FoggyLog

Hi,thanks for info,also repairing straighteners,misread fuse temp,(grinder speck on glasses),couldnt find 316degC!but after your blog ordered 216deg C from CPC.

RS do resetting thermal fuses,same size as ceramic housing but only to 160degC.How b hot do they need to be?

These straighteners cost £126,obscene when you see whats in em.

Comment by Keith Rigby at 22:01 on Tue 5 June 2007

I recon they go up to at least 200 degC, so 160 degC would be continually tripping ;-)

They do seem quite nicely made, however they are expensive for what they are. It's a shame the thermal fuse is such a limitation to the reliability.

Comment by Gary Ewer at 22:08 on Tue 5 June 2007

Daughter, curly hair, straightners not working!!!! I went to work with dud set. Same proceedure and removed ceramic thermal fuse. Your info was just what I needed to spend £2 with RS and repair, withour your info I would have jumped in car and tried to replace staightners, so I guess I owe you a big thank you.

Comment by Mike Alexander at 20:11 on Thu 21 June 2007

Thanks a million! Same problem - followed your instructions - 79p at Maplins, £4 on ebay for some Kapton tape and worked first time.

Unfortunately, the 4 little sprags on the plastic holder for one of the plates were damaged during the repair so I'm now searching for a stockist of spare parts with no success. I may have to resort to rebuilding the sprags with a spot of metal repair goo.

Is there some sort of conspiracy to deny anyone access to spare parts? I can't believe the bits aren't more widely available. Even broken sets go for £30+ on Ebay.

Many thanks for your clear advice. Now if you just direct me to your local GHD spares stockist...

Comment by Mike Rush at 22:59 on Wed 27 June 2007

Hi,

Further to Ed's comments about the borders not lining up properly: this appears to happen when the comments are open but not when they are closed.

Comment by @ndy at 12:29 on Tue 10 July 2007

i believe i have the same problem.

is the fuse really that important???? cant i just remove the fuse and solder the bare wires together??

Comment by ady at 0:16 on Tue 17 July 2007

too late ive already fixed it without a fuse, seems to work fine for now. i think if they get too warm this time something more important will break. oh well

Comment by ady at 3:29 on Tue 17 July 2007

Thanks for the info, got the fuses from Farnell £2 for 5. Fixed two pairs for my daughter, now working perfectly. Isn't the internet a great, I'm now a hero.

Comment by Chris at 20:42 on Tue 24 July 2007

Ady, There is nothing wrong with taking the fuse out completely as long as nothing goes wrong... how likely that is I don't know! If the heaters are turned on full power and the user is not paying attention, then you can probably imagine what might happen without the fuse.

Comment by Gary at 21:25 on Tue 24 July 2007

Thanks guys - wife's straighteners broke and, thanks to your advice, they're now back working. I agree about the plastic on the heater plate, it seems you have to lever it off which breaks it - oh well

Comment by steve at 18:27 on Thu 26 July 2007

Wow so grateful to everyone on here my girlfriend is finally off my back......for now!

Shame that plastic breaks but kinda glued the tabs back on so hopefully they will hold!

Comment by Pash at 20:24 on Thu 26 July 2007

My daughters did the same today. I've already fixed the flex about 3 months ago, so was going to throw them away, but I'm a tight sod and begrudge £100 for a new pair. Anyway, my question, how did you crimp the wires on, I can't see it under the Capton tape, and any alternatives to potting compund as maplins don't seem to sell thermal setting compound.

Comment by KR at 12:29 on Fri 10 August 2007

Hi KR,

I used a small crimp (which was basically a small metal tube), put the wires in it and deformed the tube to hold the wires in place. You can just about make out the crimp on the bottom leg.

RS or Farnell would sell suitable potting compound, however it's probably quite expensive as you'd have to buy a big tube. The kapton tape method is apparently still fine on the pair I fixed in May.

Comment by Gary at 12:36 on Fri 10 August 2007

Hi Gary

Maplins don't seem to sell capton tape either. The wife is about to go out to maplins as we speak, so I'm desperately trying to do more research before she comes back with a fuse I have no way of fitting

Comment by KR at 12:42 on Fri 10 August 2007

I think I found what could be used as a suitable crimp, in the form of a terminal from the inside of an old rs232 connector, and as for the potting compound, I'm going to try car exhaust paste.(the white stuff that comes in a tube) Watch this space.

Comment by KR at 13:01 on Fri 10 August 2007

The saga continues. I replaced the thermal fuse, and the GHS's worked for about 3 mins. They got extremely hot.. enough to scorch paper, then stopped working, so I presume the fuse has blown again. I guess this means what ever governs the heat ie thermostat has gone.

