Clearing a SimpleHuman 8 Oz. Stainless Steel Rechargable Soap Dispenser Full Disassembly

This is a more advanced Instructables of the previously published simple version:

https://www.instructables.com/Unclogging-a-SimpleHuman-8-Oz-Stainless-Steel-Rech/

The SimpleHuman automatic soap dispenser is a touch-free pump that puts soap or sanitizer in your hand when you place your hand under the sensor. These are great in dispensing soap without having to touch anything but over time the soap can dry out (or if you use too thick a soap) and form a blockage in the dispenser port or the soap dispenser tube.

If this happens, the pump will whine but not dispense any soap. Sometimes you can flush it with water or thinner soap but if the blockage is too thick the only way to fix the problem is to disassemble the pump and remove the blockage.

This Instructables is a more advanced version that allows you to clear a blockage in the soap dispenser tube as well as the dispenser nozzle.

1. Something to separate the bottom of the dispenser beak. I used a utility knife.
2. Something to clean out the blockage. I used a toothpick and a thin and long bristle brush. This type of brush is usually used in cleaning drinking straws but you need the one for cleaning very thin straws because the thicker ones won't fit in the plastic tube. It needs to be long enough to reach from the bottom of the dispenser to the top.
3. Small and large Philips head screwdrivers.

It is recommended to turn off the soap dispenser before starting the disassembly. Press the minus button (-) for a couple of seconds until the light blinks red. Also it's not a bad idea to drain the soap from the reservoir.

The bottom cover is held on by two screws. Remove them and then lever off the bottom cover. Note that the cover has a bit of a notch which you will need to align when reassembling.

There is a belt which attaches the motor to the pump. Lift it off.

The motor has a cover that is held on by two screws. Remove the screws and cover to gain better access to the soap feed tube that runs up the side of the pump to the dispenser nozzle.

Before you begin this step, it is best if the soap reservoir is empty. It's not strictly necessary but if there is still liquid in the reservoir you need to be extra careful not to tip the pump over.

The pump assembly is held onto the bottom of the soap reservoir by two screws. Remove them and then lift up the pump assembly. It is attached to the soap feed tube using a friction fit. Wiggle the tube off the connector.

Note: On the bottom of the pump assembly there is a rubber gasket which may come completely off or partially off. Make sure it is properly attached when reattaching the pump assembly.

Note: This gives access to the soap in the reservoir so if there's anything in the reservoir when you turn it over it will flow out and get over everything and you will need to soak up the loose soap. Ask me how I know.

The soap is drawn through a hole in the bottom of the soap reservoir by a pump. This pump forces the soap up through a clear plastic tube to the top of the dispenser. The plastic tube is attached to a right angle bracket which directs the soap downward past the right-angle nozzle and rubber output which acts like a pair of lips to prevent the soap from leaking after it's been dispensed. All in all, a much cleaner and simpler design than previous dispensers.

There is a single screw on the bottom of the dispenser beak. Once you remove the screw, you need to remove the black plastic housing on the underside of the beak. You may find it necessary to put a spudger (I used a utility knife) to separate the bottom and top. Set the bottom plastic and screw aside.

It's not necessary to do this step but you may want to do this or it may fall off by itself. There's a small rubber light guide that has two holes -- a round hole for the LED output and a square hole for the IR sensor input. This is necessary to keep the LED separate from the sensor or the pump wouldn't work. If it falls off (or you decide to remove it) remember to replace it before closing the pump back up.

The soap feeder tube is wedged under the LED circuit board which can be detached by unscrewing the single screw near the end. Slightly bend the cable and board away from the feeder tube to gain access to the tube and right angle attachment.

Note: The screw is attached with a very tiny black plastic right angle piece with a hole through it. When re-attaching the circuit board, don't forget to put the screw through the plastic holder. The edge of the right angle hangs over the end of the circuit board nearest the tip of the beak.

The drip supressor is held on to the right angle feeder by friction. It slides off. It's probably clean but check it to see if there is any hardened soap there.

This is one of two likely places for a blockage to occur. If the soap isn't in constant use (and probably over time as well), the soap starts to solidify and slowly forms a blockage. Clean out the residual and hardened soap using a small implement like a toothpick. Attack the feeder from both sides until it is clear of soap residue. Because of the super tiny right angle, I wasn't able to find anything small enough to run through the entire feeder like I would cleaning a straw so I just slowly picked at the mostly hardened soap until it seemed clear.

The other likely place for a blockage to occur is in the soap dispensing tube that runs up the inside of the pump from the pump assembly to the dispensing nozzle.

At this point, the nozzle should be free from both ends and you can slide the tube a bit up and down. I assume you can completely remove the tube, clean it, and the feed it back in but I was worried that once I got the tube out I would have problems feeding it back in so I left it in place and just pulled it a bit from the bottom so I could feed the long cleaning brush into the tube.

Pushing the brush down the nozzle forced out the hardened soap. I needed to do this a bit before all the soap was removed. I verified the tube was clear by blowing through the tube.

If you are lucky, this has cleared all the blockages and the soap will flow again. Perform the disassembly steps in reverse. Turn on the soap dispenser by pressing the plus button (+) for a couple of seconds until the light turns green.

Enjoy the automatically dispensed soap.