DIY hair dryer repair

In detail: DIY hair dryer repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

In everyday life, a large number of electrical appliances are used to make life easier for the layman. But any technique tends to fail over time. Repairing a hair dryer can be easily done with your own hands at home, without asking for help from a service center.

A hair dryer is a device that is used to dry and style hair. It consists of the following structural elements:

Engine;
TEN - heating element;
Fan;
Thermal protection;
Power cable;
Regulators (fan speed, temperature, etc.).

The principle of operation of the household hair dryer is based on a low-voltage DC collector motor. In order for the device to turn on, a special lowering coil is used in its design, which helps to drop the voltage to the required level. It is installed inside the heating element. With the help of a diode bridge, the voltage is rectified. The engine has a steel shaft on which a fan is mounted (in most cases, it is made of plastic, although there are now professional models with metal blades). The fan can have two, three or even four blades.

Photo - hair dryer design

The heating element of an electric hair dryer is presented in the form of a spiral with a nichrome wire. It is wound on a non-combustible base, which increases the safety when using the device. When plugged in, the coil begins to heat up, and the fan installed behind it blows warm air out of the hair dryer case. To protect against overheating, a temperature controller (adjustable during operation) and a thermostat are used. In addition, any hair dryer has a "cold wind" or "cool" button - when you press it, the spiral stops heating up, only the engine and the fan remain to work, respectively, cold air blows from the nozzle.

Video (click to play).

Photo - filter

It should be noted that not all equipment has a thermostat. It is designed to control the heating of a block with nichrome during long-term operation of the device. For example, it can be a stationary professional hairdryer (used in hairdressing salons). When the coil reaches its maximum allowable temperature, the thermostat cuts off the power. After cooling, the contacts are turned back on.

Photo - nichrome spiral

Typical malfunctions of the Bosch LCD hair dryer (Bosch), Valera, Skil, Vitek, Scarlett (Scarlet) and others:

Smells burnt. The smell can come from the coil, which has gotten the hair as a result of careless handling, or from burning of the internal parts of the circuit;
Hair dryer does not turn on. The reason may be a breakdown of the engine, a broken power cord, a lack of voltage in the network;
Decreased work efficiency. The power of the device depends on the cleanliness of the filter installed on the back of the case. If it gets clogged, then the device will start to work with less efficiency;
The fan rotates very slowly. Most likely, something just bothers him;
Hair dryer Braun (Brown), Philips (Philips) or Rowenta (Roventa) does not heat up. There are several reasons why this happens: the cold air button is blocked, the spiral is broken, the circuit is damaged, the thermostat does not work.

Photo - model for drying hair

Before starting repairs, you need to know how to disassemble a Parlux, Saturn, Moser or Jaguar hairdryer yourself. There is nothing complicated in this, you just need an instruction and a screwdriver:

There are two bolts on the back of the body. They need to be unscrewed and carefully removed.In some cases, there are more of them, make sure that all fasteners are removed;
In parallel, you can also remove the cover from the top panel - there is a fan under it. Most often it is simply pressed against the body, so it comes out without problems if you pry it with a screwdriver;
Under the top panel of the case there is a mode switch and a cold air button. Several wires are installed on the panel. Which are connected to the pins of the circuit. For further disassembly, they will need to be removed;
Now you can remove the coil from the hair dryer head. It is necessary to act carefully, otherwise it may break, remove only after making sure that all fasteners have been removed;
Under the spiral, respectively, there is a motor. Most often there is no need to get it out, since almost all malfunctions will be noticeable immediately at the place where the motor is connected to the contacts of the heating element. An exception is the need to replace a part, then a major repair is made.

Consider how to make an independent repair of a hairdryer Babyliss, Rowenta Brush Activ, Bosh, Remington and others at home. First of all, you need to clean the fan and motor shaft from hair. A lot of them are collected there even after several months of intensive use. To do this, you need to remove the back top panel and cut the hair, then simply remove it with tweezers or fingers. In no case should you wipe the parts with a damp cloth - this will damage the contacts. This is done anyway, regardless of the problem.

