System for monitoring a cooling fan of an appliance

A system for monitoring a cooling fan having at least one fan blade and utilized in an appliance having a heating element, the system comprising:

• an electric switch actuated by a magnetic field of a magnet mounted on the at least one fan blade, the electric switch being located proximate to the magnet, wherein the magnet rotates past the electric switch to actuate the electric switch via the magnetic field at a switching frequency with each rotation of the at least one fan blade;
• a circuit responsive to an electrical signal from the electric switch, wherein the circuit generates a signal indicative of a status of the cooling fan, based on the switching frequency of the electric switch;
• and
• a controller for controlling the appliance, wherein the controller is responsive to the signal from the circuit in order to permit the controller to directly interface with the heating element of the appliance and disable the heating element in the event of the failure of the cooling fan.