GHD 4.2P Repair Success

Apparently GHDs are a girl’s best friend, so when my girlfriends pair developed a fault, I had the chance to earn some brownie points, if I could fix them.

One main problem with ealry 4.2 models is the swivel connector. It’s poorly designed, so if you have a pair that is crackling and popping, then you probably have an old model and you should have the cable and socket upgraded.

Old mains cable and 3 pin socket — Old mains cable and socket on early GHD 4.2 needs upgrading

Replace socket for older GHD 4.2 modles — New upgraded swivel mains adapter and socket

Another simple fix is either replacing the temperature fuse and / or the heating elements. I tested both using a multimeter, the fuse (brown wires) showed it had continuity and the element (clear wires) gave a reading of around 60 Ohms.

Checking temperature fuse and elements — Continuity and resistence testing the fuse and element

With the fuse and both elements checked, I moved onto the R11 and R8 resistors. R8 was working but R11 didn’t give any reading.

R11 and R8 GHD resistors — R11 and R8 resistors

I choose to replace both resistors with new ‘Melf Resistor 50/47 Ohm’.

Sadly it didn’t go as planned and I burnt off one of the pads. Luckily it was pad closest to the screw terminal, so it was a simple case of creating a small jumper wire from the screw terminal to the resistor.

Resistor with jumper wire — New melf 50/47Ohms resistors with small jumper wire

Success. With the new mains cable and resistors the GHD straighters are working.

The mains cable cost £11.49 and the resistors were £1.99 for 10. When you consider a new pair of GHDs are priced at over £100, spending less than £15 to attempt a fix has been well worth the effort.

Now, where’s my brownie points?

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