Update (Nov ’25) – the response to this post has been amazing, and as as you will see there are loads of comments reporting successful repairs of these airers. This article should tell you everything you need to repair one yourself, but if this isn’t something you’d like to tackle I’m offering a postal service to repair it for you. If you are interested please add a comment and I’ll get in touch with you. I’ve not got exact numbers, but I have personally repaired 30+ of these, and at least as many more have commented below that they have had success. A big thanks from me to all who have commented and helped this be such a success. So read on, and let’s save more of these from landfill together!
I’ve recently started a ‘Repair Cafe‘ in my local church. As hopefully is clear from other articles on here I love finding out about how things work, and fixing them when they break. This is good both for my own personal satisfaction, but also it’s good for society at large in terms of reducing waste and saving resources. I’ve also really enjoyed meeting people through it and being able to help them.
At the most recent event, someone brought in a Lakeland Dry:Soon clothes airer. These are quite expensive items, and it arrived looking brand new and still in its box:
However, in spite of the immaculate appearance, it didn’t work. When you plugged it in, the display flashed on and off and there was a constant beeping sound.
Having a quick look around the Internet it appears that this is a common problem – on various forums people were complaining about it, and whilst some were lucky and were able to get their items replaced by the supplier, many others were told that nothing could be done and they should buy a new one which feels like a bad deal for all concerned, and a real waste.
On closer examination these rails are very simple devices, with one small control panel which switches a heater in the rail itself. The behaviour of the panel was strongly suggestive of a problem in the power supply circuit – it is obviously starting up OK (showing ‘on’ on the display and beeping) but then something is going wrong and it’s resetting. I’ve seen this sort of thing before where the power supply is inadequate causing the circuit to reset over and over again.
Getting the control panel out was relatively easy. The first thing to do of course is disconnect everything from the mains. The panel is held in by two screws at the back of the panel, so remove these and you can pull the module out. Turning it over you’ll see three small screws which hold a plastic cover, so remove these too and take the cover off. You’ll then see the underside of the circuit board and you can pull the board out of the plastic housing.
The next thing to do is disconnect the three wires. The outer two are the mains power supply (live and neutral) and the middle one is the output to the heating elements. It’s important to label the wires before you disconnect them. They are ‘FASTON‘ or blade connectors and they have a metal retaining tab which makes them hard to pull off. The best way is to use a very small flat screwdriver to push into the connector and this will release it and then it should pull off easily.
You can now get a good look at the circuit board:
It’s a pretty simple device – the main components are displayed above. On the other side of the board there is a microprocessor which runs the timer and controls, and some additional components to bring the voltage down from 240V and convert from AC to DC. The relay is marked ’24V DC’ and is clearly used to switch the heating elements on and off. I measured the voltage at the output of the rectifier, and it was showing only about 5V which is clearly not enough to switch the relay and confirmed the suspicion that something was wrong.
I did not know a huge amount about how these circuits worked as traditionally you’d have a transformer to reduce the voltage down (in this case from 240V to 24V). However after some reading I identified this as a ‘transformerless power supply’:
https://circuitdigest.com/electronic-circuits/transformerless-power-supply
The link gives lots of detail, but in essence the key component is the ‘X2 capacitor’ which is the yellow rectangular component above. If this fails, then nothing will work properly. They often do fail, and when repairing vintage computer or audio equipment I have frequently found old ones to have exploded and generated a lot of smoke and a horrible smell.
I also found an article about a similar timer / control board where the X2 capacitor proved to be responsible:
https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/fault-with-ac-to-dc-using-db107-bridge-rectifier.138563/
I decided to try replacing it. Fortunately these are cheap and readily available. The original one is marked 0.39uF at 275V. It’s also important to note the physical dimensions when looking for a replacement to make sure it fits properly as there is not much additional space on the board. The pitch (ie distance between leads) is 15mm. I looked everywhere and I could not find a 0.39uF part which would fit, but plenty at other ratings. The exact rating of these components is not critical (especially voltage, which must not be any lower but can be higher) so I ended up buying a 0.47uf at 315V version instead on eBay, for the princely sum of about 31p each (when buying 10).
Replacing the part is a simple soldering job – desoldering and removing the old and replacing and resoldering the new one. I was pleased to find that the new one was absolutely identical in size and appearance to the original and it was easy to solder in to place.
