FAQs

All Fellowes paper shredders will carry a warranty to be free from defects in material and in workmanship for a specified time period.

To determine the specific warranty on your model paper shredder, you will want to check your manual as the actual warranty may vary depending on the model of shredder.

If you do not have or cannot locate your paper shredder manual or if you have a more specific warranty issue or warranty claim, contact us here.

Many of the Fellowes personal shredders (small shredders that can fit under a desk) are repairable and will have parts available. If you would like to check your model shredder to determine if parts are available, please contact us, and advise the model of shredder, the shredder's serial number and a description of the part needed. The serial number will be located on the bottom side or front edge of the shredder head - below the bar code.

*** Please note: If your shredder is still within the warranty period, we ask that you do not open your shredder until speaking with a Fellowes Representative, as opening the unit may void your warranty.***

Fellowes office/commercial shredders (large shredders that cannot fit under a desk) are repairable and parts will most likely be available. Please do not try to repair the shredder yourself or you will void your warranty. Some of the models included in the office shredder line are 125i series, 225i series, 325i series, 425i Series, 485i series, etc.

To order replacement parts, request service, or if your model shredder is not listed, contact us to ask us about your shredder. *** Please be sure to include your serial number from your shredder for the fastest service ***.  Our response time is typically within 24 business hours.

For immediate assistance, please call 6221 3811.  Our office hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

If your shredder is a small personal shredder that sits on top of a waste basket. It is possible that the safety interlock is not being engaged, which will prevent the shredder from operating.

To check this, first remove the shredder head from the basket. Inside the basket there will be a small tab. If your basket is plastic, it will be a molded plastic tab that will stick out about 1/2". Metal or mesh baskets will have a small L shaped bracket that will have a 1/2" tab sticking out, on the inside of the basket.

On this style of shredder, there will be a corresponding groove, or opening that this tab will need to be aligned with. The tab slides into the groove or opening, and triggers a switch. If this switch is not engaged, the shredder will not turn on. If your unit has lights, the red and green lights will be illuminated, but you will have no reaction from the machine.****DO NOT use anything other than the basket to engage the safety switch. Improperly engaging this switch can result in injury.****

Shredders with Pull Out Drawer

Shredders with a pull out drawer for a waste bin, have a similar safety feature. The drawer will have a protruding molded plastic tab somewhere on the drawer (usually on the right hand side of the drawer) that will slide into a corresponding groove, or opening on the bottom side of the shredder head. Inside the groove or opening, there is a safety interlock switch that must be engaged in order for your unit to work. Please be sure that the basket and this groove are aligning properly or that the tab is not broken or bent

Cross-cut/Micro-cut shredders require regular oiling of the cutting blades to maintain proper operation. Failure to oil the blades regularly could result in reduced sheet capacity performance, excessive noise during operation, paper jams and possibly shredder failure. It is good practice to oil your shredder every time you empty your basket.

We recommend using Fellowes Powershred Lubricant #35250, which may be purchased any of our retailers such as Stationeryworld.

Caution: Never use flammable synthetic oil, petroleum-based, or aerosol lubricants to oil the cutting blades. Some agents may be flammable. NEVER USE WD40.

To oil the cutting blades:

1) From the top of the shredder, squeeze the recommended lubricant across the full width of the blades.

2) Move the power switch to Auto (I) position and allow the blades to run at least 3 seconds.

3) Move the power switch to Reverse (R) position and allow it to run for at least 3 seconds.

4) Repeat steps 2 & 3 above at least three times.

To test SafeSense® move the power switch to the "on" position. The green ready light should illuminate and the shredder will run for a few seconds and shut off. This is normal.

Simply touch the shiny chrome area around paper entry throat. The yellow sensor light should turn on, indicating that the SafeSense® feature is working.

If the SafeSense® light is flashing continuously, this indicates that the SafeSense® feature is in the override position.

WARNING: The SafeSense® feature will NOT work when the override switch is activated. Reactivate SafeSense® before you begin to shred.

Use your manual to help locate where the SafeSense® Override switch is located on your model. Once this is located, flip switch to opposite position and re-test using instructions above.

Note: some units do not have an override switch.

There are several reasons this may have occurred. Review these troubleshooting options:

1) The shredder has exceeded the maximum continuous run time and requires a "cool-down" time. Wait 30-60 minutes to allow the shredder to cool off and try to shred again. (The shredder may cool down sooner and begin to work again.)

2) The shredder is jammed. To clear a jam follow these steps:

1. a) Move the power switch to the reverse (R) position. (If the wastebasket is full, empty it before clearing the jam.) The shredder will reverse the paper to clear the jam.
2. b) If the shredder jams in reverse, move the power switch to auto (I) and allow to run for about five seconds. If jam does not clear, move power switch to reverse (R) again and allow to run for about five seconds. Repeat this procedure until the jam is cleared. If necessary, use care to grasp the paper at the top of the shredder and pull out to clear the jam.

3) If you have a shredder with the SafeSense® feature and touched the metal around the paper entry slot, it will stop and the light will come on.

