thread breaking on Innova longarm quilter
 

My new Innova was delivered friday. It is breaking thread. Has anyone had this happen and what did you do to correct it.

check you tension, I have the same machine and it is great. Did you go around the tension piece 2 times? That is a really common mistake

check to make sure it's threaded right--I kept having problems yesterday and I'd missed a tension guide. if your tension is ok, it could be that you have the quilt too tight on the frame, loosen the top roller one notch or two and see if that helps.
Also, I'm assuming that you are using thread intended for LA use--I have some cones of Sulky thread that just will not work on my machine, I think many of us find a thread that we really like and our machines do too, so you might want to experiment a little with that.
With tension, if the top thread is shredding, it may be too tight top tension. if it looks like it's been cut, you could have a burr somewhere along the thread path--but it's more likely a tension problem or a thread problem.

I have been on the phone for hours with the tech adjusting the tension. Yes I have rethreaded and rethreaded and around the wheel twice. The thread is what came with the machine. Will get back with him today and start again. Have a towa guage ordered. Maybe that will help. He insists i need one. I know it's a wonderful machine. Just want to get started using it. Thank you for your response.

Is your bobbin in correctly? I spent many frustrated hours breaking thread and needles before I discovered which way the thread was to go.

I have an Innova and have had shredding problems at times. What size needle is on the machine? I go up to an 18 when I use Omni or Permacore and down to a 16 when I use Glide. I found that I have more shredding problems when I 1. use Glide (but I love it so I perservere!) 2. Quilt from right to left, esp on a diagonal and 3. try to PULL the machine along. When I use a lighter hand to guide it, I have less problems. My biggest bugaboo was my bobbin winder. They have changed them now, but be sure your bobbin is wound evenly and has good tension.

Just remember that every time you solve an issue, you are learning to troubleshoot in the future. I suggest you check out the Innova yahoo groups. They speak Innova...and trust me when I say, they have had all the same growing pains you are having right now.

Congrats on your new machine...and let me know if you need a link to the Yahoo sites

I found the thread that came with my Innova, my machine didn't like so I use it for piecing on my regular machine. Hate to waste it. Which tension system do you have on your machine? I ordered the upgraded tension assembly as I wanted the least problems with tension. So far so good. I do from time to time my thread has jumped behind the thread guide just after the tension disk causing it to get trapped and then break. It also kept jumping out of this thread guide as well as the next one in line so have altered those guides so the thread can't jump out. Saves a lot of frustration on my part. As mentioned by others, find a thread your machine likes and stick with it. My metallic embroidery thread is loved by my Innova but not by my embroidery machine...GO FIGURE!!!! Its just a trial and error for us.

I recommend you check out the innova longarm quilters on Facebook. Many knowledgeable people.

I have an Innova as well. While a Towa guage is a nice thing to have, I find I rarely need or use it. I do 99% of my tension adjusting by testing and sight. Review Jamie Wallen's You Tube video on setting tension. This is a good place to start, but I have found that my Innova tends to make better stitches with slightly tighter tension setting then Jamie recommends. But try his first! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM Much better to start with looser tension, it will be easier to trouble shoot thread breakage/shredding issues. And there are a ton of threads on the market that will only run on really loose tension settings.

You also need to discern is your thread breaking by snapping or is it shredding? Shredding is pretty obvious to tell as the broken end is very ragged and it will often break a ply before snapping the strand of thread. The most common problem for shredding thread is too small a needle for the thread you are using.

Other things that can lead to shredded or breaking thread, a burr on your needle, a burr on the hook of your bobbin race or in the throat plate or on one of the guides, tension settings way too tight, quilt sandwich loaded too tight, going too fast or changing directions way too fast.

To check for burrs take a cotton ball or nylon stocking and lightly pull along the surface to see if it catches fibers. You can smooth it out with an Emory cloth. To check the needle hole in the throat plate run thread back and forth through it like you are flossing teeth only without as much force to see if you can feel it catching anywhere.

