Electric blankets have become incredibly popular over the years due to their ability to keep you warm and cozy on cold nights. However, like any electrical appliance, electric blankets can develop technical issues over time with regular use. Understanding the most common electric blanket problems and how to troubleshoot them can save you money on repairs and help you fix blankets yourself.
This comprehensive DIY guide covers the most common electric blanket issues you may encounter and provides tips to diagnose and repair the problems. Read on to become an expert at electric blanket troubleshooting!
What Are Electric Blankets and How Do They Work?
Before diving into repairs, let’s review what exactly electric blankets are and how the heating technology works.
Electric blankets have internal wiring that runs through the entire area of the blanket. This wiring warms up when an electric current passes through it, gently heating the blanket. The amount of heat is controlled via a central control box.
Here are the main components that work together to heat up electric blankets:
- Heating Wires – Thin wires woven throughout the inside of the blanket that heat up when electrified. Typically made from materials like copper.
- Power Cord – Thick cord that plugs into an outlet and connects to the internal wires to deliver electricity.
- Controller – Controls allowing adjustment of heat settings and monitoring the blanket’s temperature. Can be manual dials or digital interfaces.
- Fuse – Safety device inside control box that trips and cuts power if the electric flow exceeds safe levels. Prevents overheating and fire risks.
When any of these components degrade over time, it can cause electric blanket issues. The good news is many problems DIYers can troubleshoot themselves with some patience and the right tools.
Read More: An Introductory Guide to Indoor Fireplaces
Common Electric Blanket Issues
There are a few issues that repeatedly crop up with electric blankets after prolonged use. Here are explanations of the most frequently occurring electric blanket problems:
1. Blanket Not Heating Up At All
The most common frustration you may face is an electric blanket that fails to warm up altogether when plugged in and turned on. This leaves you stuck with a useless cold blanket.
Typical causes include:
- Faulty power connections – If cords or internal wiring connections come loose, electricity can’t flow to heat the blanket.
- Issues with the heating wires – The internal wires may be damaged or broken so current can longer pass through.
- Problems with control box – If the fuse, controllers, or other internals are damaged, power can’t make it to the wires.
- Timer or auto-off engaged – Some blankets automatically turn off after a set time for safety purposes. The timer may have been accidentally activated.
2. Blanket Not Heating Up Evenly
Sometimes an electric blanket will still get partially warm but fails to heat entirely or evenly across its whole surface. This can leave cold spots across parts of the blanket.
Common reasons include:
- Partially broken wires – If some internal heating wires break, current will only flow through intact wires leaving random cold patches.
- Loose connections – Similar to complete failure to heat, loose connector issues can lead to partial contact so current sporadically makes it to wires.
- Damaged controllers – Defects in components like rheostats impact how evenly power distributes across blanket.
- Insulation issues – If insulating fabric tears, wires can short circuit leading heat to concentrate in smaller areas.
3. Controller or Power Cord Issues
Problems with the cords, controllers, fuse or other electrical components can also cause an electric blanket to stop heating properly even if the wires remain intact. This interrupts the power supply to the internal heating wires.
Specific problems here include:
- Power cord frays, tears or disconnects – This cuts off electricity to blanket.
- Burnt out fuse in controller– The fuse is designed to blow out before current exceeds safe levels, but this renders a blanket unable to heat until the fuse is replaced.
- Defective controller interface – This can involve broken dials, buttons, torn wires or other physical damage.
- Error code displays – Some digital controllers show specific error messages indicating the detected issue.
4. Overheating and Safety Issues
A well-functioning electric blanket should heat gradually to a gentle warmth. However various issues can cause dangerous overheating and safety hazards if electrical components fail.
Potential overheating problems include:
- Excess current flows due to short circuit in wires
- Timer or auto-off fails allowing blanket to run indefinitely
- Internal wires bunch up causing heat concentration
- Damage leads to current leakage outside of wires
Faulty components like this can make the surface excessively hot. They also significantly increase risks like fires, so it is crucial to address these promptly.
Catching heating issues early allows you to address them before small problems progress into complete blanket failure or serious hazards.
DIY Diagnosis and Troubleshooting Tips
Once you encounter any of the common problems above with an electric blanket, the next step is targeted troubleshooting and repair.
Here is a step-by-step guide to navigating diagnosis on your own before deciding if professional service is ultimately needed:
Gather Diagnostic Tools
There are some simple electric blanket troubleshooting tools you’ll want close by before getting started:
- Multimeter – This is essential for testing continuity in wires and connections by measuring resistance. Both manual and digital multimeters work.
