I was in the middle of ironing when it just stopped working... Was doing just fine. No flaking or brown stains. Electric is fine in the room

Carry out these things........

http://www.topcleaningsecrets.com/house/how-to-clean-a-steam-iron.html

http://www.howcast.com/videos/196211-how-to-remove-rust-stains-caused-by-ironing/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080525120851AAkYgVc
.

Light brown sounds like rust. I would get some "CLR", and run that through the iron. Rinse out with clear water several times, so you get all the stuff out.

Hi, Brown water and whitescale are often the result of the water you use in the iron... If you have scale, white vinegar will clean that... For brown water, empty the iron, rinse out the insides with bottled water, and then use the bottled water instead...

Also check out this tip...

Cleaninga Steam Iron White Scale and Brown Water

heatman101

Try filling with water, shake gently, pour the water out and repeat several times.

my steam isnt working on my pro express steam generator, but the water in the tank still gets low

Hi,

Here is a tip that I wrote about Electric Irons and why they do not heat....

Electric Ironnot Heating Up or not Working Right heatman101\]]\

Hi, Brown water and whitescale are often the result of the water you use in the iron... If you have scale, white vinegar will clean that... For brown water, empty the iron, rinse out the insides with bottled water, and then use the bottled water instead...

Also check out this tip...

Cleaninga Steam Iron White Scale and Brown Water

heatman101

Hi,

Brown water and white scale are often the result of the water you use in the iron...

If you have scale, white vinegar will clean that...

For brown water, empty the iron, rinse out the insides with bottled water,

and then use the bottled water instead...

Also check out this tip...

Cleaning a Steam Iron White Scale and Brown Water

heatman101

Hi,
Here is a tip that will help you with that problem...

My Steam Iron is Leaking Water
http://www.fixya.com/support/r5301301-steam_iron_leaking_water

heatman101

Hi, two problems:

DIA' s problem - the brown water is due to poor water quality and debris in the boiler and iron sytem. Rowenta is clear that they do not want anyone to cleaning solutions - only clear filtered drinking water to rinse out the boiler (via the water inlet screw hole) and I have found running the system dry, letting it cool, rinsing and draining the boiler several times before putting unit away works fine.

Guest' problem with brown/black tar substance is likely caused by too hot and iron setting (steam setting may also be too high) for ironing man-made synthetics (like Nylon, Rayon, Polyester or blends are basically petroleum based fabrics) that breakdown or melt, leaving deposits on the iron's stainless steel soleplate. A secondary cause could be bad water or debris in the boiler/iron in which the solution for DIA's problem might provide relief. Cleaning the soleplate is tricky, I use nothing stronger than an old fashioned wooden orange stick to gently scrap of all traces of the "stuff" and dry "Dutch" cleanser w/ a terry cloth or old cotton sock to polish without scratching the soft stainless soleplate...