Diagnosing faults and repairing a hair dryer with your own hands
It is no exaggeration to say that a hairdryer lives in every home today. This softly buzzing accessory, blowing with warm air, has forever entered the women's arsenal, has become a must-have item and is used not only for drying hair, but also for styling and creating certain hairstyles. However, sometimes there comes a moment when something inside the hair dryer starts crunching ugly, a wave of a warm breeze turns into a north wind, and an inner voice insistently prompts that an urgent repair is needed.
Hair Dryer Design
The basic structure of all hair dryers can be considered identical. To deal with it is within the power of every person who owns a screwdriver and basic school knowledge of electrical engineering.
Each hair dryer consists of four main parts:
It should be noted that the efficiency of the device as a whole depends on the coordination of the work of all structural components. If, for example, the air channel is clogged and the flow rate is slowed down, the spiral will surely begin to overheat, and this will either lead to its failure or an increased temperature of the outgoing flow. A malfunction of the electronic circuit can lead to a voltage drop on the electric motor, as a result of which the hair dryer will not work at full power.
The first mention of a hairdryer is associated with the name of the French hairdresser Godenfroy (A. Godenfroy). It was he who, in 1888, offered his clients to dry their hair using a patented device that works from "any heat source." In 1908, the well-known Berlin electrical engineering firm AEG registered the Föhn trademark, which means “warm alpine breeze” in German. The first devices were rather bulky and heavy, the body consisted of a metal casing and weighed about 2 kg.
The prototypes of the modern hair dryer were large and heavy.
Possible hair dryer malfunctions and their elimination
Unfortunately, technology tends to break down. And often - at the most inopportune moment. Even expensive models from reputable firms can fail. The reason for this can be both non-observance of operating rules and factors independent of a person. For example, power surges, children playing or pets who are teething. Situations are different, but in any case, you should not rush to the store to buy a new device. Perhaps, having figured out the cause of the breakdown closer, you can restore the normal operation of the hair dryer without outside help, with your own hands.
The following repair information does not apply to new generation models equipped with air ionizers and infrared emitters. The device of such hair dryers is much more complicated; it is not recommended to repair them at home.
Lack of power
In case of malfunctions in operation, first of all, you need to pay attention to the condition of the power cord and conduct a visual inspection. It should not get warm while working. If it has any damage to the insulation, fractures or swelling, you need to check whether the current flows to the device.
Hair dryer may not turn on due to damaged cable insulation
For this you need:
The best solution to the problem of a damaged power cord is to replace it with a new one. But if it is not possible to replace the cable, you can get out of the situation by stripping the "bad" contacts and connecting them with a twist. The connection point must be carefully insulated with dielectric adhesive tape.
If you have repaired the damage to the power cord by twisting the wires, be sure to wrap the open area with electrical tape.
If the problem is in the button, you need to clean it and tighten the terminal screws. As a last resort, you can temporarily disable the button by connecting the wires directly. In this case, the motor will start immediately after plugging in the power cord.
If the hair dryer control button is out of order, before purchasing a new part, the wires can be connected directly, however, some modes of the device will stop working.
Fan does not work
The most common reason for a fan to stop is hair. During operation, the hair dryer draws small hairs inward and they are wound around the propeller shaft. Rotation slows down over time and eventually stops altogether. Obviously, it is better to periodically clean the fan and not bring the situation to a critical one. Moreover, this is easy to do - it will not be difficult to remove the hairs from the impeller with tweezers or a small brush.
Outside, you can clean the air intake holes, and in order to get to the fan, you need to disassemble the case
The criterion for the normal operation of the fan is the free rotation of the propeller on the motor axis.
If the situation is repeated frequently, the underside of the air pipe should be carefully examined. The air intake grille may be damaged and too many foreign objects have entered through it. You can get out of the situation by sticking a mosquito net or gauze on the grill, but it must hold firmly so that it does not get sucked inside. Some models have an air inlet filter. It may be time to clean or replace it.
The filter is located at the back of the hair dryer, on the side of the air intake
Outgoing air does not heat up
The spiral is one of the most vulnerable points of all hair dryers. Despite the fact that modern heating elements are quite reliable, they are strongly influenced by the good condition of all other structural elements. It is good if the device provides for automatic shutdown of the spiral in case of overheating. If not, then it can burn out if, for example, the propeller clogs or the electric motor is faulty. The first sign of exceeding the load on the coil is the characteristic burning smell that occurs when the hair dryer is in operation.
The smell can persist even after turning off the device, which indicates the need to check the serviceability of the electric motor.
Another indirect evidence of excessive heating of the coil can be the high temperature of the case. It should not heat up. An abnormal rise in temperature indicates a malfunction.