Photo - fan

If it smells burnt, then you need to repair the spiral and filter. They can be cleaned with a dry soft brush. Just wipe the heater teeth and clean the filter. Be careful not to break the contacts during the cleaning process.

Photo - Cleaning

If the hair dryer does not turn on, then you need to check the power cable right away. Most often, it breaks at the base, because during operation, the hair dryer rotates many times in different directions along its axis. If everything is fine with him, then look at the contacts on the spiral. They can be 2, 3 or 4. When the device falls or hits, they sometimes get unsoldered, which causes the motor power to be cut off.

When the breakdown is related to the fan, it is as easy as shelling pears to repair the device. The first step is to check if the blades are intact. Of course, the efficiency of their work does not change too much from their state, but if cracks or notches are noticed, then it is better to immediately change the propeller. Then inspect the shaft. Sometimes small parts or other debris fall into the nozzle of the hair dryer, blocking the shaft, and it starts to spin slowly.

Now let's discuss the reasons why the spiral of dry warm air does not heat up with a professional Coifin, Steinel or Lukey hairdryer. As we said, there can be several reasons. For example, the cold air button is stuck. The principle of its operation is as follows: when you press the button, the contacts inside the case open, as a result of which the heating coil stops working. If it is open all the time, then the spiral simply cannot start heating. If the problem is not in the button itself, but in the contact, then you need to solder it yourself.

The cause of the breakdown may lie in the broken coil, its repair is a little more difficult to carry out than cleaning. In some models, it is made of low-quality material that breaks easily from impact. If some notches are missing on the base or mother-in-law is visible, it is replaced.

Video: how to repair a spiral in a hair dryer

This household appliance has been helping to dry hair for over 75 years - the first example of this electric product appeared in the early 40s of the last century. Today, there is a hairdryer in almost every home, and everyone knows the rules for using it. But the internal structure of the hair dryer is familiar only to some - we will try to fill this gap in knowledge.

The design of the hair dryer is not complicated: the case is made of durable plastic, inside there is a miniature fan with a powerful electric motor and heating elements made of nichrome. The principle of operation is also simple: from the rear side of the product, as a result of the operation of the fan, an air flow enters, which heats up to an optimal temperature, and then leaves the device through a converging nozzle.

You can put on the nozzle of the hair dryer to dry your hair. various attachments such as a comb or a round brush for long hair, as is done on the Rowenta product. Other attachments are also used - in the form of small and large combs of various designs. A protective grill with a fine-mesh mesh is installed at the end of the device so that small objects and long hair do not get inside.

To adjust the speed of air passage, as well as the degree of its heating, different models of hair dryers have switches installed on the pistol grip for the convenience of users.

Standard product diagrams are almost the same, with the exception of small nuances. The figure shows the main parts of the hair dryer:

fan propeller;
electric motor;
heating element in the form of a spiral;
base with thermal protection;
start button and mode switch;
power supply cord.

As you can see from the diagram, the hair dryer is quite simple: the main nodes are heater and fan, which is built on the basis of a collector type of miniature electric motors for 12-18 V. A plastic propeller is rigidly mounted on its shaft, the design of which differs from different manufacturers. The heating element is a base made of a non-combustible material with wire threads or special spirals wound on its body. There may be several windings, depending on the modes in which the hair dryer works, but one of them is necessarily lowering.

The photo shows a mini-motor and fan, and below is a heating element block with two windings.

The spirals must be constantly cooled by the air flow so as not to overheat. If for some reason this does not happen, then the built-in overheating protection is immediately triggered - this is the difference between the hair dryers of the most famous brands, for example, Philips or Roventa.

The main purpose of the hair dryer is drying and quick styling of hair into a hairstyle, while the temperature of the outgoing air sometimes reaches 60 degrees. Many devices are equipped with switches that regulate the flow rate of air and its heat. To protect the internal parts from high temperatures, a protection system is installed that cuts off the power supply to the operating product in case of emergency.

