The display is blank, or the appliance is completely dead

What is happening

A completely dead appliance has a very short list of things a user should check, and a much longer list of things they should not. This page covers the first list and then stops, which is the correct behaviour for a 2kW device.

Narrow it down

Each of these has an answer you already know, and each one rules something out.

1. Does another appliance work in the same socket?

   • No
   • Yes

2. Is there any discolouration, heat or smell at the plug or socket?

   • No
   • Yes — Stop. Do not use that socket or that appliance again until it has been looked at.

Why it happens

Commonest first. It is almost always the boring one, and a page that walks you through the exotic causes before the obvious one has given you a longer path to a fixed dinner.

1. Most common

   There is no supply at the socket

   A switched-off socket, a tripped breaker or an RCD that has operated. The last of those is a fault indication rather than a nuisance and matters more than the other two.

   What to do

   • Check the socket, the switch and the consumer unit

2. Common

   An internal fault

   A dead appliance on a proven socket with an intact fuse has a fault inside it. Nothing further is a user matter.

   What to do

   • Stop and contact the manufacturer

3. Common

   The fuse in the plug has failed

   A UK plug fuse protects the flex. One that has failed may have done so from age, or because something drew more current than it should — and the second is a reason to stop rather than to replace it twice.

   What to do

   • Replace the plug fuse once, with the correct rating

4. Occasional

   The cord or plug is damaged

   Visible damage, discolouration, a hot plug or scorching at the socket are all fault conditions on an appliance drawing this much current for this long.

   What to do

   • Stop and contact the manufacturer

The fixes in full

Check the socket, the switch and the consumer unit

Try another appliance in the same socket. If a breaker or RCD has tripped, that is a fault indication — reset it once and, if it goes again with the air fryer plugged in, stop.

Replace the plug fuse once, with the correct rating

The rating printed on the appliance or in the manual, and nothing higher. If the replacement fails too, stop — a fuse that keeps failing is doing its job.

Trade-off: Only if the plug is a rewireable one and undamaged. A moulded plug is not a user-serviceable part.

Stop and contact the manufacturer

Stop using the appliance. Switch it off and unplug it at the wall — not at the appliance — and do not use it again until the manufacturer has advised you. An air fryer draws 1.5-2.8kW continuously and a fault in one is not a domestic repair. Do not open it, do not run it to see whether it happens again, and do not plug it into an extension lead to test it somewhere else. If there is any flame, smoke that does not smell of cooking, a smell of burning plastic or insulation, visible damage to the cord or plug, or the appliance has tripped a breaker or an RCD, treat it as a fault rather than a nuisance.

Evidence and confidence

Related problems

• The air fryer runs but does not heat
• The air fryer switches itself off part-way through
• The buttons or touchscreen do not respond