Omniblend Maintenance | Replacing blade-bearing assembly | Checking drive socket
Your high-powered machine, like all quality products, requires regular maintenance. Aside from cleaning, regular checking of the blade/bearing assembly and the drive socket are the main areas to check.
Cleaning
Overload Reset Switch
Checking the Blade/Bearing Assembly
Replacing the Blade/Bearing Assembly
Checking & Changing the Drive Socket
If the machine does not go at all, please check:
- The OmniBlender is plugged in and switched on at the wall
- The OmniBlender power switch is turned on
- Push the “reset” button on the back or under the OmniBlender.
If it still does not work, the OmniBlender needs to be looked at by a certified electrician.
CLEANING THE OMNIBLEND® HOUSING AND KEYPAD
Before cleaning the blender with the moist or damp cloth, unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Wipe down all surfaces on the OmniBlender base after each use. Periodically, take the rubber cushion pad off the base and clean it, and under it. Fit back in place before operating. If your cushion is getting a rusty-looking liquid on it, it is time to replace your cutting unit. You must stop using the OmniBlender until this part has been replaced.
DO NOT use chemical cleaners or abrasive materials as they may scratch the blender housing surface. Excessive water may enter into the housing and could cause motor and/or electronic component damage, including electric shock.
Jug/Container: Do not put the container into the dishwasher. There are some parts on the blade assembly that may not react positively with some dishwasher chemicals and could cause damage to the blade assembly bearing seal. If the bearing seal breaks because of that, the warranty on the blade assembly becomes void.
We recommend half-filling the container with warm water and a drop of mild dish wash detergent.
Run the blender for a few seconds. Generally this will dislodge and blend any residue into the water, making removal easy. For thicker, more stubborn residue, use a soft brush with a handle (such as a bottle brush) to gently clean the container.
Then rinse with clean hot water and set to dry. Scrubbing the outside of the jar or using harsh cleaning products may cause the printed graduations on the 1.5L jar to wear off. This is not covered by warranty.
NOTE: if the motor gets wet (such as from overfilling the jar for the cleaning procedure) it could damage the motor and or any circuit board section and will void your warranty.
- DO NOT use harsh, caustic or abrasive cleaners or chlorine. Any of these could cause a metal-material clash +/- discolouration of the blades. Over time the inside surface of the container may become scratched (eg if you blend ice frequently) and such scratches are more prone to picking up stain from carrots and beetroot for example. If this occurs then soak the container overnight in warm water with a dash of vinegar, then scrub with a brush (as above).
- DO NOT put the jug/container in the dishwasher.
- DO NOT immerse the jug/container in water
- DO NOT put any part of the OmniBlender near any heat source.
Clean the blade while inside the container (standard cleaning procedure) or you could remove it with a bottom-plate wrench. Soak blade in water with mild soap, brush clean, rinse and replace.
In case of an overload and/or a power shut-off due to an increase of the motor temperature sufficient enough to potentially cause a motor over-heating the OmniBlender will automatically shut off to prevent the motor from over-heating. This could occur when you first plug in the power cable plug and/or you turn on the blender due to a power surge. An overload can also occur when the motor is overloaded with more torque resistance than it can handle. This can also happen when operating the machine with a jar with worn bearings. Note that this is NOT covered by the warranty.
n the rear of the blender motor housing, (bottom right side), there is a reset button (covered with a clear plastic water-proof cover) – push this to reset the machine.
NOTE: Forcing obstructions down while the OmniBlender is running may create too much torque resulting in overload and motor shut-off. Unplug from the wall socket, remove the obstruction (cut into smaller chunks), replace and push the reset button to restore blender power supply.
CHECKING THE BLADE-BEARING ASSEMBLY
All OmniBlend machines are fitted with a new design long blade set made in Japan from custom-alloy stainless steel. The assembly consists of the blades (6 knives), and the shaft onto which the blades are bolted.
The shaft is connected to the bottom blade gear which connects to the drive socket. These are metal-on-metal connections. In between the gear and the blades runs the shaft through the ball bearing chamber. The ball bearing chamber is filled with steel balls and grease which is sealed off to keep the grease from leaking.