4) If the solutions above did not solve the problem, please call us at 62213811 and a trained representative will be happy to troubleshoot this problem further or explain your in-warranty and out-of-warranty options.

Fellowes generally tries to order enough parts for any given machine that we will be able to supply replacement parts for approximately 5 years after the model has been discontinued. This will vary slightly by model (commercial machines will have parts for much longer time period).

This does not mean if your shredder is over 5 years old that we do not have parts, nor does it mean that if your shredder is less than 5 years old we will carry a specific part.

However, if you need a replacement part for an older model shredder that you believe to be discontinued, contact us.  to have our friendly customer service check the availability of the part needed.

For fastest service, please provide the following:

- detailed description of the part needed

- serial number (located on the bottom of the shredder head or on the front edge of the head - below the bar code)

- parent part number or CRC#, located on the same sticker.

Fellowes Customer Service normal response time is typically next business day.

In most cases, if a shredder is running continuously, this does not indicate that anything is broken.

A majority of Fellowes shredders have 2 small electronic sensors in the throat of the paper entry slot. These are designed to work by shooting a signal to each other; when the signal is broken (by paper entering the throat) the shredder turns on, and when the paper passes through completely, the sensors are able to recognize the signals and the shredder turns off.

If paper dust, debris or oil has covered the sensors it can break the signals (indicating to the shredder that paper is being entered) and can cause the shredder to run continuously. This is a little bit more of a problem on cross cut shredders since the oil can very easily cloud the sensors.

The good news is that it is as simple as wiping off the sensors to clear away anything that may interfere.

To locate the sensors, unplug shredder and look in the paper entry throat and in the very center there will be two small sensors that look like small glass beads or marbles. If your model has a safety flap over the cutters, you may need to lift this to get access.  Please note that if you have an Intellishred shredder (i.e. PS79Ci, 79Ci, SB89Ci, SB99Ci, etc.) there is a paper gauge lever in the middle of the entry.  You will need to look past this lever in order to locate the auto sensors.

Once you locate the sensors, use a cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol to wipe away any residue or dust. You may need to clean it a couple of times.  Also if there is any visible paper debris in this area, remove with cotton swab or needle nosed pliers.

Almost all of the time, this procedure will solve the problem, and may be repeated as part of routine maintenance as needed.

If you do not have electronic sensors, see below for additional instructions.

Some of Fellowes smaller home shredders offer a mechanical sensor rather than the electronic version.

Mechanical sensors are also located in the very center of the paper entry throat and look like a small plastic divider in the middle of the cutting blades. In most models the sensor is white, but can also be gray or black.

How does it work? When paper is entered into the shredder, the mechanical sensor is pressed down causing the shredder to start shredding. Once paper has passed through, the sensor will release to normal position and stop shredding.

If paper debris is putting some weight on the sensor it could be 'stuck down' and not able to return to the normal position. This can happen more often if you recently had a jam that was able to be reversed out.

With the shredder unplugged, locate the sensor and remove any paper debris from around or under the sensor . If the shreds are not reachable, use a tweezers or needle nosed pliers to remove unnecessary paper.

Be careful to not put too much force on or around the mechanical sensor as to not damage it.

If you are having difficulty with this troubleshooting, or the troubleshooting did not resolve your problem, contact us. Generally customer service officer will respond the next business day.

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Note: Strip-cut shredders do not require oiling.

Do not use any oil or lubricant that is dispensed from an aerosol container or that is petroleum-based. Use of such aerosols, oils or lubricants will void the warranty and could create a fire hazard and cause serious damage and/or injury.

Regular oiling of cross-cut / micro-cut shredders is a necessary maintenance step to keeping the shredder functioning properly and prolonging its life.

The frequency of oiling needed is determined by a range of factors such as the type of paper being shredded, the amount being shredded and whether the shredding is intermittent or continuous. For instance, if shredding continuous form paper, oiling may need to occur every 10 minutes.

It is a good practice to oil the cross cut shredder each time the wastebasket is emptied. (High security shredders should be oiled every 15 minutes or when capacity drops).

There are two acceptable oiling Methods:

1) Depress and hold the reverse button down. Put the tip of the oil bottle and squeeze oil across the paper entry, continue to depress the reverse button for another 10 seconds.

Please click on the link below to view a video demonstration of the oiling procedure.

Standard oiling method -

http://apps.fellowes.com/tools/video?link=z4G8MCeOutw&autoplay=1&rel=0

-OR-

2) Depress and hold the forward button. Put the tip of the oil bottle and squeeze oil across the paper entry. Release the button and press the Auto-On and shred one piece of paper. Press and hold the Reverse button for 2-3 seconds.

It is recommended that Fellowes Powershred Oil #35250 be used for oiling Fellowes shredders or a suitable substitute. A suitable substitute is limited to vegetable based oils, with a flash point over 450 ° F, that will not go rancid.

When using oil not in the original Fellowes Powershred Oil bottle, oil must be dispensed from a plastic long nozzle bottle.