No, not a Vespa.
My wife called me at work this morning in a bit of a tizzy. Apparently she was drying her hair with her celebrity hairdresser-branded paint stripper, sorry, hairdryer, when for no apparent reason it issues a tremendous bang, catches fire and starts belching smoke everywhere.
Fortunately the flames receded quickly and no harm was done, other than to the good lady's nerves.
The device is around 2 years old I'd guess.
I've not been able to inspect the device yet, and I have very little knowledge of the workings of electrical devices, but can anyone suggest a reason for such a sudden catastrophic failure? Would there be any point sending it to the manufacturer to see if they’re prepared to offer a replacement or some such?
She does leave the thing plugged in to the mains when not in use - is this dangerous practice for such a device?
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They (along with irons) have a nasty habit of breaking mains leads near to the handle. Big bang and not much smoke tho when that happens.
Here's a small outside bet. I bet its a dual voltage jobbie, and yup she has managed to switch it to 110 v.
Here's my fiver on the table.
Either way its toast, bin it.
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People rarely clean out the hair/fluff that's drawn into the inlet grille/filter so they overheat... I thought they had some kind of cutout but ours smells really hot without cutting out.
If it is a top brand could it be a fake... there were loads of fake expensive hair straighteners on Ebay a while back.
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>> People rarely clean out the hair/fluff that's drawn into the inlet grille/filter so they overheat...
Knowing Mrs A, that's my favourite theory so far..............
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>> can anyone suggest a reason for such a sudden catastrophic failure?
Her hair blocked the air intake grille and the thing overheated.
The coil went.
>> Would there be any point sending it to the manufacturer to see
>> if they’re prepared to offer a replacement or some such?
Possibly, if it's a "good" one, or a Lidl/Aldi one under guarantee (they'll replace it).
>> She does leave the thing plugged in to the mains when not in use -
>> is this dangerous practice for such a device?
If it can be easily switched on accidentally...
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It's a "Vidal Sassoon" branded hairdryer.
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>>Big bang and not much smoke tho when that happens.
Same happened to my wife's last hairdryer. Quite frightening at the time.
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May be Vidal Sassoon brand but somewhere on it, or on the box if you still have it, you may find the words "Made in China"!
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>> May be Vidal Sassoon brand but somewhere on it, or on the box if you
>> still have it, you may find the words "Made in China"!
If it's of poor quality, that simply means that Vidal Sassoon's specification or quality control was poor. It's got nothing to do with "Made in China" (or even the P.R.D.) per se.
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Vidal Sassoon had no input into the specification or quality control, merely branded anothers specification or quality control.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 15 Feb 11 at 13:13
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>> Vidal Sassoon had no input into the specification or quality control, merely branded anothers specification
>> or quality control.
>>
Think Lada with a BMW badge. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 15 Feb 11 at 13:14
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I was thinking more Lada with a Ford badge, VS is not that classy.
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>> I was thinking more Lada with a Ford badge, VS is not that classy.
>>
I was think Mitsubishi with a Lada badge ....
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>> I was think Mitsubishi with a Lada badge ....
>>
>>
:-))))))))))))))))))))))))
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You had my hopes up there for a moment, nope the Lada rear wiper blade doesn't fit either.
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>> You had my hopes up there for a moment, nope the Lada rear wiper blade
>> doesn't fit either.
>>
Try the Vidal Sassoon one, if it does not clear the screen properly at least it should smell nice.
EDIT: Sassooooooon.
Last edited by: Cheddar on Tue 15 Feb 11 at 13:39
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>>Think Lada with a BMW badge. :-)>>
Most electrical/electronic/computer components and peripheral products bought these days are manufactured in China; it's no reflection whatsoever on their quality if from one of the top brand names.
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>> >>Think Lada with a BMW badge. :-)>>
>>
>> Most electrical/electronic/computer components and peripheral products bought these days are manufactured in China; it's no
>> reflection whatsoever on their quality if from one of the top brand names.
>>
I agree, I was thinking counterfeit kit.
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Well Mrs A bought it from Argos (so she says). Can't imagine they knowingly peddle counterfeit goods.
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Knowingly, no they wouldn't. They (and other big retailers) have been duped in the past tho.
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She could have bought it from Argos. It doesn't mean that it isn't a bit of junk, made in China, and endorsed for cash by some has-been crimper. I'm guessing that the stuff is made in China, whether it is good stuff or counterfeit
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No doubt.
I couldn't give a tinker's cuss about the junk's provenance, I was hoping for suggestions as to why it went pop, from an electrical point of view, to perhaps inform my investigation later.
I have absolutely no idea why people are intent on turning this thread into some kind of rant against far eastern manufacture, or my wife's choice of haircare product.
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>>Most electrical/electronic/computer components and peripheral products bought these days are manufactured in China; it's no reflection whatsoever on their quality if from one of the top brand names.
I hope that is correct. I think it is.
Recentlly I did some searching for a SELV bathroom fan.
Obviously the two major brands were pricy so I looked for alternatives.
I found adverts for an Airvent model " Ventaxia's sister company" and looked further.
From my searching, IMO, it is simply rebranding an offering that is available elsewhere.
I found the same item, unbranded for an even cheaper price. In the Fleabay Airvent advert the wiring instructions were visible and they are identical to those of the fan I bought.
