Sunbeam radiant control toaster troubles

[adam-aussie-vac]

Hey guys, so I’m having issues with my automatic beyond belief toaster, and the issue is it seems to be inconsistent with toasting, I actually had to move the slider knob to darker and it barely came out even toasted, I think there’s an issue with the thermostat linkage or something like that as previously at least a year ago it did Did toast beautifully and a golden Brown without any burning With the thermostat right in the middle, does anybody know why I’m having issues with inconsistent toasting?

The model is a TA-J And it’s 240 V made in Australia

 

[gizmo]

Are you cooking only one slice?

 

If you are cooking only one slice of toast, it MUST go into the slot that has the words ONE SLICE stamped next to it.

If you cook one slice in the other slot, the toast sensor gets radiant heat direct from the opposite element, and is "tricked" into shutting off early after a few seconds.

 

[jamiel]

There are some websites out there with Sunbeam Radiant toaster guidance and information. They're really well made and such an interesting use of technology. I grew up with similar Toastmaster toasters that had a motor for self-lowering...these are silent and use leverage and springs to do the same thing.

 

[combo52]

Sunbeam automatic lowering toaster

These were always neat toasters if you toast just one piece of bread you have to put it in the slot marked single slice. Otherwise the thing won’t turn on and won’t work at all.

When the heat came on it heated the metal lift rods, which were bimetal rods, and caused them to deflect and allow the toast to lower, and then when the thermostat turned off the heat as they cooled, the toast would raise again.

These were neat toasters but they never toasted very evenly The heating element design always toasted differently on each side of the bread. My parents got one of these as a wedding gift and it was repaired several times, but it was finally replaced around 1960 with a GE toaster I never looked back as the GE toaster just worked so much better and still works to this day.

John

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

So gizmo, I’m actually doing two slices of toast

Instead of one, and I am aware of the “one slice slot” i’ll get some photos in a bit just that way you can see what it puts out

Jamiel, Do you know if they have any for the 240 V version? I wonder if there are any differences in comparisons to the ones that were made over in the USA or UK

Combo 52, i’ll be honest I don’t mind the uneven toasting just as long as it’s reasonably well done, And as long as it doesn’t look like someone stuck a blow torch to one side and hairdryer to another then I’m reasonably happy with it

 

[jamiel]

unfortunately I believe the sites are for 120 markets, but they do mention and have pictures of Aussie units. You do need to pull the bread out (at least on mine) with some vigor to reset the carriage (it won't lower if the carriage hasn't reset).

 

[reactor]

adjusting the Sunbeam

Adam, you have an adjustment screw on the lower center portion of the right handle. It's a very small opening that will fit a mini-slotted screwdriver.

This adjusts the position of the temperature sensor that "sees" one side of the toast. It moves the sensor in and out (closer or further from the slice of bread.)

Try making some minor adjustments and see if this helps. Turn no more than an eighth to a quarter of a turn each time. Also, make sure your sensor, located between the elements on the element bank on the right side) is clean.

Jamie, it sounds as if the spring on your start lever is set too tight. On the bottom of the machine is a small slotted screw that affects the tension of the levers that sense the expansion of the center element bank as well as the tension of the start lever at the bottom of the right bread slot. Adjust with quarter turns until it becomes more sensitive to bread loading. It will reset itself properly, then, when you remove the toast.

 

[58limited]

Reactor gave some good advice. If all else fails and shipping isn't horrible there is a guy here in the states who specializes in repairing these - Tim's Toasters:

https://www.timstoasters.com/

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

How do I make sure that the sensor is clean, as isn’t it

Literally just a bimetallic strip? And I’ll try adjusting it in a Couple of days

 

[reactor]

clean sensor

Adam, the sensor is located in a little metal protective cover, between the vertical heating elements, that shields the sensor from the direct heat. Just check to make sure a small piece of crust or large crumb hasn't wedged itself in there between the cover and the strip. This shades the sensor from the heat "radiant rays" emanating from the bread.

Normally this will cause over-darkening, so your cause is likely rectified with adjustments between the two screws. Over time linkages can get too tight or too loose and springs weaken. It is still a good idea to keep the sensor clean, however. I just use a Q-tip to dust it off occasionally.

It's really not a bad idea to remove the cover and wipe off or blow off the linkages/levers, especially at the joints. It is surprising what can build up there over time.[this post was last edited: 4/24/2024-19:04]

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

Oh cool, thank you, I’ll do it in a little bit today

Although From shaking the toaster on its side a little bit with The sensor it seems to be a lot more consistent now

 

[reactor]

consistency

That's good news, Adam. That shaking may have solved your problems. A lot of crumbs, dust, crust flakes, etc. accumulate with time and can sometimes interfere with the linkage/sensor system.

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

I’ll probably actually take it apart

Just because that way I can be absolutely sure It’s clean and not a Westinghouse