- Inspection light/flashlight – Illuminates internal components for visual inspection.
- Strong magnifying glass – Enables peering closely at small damaged areas.
- Outlet tester – Optional tool to test voltage and polarity issues at outlet blanket is plugged into.
Make sure to unplug the electric blanket fully from the outlet before conducting any troubleshooting involving manipulations of cords or digging into internal parts for safety purposes.
Step 1: Visually Inspect All Components
The first troubleshooting step is a thorough visual inspection of every electric blanket component you can see without disassembly. Look for:
- Heating wires – Examine as much of wiring path as visible. Search for damage spots like kinks, tears, burn marks which show broken connections.
- Insulation – Check for broken down insulation which could lead to wires short circuiting when making contact.
- Textile damage – Look for tearing fabric or insulation allowing internal access to wires which poses safety issues.
- Check wire connections against heating element controllers – Tightly connected? Signs of wear & tear? Corrosion?
- Controllers & dials – Damage, tearing, burned out screens indicating component issues?
- Power cords – Fraying, burnt spots show flow issues.
- Control box / fuse – Cracks or damage which suggest issues?
Make notes on areas that look questionable and warrant further testing.
Step 2: Outlet & Power Supply Testing
Once you visually spot potential issues with the various electric blanket components, it’s smart to test the power supply too.
- Plug blanket into known working outlet & alternative outlet
- Is power light on controller showing?
- Use outlet tester to check for correct voltage & polarity
- Does the outlet have any history of short circuiting? This could impact blanket.
- Test the outlet’s circuit breaker to assure no defects permitting excess current flows.
This confirms whether problems lie with the wall power source vs. the blanket itself before moving onto detailed component testing.
Step 3: Check Internal Wire Continuity with Multimeter
The most precise way to pinpoint breaks in internal heating wires causing failure is testing each wire segment systematically with a multimeter.
Here is the process:
- Turn dial to Resistance/Continuity setting (shows connectivity)
- Place 1 probe at one end of wire path, 1 probe at other end
- If meter stays at 0, that section has continuity. If no sound, break detected!
- Keep leapfrogging meter probe segment-by-segment to trace heating wire path fully.
When the meter jumps to infinite resistance reading accompanied by silence rather than 0 reading + sound, you’ve identified exactly where inside the heating wire network has an open break that prevents current flowing through entirely to heat blanket.
Read More: How To Use A Multimeter To Check Appliance Parts
Step 4: Diagnose Control Unit Issues
If power connectivity checks out fine but controllers display error codes or no codes, the issue likely lies with the central control box, fuse, or connectors.
- Open control box cover safely observing precautions
- Inspect fuse – melted/burnt? If so, power surged causing it to blow requiring replacement
- Check line wires connecting central control module to heating wires. Any visibility splicing, corrosion, burns?
- Assess electronic control boards for physical defects like cracks or water damage
- Diagnose trouble codes on digital controllers pointing to possible component failures
- Test control box wiring continuity with multimeter as done on main heating wires
This control unit assessment reveals if the issue stems from disrupted communication between heating controls and wires preventing warming.
Step 5: Tailored Troubleshooting by Blanket Type
Beyond these standard checks suited for any electric blanket, it helps to conduct troubleshooting tailored to your specific blanket variety.
Here are key factors to inspect with different blanket types:
Wired electric blankets
- Inspect wiring harnesses, junction terminals for connectivity issues
- Extension cord wires may have additional damage that standard blankets don’t.
Heated mattress pads
- Detach from mattress to better access internal heating components. Handle gently.
- Waterproof variants – inspect water resistant layers for rare water damage shorting wiring
- Pay attention to thin, flexible internal wires which tear more readily
Battery powered electric blankets
- Check battery charge level
- Test battery voltage capacity to support steady power supply
- Examine battery wire connectivity into blanket
Smart electric blankets
- Assess wireless control connectivity
- Update control software/firmware
- Carefully inspect flexible printed circuit boards
Fine tuning inspection based on the blanket engineering can reveal less common issues.
Common Electric Blanket DIY Repairs
After thoroughly diagnosing the issue through troubleshooting steps above, many electric blanket problems can then be addressed directly through DIY repair techniques.
Here are fixes to attempt for the most prevalent electric blanket failures:
Repair Method #1: Fix Loose Wire Connections
If troubleshooting reveals loose connector wires at terminals leading to continuity breaks, this presents an easy DIY fix:
- Firmly insert connection back into control terminals.
