Attempting to repair a Chi Flatiron
The Chi Flat Iron is an expensive device. When my Wife’s Chi broke, a little web research showed that problems with the power cord seem like a pretty consistent complaint. However, i could not find any good tutorials on how to fix the cord problem.. or even how to take the Chi apart. In the end, my problem was not related to the cord. I took photos as I dissembled the Chi in the hopes that some other poor husband who takes this on can have an inside look at the Chi before deciding to ‘dig in’
Are you planning on taking your CHi apart? Send me photos!!!
Since I wrote this article there have been many followup questions asked about getting the hinge screws out and circuit board details. If you are taking your Chi apart, please take some photos for me and let me know in the comments. If I use your photos on this page I will definately give you photo credit.
ANOTHER UPDATE!
ANOTHER UPDATE! We have added another page for user submitted photos. Of you are looking for more photos / inspiration for digging into your broken Chi… look here.
Using a knife or small flatblade screwdriver, remove the hinge cover on both sides of the Chi.
WIth the covers removed you will see the two screw heads that go through the hinge. using two screwdrivers carefully remove the screws. Use caution when removing and finally separating the two sides of the Chi, there is a spring in the hinge that may leap out at you.
You may find the process of removing the screws easier if you can gently clamp the Chi to a table or workbensh so it does not get away from you.
Here is the chi with the sides seaprated. I put the screw back in the hinge to avoid losing it.
The Chi with the cord removed. From what I read, this is a big point of failure with the Chi. While I had the cord out, I used a small wire brush to clean the contacts seen in the photo here.
The rotating cord
The backside of the circutboard, note the charring
the fried switch.
I removed the fried switch and then soldered a small piece of wire across where the switch was located, closing the circuit that was originally interrupted by the switch. So, now the Chi is on at all times when it is plugged in. Which is not a problem because my wife always keeps it unplugged anyway.
UPDATE 2009.12.31: Over 6 months later and the CHi is still going strong! :)
Also, I found an article by Nicholas Colyer dealing with troubleshooting and replacing the thermal fuse on a knockoff Chi, I read the article and it looks like the same information could be applied to an actual Chi. Check him out: http://www.thehackerdiary.com/nicholas-colyer/repairing-a-flat-iron-thermal-fuse-fun/
UPDATE 2011.02.14: It has been over a year… the Chi is still going strong. Also, we have added another page for user submitted photos. Of you are looking for more photos / inspiration for digging into your broken Chi… look here.
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Thanks for the photos, I needed to get ours apart and fix the heater wire that broke off with 10 cents of solder to save $129.89 + tax!!
Brad,
I could not find any take-apart photos for the Chi which is why i photographed my experience int eh first place. I am glad to hear my efforts have come full circle 
Sweet deal dude. I am glad these helped you.
-Joe
Joe,
How did you initially take it apart? I don’t want to break anything more…
So, did you end up being able to fix it??
@James I need to take it apart again to get photos of the first few steps. I did not have the idea to start photographing last time until I already had it apart. There is a screw that goes through the pivot-point on the chi. You remove the two plastic plugs that are over the hinge area and you will see the screw. it was pretty tough to get loose. I actually ended up using a clamp on the Chi to hold it still while i was trying to get the screws loose the first time.
@Michelle, Yes. it has been rock solid since the fix. The Wife just unplugs it when she is done (she always did anyways). No more problems.
So..
I just disassembled mine (honestly without any electrician knowledge). How do I figure out what is wrong with it? Or how to fix it?
Thanks!
joe did you find any schematics or info on the resistors on the circuit board? my g/f’s friend dropped her chi and now it does not work…. I have taken it apart… no charing… I am getting power past the swivel point… but im not sure how to find out much after that… I see that one iron has a purple power wire and the other has a red…any input is appreciated
@Cory: Sorry dude, I am not skilled enough to be able to perform component level troubleshooting. I cant help you there. And i have not seen any schematics. If you come across any I would love to see them (and share them on the site here.)
Good luck.
A little extra correspondence that took place via email that may be helpful to other readers:
Joe: Hi Michelle, thanks for reading my blog. i wanted to let you know I
replied to your comment (my system does not do auto notifications.)
thanks again!@!
Michelle: were you able to fix it after all?
Joe: yes, it has been working solid since the fix bypassing the switch fixed the problem. The Wife just has to unplug it when she is done with it (she did all the time anyway)
Michell: I don’t think I can fix this on my own. I checked in with Salon Art, I guess they are the repair shop for Chi and they are going to charge me $30 to fix it, and $11.46 for shipping and handling. Unbelievable. Glad you got your wifes working though!