Comment by KR at 14:40 on Fri 10 August 2007

hi, found your site through sheer worry, daughter borrowed ghd's from friends mom and not not working propery, read your tips sounds good but how do i start ??, with the end screw (couldent turn it)or with little black ones if so where can i get angled screwdrivers from, tried maplins they dont hav any

regards gary

Comment by Gary Dominey at 18:17 on Sun 26 August 2007

Hi,

I've just taken a look into my daughters ghd's which have suddenly just died. Fuse tested faulty but this fuse is soldered behind the circit board and is only a 102c. I guess the fact that it's not located behind the hot plates is the reason for the lower temperature rating. I will replace it with similar and hope it works. Maybe it's and old model or not original?

Still she'll be happy if it's fixed and also it will save me a few quid.

Best Regards

Steve T

Comment by Steve T at 22:34 on Mon 1 October 2007

Sorry, I didn't update.

I eventually fixed the GHD's. Determined not to give in, I took them apart again, a few days later and found that my crimping wasn't really up to scratch. I recrimped them (making a better job), I fixed the thermal fuse into the ceramic holder with car exhaust paste. The GHD's have been working fine ever since.

Comment by KR at 16:22 on Tue 2 October 2007

Hi, like everyone else here I find the cost of these straightners to be obscene, try telling my daughter that though,who by the way is on her second pair. I have trawled through the internet to try and find a replacment cable and the best I can find is one for £25 on e-bay, does anyone know of somewhere else I can get one.

Thanks

John

Comment by John at 23:45 on Thu 4 October 2007

I've just repaired my daughters and used some fire sealant paste for around the flues, comes in a tube similar to the silicone sealant type and seems to set ok after a few hours. I've used the thermal fuse as found in the Farnell catalogue or web site. It is larger than the SF216 but just about fits at a squeeze and was 45pence. It is the right temperature and would be suitable if just covered in the heat resistant tape. I soldered the ends using high temp solder 300 degrees and placed a heatsink on the fuse to avoid it blowing. So far so good.

Comment by Mike e at 13:29 on Tue 30 October 2007

My boyfriend found all the parts and managed to fix my wonderful GHD's thanks to your blog. Just wanted to say thank you.. your my hero!!!!

thank you

Comment by Jayne at 14:17 on Tue 30 October 2007

Dude you a legend . The thermal fuse on my wifes GHD had no markings so we could not even tell what it was...thanks to you its solved...you a legend dude now I can afford that sticky back tyre for my bike...

Comment by Norman at 18:57 on Wed 7 November 2007

how do you get into yhe case?

thought i,d ask before trying!

Paul

Comment by paul millward at 18:26 on Fri 16 November 2007

re: how do you get into the case?

Where the heaters hinge, the ghd covers either side prise off, then a plastic 'pin' slides out letting the heaters open further, then undo the two screws and remove the (switch)plate. :)

Comment by luckyb at 20:19 on Sat 17 November 2007

thanks for that info, just been handed some of these stupidly priced things to repair for a workmate. I will give it a go and let you know!

Comment by Duane at 21:50 on Mon 19 November 2007

I have the same problem seems like it could be the fuse, however i have put an ohm meter accross the two brown wires and it shows a "short" indicating that the fuse is intact. This was also verified after having removed the 4 screws from the terminals. perhaps in my case it's not the fuse?

Any ideas??

thanks all for the info so far

Comment by Tony Dymott at 22:33 on Tue 20 November 2007

WARNING: The casing of the maplins thermal fuse is connected to one of the wires and thus is at mains potential when the straightners are on. The thermal fuse is fixed directly behind one of the iron plates and thus the plate will become live if the thin capton tape fails or is not fitted correctly. This would mean an immediate shock as soon as they touch your head. hence, I'm not going to do this and would much favour a better solution eg by using the old ceramic body and potting a fuse inside.

Comment by Huw Evans at 8:08 on Wed 21 November 2007

Hi Huw,

You are quite right, there is a possibility that a hole in the kapton could cause the heater to become live. That's why you should make sure the thermal fuse is well wrapped up in a good few layers of tape. Kapton tape is pretty tough and reliable stuff, so as long as the repair is done carefully, then it should be pretty safe. It's a shame GHD don't make the proper fuses in ceramic bodies available!

