Like most households we have a paper shredder. We get these credit card offers, you know the kind, "Sign here for your new credit card." Of course, that kind of stuff has to be ground up into little bitty shreds. Thus we have a paper shredder.
But like all things half mechanical and half electrical with a tad bit of electronics, it jams up. Not a big deal, just take out the trusty long nosed pliers and pull the shreds out of the jaws. But lately the automatic shut off has failed to function. So it keeps on running after it has done its duty.
After while it fixed itself. So I figured there is a sensor that gets jammed, covered, pushed out of place, whatever, that keeps it running. At first I thought it was sophisticated with an electronic eye sensor but soon came to my senses. This machine is not that expensive, ergo it has to be a pressure switch of some sort. I have not found it yet.
But I have figured out that some of the shreds get spun around and packed in behind the "shredder knives." The knives are a serrated set of wheels on a common shaft that interface with two rows of cutters so to speak. It grabs the paper and pulls it through and messing knives slice and dice the paper. But some of the slice and dice get caught up and lodge behind (or above) the knives. And eventually, it really packs in there.
So I take if off its stand, turn it over and precede to "unpack it." I use a variety of tools: an Exacto knife(with a #10 blade), two different sets of long nose pliers (one set is very long, the other set does a better job of pulling the shreds out), a small kitchen paring knife and a very long small cross point screw driver. No I do not need to unscrew anything, it is just long enough to reach way down in the innards to fish out paper shreds. The paring knife does its share of fishing too.
I do some shaking and tilting, cussing and pulling and eventually I get all the paper shreds out of it.
And when it is cleaned out, the sensor must become uncovered as it starts to work properly again. I have not found it yet but does not matter if it works.
About every six months or so, or every five or six bags of shredded material, I have to do the job. But it keeps on going and, of course, we must keep on shredding things up.
What fun we have, right?
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1 comment:
You're quite a handy man. There's no harm in doing it by yourself if the problem is manageable. Besides, a shredder is beneficial in terms of getting rid of files that are confidential, but can be disposed of immediately. Identity thieves work their way by going into other people's records, so you absolutely need a shredder. I suggest you have yours fixed by the manufacturer or any shop that does that.
#Ruby @ WilliamsDataManagement.com
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