Joe: That is not a terrible price considering the chi is worth around $200 (right?). Also it took me about 2 hours to fix our chi…. if i was making $15/hr as a tech to fix the iron, you would break even paying the $30 to get it fixed at the shop.
Good luck!
Michell: This is true, thanks!
Joe: Oh by the way, if you dont mind I would like to paste our correspondence here into the comments of the blog post. I will obscure your full name and email of course. Is that cool?
Michell: Of course, you have been helpful.
Joe: Hi Nicole. I got your comment on my chi article. Congrats on the successful take-apart
What are your symptoms? How is your chi malfunctioning?
Nicole: it just won’t power up. And the “reset” button has done nothing. So some type of electrical problem I suppose? Any ideas?
Joe: That is what happened to my wifes Chi. he switch was acting flaky for
a while then the unit finally stopped working. Does the power switch
on the Chi move OK? or is it grindy and/or too loose seeming? your
switch may have fried like ours did. If that is the case you may be
able to get the switch replaced or bypassed like I did… but If you
are not an experienced solderer I would recommend seeking help from an
electrician. good luck! Let me know how it works out or If i can help any more.
Thanks for the photos and comments. I had a failed switch, too, but instead of removing the switch I just soldered the 2nd and 3rd switch pins together on the bottom of the board and that just shorted the switch. It was much easier and faster than removing the switch and soldering in a wire.
Hi, I brought my chi to Peru with me this summer and plugged it in thinking the voltage was right but appartantly it wasn’, the chi turned on and then turned off and hasn’t worked since, I’m guessing I fried something inside, can I fix it or do I need a new part?
so joe, my chi iron wire that connects to the chi tore. do u know how to fix it?
Joy: I am guessing you fried it. There is a chance that you just fried the cord/breaker portion of your Chi cord. (can you press the test/reset buttons on it still?)
Rose: If the cord is frayed, someone experienced with electrical repairs will be able to solder and re insulate your cord no problem. If you need to replace the cord entirely, that wont be that difficult ether, you will need to locate a dealer who sells a compatible replacement cord and then just follow the first few steps that I used above to dissemble the chi to be able to attach the new cord to the chi.
Good luck!!
Ok Joe, what do you know about “thermal fuses”. I think this is what could be wrong with my ridiculously priced CHI. The reset button on the cord still works and so I don’t think it is the cord. I was just using it and all of a sudden, no more heat. I have had it for a little over a year, which sucks cause of the 1 year warranty. I am not worried about taking it apart, just taking it apart in vain, and not being able to put it back together.
Melissa,
I just found an article by Nicholas Colyer dealing with troubleshooting and replacing the thermal fuse on a knockoff Chi, I read the article and it looks like the same information could be applied to an actual Chi. Check him out: http://thehackerdiary.blogspot.com/2009/07/repairing-flat-iron-thermal-fuse-fun.html As far as the take- apart goes, it is not that bad if you are a little technically inclined. If the chi is dead what is the worst thing that can happen?… break it more? (Just dont hurt yourself messing with electricity please!)
Thanks for the help. This will be the fourth time I have worked on my wife’s chi. The other times were because the plates came off. I used epoxy to glue them back on. It holds up to the high heat. It does smell for a couple of months but then goes away. This time it seemed to have a short in the cord. Your pictures were very helpful in getting it apart. Thanks.
Just added a link back to you. Thanks a million!
how do you get the spring back in?
For me, the spring was not all that tight of a fit. I just held it in place while I reconnected the two sides.
hey joe,
Glad you are there. I am having a hard time getting it back in. Does the end pieces go in the led side?
Sounds like you were able to get it back in but I am not having much luck
Hi Monica, honestly it has been many months since I had the Chi apart. I am looking back at the photos above, (3rd one) and it looks like most of the hardware goes on the non-LED side, then after you line up the two sides, you insert the screw that locks the sides together. (if you get it back together successfully and can report back what you did i would love to have it here for other readers. (My wife will kill me if i take hers again unnecessarily)
thanks but that was not help
I will keep trying thanks
if your chi’s not working and the power cord is fine, look underneath the ceramic plate on the same side as the switch. there is a thermal fuse under there that goes out quite a bit, you have to get them online but they only cost 1 dollar. i have repaired over 20 of the chi’s and 90% of the time it is this fuse. hope that helps somebody
My CHI won’t work. I thought it was the ground fault plug. When I push the yellow button it clicks. I don’t think it clicks on the red button, but the light did flash. Do you think it’s the cord or the fuse. Thanks, Jean
Thank You! This is the exact problem that my wife’s Chi is experiencing and, until now, did not know how to disassemble it. Thanks again.
