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When I attempt to pressure cook in my 8 quart Fagor Lux LCD Multicooker, it no longer builds up pressure. There are two places where pressure can be vented: a vent in the cover that can be set to Clean, Steam, or Pressure (I have it set to Pressure), and a second vent in the handle on the cover over which I have no control. Steam escapes from this second vent for the entire cooking cycle, and when the cooking cycle has completed, and I release the pressure by changing the first vent from Pressure to Steam, no pressure remains to be released.

Other than the mechanism that locks the lid on the Multicooker when there is pressure inside, there does not appear to be any linkage between the Multicooker and the lid, so I am wondering how the Multicooker controls the pressure. Specifically, the Multicooker allows me to choose either high pressure or low pressure (I have chosen high pressure), so my question is, how does the Multicooker control the pressure, since the vent(s) are in the lid, and there is no linkage between the Multicooker and the lid?

Since Fagor is in Bankruptcy, I am reluctant to send my Multicooker for repair, since I might never see it again. Any ideas what might be wrong with Multicooker, or whether this is something that I might be able to repair?

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  • When you're trying to find air leaks with tires or propane hoses, the recommendation is to coat the item in a soap foam and look for expanding bubbles. You might be able to get away with this if you're careful about just foam, and not too much water. Once you know where the leak is coming from, you'll know if it's a gasket to replace, a valve stuck open, or something really wrong with it (eg. a crack)
    – Joe
    Dec 12, 2018 at 20:36
  • Thank you for your comment. However, I don't believe this would help, since I can already see where the steam is escaping.
    – Herb
    Dec 12, 2018 at 20:54
  • Wow, I'm out of it today. Sounds like a stuck valve or bad gasket. You might be able to clean it, or get a replacement : fagoramerica.com/shop2/replacement_parts/rapid_express . And to answer the title -- fuzzy logic temperature control. The valves are just in case something goes wrong, or to release it quickly
    – Joe
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:28
  • Oops, 'rapid express' is a model. You probably want fagoramerica.com/shop2/replacement_parts/electric_multi_cooker
    – Joe
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:50
  • Thank you. It looks like some inexpensive parts may repair the problem.
    – Herb
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:53

1 Answer 1

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The body of the cooker doesn't directly control the pressure - this is regulated by the floating valve on the lid. It sounds like there is something wrong with the safety pressure valve on the handle. My first thought is a bad gasket or something preventing the gasket from sealing. Inspect the gasket if you can get at it and make sure there's no damage that would prevent a seal.

Worst case scenario you could try to find a replacement lid. It sounds like the body of the cooker still works fine so it would be a shame to discard the whole thing.

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  • Thank you for your comment. I believe that you are correct that there is something wrong with the safety pressure relief valve on the handle. There is no visible gasket in this valve, and I don't see any easy way to open it up. However, there is metal cover inside this that slides back and forth to prevent that valve from lifting when pin inside the lid is depressed, and conversely prevents the pin from being depressed and the lid from being opened when the valve has lifted. Thus, the lid is locked on (as it should be) when the pressure valve is raised.
    – Herb
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:01
  • I do have one question, however. You indicated that the cooker doesn't directly control the pressure. However, the cooker can be set to either high or low pressure. The lid has only a singe setting for Pressure, Steam, or Clean. So, how does the cooker switch from low to high pressure?
    – Herb
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:03
  • I imagine the High/Low setting on the cooker itself regulates temperature in some way, but the pressure ultimately relies on the valve. New valves alone can be purchased on their website link and installation instructions are on page 39 of the user manual link.
    – Rekamanon
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:25
  • @Herb : it only needs to measure the pressure. It then adjusts the heat as needed to maintain that pressure. Valves are set to release at a pressure above the "high" setting in case something goes wrong, so it won't explode on you. (water heaters have an emergency valve, too)
    – Joe
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:33
  • Thank you. It looks like some inexpensive parts may repair the problem. Also, your explanation of how the high and low pressure work makes a lot of sense.
    – Herb
    Dec 12, 2018 at 21:54

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