There are various reasons why your heat press is not heating consistently, but we will provide you with valuable information that will ensure your heat press is hot and ready to go when you want it to. The video above showcases Ricoma’s HP Series Auto-Open Flat Heat Presses. If you have this heat-press, the information in this article can be very helpful. However, if you have another heat-press, the same principles can be applied.
We Recommend the Following Steps...
To have consistent heat from your press, you need to pre-heat it first...
- Preheat your heat press to 310°F for 120 seconds. Doing this will warm up the platen and will evenly distribute the heat.
- Then, take off the back cover and make sure all connections are secure inside the cover.
Why Heat Presses Take Too Long to Heat-Up
If your heat press is taking a lot longer than expected to heat up, the immediate environment your heat press is operating in can be a factor. For example, a cold room can have an impact on how fast your heat press can warm up.
Here are the average “heat-up times” for heat presses (of various sizes):
- 9×12 apx. 10 Minutes
- 15×15 apx. 15 Minutes
- 16×20 apx. 20 Minutes
- 16×24 apx. 20 Minutes
For example, if your 15×15 heat press takes 20 minutes to heat up, you are not too far off from the average. However, if your 16×20 heat press takes 45 minutes to heat up, and you’re not working inside of a cold room, then there may be a problem with your setup or your heat press.
Check Your Electric Supply
Heat presses require a good amount of electricity to operate properly, and the bigger the heat press is, the more watts it will require to power it.
In general, there are 3 items you can check if your heat press is not performing as expected:
- Overloaded Electric Circuit
- Undersized Circuit Breaker
- Broken or Damaged Heating Elements
Overloaded Circuits Can Cause a Heat Press to Heat Slowly
An overloaded circuit could cause your heat press to take longer than normal to heat up, and in some cases, it may cause it to never reach the high temperatures (300° – 400°F) required for sublimation.
Circuit Amps Too Small for Heat Press
The reason so many people begin to have problems with larger heat presses heating up in a timely fashion is because larger heat presses use more power.
You can check your wattage on the device packaging or manufacturer's website of your heat press.
Replacing Parts and Critical Components
Depending on what heat press you have, some parts can be replaced and swapped for new ones. We recommend this because it’s much cheaper than buying a brand-new heat press. However, to qualify for this service, please make sure you have a warranty on your heat press.
Need Additional Assistance?
After inspecting your heat press...
And if you think your machine is failing or has reduced performance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for further assistance via email at service@ricoma.com or by visiting our support page at www.ricoma.com/US/support.
This usually happens when you do not preheat the heat press.
- Preheat the heat press at 310°F for 120 seconds. This warms up the platen and evenly distributes the heat.
- Take off the back cover and make sure all connections are secure inside the cover.