Hi, my chi does not get hot enough to straighten my hair.. will the fuse issue fix the heat, or do you know how to turn up the heat? The cord is fine. thanks,Candace
Hi: Just found your web site. My chi problem I believe is definately in the cord – next to the actual plug. If I move the cord just right – my chi will heat and I can use it if I’m cautious not to move the cord. My question – can I replace the plug on my chi as I think the wire must be loose or cracked and that is why if I can make an exact connection, she works fine.
thanks
Gail
Hi! On the Chi I’m trying to save the yellow circular component has totally burned to dust. Does anyone know the product code for it? I’v ezoomed into the picture posted here and can roughly make out ’5?A7?’ etc. Obviously not enough
Is there any help for me out there? THANKS!!!!!
Hey, first off thanks for putting this site together… it has been a great help so far. My girlfriend’s chi stopped working overnight last night. I have taken it apart and do not see any charring on the circuit board.
I believe that the problem is either in the power chord swivel connector male plug or in the swivel connector female piece. I have minimal experience in this area and went to radio shack for advice. I was wondering if it is possible to just remove the swivel connector and crimp the wires from the power cord (black and white) directly to the wires coming from the swivel receptor (red and white).
The person at Radio Shack warned me that if the swivel piece contained any other parts (such as capacitors) that this could fry the whole iron. Is this indeed something that I should be concerned about? Thanks so much!
Nice site, and great pics/how to.
Brett: I don’t think that directly connecting the wires to the cord will impose any problems electrically, but unless you stop the end piece from rotating, you will create stress that will tear your wires apart, especially if your girl rotates the Chi a lot when doing her hair. You would need some sort of strain relief so that the cord doesn’t just pull out and tweak the wires.
My husband is an electrician and took it apart. He said that the problem with mine is in the plates….Where can I get plate replacements??
THx Joe. My wifes third CHI stopped working. Used your tutorial to discover a broken wire from one of the plates and dirty contacts in the rotating power cord. All is well now !
Boycott this company, even though they make the best iron, little needs to be said about their tech support/customer service. They haven’t the foggiest clue about what it means to all of us! Paperweight!
Thanks Joe.. my chi iron quit this morning while I was getting ready for work. I contacted SalonArt and they weren’t very friendly. It worries me to ship it off, don’t know that I’ll get it back. Sooooo.. I’m going to show my husband your page and hope he’ll try to fix it. Maybe you’ll insprie him!! =)
i just got my chi yesterday and last night the LED light would not come on but it still heats up fine, wat would the problem be and howdo i fix it
Thanks for the “take-apart” photos! It really helped a lot. My husband is trying to fix mine. Did anyone of you have problem with the cord connections inside? Mine is just not making contact all the time, its arching (means the electricity is making a little bit of spark internally, not visible). My CHI still works and I’ve had it for 5 years now..this problem just started 2 months ago although it is still working, I just have to turn the swivel cord and make sure it doesn’t move when the red power light comes on..otherwise it shuts off. My husband is an electrician and I insist on him trying to figure out what is wrong or if its fixable..anything to save me $199.99! He is fixing it as I write on here
Any advice would be helpful:)
By the way, he switch is fine and the ceramic still heats up super fast!
Will you fix mine? I have two that go on and off when the cord shifts or the plates are pushed down.
Thanks for the help! The switch on my daughter’s Chi got stuck in the OFF position. Following your advice, I got it open and shorted the switch. I just took long-nose pliers and bent the ‘middle’ and ‘on’ contacts together and soldered them. Works great!
Awesomeness! great step by step and really good high quality images to help through the process. Thanks for taking the time to share the tutorial!
If I send mine to you can you fix it for $40?
Hello Joe….Wow women can really use a guy like you around the house…lol! Well here i s my situation…I don’t have a guy around the house to fix my CHI. So have you considered doing this one the side and helping out some single moms with their CHI problems? Heck I’d be willing to throw a few dollars your way along with shipping expense rather than buying a new one! Besides…I don’t like my hair curly all the time
Joe,
Great site. I have a fake CHI that my wife has had for about 1 1/2 years. It will turn on and heat up fine. but after about five minutes of being on it cuts off and will NOT come back on till it cools off. Just wanted to confirm if you think this sounds like thermal fuse?
