Hydrocollators are an on-demand unit, meaning they aren’t always ON; when the temperature reaches its target, the built-in thermostat opens and allows the element to turn off. During this stage, your hydrocollator uses minimal energy. When the temperature drops a couple of degrees, the thermostat closes, and the element heats up again. This process takes place multiple times a day, depending on how many times the hydrocollator is opened and closed. This process takes a toll in all the components, heating element, thermostat and the power cord, which gets overlooked. Hydrocollators go from 7.7A to as high as 8.3A in a fraction of a second. That is a high amount of current flowing through the electrical components.
Here at Brandon Biomed, make sure the heating components are in good working order and the power cord, Lid, handle, and overall shape of your unit.
Here we have a customer hydrocollator that had a little cut on the outside shielding of the power cord.

The quickest solution for someone would have been just to put on some electrical tape and call it a day. This is not a good way to fix the issue as putting tape on it hides the cable requires attention; this is a similar scenario to Sweeping crumbs under a rug.
This caused red flags to show up this is how the other end of the cord looked like.

The cord’s integrity was heavily compromised on the other end, and when there are 8.1A of current flowing through this wire, it’s just a matter of time for a short to occur. The hydrocollator is all made of metal, and while the chassis is supposed to be grounded, this was not the case, so the casing could have suddenly become a live conductor to anyone that touched it, and it could have had severe consequences.
Always have your hydrocollators fully inspected at least once a year, and remember, not because it’s warming up the water, means that it is all fine with your unit.
Written by: Oscar Cervantes
Edited by: Tyler Hasenpflug
Here is a list of some items we commonly work on:
| Description Field | Manufacturer Field | Model Number Field |
| Hydrocollator | Chatillon Force Measurement Systems | M-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2101 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2102 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2102C |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2202/2204 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2202C |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2302 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2302/2304 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2302C |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2402 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2402C |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2802 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 2802C |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | 3539 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | E-1 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | E-1 (2102 / 2104 / 2105 / 2111 / 2144) |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | E-1-TH |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | E-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | Hot Pack Heater (M-2) |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | M-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | M-2 (2402) |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | M-2 2402 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | M-2-TH |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | M-4 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | S |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | SS |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | SS-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | SS-2 #2302 |
| Hydrocollator | Chattanooga Group | SS-2 (2302C) |
| Hydrocollator | Sammons Preston | 3537 |
| Hydrocollator | Sammons Preston | M-2-TH |
| Hydrocollator | Sammons Preston | SS-2-TH |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | E-1 |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | E-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | M-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | M-4 |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | SS-2 |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-12-M |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-12-M-CE |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-4-S |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-4-S-CE |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-6-S |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-8-M |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | T-8-S |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | Thermalator |
| Hydrocollator | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | Thermalator T-12-M |
| Hydrotherapy Unit | Whirlpool Corporation | Tub |
| Hydrotherapy Unit | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | E-45-M-EG |
| Hydrotherapy Unit – Motor | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | 100 |
| Hydrotherapy Unit – Motor | Whitehall Manufacturing Inc | 75A |
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