The item
A Pifco De-Luxe Tea-O-Matic, a chrome and cream automatic teasmaid from the 1960s, complete with clock face, kettle, and teapot. Decades old, still in daily use, and clearly loved.
The problem
The original wiring insulation had perished with age, a common fault in appliances this old, and a genuine fire risk if left running. Without repair, the only options were landfill or a shelf.
What we did
Andy and the team stripped back the original wiring, identified the perished insulation, and rewired the unit to modern safety standards,keeping the original mechanism, clock, and casing intact. Two young people from Inclusive Bytes were shown how it worked as part of the repair, hands-on, real fault, real fix. Once rewired, it was PAT tested before being handed back. No shortcuts: this is a mains-powered appliance, so the job was done properly or not at all.
In their words
“I just want to send my thanks again for all the help with fixing my Tea-O-Matic teasmaid today. It’s really appreciated. Everyone was knowledgeable and friendly, with special thanks to Andy. You have saved a treasure from landfill and given me back something I can use for years to come.”
Why it matters
This is what a Repair Cafe is for. Not just fixing things, keeping working objects working, passing on skills to the next generation, and keeping one more appliance out of the waste stream. A 60-year-old teasmaid still has years left in it. It just needed someone who knew which wire to replace.
Bring us something broken. We’ll see what we can do.