My soldering iron seems to lack power

If your soldering iron seems to be lacking in power, Guilbert Express offers you a tutorial to check the main elements that can influence this malfunction. Whether it’s a professional soldering iron or something you use at home, it’s often possible to repair it yourself or add the accessory that is missing to keep it working properly. Here are the points to check.

The external temperature

Bad pressure can cause your soldering iron to lack power. With a temperature below 0°C, your iron is almost unusable. If you experience temperatures well below zero, you cannot work effectively. So it’s not a breakdown, but the vagaries of the weather and you just have to wait for the temperature to rise again.

Propane gas pressure

A professional roofing soldering iron uses propane gas. However, with this gas, using a 2-bar pressure regulator is the rule. If the pressure difference is too great, your iron will not work properly. So make sure your regulator is rated for 2 bars, and change it if it is not.

Propane gas supply

This may seem like a silly question, but have you checked the level of your propane gas cylinder? Your lack of power may simply be due to the fact that you are nearing the end of your bottle.

Injector problems

The lack of power of a soldering iron may be due to a clogged injector problem. You need to do a test to verify this. Your first task is to manually remove the injector from your iron and clean it. To do this, you must unscrew your lance. Be careful to handle your injector with care. To remove it, you must not use pliers that would grip it by its outer part, you would risk damaging the seal. Once your injector has been disassembled, clean it with a mild solvent. If you are in your workshop and you have a compressed air device, use this to unclog the injector. If you’re outside, you’re the one who is going to blow inside it. Be careful, always blow in the opposite direction of the gas flow. This is the only way to clean it properly. Then use a cloth to clean the front panel. Reassemble your injector. After these checks, your soldering iron should be back in working order. If not, contact your after-sales service.