So then it was simply a question of reassembling and testing. I connected the wires, switched on and…
Success! I could hear the relay engaging, and the display is clear and steady with no beeping to be heard. There a few odd things which on reading the manual are by design – the main ‘on / off’ switch lights up, but only when the heating element is off – apparently to remind you that you to press it. On fully reassembling the unit I was pleased to find that it now all works perfectly.
I shudder to think how many of these have been consigned to the tip because of such a simple and easily remedied fault. It’s likely either a design fault, or perhaps a bad batch of capacitors but either way I feel that the supplier could do better than telling people it’s not repairable and that they need to buy another one.
So if you have one of these with this problem – I’d definitely encourage you to consider attempting the repair (or finding someone to help you with it). If you have a local repair cafe or similar then the information in this post should allow them to help you with it too.
Please do let me know in the comments if you have experienced this or if you want any help.
Universal Discovery Methodology 
Thank you, very helpful. We have one of these airers that had this fault, but found a man on eBay who fixed it for £60, but good to know in case it goes again, then my husband can have a go.
Great to hear – it seems that this fault seems to reliably develop after about 3 or 4 years (more or less in line with when the warranty runs out!). It will be good to see how long these repairs last for. This is a very easy repair to do, you do need to be able to use a soldering iron. There are lots of good videos on Youtube showing you how to do this. If I get another one in I’ll make a short video showing how
Thank you for this blog; I’ve learned a lot. I am currently attempting to remove the blade connectors from the circuit board, and it’s proving to be quite a challenge, to say the least. I’m trying to insert my screwdriver into the connector to reach the tab, but I’m hesitant and afraid I’ll somehow damage it. I’ve watched many online videos to see if there are similar cases to mine, where there’s a plastic covering around the connector, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any. Do you have any tips on how to safely remove the connector, or are there any specific videos you would recommend?
Thanks. Yes I had quite a bit of difficulty in getting them off the first time. What I did was to use a very small screwdriver (like a jewellers screwdriver) between the flat part of the connector and the blade, and if you push it firmly it should pop the connector off. It did need a bit of force the first time.
The rubber covering around the connector is heat-shrink insulation and it’s not absolutely essential. What you could do is use a sharp craft knife or similar to cut it away from the actual connector so can get access to it. Then you should be able to follow the various videos online – there is a small round stud in the middle which locks the connector in place, and you just need to be able to release the tension from it for a second. When you reassemble everything you can use some insulation tape to wrap around the connector to be on the safe side.
The other method which I did use, although I wouldn’t wholly recommend, is just grabbing the base of the connector firmly with a pair of pliers and give it a good tug. There is a small risk of actually breaking the wire doing this, although it worked fine for me.
Of the three I’d probably recommend the second – ie cutting away the heat-shrink covering – as the best place to start. Please do let me know how you get on
I’m over the moon! Thanks to your clear instructions, my husband has fixed our Lakeland airer which had the exact same fault as the one in your post. It took a little while as we had to wait for the capacitors to be delivered, then his 40 year old soldering iron wasn’t working properly so he needed a new one and the de-soldering takes a little patience. But it’s as good as new now and I’m so pleased not to have wasted money buying a new one or added to the landfill.
Lakeland should be ashamed of themselves and their ‘sustainability’ credentials as this is evidently a known fault but if your airer’s out of warranty, they offer no advice and say it’s not repairable when it clearly can be fixed with a little effort and hardly any cost.
That’s great to hear – thanks for letting me know! I agree it’s very disappointing from an otherwise trusted brand – this feels like an intrinsic design fault and the least they could do would be to publish details of it. Still I’m hoping that this blog will do something to reduce the impact.
Thank you! I’ve just repaired our airer for about £15 including buying a soldering iron which will probably come in handy again one day! Thank you so much!
Well done! Thanks for letting me know. I’m sure you will find another use for the soldering iron – basic soldering skills are very useful even these days, as faults (like this one) are often in the larger components on the power supply.
Thank you. I’ve just repaired my daughters drier for £3, the cost of 3 capacitors!
Don’t suppose you live near Cambridge 🫣
What a great write up, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I have the same problem and will be taking the unit to a fantastic local repair cafe at East Essex Hackspace.
I have tried to source the correct size capacitor to take with me but ‘Switch Electronics’ are out of stock until the end of March for the right size: 0.47uF 15mm pitch 310VAC X2 Metallised Polypropylene Film Capacitor.
Do you know of anywhere else the correct size can be sourced as I have been unsuccessful? Or do you have any spare I could purchase please?
Hi, I’ve repaired mine and am happy to send a spare capacitor to you. Is there a way on this website to message me your address privately?