( Due partially to an advert with not enough trigger items in the description and my researching I got a very good cheap buy - cheaper than a basic fan from a shed outfit).
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...it's no reflection whatsoever on their quality if from one of the top brand names...
I hope that's true.
Products from what is soon to be the biggest company in the world are labelled: "Designed in California, made in China."
The company is Apple and I like their products.
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It's was once owned by Sir Alex Ferguson of MU fame who overused it...in the dressing room.
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Al,
What part of the country do you live?
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Berkshire.
Did you hear a loud bang this morning, Captain?
;-)
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AH I smell local power surge!
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Either it went into meltdown due to poor inlet airflow as already suggested or the heater element developed a fault, creating a low resistance and hence too much heat and meltdown ensued that way. I though this sort of stuff was supposed to fail same - I assume it is CE marked as I can't imagine Argos selling dodgy imports. Worth taking up with them anyway.
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When it's unplugged, is the cord wound round the body?
SWMBO and two daughters do this, it eventually ends up with the cord being so twisted it stops working. The solution's to try and train them to double-up the cord and then wind it (I haven't succeeded with the training).
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Nah, it's never unplugged, it's just left in a pile on the floor.
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>> Nah, it's never unplugged, it's just left in a pile on the floor.
>>
I can relate to that, sounds like my daughters' "floordrobe"
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>> Nah, it's never unplugged, it's just left in a pile on the floor.>>
..and still plugged into the mains.....
See: tinyurl.com/4gtwqb2
tinyurl.com/4qn78yj (US link)
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>> it's never unplugged, it's just left in a pile on the floor
At 2 years old that's quite a lot of opportunities for it to have been dropped, from bed height or greater, which could theoretically have damaged or loosened components inside the hairdryer, causing a short circuit.
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>> - I assume it is CE marked
But which CE mark?
The genuine one, or the one that means China Export?
www.ybw.com/imageBank/c/CE_Marks_lrg.jpg
farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5201859553_2335faa8d3.jpg
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I hope Argos employ someone who can tell the difference, but you never know.
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...I hope Argos employ someone who can tell the difference...
No good employing me then, because I can't.
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The 'C' and 'E' are further apart on the real CE logo, so that if the two letters were complete circles they would intersect at one point.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Tue 15 Feb 11 at 19:54
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The CE mark is found on a vast range of products and certainly not just electrical as many assume.
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The CE Marks on my phone and it's battery have the C and E at different distances apart. But where's the kite mark ;-)
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I thought the CE mark just meant it complies with EU regulations?
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Alonovic, we are awaiting the post mortem. With pictures and graphic description if possible. Think CSI
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Sorry Z, I don't tend to look at the computer when I'm at home, just when I'm needing to procrastinate at work.
And the result of the post mortem is.................
.....a bunged up filter at the back, stuffed with pinkish fluff. I presume that had stopped it pulling in air to cool the device.
It's in the bin, new one in place. Lecture has been delivered to the guilty party about mechanical/electrical sympathy. Which will no doubt be ignored, as usual.
Imagine how much trouble I'd be in if I ignored the maintenance of her car in this way, and it went bang due to lack of oil or somesuch?
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Wikipedia says
The CE marking (also known as CE mark) is a mandatory conformance mark on many products placed on the single market in the European Economic Area (EEA). The CE marking certifies that a product has met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements. Originally "CE" stood for "Communauté Européenne" ("European Community") or "Conformité Européenne" ("European Conformity").[citation needed] According to the European Commission today, the CE logo has become a symbol for free marketability of industrial goods within the EEA without any literal meaning.
The bottom line is:-
By affixing the CE marking to a product, the manufacturer – on his sole responsibility – declares that it meets EU safety and health and environmental requirements.
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>> By affixing the CE marking to a product, the manufacturer – on his sole responsibility
>> – declares that it meets EU safety and health and environmental requirements.
That's the interesting bit: "My product meets regulations".
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>> I thought the CE mark just meant it complies with EU regulations?
>>
Yes, that's what it's for; including product safety, WEEE, EMC etc.; the specific requirements will depend on the type of product.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Wed 16 Feb 11 at 09:28
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Hi Al,
It might be worth contacting Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue to see if they operate a fire investigation team. Some Brigades do, some don't. They would be able to tell you the cause of the fire, and they would be interested, as it might point to a generic fault with that particular make of dryer. Which might bring about a recall or if not connected with the workings, a warning with the instructions in future. It might be a trivial thing to some but it might prevent injury or fire to someone else.And if they cannot identify the cause they will pass the item on to a forensic laboratory.
In London we pass information on to our teams about fires in domestic appliances. Some models of say washer dryer have been known to catch fire more readily than others. Makes a large mess of the kitchen or downstairs. If a certain model becomes a frequent problem then it is highlighted and taken further.
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I can't add much value as to possible causes of failure, but we have had at least three failures of similar casually treated hairdryers terminating themelves with a burning smell, at least once with a bit of fizzing and some smoke.
Safety wise they seem to rely on "double insulation" rather than an earth wire to prevent shocks, which I always thought was a bit odd for something that is used by wet people, but I'm still more concerned that the blasted thing will start a fire. I don't see why anybody needs one if I can set off to work with damp hair every morning - it never fails to dry off by the time I get there!
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Exploding hairdryer - Zero
