Sapporo Steam/Electric Gravity-Fed Iron #SP-527

Both of these are gravity fed irons. The iron weight for the Sapporo is 4.91 lbs. the Hot Steam weighs 4.5 lbs. Both of these irons will come with the water bottle, the iron shoe, and the iron rest. The Hot Steam Iron will come with a loose bag of filter resin that will be placed inside the water bottle. The Sapporo comes with the resin cartridge the is connected to the water bottle. The Hot steam iron has a 6 month warranty and the Sapporo has a 90 day warranty. The price points are a little different as well. Both irons will reach the same temperatures which are controlled with a thermostat.

Air bubbles in the hose should not affect the flow of water and steam into the iron. However, if the water bottle valve was not turned on, you could end up with a vacuum effect not allowing water into your iron at all. Make sure the water bottle valve is open completely prior to using.

The plunger assembly could be getting stuck, or it could be the solenoid. To check to see if the plunger assembly’s getting stuck, take the hose nipple off, and hold your thumb over the opening, press the microswitch. If the Plunger moves a little, then there may just be an obstruction in the plunger channel. To clean, take out the plunger and spring and use either a wire brush or a pencil with a fine grain sand paper wrapped around it to clean out the plunger channel. If there is no movement, the problem could be the solenoid.

There could be a few reasons why the iron would not be emitting enough steam: A. Make sure when observing the steam flow of the iron, that this gravity fed iron is not being compared to the steam flow coming from an all-steam iron. – The steam flow coming from an all-steam iron is going to be much greater than that of a gravity fed iron. B. Make sure that the iron is hot enough to emit steam- When the iron is ready for use, the red light on the back of the iron will turn off. C. Make sure that the water bottle is hung from its highest possible point- This will keep the water flowing more efficiently. D. Make sure the water bottle is fully open. E. Make sure there are no kinks or air bubbles in the hose, as this will lessen the amount of steam produced. F. Make sure there is no scale, of dust build up on the bottom of the iron.- Using the tool kit, clean out the steam holes on the bottom of the iron G. Clean the steam chamber. - Take off the heat shield, take off the steam chamber lid and clean out the shallow plate as well as the bottom of steam chamber lid. H. Check the gasket or “O” ring inside the steam chamber and make sure that isn’t damaged. I. Make sure there isn’t dust or debris stuck inside the hose nipple area where the plunger assembly is located. If debris lodged inside it may not be allowing the plunger assembly to open fully and allow the water necessary into the steam chamber. J. If the iron was dropped, this may have caused the problem as well, Take off the back plate and make sure the wires are secure.

It comes with a PTFE iron shoe. It would be similar to our TF-1004.

It is normal to see bubbles (relatively large) in the hose. It goes away naturally over the time. The relatively large bubble (actually air-pocket) can’t be an obstacle of the water flow. It looks like it blocks water, but actually it does not. However, when the iron clogged by mineral deposits, the steam has nowhere to go, it shoots back to hose. If this is the case, the customer has to replace the iron. So, as long as the iron produce steam, you don’t have to worry about the bubble in the hose.

Check to make sure the coil is not loose; tighten the nut at the base of the coil. The plunger spring may be loose, if it is, you will need to replace it. The Nipple gasket may be too tight, if it is, it will have to be replaced.

Yes, it does!

These irons are only warranted for 90 days from date of purchase.

Per the manufacturer: It could be water inside the iron sitting for a long time. Try the following methods to fix this problem. Flushing the iron Set temperature on 5 1. Wait until the light goes off. 2. Press and hold on the Thumb Switch. The iron will start releasing steam at first and turn into water after 2-3 min approx. Keep the button pressed and let the water run and flush the system for another minute and then release the button. 3. Repeat the process if rusty water keeps coming out. Keep the iron dry when not in use. Once finished operating the iron close the valve on the water tank. 1. Press on the Thumb Switch a couple of times until all remaining water inside the system evaporates. 2. Turn off the iron.

Yes, for the Sapporo SP-527 and the Hot Steam SGB-900 the light will go off once the iron is heated up. If looking for a Gravity Fed Iron that has an “Always-On” light try the Pacific Steam PSI-5E.

It is located in the back of the iron. You will have to remove the back plate to find it.