I can’t find any capacitors in stock anywhere – as someone said above they’re out of stock on eBay and on the website. Does anyone know where to get one? Thank you
Excellent – thanks for letting me know!
Sorry, not really! However I may still be able to help, I’ll drop you an email
Hi, it seems that I may have inadvertently caused a run on the market for these! I have a few spares but it seems a few others have been offering too which is very kind. I don’t think there is a way of commenters on here sending messages to each other, but I’ll email everyone direct who has posted about this and see if we can sort something out.
Hi, as per other comments there does seem to a bit of a shortage – I’ll see what I can do, I have a few spare as do some others I think I’ll drop you an email.
Hi James, I’ve got a slightly different fault with the dry soon airer. When switching on it beeps once then trips the RCD. Was working fine before this. Any thoughts?
Disregard previous comment – think it’s possibly the wall socket playing up
Glad you’ve got a line of enquiry – I wasn’t quite sure what to suggest. Although if anyone else has a problem like this which isn’t down to a faulty wall socket does rather suggest a problem with the heating element itself rather than the control panel.
Genius. Mine has been intermittently playing up for about a year. To solve it we just switch it off and on at the wall until it behaves. A stupidly simply fix. Thank you.
Why don’t Lakeland supply the switch unit as a spare part?
thanks again👍🏼
Oh my word thank you ever so much for this!
My malfunctioning heated airer had been really getting me down, but I (yes, I!) have just fixed it by following your instructions. And I am rubbish at these things!
So a nice little confidence boost as well as significant money saving. Thank you!
PS I have some spare X2 capacitors if anyone would like one – please get in touch (don’t know how)
fwiw I got these Suntan TS08V0A9474KBB0E0R 0.47uF ±10% 310VAC X2 Mini Polyprop Film Capacitor
from here https://www.rapidonline.com/Catalogue/Product/10-2266?UID=6477363781&utm_campaign=Rapid+Order+Confirmation&utm_medium=email&MID=551309793&utm_source=Rapid+Transactional
Thanks for letting me know – well done! It’s always satisfying when these things go well and hopefully it will give you confidence to tackle other jobs in future.
A pleasure – thanks for letting me know. It’s fundamentally flawed design and it’s really disappointing that Lakeland are doing nothing about it. I suppose the problem is that removing the wires from the terminals is a bit fiddly and if you refit them wrong it can cause other issues.
hi thank you for the very informative post. Sadly I can’t find any capacitors online in stock. Does anyone have one spare so that I can give this a go please? Thank you!
A few other commenters on here have offered to pass on spares, I’ll see what I can do
What a
A very helpful post! Thanks for the detailed explanation and yes – it worked for me. Fixed for £1.60.
I wish you all the best sir. Clearly a design or component selection issue.
I’d just like to add my thanks to all the above. You’ve enabled me to solve a very irritating problem for my wife and myself. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow. Like several of the others above found out, your initial supplier was out of capacitors. However, with the information you supplied, I was able to find a workaround rating 0.47uF, 275 V, which is working well. Thank you!
Thank you so much, you are a lifesaver! It has been driving me crazy with this fault which at first was intermittent. Unfortunately it has now stopped working altogether. As soon as I can find a capacitor I will hopefully be able to get it fixed.
Do you still need one? I have a small stock and there are some others on here who have very kindly offered to supply them to others. Let me know and I’ll see what I can do
Thanks for letting me know Peter – great to hear!
Excellent – thanks very much for letting me know
Thanks for the post. The info here helped me repair instead of replace. Better for the planet, and the wallet
If anyone is still struggling to find suitable capacitors, there were some suitable ones in this multi pack that worked for me
Struggling to post a link for some reason… Found on Amazon (sorry!) “sourcing map Polypropylene Safety Capacitors Assortment Kit DIP 275VAC X2 MKP 3 Value – 0.22uF 0.33uF 0.47uF 15 Pcs”
Would just to say thanks for a brilliantly detailed link. The Mrs found this link and it couldn’t be simpler due to the details provided. I’ve 9 caps left over so happy to send them to anyone who can’t get them. We just got the same mentioned on here with slightly different value. Shocking from the Airer supplier that all they could do was send us a link for the latest model. Thanks again for saving us a heap of money. Likely for me I work in that industry so was a piece of cake to fix and now works fine. I’m also happy to help out replacing any caps if there was an easy way to send each other’s details.