Thanks,Ray
@Kate Glad to hear this helped you. I did clean the cord connection for our Chi when i had it apart, although it was not giving us any specific trouble. That is definitely a weak spot in the design. If you can, a good wire-brushing would probably help your situation a bit.
@Heather I dont know that it would be worth your money to ship me your Chi. I am not a pro electrician / electronics guy. I think you would have better luck bringing the Chi into your local electronics repair shop and seeing if they can take a look at it. I would love to have $40, but I dont know that I would be the best use of your money. (If anyone has some recommended repair shops, let me know. maybe we can get a list together to recommend to folks)
@Linda Thanks for the complement. (as for the fixing, see Heathers reply above)
@Ray Yes, it sounds like the thermal fuse to me… although be careful because it is possible that the unit is really overheating and the fuse is just doing its job.
Joe,
when i had apart and fuse was out in open where it could cool and not under plate it would not cut out like when it was assembled. Thanks for the fast replies. Ray
New Thermal fuse installed from Radioshack. It is a bit lower rating 228 degrees C instead of 240 like original one but it has now been on for about 30 mins and has not yet shut off. Thanks for your help. Ray
I forgot to say it was fixed for 1.80 for part suppose to be a
SEFUSE
SF240E
240°C
10A
250V
Radioshack only had 228° so I got that and took me abouot an hour to take apart and put back together. Easy to do GREAT fix for saving Expensive irons.
Hi,
I bought two chi one for my daughter and one for me. After 5 months of usage ever time I plug it in it seems to shut down. If I move the cord back and foreword it comes back on. It keeps going on and off every time. What do you think it is?Should I do the same thing you did?thx
THANK YOU SO MUCH! this helped a lot i was able to fix it in about 5 minutes the hardest parts were screwing the parts back together lol
Hi, my wifes Chi iron switch just broke 2 days ago similar to the problem you had. i just wanted to know which leads you soldered back together. the 2 closer to the paddle or w/e its called are burnt pretty bad on mine. so im guessing thats it. and the third would be ground.
My problem was the connections at the rotating cord. Bent the 2 contacting “rings” closer together and it seems to work fine for now.
Joe
Thanks for the website, I can’t get started! I can get one screw out but the other one just seems to turn (the sleeve that it goes into keeps turning with it.) Any suggestions?
@ray thanks for teh info! hopefully some other users will be helped by your info as well!
@jor Awesome. glad to hear!
@loveMyChi Sounds like you need to clean the swivel point and possibly re-bend the contacts where the cord meets the chi. (like @carl mentioned a few comments above)
@brice If i remember right, there was more than two spots on the board to solder… but only two of them had trace lines running to them. once I pulled the switch out, it was pretty easy to see which traces needed to be joined to bypass the switch. (sorry i did not take pictures of the circuit board after the soldering. Any my wife would kill me if i took her (still working!) chi apart just to take new photos) Good luck! Send me a pic of the circuit board and /or your solder job and I will be happy to add it to the post.
@becky If you look at the 2nd photo on the page above, i have my fingers on both sides of the screw… you will need two screw drivers as they are both attached. Hold the bottom part of the screw still and then twist the top. It was kinda tricky. I ended up clamping the iron down so i could use the two screwdrivers more steadily.
** I want your chi repair photos! **
If you take apart your chi and attempt a repair…. please send me pictures of your work and I will add them to this post. I would love some photos of the the circuit board (specifically where the switch is installed)
Comment here that you have photos to share and i will send you my email address.
Hey Joe! Pretty good write up here. I just have one question for you or anyone else – How do you get the black plate off of the heated plate without it breaking? Specifically the one that has the thermal fuse underneath. My girlfriend was on her second broken one. So I figured that I could swap parts out + fix at least one. Which is what I did. Only when taking off that black plate on the back of the heated plate to get to the thermal fuse, it cracked in a few places. I ended up gluing it back together. Any tips? I used a few jewelers screw drivers, but that didn’t help much.
Hello Joe,
Thanks for the instructions with photographs, I hope my husband will able to fix it. Can you please tell where do we find the plugin cord? my plug in switch has been broken. Can you please guide us where we could buy good one? Thank you very much for the help.
@andrew I am not sure how to get those plates off. I was lucky to not need to go that deep into the Chi. Perhaps another reader will be able to comment.
good luck!
