Philips Steam Iron Bimetal Thermostat With An eye on quality

This is a closeup of the thermostat used for ironing temperature setting. This is a mechanical thermostat that uses a bimetallic strip to sense the temperature of the soleplate. Turning the dial adjust the gap at which the electrical connection to the heating element will be opened.

Note the additional contact that seems to be prop up by a white ceramic post. This is a safety feature that cuts off the electrical supply if the thermostat becomes loose. This indicate the quality of the design in the Philips Mistral steam iron.

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Step 3 - Remove the soleplate

This is the soleplate in the plastic housing (looks like a boat). Aftere removing the plastic housing you can see the soleplate. There is a small aluminium compartment into which water is dripped to produced steam. The heating element is embedded inside the soleplate. Note the iron temperature control mounted on the soleplate. There need to be a tight heat transfer between this and the sole plate to properly set the ironing temperature. Note the accumulation of lint on the surface, browned through the relatively high temperature on the soleplate. The other picture shows the lint wash off. The circular disk is actually some form of steam control.

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