Very glad it was helpful, and thanks so much for the offer. There isn’t any easy way on WordPress to share details, but I’m happy to broker so if anyone is need of capacitors or of help with replacing them then please drop me a message and I’ll arrange an intro. Totally agree about the attitude of the suppliers too – extremely disappointing all round and you’d hope for better. Still… hopefully through this blog we’ll change the world one airer at a time!
I’ve got the tall 3 rack on each side, version of this dryer that is doing the same thing. Would anyone like to have this and fix? Will come with the cover as well. Located in London E14.
great post! mine does a clicking noise and the screen goes on and off a few times a second. Do you think it could be solved by replacing the capacitor?
What you’re describing is exactly what was happening to our one, and yes, switching the capacitor fixed it.
Thanks – yes it sounds very like a similar issue with power supply regulation. I’ve now seen quite a few of these, and the circuit is so simple that there’s really very little that go wrong and the most likely point of failure is the capacitor.
Please let me know if anyone is interested and I’ll arrange an introduction
thanks for the detailed instructions – going to give this a go. Would be grateful for an introduction to anyone that has a spare capacitor.
Sure – I’ll send you an email. There were quite a few people offering
count me in as a donor
Hello!
Thank you for this post. It really helped me to understand this product. I have a different issue though. My unit is powering up and the control panel is working fine but it doesn’t heat. I thought the heating element might be broken but I could not check it. Is there an easy way to check if the heating element is functional?
Thank you in advance
Nuray
Hello!
Thank you for this post. It really helped me to understand this product. I have a different issue though. My unit is powering up and the control panel is working fine but it doesn’t heat. I thought the heating element might be broken but I could not check it. Is there an easy way to check if the heating element is functional?
Thank you in advance
Nuray
hi
my issue is the wires have become exposed and now one has broken off. Do you think it’s possible to put in new wires?
Hi – well from your description it does sound like that you do have a problem with the heating element. The only thing to check is that all the wires are plugged in properly to the control panel as if one is loose then the element won’t get any power. However if that’s all OK then the problem is with the element and I don’t know of any way of fixing that.
Hi, yes it might well be possible. It’s probably best to rejoin the wires where they are broken, or possibly put a new connector on. Usually broken wires can be repaired and there are various connector blocks etc that you can use
Hi, just wanted to say a massive thank you, I have just fixed our Lakeland Heated Airer, it had been doing the continuous beeping thing on and off for a while this last winter, so went online and found this article, ordered the capacitor, and fixed it in 10 mins this morning. Working perfectly, thank you.
Omg this has worked! I was so close to buying a brand new one!
thank you so much for posting!!
That’s great to hear, thanks for letting me know!
A real pleasure, thanks for letting me know. It’s always good to hear success stories, and hopefully it encourages others to have a go
Hi
are you still able to repair this for me? I am very interested as I am completely cack handed. Could you email details if you can help?
Thanks very much.
Hi – yes of course, happy to help. I’ll send you an email and we can discuss it further
A Huge Thankyou !!!
I sourced the correct capacitors off Amazon and twenty minutes work later I have a fully functioning dryer.
No more switch off at wall wait and try and no more constant beeping !
Well done! Always good to hear about a successful repair, so thanks for letting me know
Hi,
Looking for a capacitor intro if possible please? 🤣
can I also ask, would you be willing to repair mine if I admit I’ve not touched a soldering iron since high school many moons ago?
Hi found your information about drier got capacitor off eBay fixed and working great
Thanks for letting me know! I really do need to count up how many now, but I reckon between us all we’ve rescued at least 20 and probably more. Do please comment and let me know if this blog has been helpful
I managed to get a replacement X2 capacitor?
Would the 474k 310v (40/100/56/B) x2 capacitor be suitable???
I’ve fitted it, easy to do following your guide. Airer turns on & beeping has stopped & remains on. (Original fault was beeping, heat up for 20min then turn off).
My only concern is I cannot remember (faulty before last winter) how hot the heated bars get ? Bars are hot but not too hot you could not hold onto them if you get my meaning ?
Don’t want to over heat!
That rating sounds fine to me – the high voltage rating doesn’t matter too much, and 474k is the same as 0.47u which is the rating I used. I don’t actually use the airer myself… although I do have one which I repaired still sitting in the box. However when I did test it what you are reporting sounds right.
Also worth saying that the control board doesn’t seem to control the temperature at all – it has a relay in it which is a simple switch, and just turns the heating element on and off according to the timer. So the temperature is preset and can’t be changed and so I’m fairly confident what you are getting now is the same as you were getting before.