Few of the users know where the name of the hair dryer comes from - sometimes a dry, hot, strong and rather gusty wind comes from the mountains to the valleys, which the locals gave the name to.

In a device of any modern model, two especially sensitive elements are necessarily present:

Thermostat

Thermal fuse - this is the second line of active overheating protection. If the first option does not work for any reason, after a few seconds the fusible element will burn out and disconnect the device from the home network. Its only drawback is that it must be changed after triggering.

Electrical diagram hair dryers are not as complicated as it seems: a minimum of basic components, therefore, if you have basic knowledge of electrical engineering, you can figure it out if there is such a need. For a complete description, see the instruction manual for the specific product.

Let us consider the reasons for the failure of the main parts, because the breakdown of any of them guarantees the failure of the entire product from work, since it will not be possible to use it further without repair. Simple diagnostics can be carried out on your own if you know the most typical problems of these household appliances.

If your home craftsman is easily versed in electrical household appliances, then you will not need the services of professional craftsmen - all of the listed failures can be eliminated on your own.

In order not to often visit the service center and save time and family budget, you must clearly follow all the requirements for operation:

Use only standard, factory-made extension cords.
Inspect the cord before each use of the product and do not wrap it around the handle when storing.
You can only use the supplied attachments that come with the kit.
Do not use the product in a damp room or expose it to water.
Install a special fine mesh filter, eliminating the suction of hair into the device.
In the event of any malfunction, immediately disconnect the product from the electrical network.
Do not pull the cord out of the socket or carry the appliance by the cord. Remember that inside its wires are not steel, but copper, which can be damaged by mechanical stress.
Do not overheat the hair dryerif you need a device for long-term use - get a professional device designed for long-term operation.
Before storing the device, give it a cooling time of at least half an hour.
Store the product in a dry place, the drawer must be locked.

If you follow all the recommendations exactly, your hair dryer will work without repair, and your hairstyle will look perfect and stylish.

This electrical appliance - a hair dryer - is very popular and is often indispensable in everyday life. Due to high consumer demand, the designs of most hair dryers have become very similar, and the workmanship and price have dropped. Today it is very difficult to buy a truly durable hair dryer. The practice of repairing hair dryers of various brands suggests that the breakdowns that occur are of the same type and, as a rule, are not fatal, but are easily eliminated without serious financial expenditures.

Any electric hair dryer in its design contains two main, large elements: a fan and a heater. The fan drives air through the heater (heating element), sucking it in behind the hair dryer and ejecting it from the front when heated.

Hair dryer device for drying hair.
1 - propeller; 2 - electric motor; 3 - heater; 4 - thermal protection; 5 - mode switch; 6 - power cable.

For household hair dryers, the fan is built on the basis of low-voltage (12-18 V) collector DC motors. Such a motor cannot be powered directly from the 220 V AC mains. To achieve the required voltage drop, a separate coil (let's call it a step-down coil) is used inside the heating element. To rectify the voltage, a full-wave rectifier (diode bridge) is used, mounted by a hinged mounting on the contacts of an electric motor. A plastic propeller is mounted on the metal shaft of the engine, which consists of three or more blades.

The heating element of the hair dryer is a frame made of non-combustible material with several windings of nichrome wire (spiral). Depending on the number of operating modes of the hair dryer, there can be two or three windings, one of which is lowering.

Heating element with two windings.

The hot coils of the heating element must be constantly blasted with cold air, especially when operating at maximum power. If, for any reason, the air supply has become insufficient or has completely stopped (for example, the engine has failed), then, for fire safety reasons and in order to avoid burnout of the heating element, the hair dryer should automatically turn off. Such an emergency shutdown occurs due to the presence of two temperature-sensitive elements in the hair dryer device at once - two "protection lines" inside the heater.