@Shalu Is the swivel potion of your cord still OK? If so, you could just replace the end of the Chi cord with a standard A/C plug. (beware removing the built in circuit breaker that most chi cords have will make the unit more dangerous to operate near water (always use a GFI plug in your bathroom))
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/elect/accessories/ext_cord/end1/replace.htm
Or, if your the whole Chi cord is bad (including the swivel part) you may want to try to order a new chi cord. I do not have any experience with these sellers, but I have seen that some companies do offer replacement cords….
http://www.google.com/search?q=chi+replacement+cord
If you end up buying a replacement cord and have a good experience with a a particular company, we would love for you to report back here and let our future readers know if there is a good place to get replacements.
-Joe
Hi Joe!
My CHI straightener will not turn on! I used it for about a week and boom! However I have taken mine apart and now i think it is a fake because it does not look like yours!
Anyways… Do you think my problem can be solved the same as your wifes? This is also soooo helpful!
I’ve had my chi for about 8 years or so & the paddles have come loose. The cord still works & the power is fine but the paddles are hanging off. Any idea how I can fix it. Is there some kind of glue or something?
Thanks so much!
Heather
Hi Joe!
Wonderful info you’re providing. I was hoping you had some advice on getting the screws out from under the CHI logo hinger covers? I removed them with the tip of a knife but when I try to loosen the screws they just move together. It seems like they’re both connected, when I try to unscrew from one side the other side moves along with it, not letting me get anywhere. Any advice would be fantastic!
Thanks very much,
Jessica
Hey Joe! Thanks for the pics! I’m gonna get my husband to take it apart..not sure what the problem is….the red indicator light on mine turns on and stays red but the flat iron just won’t heat up! I have only had it 3 months and don’t wanna get a new one…any ideas to what my problem might be or how to go about fixing it? Thank you!!
Joe, Thanks for this website. I have a pretty simple question. I’m not an electrician… i’m a college student and I have no money to replace this device. I didn’t have the power cord issue. The actuator (on/off switch) snapped off… and a little spring fell out. I’m not sure where this spring came from and I’m trying to just put it back in and glue the plastic switch back in place. More difficult than i thought. Can you tell me where to put this spring? I’ve figured out that if i push down in the hole where the switch used to be it’ll turn my iron back on so i guess that maybe the spring was pushing against something? But I haven’t taken it apart… Please help me!
Hi Joe, thanks for the site. My Chi died and I was about to throw it out, but asked my father-in-law to have a look. He tested it all with a multi-meter and thought it was the thyristor. He figured out the specs for it, went to the electronics store and bought one. He soldered it onto the board, and the thing works! I will post the PN of the thyristor in case anyone else comes up with the same issue. Cheers.
Hi wow thanks for the help! I too had a broken on off switch….i took everything apart just like you said to….my switch is completely broken basically no switch….just don’t know what type of wire to use or what soldering even means!!! Help!! I’m almost there if you can help that would be awesome!!!!
Joe
Thank you for the pics and infomation. I need help like Becky (switch is broken)can you tell me what type wire and how you soldered the wire?
Thank you…
Hi all! [...]
I’m sure I’m speaking for lots of us girls out there – We love ya Joe and thanks…
My wife and three daughters have Chi flat curling irons. I have taken them apart and the cords are broken. Do you know of a place that has cords. I need to ship them to Canada by the postal service. The cords are worth $15.00 c/w ground fault. The shipping costs is around $66.00. If iship by post it is much cheaper.Any ideas.
A friend found one of these and asked if I could repair it for her. When sliding the on/off switch, it felt loose like the switch was broken. After taking it apart I noticed they had used a plastic extension for the actual switch making it long enough to exit the slot so you can turn it on and off. Well the switch was fine, it was the extension that had broken so it couldn’t move the switch. Luckily, the other broken piece was still inside. A couple drops of super glue on a toothpick and epoxy to strengthen it a bit and it’s up and running good as new. The extension piece I’m talking about appears to be in the last photo, first black piece above the screwdriver handle. Another option would be to simply slide the switch to “On”, reassemble the Chi and just unplug it after use. If this is what’s wrong with yours, it’s a real easy fix, no soldering at all. Hope this info might help someone else, these things are crazy expensive.
Joe, Thanks I have 2 daughters and wife. Replaced three of these in the last year> I fixed this one. (a drop of solder on the switch). Thanks again.
My chi will turn on and i will set the degrees to how ever any who it will not heat up more then 60-70. I have no idea why this is how i can fix it. The first tim ethis happended i just rest it and it worked fine. Now it wont at all go past 60.