Brilliant. Thanks for replying & your advice.
Very simple repair. Once x2 capacitor had arrived it was 15 min to fix. Saves nearly £270 on a replacement airer from Lakeland.
Hi, my airer is doing the same,beeping and flashing on and off and not heating I phoned Lakeland told them the warrenty had expired and they more or less said because I had gone over the warranty, nothing they could do or suggest my airer is the 3 tier and I am dreading winter without it.I live in Aberdeen where should I try to get a repair eg.private firm I really don’t want to pay a lot especially as you say it is quite an easy job if you know that area of repair,any suggestion would be appreciated thank you.Morag Ferguson.
Hi, I may be able to help, I’ll send you an email
Hi,that would be great my husband and I sadly could not even attempt that kind of repair.
Morag
Major Props to you!! Thank you – this worked perfectly :-). I was more than a little annoyed when Lakeland said it can’t be fixed and I would need to buy a new one. Ours is still in great condition and it didn’t seem right to be throwing it in landfill. It’s now fully working for under a quid !! And as an added bonus, I love a bit of soldering…!!
Can anyone near London help me please?
My dry soon beeps too and as a 71 year old I’m not sure I’d be able to follow the instruction above.
Thank you.
L
Thanks for letting me know! Soldering does seem to be something of a gradually diminishing art unfortunately. I am fine with through hole stuff but still a little scared of surface mount devices but I will have to confront that eventually.
Hi, I do offer a postal repair service if you can remove the circuit board. That is quite an easy task, it’s just a matter of removing a few screws and pulling the connecting cables off. Let me know if you are interested in this,
Yes please.
Where would I send it to and how much would it cost for the repair please?
Lydia
Hello, I’m very interested in the postal repair service!
Thanks,James
Great, I’ll send you an email
Just completed this repair now. I’ve never soldered anything before, but managed to do it! Was tricky getting the FASTON connectors off, but used a small screwdriver I use for glasses screws to pop them off. Also difficult desoldering the broken component to get it off, but with a bit of perseverance I got there. Amazing instructions, thank you.
hi fantastic post thank u, I was able to follow it completely.
however mine is working, however not heating up. I’ve had a look and the three wires look absolutely fine.
Is there anything I can do so I don’t have to send to landfill.
many thanks
I’ve not heard of many of these where the actual heating element fails, but I’m sure it can happen. When you switch it on, can you hear a mechanical clicking sound? This is the relay engaging. If you can’t hear it then it suggests that there is a fault either with the relay or the control board somewhere. If you can hear it, then the control board is OK and the problem is somewhere else. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about how the heating element works, but if it has failed I don’t know of any way of replacing it. If you can’t hear the clicking sound it may be worth following these instructions anyway just in case it helps but other than that I can’t suggest anything further. Sorry!
Thanks for letting me know! Always good to hear of successes. Yes those FASTON connectors are well named, but they are definitely SLOWOFF. The trick is to strip back all the rubber covering and apply pressure to the small hole to release the catch. A dose of ‘brute force and ignorance’ often helps too, and the connectors are pretty sturdy and I’ve not seen any damaged as yet.
Hello
I have this airer and the switch is lighting up but there is nothing on the screen and no sound. Do you think this repair might work or do you think it’s likely to be something else?
Thank you
I’ve not come across that one before, although I think it could well stem from the same underlying issue. So I think it would be worth trying the capacitor change as a first step. There is also a glass fuse on there which does sometimes blow but if that was the case it would be completely dead. Let me know if you need any help with this.
Iv got exactly the same issue iv changed the capacitor and still nothing fuse is ok????
Thanks. Hmm OK this does sound like something different. These are pretty simple devices so there isn’t a huge amount that can go wrong. There is another electrolytic capacitor on that board (cylindrical one) – it might be worth changing that too. I first thought that it was the issue and changed it on mine and it didn’t solve the original problem but it could help with this one.
There’s not much else in them other than that and then the chip which actually controls everything. If that has failed then I think you are out of luck. HOwever – there are a few people who have commented that they have an airer with no heat, so I’ll see if they might be willing to part with the board and we can try a swap.
So sorry, I missed this. I’ve sent you an email with the details
Hi,
So the issue I have is that the temperature isn’t as hot as it used to be, it says these should run at about 70, I’ve checked mine with a fudge/chocolate temperature gauge and it’s showing 36, (maybe wrong to check with one of these lol) but was trying to think out of the box, what do you think, landfill or possible repair.