Just because the thread was shipped with your machine doesn't mean there isn't a problem with it. Thread manufacturers are not infallible and the occasional cone of "bad" thread can make it into the supply chain. Can you easily break this thread by hand? If so toss it, it is no good and use a different thread. I have yet to load any thread on my Innova that "the machine didn't like". I have found plenty that I didn't like. And at one point in time I got a Superior thread called Highlights that I loved the looks of (also had a sister thread that was variegated called Rainbow). That is the only thread I ever had chronic breakage problems with. Guess what, it wasn't me or my machine. The thread was a problem and Superior discontinued it because of all the problems people had with it breaking and shredding. I still have a couple of cones of it.

As others have stated, you may have the quilt sandwich loaded too tightly on the frame. To test push your finger up from the bottom of the sandwich. You should easily be able to grab you finger to the first knuckle with your other hand from the top. Hope this makes sense.

I can understand your frustration. Finding the right tension setting is usually a first time longarmer's biggest hurdle. It is a fussy process at first but after a short time it becomes second nature. And we check tension a LOT. I check with every bobbin change, every time I change thread color (even if it is the same brand of thread) and every time I advance the quilt. Every Single Time.

Make sure the needle is pushed all the way up and the needle is inserted the right direction. Also just be sure not loaded to tightly.

I agree about watching Jamie Wallen's video. It really helped me get started with my Voyager.

What brand of thread came with the machine? And are you using a cone sleeve on it? How the thread feeds off the cone is as important as correct threading, at least for me. Have you tried changing the bobbin? I have had problems in the past when a bobbin was unevenly wound or loosely wound.

Edit: Here are links to two Innova groups on Yahoo. One is run by the company; the other is privately owned (and therefore not subject to moderation by the company). I tend to forget which is which because the names are almost identical, but I think the first one, with the underline for a space, is the strictly user group.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/innova_longarm/info
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/innovalongarm/info
Both groups have "files" sections with checklists and help suggestions for thread problems.

Edit 2: Just glancing at one of the checklists, if all else fails you can try turning the thread spool upside down and you can try threading through just one hole so the thread has a straight path to the tension knob. Also mentioned is re-inserting the needle, making sure that the scarf of the needle is aligned exactly as pictured in the manual. One person who was having trouble with Glide thread shredding found that hers was just a smidge off; after re-aligning the needle, it never shredded again.

I was having that same problem just this weekend on my Innova, too. Re-threaded, checked my bobbin, no luck. Took the needle plate off, and there was a little piece of thread stuck in the bobbin holder! Took it out, put the bobbin back in, and voila! It worked again! Check to make sure there's no thread or lint stuck under the bobbin plate. It was something that simple for me.

Patski, mine was delivered a couple of weeks ago, and was taught that you go around three times, not two.

what I found out with my longarm which is not a Innova but a Nustyle that if I don't get the needle is just right it will shred my thread and break. I do not like the glide thread it just does not feel right to me and my machine does not really like it.

Cindi, I have found that to be a preference. True, Innova now recommends wrapping 3X around tension assembly, but when I got my machine I was trained and my manual indicates 2X. I have tried both ways and found I do better with only 2 wraps. Congrats on your new machine!

Also to the OP when I have issues with my thread breaking as opposed to shredding. Breaking to me is when the thread snaps and the back lash will often unthread the top all the way to the needle bar eyelet. Anyway every time I have had that kind of break the thread was hanging up along the thread path somewhere. Once, I forgot to snap shut the little ring that some brands have along the bottom to hold the thread in place when storing. Anyway the thread had pooled around there and wrapped tight. Another time I thought I had it taut the entire thread path but it was too slack somewhere and when I pulled it through it hung up on one of the screws along the neck of the machine. I didn't realize until I started quilting and suddenly - snap!

I have a Juki QVP and I had that and I jerked around with everything and then I found there was a ding in the bobbin....

thanks everyone. You all have great advice. Tension is better. I haven't had much chance to play with it again. I have been a longarm quilter for a few years but with a different machine. I know I have to get use to it. Thanks again. I'll let you know if I have any more questions.