If your new toaster has been making buzzing noises, you’re not alone. In fact, this is a pretty common problem with new toasters and aging toasters. But interestingly, You won’t find this issue in really old toasters, so what gives?
Toasters these days come with all sorts of fancy features, like bagel settings and reheat functions, and electrical solenoids.
But those extra features come at a price: a shorter lifespan for your toaster. In fact, the newfangled features are often to blame for that annoying buzzing sound. Old mechanical toasters could often last decades before there were any problems.
So, here’s what’s happening: when you plug in your toaster, the heating elements inside start to glow red hot.
That’s how they cook the bread. But as those heating elements age, they don’t heat up as evenly as they used to.
So some parts of the element get hotter than others and start to emit a high-pitched buzz.
You don’t even need to be using your toaster to hear that buzzing noise. If your toaster has LED panels or touch button controls, there is always a slight power draw even when the toaster isn’t in use.
This type of buzzing is often related to a loose component that is vibrating against the side of the toaster or no properly shielded electrical wires that are coming into contact with the metal casing of the toaster.
If you hear this type of buzzing, it’s best to unplug your toaster and contact the manufacturer for further troubleshooting assistance, Although it is rarer to be the case. It may also be distinctively louder if your toaster is on a hard surface like a countertop as opposed to a softer surface like a tablecloth or towel.
Can you fix it a toaster buzzing sound?
Sometimes you can. It depends on what caused the problem in the first place. Most of the time it’s better to just buy a new toaster as they are so cheap these days.
Otherwise, If you have an extended warranty on the toaster, You should definitely take advantage of it and send it off for replacement or repair.
If the problem is a loose component, you might be able to tighten it up yourself. But if the issue is with the heating elements, you’ll need special tools to replace them. And even then, it’s often not worth the hassle.
If it’s a buzz when nothing is actually in use, You could consider plugging it into a socket that’s turned off unless you need it to be on. or try using a power strip with an on/off switch to make it easier to quickly turn off when not in use.