TIA
Val
Hi there. Thank you for this post. I would also be very interested in your postal repair service, as my eyes aren’t great and soldering is beyond me. Please let me know details.
Richard
Hi there. Thank you so much for this post, and your commitment to helping people! I would be very interested in a postal repair, as my eyes aren’t great, and I simply can’t do soldering. Could you let me know details please?
many thanks
Richard
Hello, could you provide details and cost of your postal repair for the Lakeland Drysoon capacitor issue please.
Many thanks.
Vinny
Sure, I’ll send you an email
Hi Richard, yes of course, I’ll send you an email
amazing, i have same issue, the middle rack stopped working,it’s slightly different electric airer, hopefully will work, will come back with an update, you’re a life saver 🤗🤗🤗
Hi, mine is the deluxe 3 tier and also constantly beeping when I turn it on.
I would be interested in the postal option to repair please 😊
Great, let me know. I’ve recently discovered that the relay on the board can also fail (thanks to another commenter), so if anyone has an airer where the control panel seems to work but nothing heats up then it is probably that and another simple repair will deal with it.
Hi, that’s fine, I’ll send you an email with some more information
gw0udm could kindly send me an email please so i can show you my airer, i unscrew the on/off button but it’s just a cover plastic nothing else, i am confused 😕
OK I’ll send you an email. However if it’s a different brand / model then it’s likely to be different but will advise if I can.
we have been told that the problem for our Lakeland drysoon deluxe is the capacity and the micro processor do you have any details of a suitable replacement processor and how to do it, as the engineer said there wasn’t a replacement but hope you know different and could let me know how to change it. Thank you so much
Thanks. Can you describe exactly what is happening with yours? Are you getting the constant beeping? It’s possible that the processor has failed I suppose although I’ve not seen that happen as yet with these things. I would be tempted to replace the capacitor anyway as a starting point as it is clearly a weakness in the design and power problems can lead to all sorts of strange behaviour
Thank you so much, followed your instructions and my airer works again.
My issue now is the extremely short cable is splitting right where it meets the airer. Any advice on repairing this or swapping the cable out for a longer one?
Thanks again.
I have had the issue with mine same as the 2nd video (switch it on and the switch lights up then goes off and no heat) so changed the capacitor with the one you listed and it’s still the same?
If I fiddle about, I can sometimes get it to come on using different programs but it doesn’t want to just come on and off on the switch?
Any ideas?
Thanks. The behaviour of these is slightly odd – when the light is off, that means that the element is on and vice versa. I think the idea is that it lights up to remind you to turn it off. However, I have recently learned of a different problem with these where the relay which switches the element on and off fails. So the symptoms there is that the control panel ostensibly behaves correctly but there is no heat. If you listen carefully, you should hear a distinct click after you turn the switch on which is the relay engaging. If you can’t hear that then it suggests that the relay is faulty. These relays can also be replaced fairly easily and that would be worth a try. Let me know what you find, I can help with this if you’d like.
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve not tried to do this, but it all rather depends on how the wiring runs inside. I don’t have one of the airers to hand at the moment, but at least in theory it should be possible to pull the mains cable through from the inside. How much cable do you have left poking out? Another option would be to use a cable joiner like this (https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BG458.html) and add a new length of flex on the other side. Let me know how you get on or if I can help.
Hey! Thank you for your article! I have a question because I’m not entirely sure if we’re dealing with the same issue you described. First of all, I noticed that the resistor on the board looks slightly burned. When I tested it, it read around 94 Ohms. Could you please tell me what the correct value for this resistor should be?
Additionally, the capacitor shows 220V when the device is turned on, so I’m not fully sure what the underlying problem could be. Sometimes, when I turn the device on, it starts blinking (similar to what you mentioned), but after turning it off and on a few times, it eventually powers up, although I don’t hear the relay clicking, and the device doesn’t heat up at all.
If you could offer any advice on what the issue might be in our case, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
I don’t have a board to hand to test, but the symptoms you describe are absolutely typical of a capacitor failure. I would suggest replacing it as starting point, because it will inevitably fail anyway. I have seen examples of the relay also failing, but this would not cause the blinking/ bleeping error. It’s possible to replace the relay if needed but this is a much less common issue. Let me know how you get on!
Just got the capacitor and replaced it – and it finally works! Thank you so much!
I just wanted to clarify whether the dryer should constantly produce heat when set to the “On” mode, or if the relay is supposed to cycle periodically to let the device cool down. I’m concerned about the possibility of the device overheating. Unfortunately, we unknowingly purchased the unit in a broken state, so we don’t have an understanding of how it should function when working properly.
