Why Is My Blender Not Spinning?

A blender is a must-have kitchen appliance that chops and blends liquids, foods, and other solids. You can grate cheese, chop solid foods, and even make peanut butter with it. But what would make your blender blades stop spinning?

Your blender isn’t spinning because you overfilled the container. While this is the most common reason, other reasons may include blown-out fuses, loose electrical wiring, or a faulty blender. Troubleshoot your appliance to identify what problem is causing it not to spin before fixing it.

The rest of this article will explain why your blender isn’t spinning and suggest practical tips to fix it. 

Reasons Why Your Blender Isn’t Spinning

A blender is an electrical appliance, which means disruptions in the power supply might cause it not to spin. However, it could also be faulty- its multi-speed switch, motor, blade assembly, and fuses might be damaged, causing it not to spin.

I’ll go over the different reasons why your blender isn’t spinning in the sections below.

Your Blender Is Overfilled or Overloaded

There’s a limit to how much a blender’s motor can spin. Overloading isn’t only overfilling the container, but also loading up larger pieces than the blades can chop and spin.

This is more of a practical tip than science; a blender isn’t your regular wood chipper. You can’t feed it with anything and everything. The blades and the motor won’t take it.

Overloading makes the motor deteriorate fast and puts excessive stress on the blades. Running an empty blender does the same – the motor and the blades overrun making your blender wear out quickly.

There’s a Faulty Electrical Outlet

It would be best if you didn’t exclude your power outlet from the troubleshooting process. There’s a good chance your blender isn’t spinning because of a faulty outlet.

The fuse in your power socket might blow out, or the wiring could be loose. Also, short-circuiting within your home wiring might trip the circuit breaker. Therefore, it would be best to check all of these external possibilities that might cause your blender not to spin.

The Multi-Speed Switch Is Failing

After confirming that your connection is fine, it’s best to check if your blender’s multi-speed switch is working.

The activation switch deteriorates with regular use and may at one time fail; therefore, you won’t be able to turn on your blender.

The Motor Is Burned Out

Although the problem might be a faulty activation switch, you can’t be so sure. Your blender won’t spin its blades if the motor is burned out.

Knowing when the motor burns out isn’t difficult. As soon as it burns out, the blender stops spinning abruptly in the middle of a spinning cycle, and a burning smell often accompanies burnout.

Wear and tear from regular use or user error might cause the blender’s motor to burn out. 

However, you should check if your warranty is still valid. The manufacturer might cover the repair costs. Otherwise, you might consider buying a new blender if replacing the motor costs nearly the same as buying a new appliance. 

4 Ways To Fix Your Blender if It Isn’t Spinning

After finding out why your blender isn’t spinning, it’s time to find practical fixes. Here are four ways to fix it:

1. Fill the Blender to Three-Quarters of Its Capacity

It would help if you didn’t fill your blender to the brim. It needs some room for turning, chopping, and mixing the content. Also,  you should make sure there’s something in it. Don’t run it when it’s empty!

Additionally, it’s best to chop large food pieces before blending them. You need to reduce the size of large pieces of watermelons, coconuts, and pineapples, as they’ll likely overload the motor, causing it to stop spinning. They’ll also exert excess stress on the blades, wearing them out over time.

A blender chops and spins small pieces more quickly and efficiently than larger ones. Small pieces fit nicely at the bottom of the container, so there are fewer chances of overfilling it.

2. Inspect the Fuse

A blown-out fuse might be a hidden culprit if your blender isn’t working, so you should check it out.

Inspect the fuse at the terminal of your blender’s power cord. Use a voltmeter to check for electric current. A very high reading suggests that the fuse is damaged and you need to replace it with a new one.

3. Inspect the Activation Switch

To inspect the activation switch, first disconnect the power cable and trip the switch to the “on” position. 

Then, attach a multimeter’s terminals to the switch. A low reading indicates the switch is working correctly. Otherwise, if you get a high reading, it’s time to replace the switch.

You can try this AstroAI Multimeter on Amazon.com. It measures current, continuity, resistance, and it tests live wires.

4. Fix Jammed Blender Blades

Failing to clean your blender properly between uses might contribute to residue building up at the bottom of the blender. Residue build-up isn’t sufficient enough to damage the gasket, but it’s a likely culprit for jammed blades.

The solution is to disassemble the blades and the jar, clean them, and reassemble them. Follow these steps to pull apart your blender:

  1. Unscrew the base to detach it from the jar.
  2. Carefully detach the blades from the base. The blades are very sharp, so you must be careful when handling them.
  3. Detach the tiny rubber ring (gasket).
  4. Clean every part carefully and let it dry.
  5. Put everything back to its original position and screw them together.

Cleaning isn’t a repair solution only; it’s hygienic. So, it would help if you cleaned your blender between uses to prevent the blades from jamming. Not only this, but you’ll be able to consume clean and healthy food every day. 

If you’re more of a visual learner, this YouTube video about how to clean a blender might help: