GHD’s constantly beeping – not heating up

What is Shiver Mode?

I know what you are thinking – it’s when you go out in the snow and you come back in freezing cold, but apart from that how many people know what GHD shiver mode is?

At FixMyGhds we occasionally get GHD repairs sent to us and when we test them there doesn’t appear to be a fault. We go through the ghds and test all the components thoroughly and as a last resort we will ring the customer. When we ask what the fault is they say it is a constant beeping noise and they don’t warm up.

There are a couple of reasons for this. 1 is a fault in the circuit boards in side the GHD arms and the other is ‘Shiver Mode’.

Shiver Mode is a feature that GHD straighteners have built in in all models after the GHD 3.1b. (so GHD4.0 to 4.2b, 5.0 ect). It is designed so that when the temperature is below about 11 degrees C the ghds will not power the heater plates up and the GHD,s will just make a constant beeping noise.

The reason why this feature has been built into the straighteners is because if they were to get suddenly warm from below about 11 degrees the moisture in the air surrounding the PCB,s can form condensation. The condensation on the electronic components may then cause damage to the PCB’s and permanently damage the straighteners to the point where they wont power up at all and need to be sent off for repair.

11 degrees is pretty cool for the straighteners to get if they are kept in a centrally heated house but in very cold weather if the heating hasn’t been on overnight they may get below this threshold temperature. Also if you have been travelling and the ghd’s have been left in a cold car for example they may go into Shiver Mode when you first take them into the house.

If your GHDs are constantly beeping and wont heat up, before you book a repair let the straighteners warm up to above 11 degrees and they should then work properly. If you are in a rush to use them then they can be placed on a radiator for a short period of time or gently heated with a hairdryer.

If this still doesn’t work then there is a good chance that they have gone faulty and a repair should be booked from the home page of our web site www.fixmyghds.com All the repairs are carried out within 24 hours of us receiving them.

If you are unsure or want any more information about ghd repair please ring Mike on 07788 144744

What are the common faults with GHD Eclipse and Platinum models?

We get a lot of customers asking why we cannot repair GHD Eclipse and platinum models, so I have written this quick blog to explain what the faults are. Also, I am not aware of any repairers carrying out reliable repairs on these models.

There are 2 main differences between the Eclipse/Platinum and all the previous models. In the past GHD 3.1b, 4.0b, 4.2b and GHB 5.0 were easy to dismantle and the parts to repair them were readily available. This made Repairs relatively straight forward and economically viable. The latest models are neither of the above. They are bonded rather than screwed together which makes dismantling harder and more time consuming.

The next problem is that the later ghd models are a lot more complicated electronically and this stems from one of the features that GHD use to promote the straighteners i.e. ‘tri zone technology’. In Ghd5.0 and older there is one heater in each arm. The heater in the non-switch arm has an electronic component (thermistor) bonded to it. The Thermistor senses the temperature and sends a signal to the electronics to control both heaters and so the temperature in both plates.

In the Eclipse and Platinum models there are 3 areas in each of the 2 heaters. The temperature of each of the six zones is controlled separately with six thermistors sending signals the electronics. This six-fold increase of control and all the components associated with it appears to be one of the problems that has led to reliability problems.

The next problem effecting the latest model GHD’s is that the heater plates appear to crack a lot more readily  than older models and I have heard a couple of explanations as to why this may be. Firstly, behind the heaters is a ribbed rubber/ silicon part that supports the heater. With time and heat cycles the rubber supports appear to deteriorate and stick to the plate and cause problems as the ceramic heater heats and cools. Secondly and probably a more contributory factor is the “Tri Zone Technology”. As explained earlier each heater is divided into 3 zones which heat and cool at different times in theory to keep the plates a constant temperature along the length of the plate. However, the edges of each of the heating elements are very close to each other and 1 area may be cooling slightly while an adjacent area is heating. Over many cycles this is likely to stress the ceramic and eventually cause it to crack.

Fortunately, GHD still make the previous model GHD 5.0 which was probably the most reliable model that GHD made. Eclipse and Platinum appear to be a step backwards and it is important that potential customers read the reviews online to get an idea for themselves as to whether the Eclipse and Platinum are worth the money for a product that may not be as reliable as the old models and may not last as long.

My own personal advice is if you are going to buy GHDS then go for the older model ghd5 which is not only considerably cheaper but appears to more reliable and can be repaired if they ever go faulty

Why choose GHD SS5.0 Wide Plate Hair Straighteners?

So the first thing to mention about Ghd’s wide plate model, GHD model SS5.0, is that it is based on an older design namely the GHD5.0. Although the GHD5.0 is still in production there are 2 newer versions – the ‘Ghd Platinum’ and the ‘Ghd eclipse’ which both use completely different technology.
At this point you may be thinking that this rules out the SS5.0 as it is old fashioned but let me say this may not be a bad thing. It appears from reading articles about the latest generation of straighteners ie the Eclipse and Platinum, that there may be reliability issues and repairs aren’t possible because of their construction. These issues in the Eclipse and Platinum don’t exist in the earlier models. At Fixmyghds we have found that the GHD5.0 are probably the most reliable model of straightener that GHD have  produced. Since the wide plate SS5.0 use the same parts It follows that they will be reliable.
As always with GHD products the packaging is very good and they come with a silicone protector that slides over the ends of the plate which means that you don’t have to wait until they are completely cool before you can pack them away, if you were travelling for example.
To use the straighteners, heat up quite quickly although I do find it strange that the light flashes as they warm up and then stays on constantly while at the correct temperature – the opposite of earlier models such as the SS4 or GHD3.1b
The wide plate Straightners were developed to be used with thick or wild hair and the size of the heater plates is sufficient to deal with the thickest, wildest hair. The straightners feel comfortable to hold and the heat doesn’t transfer through the arms as much as some makes. However, my main complaint is that there is no control over the operating temperature as there is on some straighteners that are priced considerably less. The model SS5.0 appears to operate at about 180 degrees centigrade but seams to drop about 10 degrees when used with thick hair. This is likely to be due to the wider plate as the GHD5.0 standard size heat plates don’t seem to lose temperature the same way.
Because there is no temperature control on this model it is not possible to compensate for the drop in temperature. The lack of control is also a problem when re-touching hair as often you will want the GHD’s to be cooler, say 150 degrees to have more control and less damage.
To sum up the GHD SS5.0 Wide Plate straightener:
A premium product from GHD that is ideal for thick hair but you will pay a premium price
Wide plate GHD’s will probably prove to be more reliable than the Eclipse or Platinum models and can be repaired if it does go faulty.
It feels good to use but is let down by having no temperature control

GHD Thermal Fuse

GHD Hair Straighteners Thermal Fuse Repair

Problems with the thermal fuses have been know to be quite common particularly in the 3.1 b models. The fault seems to manifest much less in the newer MK4 models which actually utilize a higher rated fuse. When researching thermal fuse problems in ghds it is of course important to understand that the thermal fuse is in no way related to the 3 amp fuse which is of course found in the mains plug.

If you think the thermal fuse may have broken in your ghds, you will notice that the irons are completely inactive. There will be no light and no heat will be generated in the ceramic plates. The reason the fuse may fail is simply due to extended use and the heat it experiences. As it regularly reaches heat up to around 200C and cools the internal elements of the fuse can begin to shrink. After a certain amount of usage this effect causes the fust to literally fail and cause the above effects.

One other thing to bare in mind is that in addition to faults with the fuse itself it can be tripped as a result off issues with the printed circuit board. It’s always worth checking the correct operation of the irons after the replacement. Here at FixMyGHDs we PAT test all units after a repair of this nature to ensure they meet all health and safety standards.

Prior to any thermal fuse replacement it is important to test the existing fuse to ensure that is where the problem lies. To locate the fuse, find the 2 brown wires which come out of the ceramic plate found on the switch arm of the irons. When applying a multi-meter across the fuses terminals you should register something between 0 to 1ohms, effectively the same as you would see if the meters probes where touched together. If the ghds fault seems to be intermittent it is usually worth moving the wires around a little whilst testing to try and recreate the fault.

Actually performing the repair is a task which should only be undertaken by properly trained individuals with the correct equipment. We have included so information here to give you an idea if what the repair entails. Remember this repair is fully covered by our ghd repair service and fully guaranteed, including the price of any of the parts outlined here.

The fuse which is utilized in ghds can be bought from the likes of Maplin and other electrical component retailers. There are in fact 2 parts which are compatible those being sf214k and the sf226e. We ten to utilize the sf226e as it has be shown to have a longer working life. There are actually 2 ways to approach performing the repair. It is possible to remove the old fuse from it’s ceramic casing and replace with the new one. We find this method is extremely long winded and you prone to errors. In addition it is necessary to ensure the compound you use is suitably thermally conductive to allow the fuse to function correctly.

A more acceptable way of carrying out the repair is to firstly remove the wires from the old fuse and recrimp them to the new one. You can then wrap the assembly using either kapton tape or kempton tape to isolate them electronically from the heater plates.

A few handy tips about thermal fuse replacement are as follows:

  • Simply bypassing the fuse is not a great idea. Although they may work there is no safety precautions.
  • To remove the plastic cover from the heater plate, try and slide it off the end of the heater as flexing it could break the clips.
  • This repair must be treat with the right care. Mains voltages run through this part, and even as standard from the factory Kapton tape is used just to make sure the fuse cannot touch the metal clips.