Hi all... this ever happen to you?
1. This Rowena iron is 1 year old, 1700 watts, press/steam, stainless steel sole, iron. It's heavy enough to press well, versitile enough to iron well. I haven't used it a whole lot yet.

2. I use tap water in it... the directions specifically stated NOT to use distilled water (why, I don't have a clue).

3. I drain it when I'm not going to use it for several weeks. And only fill it when the iron is cool.

Issue: My sewing room is finally back together after having been 'packed up' for renovations. I filled my cold iron, not quite up to the 'full' fill line. It sat there fine. I turned it on, heated it up. Then I picked it up, rotated it to horizontal and started to press. All of a sudden I had about 1/2 cup of water all over my table, ironing pad, fabric... it keeps happening.

If the iron is only about 1/2 full or less, it doesn't seem to do it as much, although it will still spot and throw water out on occasion.

Have I somehow cracked a seal in it? I checked the 'steam on demand' switch and it was not stuck 'on' or malfunctioning in any way. I can't quite figure out where the water is coming from, but it seems as if it's coming from around the edges of the sole plate (where it's attached to the plastic iron body. Some water comes out of the holes in the sole, but I think it's supposed to do that.

Tomorrow, I'll do a self clean.. purge whatever water is still in it then try again. I don't have any gunk built up on the sole plate - it's clean. Not sure what else to try.

Ideas? Fixes? Options? This ever happen to you and if so, how did you solve it?

all three of the rowenta irons that i have owned have leaked i will never buy one again

I threw out my last rowena becaues of drips/leaking. i bought a cheap (less than $50.00) Black and Decker Iron and love it.

Same here. I will never buy another Rowenta. Give me a cheapo anyday!!!

My last Rowenta Focus started leaking. Looking back, I think I filled this one with filtered water from the tap once. I emailed the Co. and they responded with nothing could be done "at home". I think I may experiment and crack open this iron sometime and see what this seal looks like and if it is fixable (I do not recommend this for anyone else to do-this is my "spare"). I looked at and bought one less than $30 (can't remember the brand) and hated it!-it was the only stainless sole plate at WM. Back it went. I have always liked Rowenta and bought another and have had this one several months. This is the only brand that has enough steam for me. I don't know how long it will go without leaking, but you never know. I've had one that lasted years.

Ah.. interesting. I had thought the Rowenas were a step UP from the B&D's! Actually, I have my old iron... that I've had for let's see... for literally 23 years before the auto off switch went haywire and started shutting off the iron every couple minutes or so... even as you're using it. Hum...

I'm stuck with the Rowena for a while, I think. Maybe if I just only fill it half way or something.

1. I'm considering cracking my new Rowena anyways. My DH and his dad are both super "McGuivers" (aka engineery technitians, wrenches, geeks, etc.) If anyone can fix it, they could... I'd just like to know what mechanical part/seal/gasket etc.; it is ... first.

2. I must say, the steam on this Rowena is enough to fog a whole room. Way more than what I had before. lol. Which made it so much easier to set and press those pesky 1/4" seams! Ah well...

Oh! Also... I have since found out that the SUNBEAM Professional iron (the expensive one, SS sole, etc) got great reviews from the ladies at the Maine quilt shop I love. That's what they use there, in fact.

Just in case, anyone's interested.

I'm always interested! Thanks!

I have owned the same one for approx. 15 yrs now without any problems and I love it. It works wonderful on clothing and quilting projects. It would be very hard to think about going back to a lightweight iron that doesn't put out the steam I need. I hate to hear that you are having problems with yours. Good luck getting these issues resloved.

I googled customer reviews for Rowenta irons a few weeks ago when mine finally died. There were a TON of complaints about leakage, I was so surprised! So, I bought a cheaper Sunbeam at WM and will just replace the thing in a couple of years when it starts acting up.

Jan in VA

I have a CostCo Rowenta and like it. It's about 3 years old.
But could this be the result of another factory moving over seas? Singer isn't making many new friends these days, and a lot of old American brands are being made "over there" somewhere they don't have such careful overseeing.

Rowenta was sold to another company. They aren't made in Germany any longer. There are still some left marked Made in Germany on some store shelves. All the new Rowentas say Made in China. It's on the bottom of the box where it was made. The best iron on the market for home use is the Reliable brand. It's fantastic.

I have a Rowenta that's about 3 1/2 years old that started leaking after I had owned it for about 2 years. It says Made in China on the bottom. I replaced it 1 1/2 years ago with a higher priced Rowenta and it has been amazing. It's one that says Made in Germany. I'm hoping to own it for many more years to come.

I have had 2 within 18 months 1st one leaked all over all the time 2nd one wont heat up just a few months old ...I do love them when they work. I am not buying another they are too expensive to be replacing that often.
I iron all my husbands work clothes and mine and really miss how nice it did the job.
I also went the the web site and saw all the complaints so I am on the hunt for another iron that does the same job.
I bought a cheapo does a fairly nice job but it just doesnt produce the steam like the Rowenta.

I have sent my rowenta back twice and finally have one that doesn't leak. I would return it for a new one. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks, but they will take it back. The one I have now is fine, no leaking, but I will not ever buy another rowenta.

I have had several Rowenta irons, and the first one never leaked, but the rest did. Then I read that it is best to let the iron "recover" steam each time you iron and set it back in the vertical position. I paid more attention to the "recover" time, and it did help, but the iron eventually leaked again. I don't think I would ever invest in a Rowenta iron, or any expensive iron for that matter, but I do like the weight of some of the so called "better" irons, because I like a heavy iron.

Same here!

