Hair Straightener

[jmd445]

This isn't NEC related, but confusing. I'm scratching my head bald......

My daughter bought a new hair straightener at college. It worked fine. She came home for the holidays and the straightener worked intermittently. I had her exchange it for a new one. Last night she used a blow dryer, unplugged the blow dryer and plugged in her hair straightener. It DIDN?T WORK!!!

This circuit and receptacle serve other items in her room that operate fine, TV, DVD, radio, etc.

The straightener has a GFI as a plug. We tried several more receptacles in the house. Finally we found one that it worker in.

I have a push-matic 100 amp panel. Everything in the house works fine. The receptacles she tried were off the left buss, the ones it worked on were the right buss. I pulled my trusty Fluke and checked the polarity of all receptacles that the straightener worked in and didn?t work. All were 126.9 volts and 126.8 volts, very well balanced, all grounds and neutrals were fine.

After I checked all receptacles, I had her try her straightener where it didn?t work and now it works in all the ones it didn?t work in before. Some are ground up, some are ground down and some are horizontal.

When you reset the plug GFI, are they position sensitive?

 

[kwired]

I am a little confused with what works and what doesn't. I think I understand that the hair straightener was the only item that was not working.

Did you test for voltage at the receptacle with the load plugged in? If you did and had acceptable voltage the problem is in the plugged in load.

If the voltage drops to when turning on your load you have a poor connection somewhere in the premesis wiring.

Add: in the last sentence - if the voltage drops dramatically, there will be voltage drop with pretty much any load.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Gfci should not be position sensitive. What you are telling me doesn't make much sense. I would have guessed premise wiring connection but you say everything else works on the circuit.

What is the voltage with the straightener plugged in and turn on.

I know it's strange but it does sound like a bad unit. Try the unit in the kitchen on another circuit. If this is happening throughout the house with no other issues except the straightener then I have to think it is the equipment.

 

[jmd445]

The receptacle(s) she tried all work fine with other appliances (hair dryer, TV, VCR), there was no tremendous voltage drop when the unit was turned on (.2 volts max). It is an interesting situation. I would also conclude it is another defective straightener, but I can't prove it. Tonight I'll play with it and see if I can recreate the situation.

 

[lakee911]

I think its trying to tell you that curly hair is in style. :grin:

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

I would question the age of the receptical as older they get the weaker the tension.
Start by changing hers out.
We all know where these cheap things are made so is chance of thin prongs on the plug
Also if they made a defective run the one she got in exchange if at same store is likely from same run
Pull the receptacle out and check connections
If this is a back stab receptacle problem could be the reason we do not back stab anymore.
The one reading we must have is for this to be pluged in to her receptacle and a voltage reading while it is working on that receptacle.
Easy cure is be a good dad and buy her that $100 one made in USA for x mas
As a one time TV repair tech i can tell you the hardest thing to fix is intermitant problems

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

I think its trying to tell you that curly hair is in style. :grin:

I prefer woman with straight long blond hair. Remarking is OK

 

[marti smith]

Jim, I have plenty of those at my house. I can send them to you in a shoe box!

Hair appliances they make these days are junk. If you can get any that aren't made "elsewhere", this is best.

 

[jmd445]

This thing was $100.00 plus tax. The first one was purchased in SC, the second in NJ so I doubt they are from the same run but you never know. The receptacles are about 3 years old. They are Hubbell. Wire wrapped not stabbed. The tension is excellent, It was difficult to unplug it.

This is the item : http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=prod1570004&skuId=2120130#details

 

[K8MHZ]

The little boxes on the cords of blow dryers, curling irons, etc. are not GFCI's, they are immersion protection devices and most will have a label stating they are sensitive to disturbances in the electrical system.

422.41 requires them for hand held hair dryers.

I have one that trips in the summer when it's humid as I unplug it from a GFCI receptacle. The immersion protection device will trip and never set off the GFCI it's plugged into.

So the devices must be sensitive to things other than ground faults.

After I checked all receptacles, I had her try her straightener where it didn’t work and now it works in all the ones it didn’t work in before.

What I am reading is that after you poked around in the Push-matic panel things worked that didn't work before. That makes me a bit suspicious.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Jim, I have plenty of those at my house. I can send them to you in a shoe box!

Hair appliances they make these days are junk. If you can get any that aren't made "elsewhere", this is best.

Long haired blonds ? Sure send them to me and I will pay postage . LOL

 

[kspifldorf]

Long haired blonds ? Sure send them to me and I will pay postage . LOL

If they fit in a shoe box, they're probably made in the same place as the irons.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

If they fit in a shoe box, they're probably made in the same place as the irons.

I am still making payments on the blond i bought in 73
She was made in KY. and was a 15 year old one when i took posesion

 

[marti smith]

As long as she's not covered in sharpie you're OK.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

next time i am reading the fine print before i say I DO