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.
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.
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.
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.
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?