The water bottles should be elevated 3’ above the iron. Most hoses are 6.5’ long. If you need the bottle to be higher than that, you may be able to buy tubing at a hardware store.

If it turns on, the fuse is ok. Most likely the thermostat or heating element will need to be replaced.

The clips should be connected to the water hose to keep the cord elevated.

The water bottles can be suspended from a hook drilled into the ceiling. We do carry an extended counter rack with could be mounted to a work bench as well.

Either our gravity fed irons, or a mini boiler iron would work. These are self contained, and can be plugged into a standard outlet. The mini boiler irons to provide a more powerful steam than the gravity fed irons do.

Distilled water shouldn’t leave mineral deposits behind on your iron. Is it possible that the residue left behind is caused by starch or sizing? We would suggest using an iron cleaner, like EZ- off or Hot Melt. After the scorch marks are removed, you can use a pick to clean out the holes on the bottom of the iron. If there really are mineral deposits coming out of your iron, we would recommend using a vinegar and water solution and pumping it through the opening. You may want to also place the base of the iron in a shallow plate filled with the water and vinegar solution. You would then flush the iron with plain water and rinse off the base. Iron resin also helps remove minerals in water, which prevent buildup in the future.

Tighten the set nut directly underneath the black solenoid to keep the part from moving and “humming”.

Most manufacturers still recommend you use a cleaner every 6 months to insure optimum steam performance. The JIF3 is a ready -to-use product that works well. Or, simply a mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. Pour solution into tank and let sit for 4-8 hours. Flush well with water.

An iron shoe diffuser can be used in conjunction with the iron shoe to diffuse the steam better. Or the operator may want to try turning the nut at the base of thumb lever to the right- so that less steam is allowed to come out of the iron.

The solenoid valve may not be secure. Under the black solenoid valve is a set nut, tighten that up and it should stop the buzzing.

There could be a problem with the thermostat or the thermal coupling. The thermostat may be going haywire, or the coupling may be giving the thermostat a bad reading.

Steam electric gravity fed irons, mini boiler irons and home irons are self-contained units, and because they have their own electric cord and water source, they will not need a boiler to provide it with steam.

If the outlet that the iron is plugged into works and the ON/OFF switch is ON, then most likely the iron has a bad fuse or there is a bad or loose connection at the fuse.

We recommend using EZ-Off™ (EZ1) or Hot Melt™ (MEL1) or Cool Off™(CO10).

The thermostat should be regulating the temperature of the iron, if the iron is getting hotter than specified, it could be because of the thermostat

Make sure the screen is in place and is secure inside the water bottle.

The manufacture lists the temperatures and not the materials being ironed on the heat settings, because so many garments have a blend of materials. However, a good rule of thumb is as follows: 170-210°F- Poly, 210-250°F- Rayon, 250-290°F- Silk, 290-330°F-Wool, 330-370°F- Cotton, and 370-440°F- Linen.

The approximate steam pressure on a gravity fed iron would be around 15-20 psi.

Yes, in order to prolong the life of the iron and to get the best results when ironing, it is best to use the iron resin. The iron resin filters water and removes mineral deposits from the water before it collects and hardens inside the iron. Using distilled water provides some protection, but using iron resin is better.

There are a few simple solutions to solving water problems on this particular iron: A. Make sure that the thumb switch is not being pressed continually. On this iron, the thumb switch is to be pressed using short/ quick pushes. - The reason being that inside this iron is a shallow plate that holds the water and creates the steam. If the thumb switch is continually pressed, the water will fill the shallow plate, overflow, and spill out of the bottom of the iron. B. Make sure that the iron remains horizontal. - If the iron is turned vertically, the water will spill out of the shallow plate and flow through the bottom of the iron. C. When iron is not in use, make sure that the water bottle is turned off at its base. - If the water bottle is kept open, the water may continue to seep into the iron and fill the iron body inside. Keeping the water bottle turned off when not in use will also prolong the life of the iron, as water is a corrosive material. D. At the end of the day, try to get the water out of the silicon hose. - If water sits near the hose nipple and plunger assembly, there is a greater chance of the mechanisms corroding or allowing scale build-up. If there are particles obstructing the plunger assembly, the water may continue to leak into the iron. The plunger assembly area may need to be cleaned out or replaced.