are my straighteners salvageable?

waterbaby

Hello,

My hair straighteners have stopped working. Wiggling the wire no longer finds a connection like it used to. I don't want to buy another set if I don't have to, but I also don't want to add to the landfill mountain.

On inspection, they are designed so that you cannot get the wire out to change it, it is all built in. So my question is, when things are built in this way, is it possible for a knowledgeable person to get to the wire and change it or must it go to the landfill site?

Thanks.

lawrie28

under the new WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE directive electrical items, even small ones must be recycled. When you buy a new pair of straighteners, the shop you buy them from BY LAW have to take the old ones and recycle them FOC. If you don't think they will, then drop them in at your local tip, them will sort it out.

With straighteners, as they produce heat near your head, I wouldn't trust someone the repair them, just in case.......

TimBuckTeeth

The case on these things is usually held together with a couple screws hidden under a label or clip-on plastic part or by screws with a special head that can't be removed with a normal screwdriver. Then the case could need prising open if there are plastic clips moulded on the case.
I had a look at some recently for someone at work, once I had got into them I found that the end of the cable inside the straighteners had a moulded on swivel connection so the cable could not be replaced anyway. Other types have a moulded on strain relief on the cable that is needed to protect the cable and stop it pulling out, so again not straightforward to replace.
It might be possible for someone to replace the cable, but not economically viable for a repair shop and maybe unsafe if not done correctly by a neighbour etc.
So unfortunately they will probably have to be disposed of.
Be careful wiggling wires on things like this with damaged cables, as the cable can overheat or short out inside or even give you a shock.