Comment by Gary at 21:10 on Fri 23 November 2007

I am going to reapir a pair if GHD's tonight, using a thermal fuse from maplin, some gumgum exhaust sealant paste and the original ceramic insert. Will let you know the results tonight.

Comment by Ben Allen at 16:38 on Mon 26 November 2007

my daughters are broke and I can't even get the 2 screws loose !! are they usually this tight ?

Comment by Martin Watson at 18:43 on Sun 2 December 2007

hi, might be best if i just send them to you to fix, what is your address please ?

martin

Comment by Martin Watson at 19:12 on Sun 2 December 2007

Hi Martin,

I just sent you an email with the details.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 20:03 on Sun 2 December 2007

Hi there Gary. My wife's ghd's have stopped working. The light has been flashing for the last few months and has just died on her. Do you think it could be the thermal fuse that's gone? I've tried changing the fuse in the plug but doesn't make any difference. If you think you could fix them for the £15 could you drop me some info with regards to getting them fixed please.

Look forward to hearing from you

Kevin

Comment by kevin at 23:25 on Fri 7 December 2007

Hi Gary

Got the ghd's today and my wife says there working a treat.

Many thanks for your quick service and fixing them.

Kevin

Comment by kevin at 21:34 on Thu 13 December 2007

Hi there, great article - very helpful. However, im a bit stuck fixing my girlfriends GHDs. The mains cable has split at the point where it meets the large plastic collar going into the handle. It being a sealed unit i dont see a way of reapiring it without cutting the plastic collar which seems extreme.

So...what do I need to search for to replace the whole cable including the sealed connector that goes into the ghd's? Any help would be much appreciated!!

Comment by Martin at 15:06 on Sun 16 December 2007

Very helpful article confirming my diagnosis of the type of failure, except that I was not sure if the component was a thermal fuse.

Repair would be more solid if unleaded (high temperature) solder is used in attaching thermal fuse to the leads. Also, I found that crimp tag connectors at the other end of the leads break easily, it is just as good probably better to use tinned copper wire, sleeved with high tempearture teflon sleeving.

Comment by Ali at 10:55 on Sat 22 December 2007

A big thank you for your informative web-site. A replacement thermal fuse from Maplins (RA22Y) rated at 228 degrees cost me a total of £3.67 most of which was post and packing. Shame I'm nearly bald but my wife is very happy!! Thanks a million!

Comment by Chris at 15:19 on Sat 12 January 2008

trying to repair ghd 3.1b's the heater plate on the opposite side to the switch has snapped where can i get a replacement?

Comment by ian e at 23:12 on Mon 14 January 2008

Hey, my boyfriend stood on my straighteners and theyv snapped at the joining part... still switch on ok though but two bits are now seperate....

Does anyone know how i could get them fixed? Even a new frame for them... like whole new plastic bit?

Thanks...

Comment by Donna at 8:35 on Tue 15 January 2008

Hi Ian & Donna

Please see the emails I've sent you both.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 9:26 on Tue 15 January 2008

GHD 3.1 supply ok and thermal fuse behind plate with switched printed circuit board ok. But on the printed circuit board on the unswitched side before the element there appears to have been heat around a blue circular component.Is this a further thermal fuse link ?

Comment by Tom Mc at 21:23 on Wed 16 January 2008

Gary my girlfriend needs a spare cover for GHD IV's as she accidentally stood on them, and broke the plastic casing that covers them....

Could you help me??

Comment by Ross at 11:30 on Thu 24 January 2008

Hi Tom, Ross,

Please see the emails I've sent.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 11:36 on Thu 24 January 2008

Hello,

I'm trying to repair a pair of 3.1b GHD's but I can't seem to undo the two Phillips screws at the hinge. I've put a screwdriver on either side but they won't budge. Any tips?

Thanks in advance

Scott

Comment by Scott at 19:23 on Mon 28 January 2008

Hi Scott,

The bolts normally are loctited, so you'll need two screw drivers the right size and then just turn them anti-clockwise until you hear a "crack". Then the screws will come undone ok.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 23:00 on Mon 28 January 2008

Gary

I've read enough on here to know that my wifes GHDs have a thermal fuse problem. Once I've managed to undo the loctited hinge screws how do I get to the fuse..