Thank you again!
Thanks. I don’t actually know how it operates. It’s a pretty simple device though, and there is no thermostat input to the board, just a single wire output to switch the element on. It may have a programme or internal thermostat to switch on and off though. So I think I’d suggest using it but keep a close eye and see what it’s doing. Given you’ve now repaired the control board I think it’s likely that it will now work properly.
Mine has just gone, on the hunt for a capacitor. I’ve never soldered before, but I have one – in of a penny, in for a pound!!
It’s definitely one of the simplest soldering jobs you can do. There are plenty of YouTube videos with soldering tutorials, but do try and use a half decent soldering iron. When removing the old one it may help to heat up the joint whilst tugging on the capacitor from the other side. Let me know how things go!
Hello,
I’ve read through the comments and it’s seems like mine has failed in similar ways as other peoples with the beeping noise. What is the postal service you offer please? Thank you
Hi, I’ll send you an email with some details.
Hi,
Thank you so much for this detailed article, it’s great to see efforts into saving money and avoiding waste. I’m shocked at how common this problem seems to be in the Lakeland airers!
From reading this, I think my DrySoon Deluxe model has today developed the same issue… I’m going to call Lakeland about it tomorrow, but am not optimistic (I expect they’ll say it’s just outside the 3 year warranty).
I’ll try to find a repair cafe locally but otherwise would be interested in your postal repair service as I’ve never tried soldering. Please could you send me details and approximate costs?
Thank you very much!
Hi Sarah, thanks for the kind words. Yes it does seem almost inevitable that this happens sooner or later, or perhaps there was a bad batch made about 3 years ago that are now all failing together. See how you get on with Lakeland, I have heard a few people who have had success but generally as you say they are told that it’s out of warranty and cannot be repaired.
I’ll drop you an email with the details of the repair service I offer, I’d be very happy to help.
I’ve bought a pack of capacitors off Amazon and my choices are:
275 V 0.47uF
275 V 0.33uF
275 V 0.22uF
the closest in size to the original 0.39uF is the 0.33 (it’s pretty much exactly the same size)…. the 0.47 is a smidge taller and, more worrying, slightly thicker, so I’m worried it wouldn’t fit between the black box next to it and the edge of the board.
thoughts?
Hi I had mine repaired 2 years ago and now it needs it again. Can you email me details please.
Also it’s very wobbly, any suggestions on how to secure it?
thanks
AH
Hello there,
Are you still offering the postal repair service for the drysoon rack? Could you please share the details with me?
Thanks in advance
Regards,
Bee
Hi Bee – yes I am, I’ll send you an email about it
Hi, yes I will send you an email. I’m afraid I don’t have any advice about the wobbles though – I’ll have a look at mine, are there any screws anywhere that could be tightened up?
Hi , sorry for the delay. I don’t think the value is critical, but being able to fit it in place is important. So I’d suggest trying the 0.33 first and see how you get on. The worst case scenario would be that it doesn’t work or fails again so you could always try another value in that case
Just fixed our airer, following your helpful advice and it has worked a treat!
Excellent – well done! Glad to hear we have saved another from landfill
Just wanted to say a huge thanks for this post. I have just fixed my DrySoon for the grand total of £3.84 as opposed to a new one costing £140!
And it is so rewarding not binning it. Thanks so much!
I wanted to say a huge thank you for this post. I have just fixed my DrySoon for the grand total of £3.84 and saved it from the land fill.
Thanks!
A pleasure – and thanks so much for letting me know. So pleased it has been helpful.
Hi there – I tried soldering a new capacitor, but I think the other capacitor has gone too. Can I use the postal option?
Hi, yes sure, happy to have a look. I’ll email you
Unfortunately I disconnected the cable connectors without labelling them first.
The 3 cable connectors have the following wiring; 3 white cables, 1 white cables and 2 blue cables.
Are you able to advise which board connectors these connect to (numbered 1, 2 and 3).
I assume the circuit board will blow if I get it wrong
@David – the white cable with a long piece of black insulation goes to position 1
The blue cable with a long piece of black insulation goes to position 3
The white cable with a short run of insulation goes to position 2
@gw0udm – I’ve not had an email yet. Did you send it to me@daveboyle.net ?
Sorry Dave, I’ve got a bit behind, will email you shortly.
