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  • Hairdryer

    From Scott@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 17:56:56 2025
    My friend's hairdryer 'exploded' with a loud bang and a smell of
    burning. This did not blow the fuse. My reaction time was fast. When I
    tried it again, the filament became very hot (glowing), the motor
    continued to turn and there was no airflow. My suspicion is that the
    propellor has fallen off the motor.

    I did a bit of research (ie, I Googled) and found that this hairdryer
    almost certainly has a DC motor (due to its price range) and that the
    heating element is used as a resistor to provide the correct voltage
    for the motor (via a rectifier). It seems to me that an attempt to
    repair - for someone else not myself - would be risky and we should
    buy a new one of a different make. Am I being over-cautious?

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  • From Joe@21:1/5 to Scott on Fri Jan 3 19:16:11 2025
    On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:56:56 +0000
    Scott <[email protected]> wrote:

    My friend's hairdryer 'exploded' with a loud bang and a smell of
    burning. This did not blow the fuse. My reaction time was fast. When I
    tried it again, the filament became very hot (glowing), the motor
    continued to turn and there was no airflow. My suspicion is that the propellor has fallen off the motor.

    I did a bit of research (ie, I Googled) and found that this hairdryer
    almost certainly has a DC motor (due to its price range) and that the
    heating element is used as a resistor to provide the correct voltage
    for the motor (via a rectifier). It seems to me that an attempt to
    repair - for someone else not myself - would be risky and we should
    buy a new one of a different make. Am I being over-cautious?

    'As my Uncle Suhuy used to say, speaking technically as a sorcerer, "If
    you don't understand it, don't screw around with it."'
    -- Roger Zelazny

    If it can be dismantled and every part identified (though possibly short-circuit or otherwise broken), then repair may be practical. If
    cheap, it is probably made in China and some or all parts may not be
    available.

    I'm guessing that it's beyond economic/possible repair. If you have
    reason to believe it's a design problem, then yes, go for a different
    model, otherwise, well, everything eventually dies of something. Another
    one of the same kind might last thirty years.

    --
    Joe

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  • From Thomas Prufer@21:1/5 to Scott on Sat Jan 4 09:28:24 2025
    On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:56:56 +0000, Scott <[email protected]> wrote:

    My friend's hairdryer 'exploded' with a loud bang and a smell of
    burning. This did not blow the fuse. My reaction time was fast. When I
    tried it again, the filament became very hot (glowing), the motor
    continued to turn and there was no airflow. My suspicion is that the >propellor has fallen off the motor.

    I did a bit of research (ie, I Googled) and found that this hairdryer
    almost certainly has a DC motor (due to its price range) and that the
    heating element is used as a resistor to provide the correct voltage
    for the motor (via a rectifier). It seems to me that an attempt to
    repair - for someone else not myself - would be risky and we should
    buy a new one of a different make. Am I being over-cautious?

    They all have DC motors, I thought?

    The dryer should have an overheat thermostat, to shut off if overheating due to no airflow (clogged, held shut, propeller falls off, etc). So there's one failsafe in there.

    I'd open it in any case, just to see what broke, and then you'll see if a fix is
    reasonable or safe. The filament tends to get hotter with age, too -- I have a hairdryer now used for heating workshop things that runs for about 3 minutes before the thermostat cuts out. Enough to dry/heat/cure some things...

    You may stop trying to even open it as too much trouble if there's some odd security bit at the bottom of a deep hole.

    Thomas Prufer

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  • From Scott@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Jan 4 10:56:44 2025
    On Sat, 04 Jan 2025 09:28:24 +0100, Thomas Prufer <[email protected]d> wrote:

    On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:56:56 +0000, Scott <[email protected]> wrote:

    My friend's hairdryer 'exploded' with a loud bang and a smell of
    burning. This did not blow the fuse. My reaction time was fast. When I >>tried it again, the filament became very hot (glowing), the motor
    continued to turn and there was no airflow. My suspicion is that the >>propellor has fallen off the motor.

    I did a bit of research (ie, I Googled) and found that this hairdryer >>almost certainly has a DC motor (due to its price range) and that the >>heating element is used as a resistor to provide the correct voltage
    for the motor (via a rectifier). It seems to me that an attempt to
    repair - for someone else not myself - would be risky and we should
    buy a new one of a different make. Am I being over-cautious?

    They all have DC motors, I thought?

    From my reading, the salon versions usually have AC motors that are
    wired independently of the heating element. This is what allows cold
    air to be blown. https://www.marlobeauty.com/pro2pro/professional-salon-blow-dryers-what-every-licensed-stylist-should-know/a250/#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20motor%20types,also%20have%20a%20longer%20life

    I think I'll follow Joe's advice and unscrew around with it instead
    (but with a willingness to abort the mission.

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