I also have a bad switch, there are 3 pins under the switch someone said solder pin2 and 3 toghter to bypass and leave on all the time which is fine, Which is pin 2 and 3
Soldering the switch contacts…
First, look at the top of the circuit board where the switch is located. There are three pins on the switch, however only two of them have traces running to them. The third pin is attached to the circuit board, but you will not see any lines running to it. (I want to say that the middle pin is the unused one, but it has been a while since I have had the Chi open) So, you can simply join all 3 pins or just the two that have traces running to them.
**This will bypass the power switch on the Chi. you will need to be positive to unplug the Chi every time you finish using it or it will remain ON!!!**
-Joe
Oh, and those of you with soldering questions… the internet can teach you nearly everything!!
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/soldering-101.html
Hey i have the same issue as you apparently. Correct me if I’m wrong but you did take the switch off the motherboard and then soldered the bypass on. Do you think if i had a knock off and took the switch off that and put it on the Chi would it work?
ok so i put in the bypass and still didnt work anyone been able to find a power schematic? I got power coming into the mother board but i dont know where it goes from there
Hi I have a Chi 1″ and the plate has come off I think she drooped it. any place to get parts from? It still works great but the plate is hanging
my stepdad got mine apart and fixed it but i too cant get the spring back in
pleeeease help! anyone!
Hi Joe,
You gave me the courage to go in and play with this CHI thing to see if I could fix it. In the process, i took some pics. Would you like them? Looks like you’ve created quite the following here.
Cheers,
Paul
[...] My previous page seems to have generated quite a buzz with folks looking to repair their Chi Flat Iron. If you have not seen my original take-apart and repair guide, look here. [...]
Im wondering whether I should follow these steps with my chi…
the symptoms are:
i used it for about a month (bought craigslist) then it would turn off during use and the light would flicker… then it stopped working all together (in a different use I realized this) and hasnt worked since…
the switch is not stuck and moves well…
what should i do??
will following your step by step process work for me?
thanks
Thanks for the write-up and pics. My wife’s iron broke this morning and a quick google search led me to your site. Turns out it was just the red wire from the cord, so I was able to re-solder it back on in about 5 minutes and save $150.
Joe,
I need your help! The part that plugs into the wall (I think it’s called the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt plug) is cracked and now my Chi iron won’t work. Could you please contact me at msjudgemental@yahoo.com?
Thanks,
LaSandy
I just fixed my wifes chi fokc looks a little different then the pics posted. My problem was not the switch or the sensor. The problem was that no power was getting past the swivel cord thingy. A dab of sodder to bridge the gap and good to go. Thanks for the pics, and letting me know it is possible.
Richard
Where can you find a power cord replacement for a chi flat iron 2″.
Not sure where to look.
I can’t seem to find them anywhere
If you could please email me @ MichelleBass79@yahoo.com it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Michelle
i want to rewire my chi thermostat to my soldering gun , does any one know how to do that?
My chi won’t turn on so I took it apart and nothing looks like it is burnt out, any advice? I have pictures.
Did you have to buy anything to replace broken parts? Mine broke a couple days after the light went out! How do you put it back together after?
hey i was wondering where u can buy the circut board for a chi straighter please email me at nancyguerratrevino@hotmail.com
MY and my daughters chis both have a plate that wont heat, took apart and found a white wire that is burned and not attached anymore. Dosnt look to me like I can fix this, any ideas? They do heat up the other plate and it works, no problem with cord yet. Any way I can make one chi out of the both of them?
I have had my chi for over two years and it is awesome. Now I need to replace the entire electrical cord. Can you please give me some good suggestions on how to do this myself.
My Chi was working and the just got cold all of a sudden now it wont turn on at all what do u think could be wrong i just bought it in nov.
Hey, I found your site useful and really appreciate that you took the time to post this. I thought this would be a nice addition to the information here. My apologies if it has already been covered, but I didn’t read all of the comments. If you hover over the customer images, on the squares, dialogue will appear. http://www.amazon.com/Farouk-CHI-Inch-Ceramic-Hairstyling/dp/B0009V1YR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307429041&sr=8-1
Would i be able to send you my Chi straightener. i just went out on my tonight when i plugged it into my outlet at home and it’s too expensive to buy a new one. im willing to work out a deal or pay for it.
i’m not sure what’s wrong with my straightner? everything is in great condition, i just purchased it brand new in may! one day it just stopped heating up.. nothing seems broken, the red light still turns on, and stays on. do you know how to help?
Great site. My Chi fell on the floor the other day and one of the ceramic plates popped out – it still works – I just tied it back in with a small wire. I was wondering what type of adhesive to use to stick it back in. Any advice would be appreciated.