The first "frontier" is the thermostat. It is a pair of closed contacts fixed on a bimetallic plate.Being close to the outlet of heated air, the contacts are intensively blown by it. When the outgoing air reaches a critical temperature, the contacts move away from each other, the power supply circuit of the hair dryer is opened. After a few minutes, when the bimetallic plate cools down, the contacts close again and the hair dryer turns on.

Bimetallic thermostats.

If the above protection for some reason did not work at the right time, then a few seconds later the "second line" of protection - a thermal fuse - is activated. This fuse is disposable and needs to be replaced after blown.

Fusible thermal fuse.

To see the internal structure of a household hair dryer, let's take a look at its typical representative - Rowenta CV 4030. This model is equipped with a fan based on a low-voltage motor, the heating element consists of one downward spiral and two heating ones. The hair dryer has three operating modes, in the first mode the fan speed is lower than in the other two. A schematic diagram of this hair dryer is presented below.

In the first position of the switch SW1 mains supply passed through the plug XP1, filter C1R1, protective elements F1, F2, diode VD5 (necessary to cut off one half-wave of the alternating voltage) goes to the downward spiral H1, through it the electric motor is powered M1... Diodes VD1-VD4 necessary for straightening a lowered spiral H1 alternating voltage. Inductors L1, L2 and capacitors C2, C3 serve to reduce interference arising from the operation of the brush motor. Through diode VD5 power is also supplied to the heating coil H2.

When flipping the switch SW2 to position "2", diode VD5 short-circuits and goes out of the game. The engine starts to run at maximum speed, the spiral H2 heats up more. Third position of the switch slider SW2 corresponds to the mode of maximum power consumption when parallel to the spiral H2 the spiral is connected H3... In this position, the outlet air temperature is at its highest. The "cool" button is included in the break of both heating coils, when it is pressed, only the electric motor remains on through the coil H1, helix H2 and H3 are de-energized.

The process of opening the hair dryer Rowenta cv4030.

Hair dryer in semi-disassembled form.

Hair dryer without housing.
Bottom up: switch SW1, capacitor C1 with a resistor soldered to it R1, button SB1, heating element, propeller motor (in black casing).

Diode VD5 (photo on the left) and the inductors (photo on the right of one coil) of the Rowenta CV 4030 hair dryer are mounted inside the heating element.

Thermostat (photo on the left).
Thermal fuse (photo on the right)

A hair dryer consists of a motor, a fan, heating elements, an electrical circuit that makes the elements work in concert. Depending on the number of modes, the manufacturer, the element base, appearance, and the composition of the switches are different. But nothing more complicated than a semiconductor thyristor will not be inside. Therefore, we will carry out home repair of hair dryers with our own hands.

The body is held in place by screws. The heads are often of a non-standard design. This is a plus sign, an asterisk, a pitchfork. Therefore, first of all, before fixing the hair dryer, let's take care of a tool that can cope with such a task. Fortunately, a set of bits costs 600 rubles today.

Sometimes the case flaps are additionally fastened together with special latches. This is a separate problem: experienced craftsmen often break plastic, desperate to cope with civilized methods. There are no subtleties, they come up with hidden screws hidden under stickers, plastic inserts, removable regulator caps. The fasteners are fictitious. There are no useful functions.

The hair dryer motor is powered by direct current 12, 24, 36 V.A diode bridge is used to rectify the mains voltage, in cheap models - a single diode. The filtering of power harmonics is carried out by a capacitor connected in parallel to the motor windings or as part of a more complex filter. Inductors are rarely used in hair dryers due to their exorbitant mass. Therefore, knowledge of the principles of smoothing pulsations with RC-chains is enough to cope with the construction of a schematic diagram of a hair dryer being repaired. Sometimes a single coil (inductance) is used by the filter element.

The hair dryer switch simultaneously closes the circuit through which the spirals will be powered, starts the motor. Further schematic of the intervention is determined by the complexity:

only the rotation speed or only the temperature is regulated;
the ability to select heating and air flow rate separately.

