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broke my vitamix making a smoothie?

tbone13tbone13 Raw Newbie

hi everyone,

i was making a fruit smoothie today and my vitamix just stopped :O

it was a mix of frozen a fresh fruit… no ice. it kind of made this weird straining noice and then … DEAD

did i kill my beloved blender!? i thought this thing was bullit proof.

any adice? i will be so sad if this is the end.

Comments

  • I thought those things were supposed to be pratically indestructable! That is upsetting… how old is it, do you stll have it under warranty?

  • hopefully it’s still under warranty?

    I was making a smoothie the other day and had this huge accident. My blender has the blade that screws on to the pitcher, and apparently I didn’t tighten it good enough! thing just undid and went all over the counter lol.. man did that ever suck. now I’m all paranoid whenever I blend something, over tightening the blade till I can’t open it anymore… watching it blend very carefully in a battle stance with a wooden spoon in my back pocket. I’m not sure how this spoon will help but when the time comes, I’ll know what to do. k I’ve gotten off topic. or was I ever on it? :o

  • jellibijellibi Raw Newbie

    check the cord. This happened to us too and we realized that the cord to our Vitamix was behind our toaster—which melted it :( Luckily my husband was able to fix the cord.

  • Sinzofman you made me laugh :)

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Tbone, I had a similar experience. Checked the instructions and discovered that the VitaMix has a safety feature on it. If you should happen to overload the motor it will shut off, and force a cooling off period. I think it’s 30 minutes, but it may be 60. Let it rest and then try again. Sorry you had this problem. I’ve only had it happen one time, and was thankful for the overload protection feature. Let us know how it turns out.

    Just curious. Did you load the fresh fruit in first and then the frozen? VitaMix recommends loading the frozen ingredients last.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    The vitamix comes with another tool that when mine broke like that, i just replaced this little thing-can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s in a little white package with an allen wrench-worked out just snazzy. Directions are in that little pack.

  • tbone13tbone13 Raw Newbie

    @ emtpdmom,

    yes, i did load the fresh first. but i think i didnt have enought liquid. i waited a few hours and it started working again. this time around, i noticed that on the back of the machine, there is a sign that mentions the safety feature.WHEW!! it’s now working. however….

    the part of the base that has the “teeth” that rotates the blade (looks like a mushroom cap with a gear inside) seems loose.. does anyone have this issue too? i never bothered to check before so i dont know if its normal or not.

    also, when i turn it on, it makes a noise like it’s on its last leg. not the POWERFUL 2 hp motor that im accustomed to.

    the machine itself is less than 6 months old and i purchased it at costco. so im sure the warranty and/or their exceptional return policy will cover it… but i LOVE it so much that i would hate to be without it for long.

    side note: i really do love this blender. everyone one i know who doesnt own one thinks im nuts :)

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    You can hand tighten the large “nut” that’s on the bottom of the carafe. I know there is a tool for doing this, but don’t remember seeing one in the box when mine arrived. I try to remember to check it after I wash the carafe, but sometimes forget. OK, OK, I usually forget. When mine gets noisy, I immediately tighten the nut. I’m sure if I contacted VitaMix they would send me the tool. I just keep forgetting. I’m glad to hear all is well.

  • yeah it’s the liquid thing. The same thing happens to me in our vitamix…it always scares me cause they are not cheap!! But getting enough liquid in a vtmx is soooo important! I always even use a wooden spoon (before I turn it on!) and poke some holes in my contents to make sure the liquid is seeping down :o) I do understand your love for this beloved powerhouse of a blender tbone!

  • it may have been the auto-shut off (which resets itself after 20 min or so) which is a built-in safety device to prevent motor burn out. i work at vita-mix, so if you have more questions call their customer service department and they’ll take great care of you. 1-800-VITAMIX.

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    Yeah this happened to me – the safety feature caused my blender to shut down. It worked after half an hour.

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Tbone 13 — I was on the VitaMix web site this afternoon and noticed a reference to replacing the drive socket. It’s about half way down this page, under Schematics. If you haven’t already, you might give Customer Service a call.

    Melissa B — Thanks so much for the suggestion to call VitaMix. The blade assembly on one of my carafes is loose (gets pretty noisy). I called and they were very friendly and helpful. Problem solved.

  • tbone13tbone13 Raw Newbie

    hey, sorry for the late thanks but THANKS!

    i do sweat a little when i feel it acting up… it definitely is not cheap!

    @smiller450 i defintely did not put enough liquid. my general rule of thumb now is at least 1 part liquid to every 2 parts frozen (i use frozen fruits with fresh bananas mostly). if not frozen, then i just use less liquid.

    @melissa thanks for that info! i know many people here will appreciate that info.

    thanks again everyone!

    ClaireT
  • just so you know…. if anyone is thinking about getting or replacing a vita-mix….. think about the vita prep 3. its a commercial model that has a 3 HP motor so it doesnt get hot. the motor doesnt run more than 2.5 HP but because its a 3HP motor it wont overheat. i have one and have been delighted with the fact that it doesnt overheat anymore. of course…. i suppose you could force it into overheating and it would shut down with the same safety feature as the household model….but…..it stays amazingly cool during normal food prep. a bit more expensive but worth it. you have to talk to the vita-mix commercial section and they will give you the name of a rep in your area that can sell you one. just my 3 cents.

    ClaireT
  • RRamosRRamos Raw Newbie

    My machine did not overheat (i.e., I turned it off for a whole day before trying it again, and have tried it several times  --  with multiple days in between).  It simply seems that it has no power to it  -- it seems as though a fuse blew.  Any suggestions?

    ClaireT
  • ClaireTClaireT Raw Master
    RRamos said:

    My machine did not overheat (i.e., I turned it off for a whole day before trying it again, and have tried it several times  --  with multiple days in between).  It simply seems that it has no power to it  -- it seems as though a fuse blew.  Any suggestions?

     That may require opening it up to see if something burnt out. I wouldn't if it's still under warranty, since anything you do would probably void it. 

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