Instant Pot Air Fryer Troubleshooting: Reasons & Solutions

Last Updated on June 14, 2023 by River Tree Farms

The instant pot air fryer is a great product, helping you cook delicious food more healthily.

Otherwise, like any other essential appliance, you could have some frustrating issues. If you are having problems with your Instant Pot Air Fryer, what are some of the things you can do? You can do several things for instant pot air fryer troubleshooting the issue and getting your appliance in excellent working condition.

This article will help you solve these issues to get the most out of your instant pot air fryer.

Instant Pot Air Fryer Troubleshooting

1. The air fryer lid is in the correct position, but it does not turn on

Possible Reasons:

• Loose connection/ breakage between Airfryer lid and pressure cooker base
• Poor power connection/no power
• The damaged microswitch/ grease ceased the microswitch

Problem solution respectively:

• Position the lid correctly on the pressure cooker base
• Ensure there is the correct connection of the power lead on the pressure cooker base/ plug the power lead firmly into the cooker base
• Contact customer care

2. Black smoke from the air fryer lid

Possible Reasons:

• Using oils with a low melting point/smoking point
• Food residues are either on the bottom inner pot surface of the air fryer or around the air fryer lid element.
• Appliance internal parts malfunction

Problem solution respectively:

• Stop the operation, unplug the air fryer, and let it cool to room temperature. Use oil with a high melting point, e.g., rapeseed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, or even avocado oil.
• Ensure the inner pot bottom is free from food residues
• Contact customer care

3. White smoke from the air fryer lid

Possible Reasons:

• Cooking fatty foods, e.g., hamburgers
• Use of Moist food ingredients
• Food seasoning blowing into elements

Problem solution respectively:

• Air-fry is less fatty foods, and also ensures that the inner pot doesn’t have residual oils so that when you add your food, it doesn’t become excess.
• Remove the excess moisture in your food before air drying. You will see white smoke, but it is water evaporating from your moist food ingredients in an absolute sense.
• Make sure to add seasoning according to the recipe’s instructions.
• Contact customer care as it could be an equipment malfunction.

4. The pressure cooking lid is not closing

Possible reasons:

• The sealing ring is improperly fitted/it is broken
• The float valve is not in the correct position
• Very hot cooker or the contents inside it

Problem Solution Respectively:

• Ensure the correct position of the sealing ring; snug it correctly behind the rack.
• Correctly position the floating valve by pressing it down.
• Allow the cooker to cool first by pressing the quick release down as it clicks, lowering the lid into the pressure cooker base.

5. Steam gush out of the steam release valve

Possible reason

• Failure of the Pressure sensor control
• Steam release valve improperly fitted

Problem solution respectively

• Malfunction needing you to contact customer care
• Use the quick-release button to ensure the valve is seated correctly.

6. The display is blank even when the power lead is connected

Possible reasons

• Poor power connection/ no power
• Blown fuse
• The inner pot is not heating
• Damaged inner pot

Problem Solution respectively:

• Check the power outlet to ensure the power transfer and check the power cable damage that could lead to the malfunction. Replace either which is not functioning
• Replace the blown fuse.
• Do the inner pot test run to check its operation, recording the findings
• If the malfunction cannot be fixed locally, contact customer service.

7. Light clicking/cracking sound

Possible Reasons

• The pressure board expands with the change in temperatures.
• The inner pot bottom is wet.

Problem solution respectively:

• No action is needed as it is very normal
• Ensure the heating element should be dry before inserting the inner pot so the inner pot doesn’t become

8. Error codes

Error code	Meaning of the error code	Error code fix
C1 C2 C6 C6H C6L	Faulty sensor	Contact customer care
C8	Wrong inner pot	Use the right inner pot
C9	Sensor connectors	Make sure the lid is placed correctly
Lid	The lid is not ideally positioned	Adjust the lid to fit the instant properly
Burn	Burning of the inner pot bottom	Remove the food at the bottom of the pot
Pot	The inner pot is not positioned correctly into the base cooker/the inner pot is missing a sensor short circuit in the pressure cooker base.	Place the inner pot correctly.

NB: If you are not sure about the problem fix, do not try, as it would cause more damage t the appliance. Instead, contact customer care.