When overheated, the heating coil breaks
Repairing the heating element also begins with disassembling the hair dryer. Most often, the gap is visible to the naked eye. If the damage is not total (melting of large areas or ruptures in several places), it is not difficult to repair it. You just need to reconnect the ends of the spiral. It is best, of course, to solder them, but if there are no special skills, you can twist it tightly by squeezing the connection with pliers. Since the nichrome wire is quite thin, when turned on, a microelectric arc is formed at the joint and the ends of the spiral are welded.
It is important not only to restore the integrity of the heater, but also to determine the cause that led to overheating. Otherwise, everything will happen again very soon. If the autopsy showed that the coil is damaged in several places, it is better to replace it entirely. At the same time, you need to select a heating element from the same manufacturer as the hair dryer.
Interestingly, having originated as a hairdressing accessory, the hair dryer soon found use in such industries as construction and electrical soldering. Technical hair dryers are used in many processes of processing building materials, to speed up the drying process, heating adhesives, heat shrink tubes, etc. Today, even for lighting coal in the barbecue, a special high-temperature hair dryer is used.
Video: disassembly and repair of the Maxwell hair dryer
Motor problems
The motor is designed to rotate the fan. Usually in a good hairdryer there is a speed switch key, with which the optimal air supply mode is selected. The control is carried out by changing the current supplied to the motor. For this, an electronic circuit is located inside the case, which, by the way, can also fail.
The electric drive of the hair dryer fan rotates at different speeds depending on the selected operating mode
The characteristic signs of a damaged motor are crackling when turned on and uneven operation. Dry discharges occur due to breakdown of winding insulation. Sometimes a hum can be heard inside the unit, but the fan does not rotate. There may be a smell of burnt wiring.
A DC motor has several windings, the breakage of which is the most common cause of its failure.
Repairing the engine at home is quite difficult. This is due to its small size and the need to use special devices for diagnostics. If the armature windings are burnt out, then you can rewind them only using special devices. It is much easier to simply replace the damaged part. Here you just need to carefully remove the old motor, and mount a new one in its place.
Video: how to disassemble and repair a Scarlett hairdryer
Control box problems
The work of all the nodes inside the hair dryer is interconnected. And the main coordinating link is the electronic control unit. In addition to transforming alternating current into direct current, it changes the operating modes of the motor, regulates the degree of heating of the spiral. The scheme is relatively simple, but only a specialist can professionally understand it.
The electronic circuit is located near the control buttons inside the handle
Due to voltage surges in the network, violation of operating rules or ingress of moisture on the electronic board, a malfunction of the unit may occur. Visually, this is expressed in a change in the appearance of parts. Capacitors are deformed, swollen. Resistors (resistors) darken and char. Connecting tracks on the PCB can melt and break. If you have spare radio parts and soldering equipment, you can replace and restore the electronics. But you can replace the entire block.
To repair an electronic board, you must have special devices and qualifications
If we talk about the procedure for diagnosing a broken device, then it should be carried out according to the principle "from simple to complex". This means that first you need to inspect the mechanical part (cord, buttons, impeller). Then - electrical, check the integrity of the connecting wires, contacts and terminals, the operation of the electric motor and the spiral. And, finally, to revise the electronics - the control unit, other systems and interlocks. If the inspection of the microcircuit did not give intelligible results, it is checked using a tester.
Video: diagnostics and repair of a hair dryer
How to remove the fan impeller
The blades of the impeller are often damaged in hair dryers. This happens gradually, as foreign debris accumulates, drawn in by the air flow through the separator. Once the amount of foreign interference exceeds the critical state and the blades crack. This happens when the device is turned on, when the motor picks up speed and the rotational force becomes maximum.
As debris and dust accumulates inside the hair dryer, the fan blades experience more and more resistance when rotating and finally break
The first sign of a broken impeller is vibration. In addition, you can hear the cracking of plastic fragments inside the case. If this happens, the impeller must be replaced. It is necessary to remove the protective cover, carefully inspect the device for attaching the propeller to the motor. Connections vary from model to model. But the principle, as a rule, is the same - the impeller axis is pressed onto the electric motor drive. In most cases, it can be easily removed by gently prying it off with a screwdriver. Sometimes for this you need to remove the motor with the propeller from the housing and then disconnect the blades.
All repair work is carried out only when the power supply of household appliances is disconnected. This is the best security guarantee. If the hair dryer is under warranty service, it is more expedient to solve all current problems in specialized organizations. Self-repair and improper operation will void the manufacturer's warranty. Before using the device, it will be useful to carefully read the recommendations of the manufacturer.
