Hi, I have had my bullet for a while now and want to clean off the impeller for the very first time. I’ve watched the video, and I used the H2 tool from the Aillio tool set to go through the access hole in the fan - it fits the set screw perfectly, so it’s the right one. I turned it counter-clockwise, but the set screw will not budge at all. I put enough pressure on for me to feel the H2 tool shaft flexing/twisting a bit. I’m afraid that if I twist it harder I will snap the shaft of the tool. Any ideas?
Robert, I’ve had the same experience. Try squirting a bit of whatever fluid you were planning to use for cleaning the impeller on the set screw. Position the impeller so that the set screw is at the 12:00 position and gravity will help it penetrate. Let it soak for a few minutes and try again.
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You could also try to apply some very local heat with a blue flame torch, but nothing mad like an arsonist would.
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After I do a thorough cleaning of the impeller I put a little Vaseline or Chapstick on the set screw so that it won’t stick in the future.
I have never had a set screw come loose with almost 800 roasts.
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Thank you all for your ideas! I soaked it with baking soda solution and smoked off the coffee oils with my mini torch, but it wouldn’t budge. It probably helped though, because I did get it in the end. I realized that we were just looking at a 2 mm hex screw, so I got an Allen wrench out and used the long handle to put more torque on it, and it finally budged. Then I could use the Aillio tool to back it out further. I will put some Vaseline on the screw and make sure I don’t over tighten. I appreciate all the help. What a great community this is.
I have to tell you this just as a piece of info and my experience. For me it was a bad idea to put any kind of lubricant anywhere on the fan. It resulted in fan instability as the screw couldn’t hold on to the greasy surface and make good contact with the shaft. This was some time ago, but once I’ve wiped all the grease away, which was a very small amount, the fan went back to normal. A better idea would be regular maintenance. Keep in mind that you went well over 100 roasts without ever unscrewing and soaking the impeller.
Did the Bullet not come with an Allen wrench?
If it gets really stuck, then as @grrr suggested, we use a small torch and heat on the impeller part (try to avoid the shaft) then it should come off.
hmm, I’ll keep an eye on it then in case lube was a mistake. Thanks for the warning.
you went well over 100 roasts without ever unscrewing and soaking the impeller
Busted! I was going on how dirty it was rather than number of roasts. It was definitely ready for a clean but not quite “scary” to me (my roasts are not super dark). Maybe I should review the maintenance schedule and track number of roasts as much as appearance of the impeller; I really want to keep this roaster running well and safely.
Funny, I didn’t even look for the Allen wrench in my toolkit, but I saw it as I was putting things away. Since the toolkit included the screwdriver style tool and the directions showed using that, it didn’t even occur to me that there might be another tool with the same bit.
Thanks for the clarification on best practices. I’ll hopefully not have a problem with this again.
I’ll just add that the roaster is incredible, such a pleasure to use.
Thanks for replying to my post!
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Ok, I think the video should be updated then, thanks for pointing this out.
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