I've had 2 Rowenta regular steam irons; the first one that I had for several years, developed a problem where it would quit working in the middle of a pressing job, i.e., sometimes work and sometimes not. I bought another Rowenta to replace that one. I had it for several years when it suddenly started leaking profusely from between the soleplate & the iron. I kept it for an emergency backup dry iron and bought a Rowenta Pressure Iron & Steamer, which I love. I would have bought a different brand but Rowenta was easily available and much less expensive than the other pressure iron/steamers I looked at. It is Rowenta's last chance with me. If I don't get what I consider good value from this one, I'll never buy another Rowenta.

I wanted a Rowenta for years! Finally I got one last year and now I am also the proud owner of a leaking one!!!!. I guess I have no longer the urge to buy Rowenta and will go back to a cheaper one. Never had any problems with T-Fal, which I used for years in my small business for fusing materials together .

I'm another quilter who will never again buy Rowenta. Mine didn't have a problem with the steam, but after a few months it would go into sleep mode and not come out of it. I sent it in for warranty service, and the place that handles Rowenta service on the west coast was horrible, rude, slow, inefficient... I finally got the iron back, several months later, and after another year or so it had the same problem... again. This time it goes to the dump.

I just ordered the Reliable iron because of the great reviews it's getting. I hope it comes today, hope it comes today, hope it comes today... Meanwhile I'm using my old Sunbeam, which still works, but is not hot enough or heavy enough to suit me.

I have been unhappy with my Rowenta and like the Black and Decker digital advantage much better.

i'm currently on my third rowenta and they all ended up leaking. you would think learned my lesson. the current one i have is stored on a plate to catch all the water from leaking and i just recycle the water back in. i will probably just grab one at walmart/kmart and not bother with the high end irons.

I bought one last spring and it shuts off while I'm ironing. I called the company who told me to send it to Goodmans in Miami FL. It has been there three weeks now. It is being repaired under warranty.
Marbeth

There has to be 100 threads on the Rowentas on the board. Search and see. I have 2 right now and have had no problems. When it does start to leak, which I am sure it will eventually, I will use a spray bottle. I HATE the auto shutoff on them. Good luck, I know you are not the only dissatified Rowenta owner.

Omg. Irons irons irons. It is a standing joke at our house that when I'm ironing on Sunday mornings ( 2am Ish cuz we work 3rd) that is when they die. My last 3 died at this time. I will never pay more than $10 for an iron again. I have spent lots of money thinking you get what you pay for. So NOT true with irons. My current one was $7 from Walmart. Works like a charm n no auto shutoff. I don't like the auto off
.

I have a T-Fal from the thrift store that I paid $5.99 for. It has an extra long cord, and just about burns my fingers off when you use it!

I've never been tempted by a Rowenta, and after reading everything here, I think I will stick to my cheapo thrift store irons...

Write the company The company says their irons are the best and never leak. They need to know the quality is not good. So anyone who has this problem with this or any brand need to shout out about the problems. And keep shouting.

Oh I did. I wrote them about the problem with the iron and the more severe problem with their service center. I wrote them a LONG letter. And I never received a reply, not even an acknowledgment that they received the letter. And that's yet another reason I will not buy another Rowenta. And it's also another reason why I complain about that Rowenta every chance I get.

Good for you!

I had a Rowenta and it did the same thing. I called the company that it said to use for repair and they had me send it to them in Bellevue Wa. I did and later on they called and said it couldn't be fixed to call the Rowenta co.
I did and explained everything to them . They said they
would replace it with another new one . In the meantime
I bought a cheap BD(works fine) and when the new one came I just put it up on the shelf . In case I get in a bind and need one in a hurry. NO more Rowentas for me.
:thumbdown:

my friend says Rowenta irons are like women==they become incontinent with age. Mine leaked virtually from day 1. I replaced it with a cheapie that is still working beautifully after 5 years.

My very first one leeked after 20 yrs. I got another and so far no problem.

That's interesting because when I contacted Rowenta they wouldn't even entertain the notion of replacing it. It was only a few months old. I guess it depends on who you speak with in customer service. This was a few years ago now so maybe with the numerous complaints, they've decided to step it up.

My Rowenta went crazy hot and burned a iron sized mark on my quilt before it smelled like burning wires. I then unplugged it and called the dealer that I purchased it from and was told in a nutshell "too bad so sad". Only 14 months old... $200 gone.... never again

I had a Rowena that I paid more for than any other iron I ever had. It leaked almost from day one.

My Sunbeam doesn't leak, but I shouldn't have gotten one with an automatic cut-off. Every time I pick it up to iron, it seems to have turned itself off. I don't use it for quilting.

I have a very small iron I use when I'm piecing quilts. It doesn't steam any more because the dogs knocked it off the board a few years back. I just use it with spray starch.

I have two Rowenta irons..One was new and wouldn't heat up enough for cotton. I got online and sent it to a repair shop in Fla. Rowenta replaced it with a new one... About 3 mos. ago my other one (which was about 2 yrs. old) the dial was messing up, so I sent it to the repair shop, got a new sent to me again. I really love these irons, but I self clean my alot, keeping the goop out of it. Might send it to a repair shop. Hope this helps.

I use my "leaking" Rowenta as a dry iron only now. I think ALL Rowentas leak. At least that's been my experience with about 4 of them now! My cheapie from WalMart works much better and has never leaked a drop!

I've had my old betty crocker iron for...5 years or more? It was hardly used until this past August when I started quilting, lol, but it's never given me problems. I am thinking about a new one, only because I'd like a bigger water chamber.

Same here. The Rowena leaks, the cheap one from WalMart does't. Guess which one I use.