In most models of hair dryers, in parallel, there is protection against turning on the heaters when the motor is inactive. Protects the spiral.

Optionally available thermostat in the form of a special resistance or other sensitive element. Let's describe the breakdowns encountered by the faithful helpers of the beautiful half of humanity.

If the device is devoid of signs of life, it is unstable, the inspection begins with the power circuit. The repair of Rowenta hair dryers is schematically described below.

Attention! The described types of work require skills in handling electrical appliances. The authors disclaim responsibility for damage to health, property, arising from attempts to follow the recommendations given for repairing hair dryers.

Inspection of the power cord begins with a socket. There is a part of the malfunction: there is no voltage - the hair dryer does not work. If there is voltage in the outlet, the inspection of the cord begins with the entry point into the case, walk towards the plug. Work is performed on a de-energized device. A visual search for fractures and irregular formations - burners, insulation damage, fractures is carried out.

Then the case of the hair dryer is disassembled. Inside you have a chance to see the options for electrical resistance:

A pair of detachable contacts.
Soldering.
The wiring is sealed in plastic caps.

The last element of the list characterizes a non-separable connection, therefore, the case for testing is too complicated. Skillful hands, or rather, smart heads, Ukrainian brothers in mind are advised to use an ordinary needle to repair a hair dryer. Those who immediately grasp the train of thought will skip the next paragraph, start testing directly.

Do-it-yourself hair dryer repair begins with a continuity of the wiring. A Chinese tester, a light bulb, an indicator will do. A needle is attached to one terminal, which is then inserted into the power core in the area of the cap through the insulation to copper. The second terminal probes the legs of the plug. The call goes through for both cores. It is not worth doing more than 1 puncture per core when repairing a hair dryer (some will try to look for a breakage as well), since the nature of the operation involves the ingress of moisture from wet hair.

Even a child can ring the wire, having visually distinguishable docking points in front of his eyes. If damage is found, it is recommended to buy a new cord fitted with a non-separable plug. The likelihood of moisture ingress imposes restrictions on the choice of insulation of conductive parts used to repair a hair dryer.

Cases are common: the first glance reveals the place of damage to the cord entrance into the case. Slabs, carbon deposits, black insulation indicate the location of the fault.

At the junction with the body of the hair dryer, there is a vulnerable point of the wiring. The hostess takes the delicate device by the cord, shakes it from side to side, winds the cable around the handle. A vein with a crack sparks, the insulation heats up, burns out, the copper melts. This is the mechanism of damage to copper conductors.

When updating, it is useful to short-circuit the switch, check: the hair dryer will change the behavior radically in response to an uncomplicated step.There are three-position switches, each position in a short-circuited state is checked separately. Remember, sketch out the original wire layout before you start fixing the hair dryer.

Checking the speed, temperature switches uses a similar circuit.

Examine the defective element identified during the restoration of the hair dryer. The carbon deposits are cleaned off with a file, sandpaper, eraser. The contacts are wiped with alcohol. Defective components are replaced with equivalents. A radical method is to short-circuit the power button while searching for suitable components.

Relatively often, the air duct is clogged with a hair dryer. It is necessary to remove the filter, if any, and clean it thoroughly. Remove dust from crevices with a soft brush.

Lack of blade rotation or low rpm is often observed when the hair is coiled around the motor shaft. The propeller must be carefully removed from the shaft, in every possible way avoiding unnecessary efforts and distortions. After that, foreign objects are removed.

A hair dryer usually has several heating elements. Visually, they should all look uniform. Make sure of this when fixing the hair dryer by opening the case. The detected breaks are eliminated by twisting the ends, soldering and tinning. You can also get some thin copper tubes and squeeze the ends of the broken spiral inward.

We observe defects in heating elements during repairs visually. A close inspection will tell you how to fix your hair dryer. Replacing spirals with similar purchased or homemade products made of nichrome wire is effective.