Comment by Neil Smith at 11:06 on Fri 1 February 2008

hi, accidently stood on straightners and one of the tongs has cracked just before where the plate starts and also the joint has come away so the tongs are now apart and currently held together with an elastic band....can anyone help? thanks

Comment by Charlotte Ball at 20:41 on Sat 17 May 2008

Hi, The light on my ghd's comes on for a while and then goes off and they go cold. comes back on with a hard shake or tap. Any suggestions on how to fix this please? Thanks

Comment by Emily Kennedy at 14:50 on Wed 25 June 2008

hi, the cermamic plates on my ghds have come a bit lose and im worried about this. Is this normal or can i meand it? Thanks

Comment by helena at 20:45 on Fri 27 June 2008

Hi Helena,

This means that the plastic mounting is disintegrating. Ideally you need to replace it. Check out www.ghd-repair.co.uk for spares.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 21:01 on Fri 27 June 2008

Found your site - HEAVEN!!

i cant get the screws loose even if they were loctite'd this is like glued? any suggestions..

GHD 3

Comment by Zameer at 9:13 on Tue 1 July 2008

My GHD's were bought in Oct 04 and have never worked properly. The switch needs to be pressed down and in very firmly and held in before the light will come on and straighteners heat up. I wrote to and sent off my straighteners to GHD for a repair. Their response was that a component on the circuit board is damaged and they can not repair this as they don't stock parts for this age model anymore. Anyone know where I can get this part/a repair please?

Comment by abby at 21:28 on Thu 18 September 2008

Hi Abby,

Try looking on http://www.ghd-repair.co.uk/shop

Gary

Comment by Gary at 23:14 on Thu 18 September 2008

Gary

GHD3 Thermal fuse OK, R8 OK, No apparent sign of component failure.Are there any other common faults for no LED and No Heat.

Thanks

Comment by Tony at 11:51 on Wed 19 November 2008

Hi Tony,

Probably a heater element wire is falling off. See this fault finding guide - http://www.ghd-repair.co.uk/3.1B.html.

Gary

Comment by Gary at 10:57 on Thu 20 November 2008

After reading some comments I think my thermal fuse has gone to. My boyfriend took them apart and saw nothing wrong and said they're probably just past their lifespan, I've had them 2 years and for the price of these straighteners, surely not!

Could you give me some advice as to wot to do and where to get parts

Kind regards

A very crazy fuzzy haired unhappy chick!

Comment by Karen Duguid at 11:38 on Fri 21 November 2008

Hi Karen,

All you need to know is on ghd-repair.co.uk... Debugging Guide, New Thermal Fuses, Spare Parts shop.

Regards,

Gary

Comment by Gary at 11:40 on Fri 21 November 2008

Thanks for the info. I managed to take my daughter's GHD's apart yesterday and identified the thermal fuse as the problem. My local Maplin didn't have the fuse in it's ceramic holder, but now I can buy the appropriate fuse and repair as you have described. 49p is a better solution than a £100 replacement! What did we do before we had the web? VMT for your help.

Comment by Stephen Clarke at 12:57 on Sun 20 September 2009

HI!

my boyfriend stood on my GHDs the other day they are the purple ones with silver pattern on, the 2 pieces were snapped at the joining part and work fine the next day but now they arent heating up or the red light isnt coming on, i think it may be a problem with the wires is there anything i can do as i dont really want to spend so much money on a new pair as they were a present.

Thanks!

Comment by megan at 10:08 on Tue 16 March 2010

ghd mark 4 pink. showing no power to the diode light. if clap plates together the light will flash on and off. checked power lead which is working ok. was working over last few months with a crackling electric sound. light would flash on off but would still heat up. now not working at all. any ideas?

Comment by geoff at 21:54 on Thu 25 March 2010

Ive had my ghds for a yr now and they dont work anymore. The light wont go on or heat up ive changed the fuse in the plug still no joy... Wot else could it be this is my 3rd pair my 1st ones i had for 6years and they didnt break.... New technology is rubbish i dont want to spend another £100 on a pair of GHDs. Can anyone give me some advice please

Comment by Zara Foster at 18:10 on Mon 29 March 2010

Do the fuses need to be in a ceramic pot or is kapton tape ok on own thanks

Comment by mekka at 15:42 on Sat 14 August 2010

last night i tripped over my ghd's (i think they're the salon styler four, they have fat plates) and the plastic case snapped, now the two arms are only connected by the wires. the hinge seems fine, its just where the two arms join has snapped apart, and is like i said, held together by the wires. the straighteners still work fine but obviously i can't use them. will anyone be able to give me any advice on how or where i can get them fixed?

Comment by Sophie at 21:18 on Thu 1 September 2011

i stood on my ghds the other day, the plastic casing has snapped in two. they still turn on and heat up.

any advise on how i could fix them, or anybody who could fix them?

thank you!

Comment by ellen at 17:34 on Tue 18 October 2011