PHILIPS GC8942/20 PerfectCare Expert Plus Steam Generator Iron Manual

PHILIPS GC8942/20 PerfectCare Expert Plus Steam Generator Iron Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to Philips! To fully benefit from the support that Philips offers, register your product at www.philips.com/welcome. Read this user manual, the important information leaflet, and the quick start guide carefully before you use the appliance. Save them for future reference.

Product overview

Steam supply hose
Steam trigger/Steam boost
`Iron ready’ light
Soleplate
Iron platform
Carry lock release button
Detachable water tank
Filling hole
Supply hose storage compartment
EASY DECALC knob
Mains cord with plug
EASY DECALC light
ECO button with light
`Water tank empty’ light
On/off button with power-on light and auto-off light

Preparing for use

Type of water to use
This appliance has been designed to be used with tap water. However, if you live in an area with hard water, fast scale build-up may occur. Therefore, it is recommended to use distilled or demineralized water (50% demineralized/distilled water mixed with water could be used as well) to prolong the lifetime of the appliance.

Warning: Do not use perfumed water, water from the tumble dryer, vinegar, starch, descaling agents, ironing aids, chemically descaled water or other chemicals, as they may cause water spitting, brown staining or damage to your appliance.

Filling the water tank
Fill the water tank before every use or when the `water tank empty’ light flashes. You can refill the water tank at any time during use.

Remove the water tank from the appliance (Fig. 2) and fill it with water up to the MAX indication (Fig. 3).
Put the water tank back into the appliance by fitting the bottom part into the appliance first.
Push in the top part of the water tank until it locks into place (`click’) (Fig. 4).

Water tank empty light
When the water tank is almost empty, the `water tank empty’ light flashes (Fig. 5). Fill the water tank and press the steam trigger to let the appliance heat up again. When the `iron ready’ light lights up continuously, you can continue steam ironing.

Using the appliance

Optimal TEMP technology
Warning: Do not iron non-ironable fabrics.
The Optimal TEMP technology enables you to iron all types of ironable fabrics, in any order, without adjusting the iron temperature and without sorting your garments. It is safe to just rest the hot soleplate directly on the ironing board (Fig. 6) without putting back to the iron platform. This will help reduce the stress on your wrist. – Fabrics with these symbols (Fig. 7) are ironable, for example linen, cotton, polyester, silk, wool, viscose and rayon. – Fabrics with this symbol (Fig. 8) are not ironable. These fabrics include synthetic fabrics such as Spandex or elastane, Spandex-mixed fabrics and polyolefins (e.g. polypropylene). Prints on garments are not ironable either.

Ironing

Place the steam generator on a stable and even surface.
Note: In order to ensure safe ironing we recommend to always place the base on a stable ironing board.
Make sure that there is enough water in the water tank (see `Filling the water tank’).
Put the mains plug in an earthed wall socket and press the on/off button to switch on the steam generator. Wait until the `iron ready’ light lights up continuously (Fig. 9). This takes approx. 2 minutes.
Remove the steam supply hose from the steam supply compartment.
Press the carry lock release button to unlock the iron from the iron platform (Fig. 10).
Press and hold the steam trigger to start ironing (Fig. 11).
Note: For first use, press and hold the steam trigger continuously for up to 30 seconds for steam. It can take a longer time if the iron is stored for a long time.
For best ironing results, after ironing with steam, perform the last strokes without steam.

MAX setting
For faster ironing and a higher amount of steam, you can use MAX setting.

Press and hold the on/off button for 5 seconds until the light turns white.
The appliance returns to normal steam mode automatically after 15 minutes to save energy.
Otherwise, to switch back to normal steam mode at any time, press and hold the on/off button for 2 seconds until the light turns blue again.

Steam boost function
The steam boost function is designed to help tackle difficult creases.
– Press the steam trigger twice quickly to activate the steam boost function. The appliance releases 3 powerful shots of steam.
– To stop the steam boost function, press the steam trigger once.

