
- Machine unplugged – Plug in the power cord on the unit.
- Faulty power switch – Have the switch replaced by an authorized technician.
- Open fryer circuit – One of three fryer circuits is open. Contact an authorized technician to replace it.
- Loose wire connections – An authorized technician will need to repair the wire connections on the fryer.
- Burned out heaters – One or multiple heaters could be burned out. This part needs to be replaced by an authorized technician.
- Faulty electromechanical relay – Contact an authorized technician to replace the relay.
- Loose pin the computer’s molex connector – This will need to be repaired by an authorized technician.
- Faulty mercury relay – Have the relay replaced by an authorized technician.
- Incorrectly connected heater wires – These will need to be adjusted by an authorized technician.
- Loose or disconnected power board plug – Have an authorized technician adjust or connect the plug.
- Faulty computer – If the computer is broken, contact an authorized technician to remedy.
Oil or Shortening Leaking
- Leaking from front of the fryer – See if thermostat, heater or probe nuts on the cooking vessel wall are loose and need to be adjusted. If not, the thermostat, heater or probe ferrules could be damaged. They’ll need to be replaced by an authorized technician.
- Leaking near the collector gasket – If the gasket is dirty or worn out. Clean it accordingly if dirty, or have it replaced by an authorized technician. If the gasket is in good shape, the collector might be defective and would need to be replaced by an authorized technician.
Oil or Shortening is Too Hot
- Programming error – There is likely a programming error in the computer. Follow the programming directions in the operator’s manual to adjust.
- Faulty probe – Contact an authorized technician to replace the probe.
- Faulty computer – If the computer is broken, contact an authorized technician to remedy.
Oil or Shortening is Smoking
- Shortening level is below the top heater – If the oil or shortening is below this level, adjust it accordingly.
- Broken down shortening – If the shortening is badly broken down, remove the old shortening and clean the fryer accordingly following the instructions in the operator’s manual. Then replace with fresh shortening.
Oil or Shortening Tastes Bad or Burnt
- Crackling buildup on the heater coils – Clean accordingly following the instructions in your operator’s manual.
- Broken down shortening – If the shortening is badly broken down, remove the old shortening and clean the fryer accordingly following the instructions in the operator’s manual. Then replace with fresh shortening.
- Heaters are out of holders and touching – If this occurs, please have an authorized technician adjust the heaters accordingly.
Oil or Shortening Breaks Down Too Quickly
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- Dirty fryer – If the fryer is dirty or wasn’t cleaned correctly, follow this Winston fryer cleaning guide.
- Crackling buildup on the heater coils – Clean accordingly following the instructions in your operator’s manual.
- Misaligned heaters – Adjust the heaters, so they’re properly aligned.
- Heaters are out of holders and touching – If this occurs, please have an authorized technician adjust them accordingly.
- Incorrect volt supply – The fryer is 208 V. If installed on a 240 V supply, this will need to be adjusted by an authorized technician.
Oil or Shortening Boils Over
- Overfilled or dirty collector – If crackling is left on the collector from the night before or the collector is overfilled, follow cleaning the instructions in the operator’s manual.
- Missing or broken heat plate – If the heat plate was left out of the collector, place it during application. If it’s broken replace it accordingly.
- Hardened shortening in the collector – If the shortening has hardened in the collector, this could affect the warm-up process. Please clean the area following the instruction in the operator’s manual.
- Moisture in the shortening – If there is excessive moisture in the shortening, this could hinder frying. Make sure the fryer or product isn’t wet when frying.
“Heat On” Lamp Off When Heating
- Loose wire connections – An authorized technician will need to repair the wire connections on the fryer.
- Burned out indicator lamp – If the indicator lamp has burned out, have it replaced by an authorized technician.
“Heat On” Lamp Stays on Constantly During Cook Cycle
- Programming error – There is likely a programming error in the computer. Follow the programming directions in the operator’s manual to adjust.
- Faulty mercury relay – Have the relay replaced by an authorized technician.
- Faulty computer – If the computer is broken, contact an authorized technician to remedy.
Power Lamp Dim or Out
- Tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse – Reset the tripped breaker. If the fuse has blown, it will need to be replaced.
- Machine unplugged – Plug in the power cord on the unit.
- Faulty power switch – Have the switch replaced by an authorized technician.
- Burned out indicator lamp – If the indicator lamp has burned out, have it replaced by an authorized technician.
Fryer Stops Heating Between 170-230F
- Fryer is filled with water – If the fryer is filled with water, the software stops the unit from heating. If filled with water, empty, clean and dry the fryer thoroughly. Then, fill the unit with fresh cooking oil.
- Solid shortening melts in the fryer – Similar to the previous issue in the bullet point above, the fryer will stop heating because melting solid shortening creates moisture. To avoid this, remove pieces that might get lodged next to the temperature sensing probe.
For more Winston fryer troubleshooting and maintenance information, check out our Winston manuals and diagrams online.