Air Fryer Lid Is Powered But Does Not Turn On, Or It Turns Off While Cooking

Why would The Air fryer lid get powered but doesn’t turn on? And in some cases turns off while cooking. Mostly it is because of the power issues, including:

• Loose power cords connection
• Blown fuses
• Faulty microswitch
• Power loss

So what would you do if the instant pot air fryer lid is powered and not turning on?

• Make sure the cord is firmly plugged into the power outlet
• Check the micro switch and the fuse to replace the damage, but don’t hesitate to contact customer care if you do not know how.
• Wait for the Power to return if it was about the power outage.

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Won’t Turn On

What could it be if you connected your instant pot air fryer lid to Power and even pressed on, and it didn’t turn on? It could be due to the following:

• Faulty microswitch- It needs to be replaced. Contact customer care.
• Power loss-if your other appliances are working, it could be power loss.
• False Power outlet-Test your air fryer lid in another power outlet.
• The air fryer lid and the instant pot are not compatible-There is no way an incompatible air fryer lid, and the bank would turn if they are not compatible.

Please note: always contact customer care if you are unsure about the problem or cannot fix it yourself.

Instant Pot Air Fryer Won’t Turn On

Why would your instant pot air fryer not turn on?

• Power Related Issues

Are your power sockets working? Ensure the fuse is not blown, the microswitch should be working, and confirm whether there could be power loss in your house /neighborhood. Also, Make sure the unit is plugged into a working outlet.

Another thing you need to confirm also is that the power bar rating should match whatever Is required in the instant pot fryer.

• System jam

Unplug and then plug the unit back in.

• The basket is out of place.

The instant air fryer won’t turn on if the basket is not correctly positioned in the inner pot.

• Oversized foods in the basket

If you put oversized food in the basket or an overload, the air fryer will not turn on until you place the correct ingredients.

• Tilted instant air fryer basket

Make sure your air fryer is on a flat, level surface so that all the inner accessories are placed correctly to turn on.

Black smoke from your Air Fryer Lid

Why black smoke from the air fryer lid?

• Burnt food residues in the heating element

If food residues are in the heating element, wipe them off with a clean cloth or brush, and then put the clean air fryer lid back on your Instant Pot. If there was a lot of food stuck/sticky food on the heating element, you could use a cotton swab to remove the particles.

• Using oil with a low smoking point

The oil will heat up fast and get to the smoking point even before the food is done. It will therefore end up producing black soot. Therefore, use oil with a high smoking point, like Avocado oil and canola oil, as they can air fry without black smoke.

• Faulty heating element

Contact customer care. Here details.

White smoke from the Air Fryer Lid

Why would white smoke come out from the air fryer lid?

• A new air fryer

A new air fryer will produce some white smoke due to excess oils used in the manufacturing process. This type of smoke will not appear after 3-5 air fryer uses.

• Using very fatty foods/ a lot of oil

Air fry less-fatty foods. Ensure that there are no residual oils before air frying, and avoid using a lot of oil when air frying.

• Using moist foods ingredients

Pat dry your ingredients before air frying them, and do not add any water to your ingredients.

• Contact between seasoning and air fryer element

 You should spray the food before seasoning to avoid seasoning dripping into the inner pot element.

Error code “LID.”

The main reason there will be an error code in the lid is that the air fryer lid does not detect the inner pot and the instant pot. This means that the instant pot and the air fryer lid are not fitting appropriately. So what should you do to avoid this instant pot error code? The inner pot inserts should be stainless steel and not ceramic inserts for smooth and easy compatibility and fitting of the instant air fryer lid.

Why did my instant pot air fryer stop working?

Your instant pot air fryer stopped working because:

• The plugin is loose-plug the power cable well.
• There is power loss.
• The fuses have blown- replace the fuses.
• The wrong timer set-wait for it to cool before setting the cooking time again.
• The socket/ the power cable is faulty-Replace the damaged power cables and the sockets.
• Using an incompatible lid-Buy the correct lid of the same brand for compatibility.
• Food residues in the air fryer element-After the air fryer cools, wash the element with a soft cloth and mild soapy water.

Conclusions

The Instant Pot Air Fryer is a versatile kitchen appliance that can be used for several different cooking techniques making it a great asset in your kitchen. Sometimes you will have trouble getting your Instant Pot to work correctly. That’s why we compiled this article for you, and hopefully, it has helped you big-time in your instant pot air fryer troubleshooting. If you still have some issues, please contact customer care to repair defects or have a replacement appliance plan.

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions or need a replacement part.