Vertical ironing
Warning: Hot steam is emitted from the iron. Never attempt to remove wrinkles from a garment while someone is wearing it (Fig. 12). Do not apply steam near your or someone else’s hand. You can use the steam iron in vertical position to remove wrinkles from hanging fabrics. 1 Hold the iron in vertical position, press the steam trigger and touch the garment lightly with the soleplate and move the iron up and down (Fig. 13).

Safe rest
Resting the iron while rearranging your garment While rearranging your garment, you can rest the iron either on the iron platform or horizontally on the ironing board (Fig. 6). The OptimalTEMP technology ensures the soleplate will not damage the ironing board cover.

Energy saving

ECO mode
By using the ECO mode (reduced amount of steam), you can save energy without compromising on the ironing result.

To activate the ECO mode, press the ECO button (Fig. 14). The green ECO light goes on.
To deactivate the ECO mode, press the ECO button again. The green ECO light goes out.

Auto-shut off
– To save energy, the appliance switches off automatically when it has not been used for 10 minutes. The auto-off light in the on/off button starts to flash.
– To activate the appliance again, press the on/off button. The appliance then starts to heat up again.

Warning: Never leave the appliance unattended when it is connected to the mains. Always unplug the appliance after use.

Cleaning and maintenance

Descaling the appliance
It is very important to use the EASY DECALC function as soon as the `EASY DECALC’ light starts to flash (Fig. 15). The `EASY DECALC’ light flashes after about a month or 10 ironing sessions to indicate that the appliance needs to be descaled. Perform the following EASY DECALC procedure before you continue ironing.
Note: If your water is hard, increase the descaling frequency. Warning: To avoid the risk of burns, unplug the appliance and let it cool down for at least two hours before you perform the EASY DECALC procedure (Fig. 16).

Remove the plug from the wall socket.
Remove the detachable water tank (Fig. 2).
Remove the iron from the iron platform.
Hold and shake the base of the steam generator (Fig. 17).
Remove the EASY DECALC knob (Fig. 18).
Hold the base of the steam generator over the sink and empty it through the EASY DECALC opening (Fig. 19). Note: Be mindful on the heavy weight of the appliance when you tilt it.
Reinsert the EASY DECALC knob and turn it clockwise to fasten it (Fig. 20).
You can continue using your iron immediately after completing the EASY DECALC procedure.

Descaling the soleplate
If you do not descale your appliance regularly, you may see brown stains coming out of the soleplate due to scale particles. Descale the soleplate by following the procedure below. We advise you to perform the procedure twice for better results.

Make sure the appliance is cool and clean the soleplate with a damp cloth.
Remove the water tank and iron from the iron platform.
Remove the EASY DECALC knob and empty the water through the EASY DECALC opening.
Hold the appliance in the position that the EASY DECALC opening is facing up and pour 500ml water into the opening (Fig. 21).
Note: Be mindful on the heavy weight of the appliance when you tilt it.
Keep the EASY DECALC opening facing up, reinsert the EASY DECALC knob and turn it clockwise to fasten it (Fig. 22).
Put the appliance back on a stable and even surface. Fill up the water tank halfway. Switch on the appliance and wait for 5 minutes.
Keep the steam trigger pressed continuously while you iron a few pieces of thick cloth in a backand-forth motion for 3 minutes (Fig. 23). Warning: Hot, dirty water (about 100-150 ml) comes out of the soleplate.
Stop cleaning when no more water comes out of the soleplate or when steam starts coming out of the soleplate.
You can continue to use the appliance immediately. Otherwise unplug the appliance after the descaling is completed.

Storage

Switch off the appliance and unplug it.
Note: it is recommended to empty the water tank after every use.
Place the iron on the iron platform and lock it by pushing the carry lock release button (Fig. 24).
Let the appliance cool down completely.
Fold the supply hose and wind the supply hose inside the supply hose storage compartment (Fig. 25).
Fold the mains cord and fasten it with the Velcro strip.
You can carry the appliance with one hand by the handle of the iron when the iron is locked on the iron platform.

Troubleshooting

This chapter summarizes the most common problems you could encounter with the appliance. If you are unable to solve the problem with the information below, visit www.philips.com/support for a list of frequently asked questions or contact the Consumer Care Center in your country.

Warranty and support

If you need information or support, please visit www.philips.com/support or read the international warranty leaflet.