Knowing how to troubleshoot a broken hair dryer can save you not just money, but hair. Literally. Or figuratively. Few things can make you feel like pulling out your own hair more than having a big date or job interview or appointment and stepping out of the shower to discover that your trusted hair dryer is not up to the job of drying your follicles and making you look presentable.
Many different types of hair dryers are manufactured by different brand that have different looks. You may have the type of hair dryer that looks like a raygun. Or you may have that old-fashioned hair dryer that you pull down over your head and looks like a refuge from a scene on Ozzie and Harriet or Leave it to Beaver. Then there is the stick style hair dryer onto which you can attach a comb or brush or just leave naked for the thrill of the hot air. The good news is that regardless of the type or style of blow dryer you have, troubleshooting is essentially the same. You may find a big difference in how you go about repairing or fixing the hair dryer, of course.
One of the more common complaints about blow dryers that needs to be troubleshooting is that sound of rattling from inside. That rattling sound going on blindly inside your hair dryer sounds horrific, but it really isn’t. This blow dryer problem is easily troubleshooted. That cause of the rattling is a loose impeller. And what is an impeller? The impeller is the plastic part inside of the hair dryer that consists of blades that that draw air in through the vents, push the air past the heating element and then shoots it out at you. The causes of a rattling impeller are that it has become loose or broken. Or it may just be obstructed. If the impeller is not broken you can take apart your hair dryer and clear away the obstruction to get it back to working condition.
Another common problem with hair dryers is that it suddenly starts blowing out cold air. You can still use it, but not as well. Unfortunately, a blow dryer that blows cold air means that you have a defective heating element. You can replace it, but you’d probably be better off just buying a new hair dryer.
Sometimes the opposite problem occurs and the hair dryer becomes hot to the touch. Troubleshooting this blow dryer problem leads inevitably to a defective thermostat. If you can get into the innards of your hair dryer, this can be fixed by unsticking it. Once you get in there, you may find that the contacts have fused and in this case you will not only need to replace the thermostat, but the heating element as well. This is more likely the case in an expensive salon-style dryer so it may well be worth the cost of replacement over buying a new one.
