Noise in Breville Food Processor

[Jim D.]

For anyone who has the 12-cup (or the 16-cup) Breville machine: Does yours make an unusual "knocking" sound? I just got a new 12-cup FP, and every time it starts and stops, it makes a rather loud sound. The closest I can get to describing it is that it sounds as if someone is hitting a heavy spoon against the side of the bowl. I called Breville, and the person checked a nearby machine and said it made that sound, but he was unable to allow me to listen to the sound on his end, so I don't know if we were thinking about the same thing. I posted a question on Amazon, and someone from Breville wrote:  "The induction motor produces a significant sound as it engages and disengages, as no moving gears or parts are responsible, but rather magnetics with great strength to process a range of ingredients most effectively." I know nothing about motors, inductive or otherwise, so I don't fully grasp the point. All I could think of was a very noisy experience in an MRI machine.

 

I can probably learn to put up with this sound if the FP is as good as most reviewers say, but when one is using the pulse mode, the noise could really become obnoxious. Before I go forward, I would like to know if others with this FP have had the same experience. Any input would be very helpful.

 

 

[Yiannos]

I would think it is not the motor making that sound, but rather whatever kind of clutch setup they are using to engage/disengage the motor from the transmission. I find it sort of weird that they are saying the motor and it's "magnetics" are what is making the sound, induction motors are inherently silent as you have a core/shaft essentially floating inside a larger coil whose magnetic field induces the rotation of the inner motor shaft.

[gfron1]

I've never heard that sound on my machine.

[palo]

I have the BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor and it works fine.

 

p

[dcarch]

Looks like the  Breville FP is a direct drive induction motor machine. Fractional horsepower induction motors are the simplest mechanical electrical devices with only one moving part, i.e. the rotor. The rotor is typically dynamically balanced. They tend to run very silent.

 

However, higher horsepower induction motors can be a little more complicated. They incorporate additional components to reduce power draw when starting.  For instance, they can have switches controlled by centrifugal weights to turn on and off. Those can make noise when the motor starts and stops.

 

dcarch

Edited January 14, 2017 by dcarch (log)

[Jim D.]

Thanks for the replies. I have spent a lot of time researching this issue. With the exception of one response on Amazon (that person experienced the same sound but it did not bother him/her), no one else has reported any unusual noise. Today I managed to find several videos demonstrating the machine (unfortunately the 16-cup rather than the 12-cup one I have) and in those videos there was no sound other than the usual food processor sound. I have read every online review I could find. It just seems very unlikely that no one else noticed this sound and failed to report on it. I have used a FP for probably 40 years, so I know the noise one normally makes. Now I just have to convince Breville that there is some defect in my machine, as I have come to believe there is.

[ElsieD]

I have the the same model as palo.  I just ran it with water in it and it just makes a normal processing sound, no unusual noises when it starts and stops.  I tried it on both the pulse and the straight processing.  

[lindag]

JimD,

Is it possible you can just return it for a replacement?

That's what nice about Costco and Amazon (with Amazon, though, I think it has to be within 30 days.

 

[Jim D.]

36 minutes ago, lindag said:

JimD,

Is it possible you can just return it for a replacement?

That's what nice about Costco and Amazon (with Amazon, though, I think it has to be within 30 days.

 

 

That's what I plan to do, but I expect some resistance since the rep I spoke to said the machine located in the room with him made the same noise. My deduction at this point is that it's not an issue with the motor but rather with how the blade and the spindle (which links the blade and the bowl) fit together as the noise doesn't occur with  just the spindle in place (no blade) and also doesn't occur with the spindle plus one of the grating/slicing disks in place or with the small bowl (which has its own blade and does not use the spindle) in place. The larger 16-cup Breville model does not use the spindle to connect the blades. Thanks again to those who gave this issue some thought.

[Jim D.]

Just wanted to post an update on this issue. After one rather snippy response ("...we've provided the answer Breville is offering, there is no other answer which will be provided....I understand a supervisor has already offered to assist you in a very generous way to ensure you have the best experience possible. I imagine that will suffice.") I finally got a clear-cut answer from Breville: The noise is in fact "the way it is" and has to do with the fact that the blades connect to the motor with the spindle. In the 16-cup model (which seems to be what most people have and therefore they have not experienced the noise) the blades connect directly to the motor, and there is no knocking sound when the motor starts and stops. I am now returning the Breville to Williams-Sonoma and (since it is a design issue, not a flaw in the particular machine I received, there is no point in getting a replacement) am purchasing a Cuisinart instead.