- If required, safely splice any visibly broken wires back together matching metal conductor contact tightly.
- Check renewed continuity via multimeter along full wire length.
- Protect splices with durable insulation/electrical tape smoothed tightly.
This restores electric flow through wires to heat blanket.
Repair Method #2: Patch Physical Wire and Textile Damage
Minor physical wire or textile damage can also cause heating failures in limited zones. Stop this cause through:
- Carefully splice and seal broken wire areas with heat/electrical tape.
- Stitch up small insulation tears with blankets threads keeping area smooth. Use fabric glue for temporary seal.
- Avoid leaving uneven surfaces which could allow newly exposed wires to breach further.
Be cautious handling wires during physical repairs to avoid new breaks.
Repair Method #3: Replace Burnt Out Fuses
If the fuse inside the control box appears damaged from power surges:
- Locate model # fuse usually printed on box
- Order exact replacement fuse with identical voltage/ampere ratings
- Disconnect fuse wires, pull from bracket, insert new fuse, reconnect wires properly
- Test heating function restores correctly without fuse instantly blowing again indicating underlying short circuit elsewhere needing repair before a reliable new fuse will continuously work.
Repair Method #4: Swap Out Faulty Controllers
Malfunctioning controller dials and digital displays require replacement with new control units:
- Carefully disconnect unit electronic wiring and detach from housing
- Purchase replacement part matching your model
- Connect replacement via original wiring setup
- Program replacement controller properly (timers, max heat settings etc.)
Repair Method #5: Replace Heating Wires
If the continuity test fails across large swaths of internal heating wires from excessive wear and tear or short-circuit meltdowns, replacement wires will be necessary, typically done professionally. New wires restore heating capacity across the whole blanket surface.
Repair Method #6: Patch Insulation Holes
Small slits or holes in insulating fabric potentially exposing internal wires lead to shorts so:
- Thoroughly seal torn sections by applying binding fabric glue around the edges
- Iron tear patches smooth once glue-dried
- Avoid spillage directly contacting wires during application
This protects heating wires from external contacts to avoid current disruption.
Knowing these common hands-on fixes that align with typical electric blanket malfunctions allows you to restore blanket functionality yourself without the cost of external expert repairs in many scenarios. But also recognize safety limitations…
When to Call In Professional Repairs
To decide whether DIY measures can address your electric blanket issues vs. requiring professional service, use this guidance:
Seek Professional Assistance If:
- Problems exceed your technical skill level
- Risks like electrical shorts threaten safety
- New replacement parts must be installed
- Heavy disassembly is required beyond surface repairs
- You lack the proper diagnostic tools
- Troubleshooting narrowly points to complex component failure
Seeking professional assistance for intricate electric blanket repairs ensures fixes are conducted safely and properly by qualified experts. This further avoids causing accidental damage making problems worse through DIY attempts exceeding ability.
DIY Repairs Are Appropriate If:
- Damage appears external and accessible
- Small specific fixes like cord reconnections, fuse changes, or insulation patches address core issue
- You clearly identify root cause through troubleshooting steps
- Repair doesn’t require heavy electric blanket disassembly
- Personal safety risks remain minimal throughout the repair process
Use best personal judgement matching the repair difficulty with your technical experience. Safety first!
Preventing Electric Blanket Issues Proactively
While most electric blanket problems arise randomly over years of use as components degrade, you can take a few proactive measures to avoid issues developing as quickly:
- Fully disengage controls to flat surface when making the bed to avoid dial/controller damage
- Carefully store folded during warmer months to avoid wire damage from bending/twisting
- Wash/dry based on manufacturing guidance only to limit textile wear
- Visually inspect wires near connectors routinely for early signs of fraying
- Replace controller batteries regularly to support consistent power
- Consider purchasing dual control blankets enabling backup functionality if single controller fails
- Refrain from leaving an electric blanket running 24/7 to limit internal wiring deterioration over time
An ounce of prevention here goes a long way to use your electric blankets reliably for as long as possible before repair needs ever arise!
Stay Warm
Like any frequently used electronic household items, electric blankets carry risk of functional damage over time leading to inconvenient and unsafe problems. However, through proactive external inspections paired with electrical diagnostic testing and guided troubleshooting when issues arise, many electric blanket failures can be effectively repaired DIY without automatically requiring replacement or expert servicing.
Knowing the most common failure points, smart stepwise diagnosis procedures, and repair solutions best matching different electric blanket malfunctions truly empowers you to maximize their usable lifespan. Stay safe as you bring your electric blanket back to life!