I can’t find the problem on mine. everything looks good. how do you check if the switch or the fuse is burned. I have the the tool to measure continuity. Could you help.
Stumbled on your site by mistake. But Im glad I did w/ the second 2″ to go out on me in less than two yrs. I didn’t save my receipt so no warranty. I would like to mail it in. I didn’t know you could! Anyone have any luck with Salon Art? Some contact info? I will try a local electronic shop first. But not knowing if its the board or the cord, at 40 bucks Im thinking that’s my plan. I really appreciate this page.
Hi Joe. This was very helpful but I was wondering whether you took a close up pic of what the final product looks like? It would be very helpful to see if I’m actually doing it right. Thanks =]
I have bought a few broken Chi’s to repair. One was a thermal resistor, one seemed to be a dirty electrical cord connection at the swivel. But I’ve noticed that all the circuit boards are different. I have one now I am trying to troubleshoot,but without a schematic, it’s almost impossible. So, if anyone knows of any schematics out there, please let me know. Also, I need a place to purchase the GFI to fit these.
vickerymarine@yahoo.com
Hello, I know this post is old but I wanted to try anyway…
I bought an expensive flat iron form USA and I live in EU. Mine’s a CROC Classic. http://crocprofessional.com/CROC-CLASSIC.html
I didn’t know about the difference in voltage so I used it and almost fried it.
Do you think the only thing burned inside would be the fuse?
Is it possible, if I open it, to change the engine in a way to have a flat iron compatible with 220v???
Thank you.
one word. SPRING. My GF has the newer style chi where there is just a plastic piece instead of a screw through the center holding the spring in place…
I can not get this spring back in. I believe that the two ends go in the bottom plate where the board is but mand it must require some serious tension and Im not able to get it. Maybe I am wrong. can some one pls elaborate more on getting the spring back in
I need a new switch, mine broke. Do they sell replacements
My plug adapter broke how should I fix it or where should I go for it???? Help
My plug for the chi adapter thingy broke the thing u plug into the wall and its the one withe the red and yellow buttons in it
how should I fix it or where should I go for it???? Help
I wish I had found your webpage before I started playing with my wife’s broken chi straightener. I ‘tried’ to take apart the block plug end, thinking there was a fuse in there that I could replace, There is no fuse and I had to cut wires to find that out. the metal you plug into the wall is connected to the circuit board inside. My reasoning for thinking this was dead was because, we didn’t think and plugged it into the hotel in Rome. With an adapter, not a transformer. This device will only work on 110v. and the 220v fried it. I might keep it for parts and get a new one, as I would need to get a new plug for it anyways.
My plug for the chi adapter broke. The part that you plug into the wall and it has red and yellow reset buttons on it. I like to replace it. Any idea where I can find one?
Thanks,
Joe
How do I reattach my plates?
Hey Joe- I was in Scotland trying to use my Chi. (it wasn’t working) I thought it was just a problem with the international adaptor, but when I came home I noticed that it was indeed my Chi. I can reset the Chi still and have it make that click sound, but nothing happens…Any tricks you can pull out of your hat to resurrect my poor Chi?
Thanks very much
Hi Joe:
My CHI flat iron broke today and I was getting ready to buy a new one which will cost me $80. I decided to google first and your website came up. I am so glad I did that. My husband followed the photos you posted step by step on how to take it apart which was really helpful. When he looked inside he found that the red wire detached from the board. The photos helped him confirm the correct location of where to put it and he just soldered it on. The fix took about 30 mins because he had problems soldering, but otherwise, it could have been faster. Thank you for saving us money and time! You can post this comment if you wish.
My ceramic plates are just hanging on my the wires. What kind of high heat glue or epoxy can I use?
Thank so much!!
Hi i have to chi hair straightener and on both of them one plate doesnt heat up at all. What do you think the problem is?
HELP!!
thank-you
Hey, After we traveled to India, because of different power voltage in that part of world, Chi straightener stop working. I think over voltage burned its power supply, do you have any comments about how to fix it?
hey joe,
i just wanted to write in and say thank you! with yours and nicholas’s information on the chi that is posted; mine can back to life! yeah! i love my chi so much..lol..but i did buy mine off ebay for about $60 it was brand new and worked perfect for about 2yrs. and when it broke it was only the thermal fuse that you can get at radio shack. only through yall’s website was i able to figure that out.
Thank you again!
nikki
I can’t take the screws off!!!! HELP what im i doing wrong?