The electric motor of the hair dryer can be powered by both direct current and alternating current. If the diode bridge is burned out, the windings are damaged, normal functioning is impaired. A terrible crackle and sparks when turned on indicate a malfunction of the motor.

The motor windings are desoldered when repairing the hair dryer from the electrical circuit. Find a pair for each wire that rings. The conclusions are connected in threes, none should hang in the air. Replacement of the winding when repairing a hair dryer is carried out only in a workshop. However, folk craftsmen shake not worse than machine tools. Those who wish will try.

If the windings are in good working order, the brushes are examined, the copper surface under them is cleaned, and the tightness is estimated.

The axis should rotate freely. When repairing a hair dryer, it will not hurt to lubricate the rubbing surfaces, manually break in problem areas.

The getinax backing sometimes cracks, tearing the track. Tin the damaged area, lightly cover with solder.

Broken capacitors swell slightly. The top face of the cylinder contains shallow slots, when the product breaks, the sidewall inflates, bending outward. Replace such a capacitor first if you find a characteristic defect.

Burnt-out resistors darken. Some remain operational, it is advisable to replace such a radio element.

Some hair dryers are self-regulating. The effect is achieved by using a resistive divider, one arm of which is an element that responds to temperature. Further actions are determined by the parameter control implementation scheme. We recommend:

eliminate the sensor altogether by breaking the circuit, try the device's reaction;
short-circuit the wires after that, turn on, see what happens.

There is a great chance of failure if the device is trained to respond only to a fixed resistance value. It remains to look for a schematic diagram on the Internet or draw it yourself.

Repairing professional hair dryers is more difficult. Structural elements are often complemented by smooth controls and additional options such as the Care button. The spirals are made of special alloys that create negative ions when heated, which have a beneficial effect on the hair. The technique remains the same:

cord;
switches and buttons;
dust removal;
spirals;
motor;
visual inspection of capacitors, resistors.

Before repairing it, it is advisable to get a schematic diagram.

Industrial models are not much different from household ones. But drying your hair is not recommended. Such products are distinguished by their increased resistance to dust, shock, vibration, humidity, and other climatic factors. Home restoration of industrial hair dryers will not end well.Electric radio products used in household models are not suitable for use in harsh environments. Requirements apply to wires, power cord, motor and coils.This electrical appliance is very popular and is often indispensable in everyday life. When the hair dryer breaks down, you can contact the service center, or you can try to fix the hair dryer yourself. The accumulated repair experience indicates that breakdowns are most often eliminated without serious financial costs. To repair a hair dryer with your own hands, you need to know how it works and disassemble it correctly.Any hair dryer has an impeller motor and a heater. The impeller sucks in air from one side of the hair dryer, after which it blows over the heater and comes out hot on the other side. Also, the hair dryer has a mode switch and elements to protect the heater from overheating.In household hair dryers, the fan is assembled on a DC collector motor designed for a voltage of 12, 18, 24 or 36 volts (sometimes there are electric motors operating at an alternating voltage of 220 volts). A separate spiral is used to power the electric motor. The constant voltage is obtained from a diode bridge mounted on the terminals of the electric motor.The hair dryer heater is a frame assembled from non-combustible and non-conductive plates, on which a nichrome spiral is wound. The spiral consists of several sections, depending on how many operating modes the hair dryer has.This is how it looks:The hot heater must be constantly cooled by the passing air stream. If the coil overheats, it may burn out or cause a fire. Therefore, the hair dryer is designed to automatically shut off when it overheats. A thermostat is used for this. This is a pair of normally closed contacts placed on a bimetallic plate. The thermostat is located on the heater closer to the outlet of the hair dryer and is constantly blown with hot air. If the air temperature exceeds the permissible, the bimetallic plate opens the contacts and the heating stops. After a few minutes, the thermostat cools down and closes the circuit again.Sometimes a thermal fuse is also used as additional protection. It is disposable and burns out when a certain temperature is exceeded, after which it must be changed.To better understand how the hair dryer works, you can watch these two videos (watch the first video from the 6th minute):