See below for instructions on changing your cutting unit.
In order to sanitize the blade you can use vinegar diluted with water or rubbing alcohol.. NEVER use Chlorine. For daily cleaning, simply soak the blade (in the jug) in water with little dish-washing soap. The OmniBlender blade can be removed with a special tool (bottom plate wrench) which you can obtain from us. NOTE: the blades should be firmly anchored to the bearing assembly – the small nut that holds them is NOT meant to be undone. If it is loose, it must be tightened – this can only be done with the blade assembly removed from the machine unless you have a socket set with a long straight attachment to reach down the jug.
The OmniBlender blade can be sharpened, if needed. We recommend a suitably qualified small appliance service centre take care of this due to the associated risks: eg nicking or damaging the blade if the blade edges are sharpened and made too thin. The OmniBlender blade is compatible with many containers for competitor’s blenders. Use the blade only when installed inside a container and never insert your hand into the container while the jar is on the motor base.
WARNING! THE BLADE IS VERY SHARP. NEVER PUT ANY ITEMS NOT INTENDED FOR BLENDING INTO YOUR OMNIBLENDER. KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM THE JAR AND BLENDER!
CHANGING THE BLADE/SWITCHING CONTAINERS and/or BLADES
The blade in your OmniBlender container can be exchanged or removed for maintenance purposes. It MUST be changed if a rusty liquid starts leaking out the bottom, or if at any time the blades are not able to be turned freely when rotating the spindle under the jug. In these situations, the bearings have become worn and the cutting assembly (with integrated bearings) must be replaced.
Please follow the instructions below:
- Ensure you have a new blade assembly/cutting unit.
- Remove the jar from the OmniBlend motor base: Turn the jar up-side-down. Hold the jar with one hand and turn the bottom plate counter-clockwise using a bottom-plate wrench. If you do not have a bottom-plate wrench use a long tool such as a sharpening steel. Place a dishcloth inside the jar to catch the blade unit and to prevent damage to your bench.
- Turn the bottom plate and remove from the blade assembly. If the blade assembly does not fall down by itself, push it or strike it loose carefully, so the blade falls down.
- Inspect the bottom plate. If it is soiled, remove the silicone seal and clean it and the bottom plate thoroughly.Dry and refit the silicone seal before fitting the new blade assembly.
- Insert the new blade assembly from the bottom. Secure with the bottom plate.
- Tighten with a bottom plate wrench.
- TEST the seal: putting a cup of water in the jar and stand on a paper towel. Check in a few minutes for leaking. If the paper towel is wet, you may need either to tighten the bottom plate, or replace it.
PURCHASE REPLACEMENT BOTTOM PLATE HERE.
THE DRIVE SOCKET
The drive socket is what connects the blade spindle (under the jug) to the motor. It is designed to be a weak point so that if undue force comes down through the bearings, the drive socket will give, rather than the force being relayed to the motor. Ultimately this will stop you using the machine until it has been addressed.
You may smell a “burning rubber” odour when the drive socket is nearing the end of it’s life, as it rubs on the black cushion that the jug sits on.
To Check the OmniBlend Drive Socket:
- Remove the rubber cushion
- Grasp the mushroom head (drive socket) in the center of the motor base and turn it around. It should move freely and smoothly
- Attempt to wiggle the drive socket. Any side-to-side or up-and-down movement indicates that the drive socket needs to be replaced.
To Change the OmniBlend Drive Socket
- Purchase a new drive socket. You can replace it yourself – the job requires a pair of fine-nosed pliers, two long flat-blade screwdrivers (or 2 bottom plate wrenches) and one small phillips-head screwdriver.
- Remove the worn drive socket according to the instructions provided with the replacement part.
- Clear any rubber debris sitting around the drive shaft.
- Fit the new drive socket as per the instructions.
- Check it is on correctly by rotating it – the base must be horizontal to the motor base (not skewed)
- Replace the rubber cushion.