I went to Cuba and fried my CHI flat iron and curling iron. I will pick up my thermal fuse from radio shack tomorrow. I have to re-wire the flat iron but I think I can so it. Thanks for posting the type of thermal fuse. Mine says DYE DF228S and I could not find it on eBay but found SF226E. Radio shack also have the DF228S. I tested the fuse on mine and yes its blown. Upon taking the flat iron I broken the frame twice…nothing that glue won’t fix. What ever happens….I’m having fun.
Ok I really need ur help. My chi flat iron will only turn on if I press it down a certain way. Do u think u can know what it can be? Please help. Thank you.
The issue with my Chi is the cord itself. I have it apart and see it takes a special cord – like in your photos. Where can I find a replacement?
Hi Joe –
Can I send mine to you for repair?!
I need two replacement cords. Please let me know where I can buy these. Thank you.
My GFCI power cord won’t reset (which I would think means there is a short somewhere in the GFCI circuit). I am not getting any voltage at the output of the circuit. It appears that there is a transformer in the plug – what is the input voltage for the CHI? Has anyone found a place to buy replacement cords?
I need a replacement cord as well. Please let me know where I can purchase one. I really need my chi iron! Thanks!
Hey there, i just need clarification on the positive and negative wires. My girlfriend broke the switch and i fixed that thanks to you. However now shes having trouble with connectivity. I brushed the contacts and reformed them to fit tighter around the drum contacts but it still would flicker on and off. So i snipped the cords at each end one night and left the soldering for the morning. Bad idea, ive completely forgotten which wires are positive and which ate negative. Help?
Thank so much. I chi stoped working this morning. With the help of this posting I was able to take it apart and look for any problems. The only problems I seen was it needed to be cleaned after doing so it worked. Thank you so much. This saved me alot of $.
Hi. On numerous occasions, my wife has burned the cord to her Chi flat iron, to the point where you can see bare wire in several places. I want to replace the cord, and your disassembly pictures will be my go-by. Does anyone know where I can purchase a replacement cord? Thanks – Glenn (gmakl@comcast.net)
Hey, my friend’s chi straightener is not working. Its not warming up at all. I checked it and found that the current is reaching till the chip but still its not warming up. Is there a problem in my chip? If yes, where can I get a new one and for how much cost?
I need a replacement cord for a Blue flat iron Chi. Where can I buy that part?
I too need a replacement cord. Anyone know where to but them? Actually just the plug needs to be replaced, but I’m having a hard time finding that online too. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
The problem that I am having with my Chi iron is the part where you plug it in. It has nothing to do with the cord. I have dropped the plug several times and it cracked and now when I plug it into an outlet, it won’t turn on. I am trying to find ways to fix it cause Chi irons are expensive. If you could help, That would be awesome!
Generally, I repair televisions, laptops, and computers but I’m going to make an exception. I have been troubleshooting electronics to component level for quite some time. Recently, my bank rep asked if I would look into repairing her Chi hair straightener. She has 2 that stopped working. I will document what I can by video and add this to some tutorial videos on my YouTube channel – tulsatvandpcrepair – (DIY Tips n hints) showing how to troubleshoot or fix the Chi iron. Some photos will be taken as well. Stay tuned…excellent blog by the way.
Thanks for all the photos, but I don’t think I have the patience to tackel this, its ashame we are even having to deal with this with the price of the Chi, guess I’ll just to buy a different one. Thanks.
My chi stoped working yesterday. It gets power light comes on but does not heat up any suggestions would be appreciated.
Very helpful web page. Thank you. Ok, if I turn the cord in a certain position the light comes on and it heats up but you hear a little crackle when trying to locate the right position for it to make contact and heat up. Do you think it is the cord or the contact inside. My hubby is taking it apart but wanted to know your thoughts. I appears after reading blog that if a cord may not be worth replacing but if internal ie. contacts dirty that could be an easier fix. Thanks Joe.
where can I get a relpacement cord???? thanks
where can I get a relpacement cord???? thanks Evelyn
Hi, my name is Jon and im fixing my wifes chi however i had already solderer it and the light is not turning on the cord[swivel contact] are in good condition. however i notice in your picture their are what appears to be white insulation/ which my chi does not have and the motherboard appears to be rather similar. Any help would be greatful ty
THANK YOU. My girlfriend broke the switch and I could not fix it without opening the arms. She was stressing about not having money for a new one. Thanks to these photos she doesn’t have to worry anymore because it is fixed!
This is why I bought a Karmin G3 Salon Pro Styling Iron, CHI was too expensive and didn’t do the job well. The Karmin is a lot better since it’s a professional model and is more durable.