I see Dave has already responded on this, I do have some photos of the wiring if you need any further help, please post another comment if you’d like them
I also have the same problem and I would love for you to repair it. Please can you email me with the details, it still looks brand-new and it will save it from going to the local dump.
kind regards Julie
Hi Julie, yes of course, I will email you
Thank you so much for your detailed article, I have had exactly the same issue as you described and have managed to follow all your instructions and fix it! As you have said previously, how amazing that yet another is being saved from unnecessary landfill!
Thank you!!
Thanks for this helpful article – would you be able to please send me details of your postal repair service as I would really love to get mine fixed too. Thank you so much!
Hi Laura, yes I will send you an email
help me obi wan!
ok. Brought solder iron kit and capacitors.
removed and re fitted capacitor, plugged in and working fine. Orange power light on. Cycled through programmes and fine
switched off power switch and then switched on again. As soon as pressed orange button for on went bang, fuse trip. Fuse on board shattered
just tried removing fuse and was going try and search but have no idea of fuse or if I soldered correctly.
can I send to you for a repair. Could you do the fuse?
will send all capacitors I have too as only need 1 for my repair.
pls advise if can
Darron
Hi Darron – well years ago I did serve your father in the Clone Wars – so I’ll see what I can do. I certainly can replace the fuse and do some other testing. Does make me wonder slightly why it blew though, are you sure you connected the leads up properly? Anyway will be touch and see what we can do.
Hi, have the same problem with the bleeping! Haven’t used a solder iron since school….Are you still offering he postal service?
Hi Nick, yes I am, I’ll send you an email
hi,
I have the same problem but no soldering iron! I’ve labelled the wires and disconnected the control unit (it doesn’t show capacitor details on the side, I guess it’s on the inside!). Please could you send details of your postal service.
Thanks & regards,
Chris
Hi Chris, sure I will send you an email
I’
Anyone know best play to buy currently?
Also @gwoudm, could you kindly send me the details of your repair service in case I can’t source a capacitor?
Hi, yes I will send you an email.
There does seem to be something of a run on this particular value at the moment which I fear I may be partially responsible for! There are people on ebay selling them at inflated prices (4 or 5 pounds for one) but on the other hand if you only need one then it’s a reasonable price for the repair.
I got my original set from Switch Electronics and they are currently showing as out of stock but they are a good supplier.
If anyone has any spares that they don’t want, perhaps you could post and offer them to others? Or if you’d be willing to send them to me (I’ll pay for postage) I can distribute them to anyone who needs them.
Morning, just to say we (brother in law and I) fixed my Dry:soon deluxe 3 using this exact guidance. Many thanks!!! My soldering skills are not great so my brother in law did the heavy lifting there.
Great stuff, thanks for letting me know!
Hi can you send me details of your postal repair service please?
Hi, yes sure I will send you an email
Hi
Just repaired a Dry:Soon and it cost about a fiver including p&p for the part. Easy to get apart except for de-soldering so had to be a bit brutal and used a fine drill bit to make a hole for one of the connectors. Once done and re-soldered then re-assembled it worked. Thanks for the instructions. Saved us over £200!
I had been meaning to investigate the intermittent fault on our unit as it was getting worse. Your article enabled me to have the parts in hand and fix it in less time than I would have spent investigating it. Thank you very much.!
A tip for anyone struggling to remove the connector. Grasp the connector by the collar where it clamps the wire and wiggle as you pull. they actually come away with quite low force. Wiggle in the direction of the connecting blade, so if the card is flat on the table move the collar up and down. The other way may bend the connections.
Thanks very much for this. Glad the article was helpful. Thanks for the tip on the connectors too – they are really quite awkward, I’ve done a few now and sometimes they come off easily and sometimes not. As you say giving them a good wiggle usually does the trick.
hello!
are you still offering a repair postal service? Many thanks
Hi, yes I am, I’ll send you an email
Hi can you send me details of your postal repair service please?
Sure I will send you an email
Hi. If you’re still offering Repo
repair service, I’d happily pay for that. We have exactly the same problem, but my soldering days are over :-(.
(in the uk, a hope?)
Hi Chris, yes I am, I’ll send you an email. I am in the UK so no issues there!
Hello! My Lakeland airer has the same issue as described above, please can you send details of your postal repair service – thank you.
Hi, sure I will send you an email
Hi,
would you please send me details of repair via mail.
kind regards
Sure I will send you an email with the details
Hello, I hope you’re well. My airer has the exact same issue. Are you still offering repairs? If so, how much?
Thank you so much.
Hi, yes I am, I’ll send you and email with the details
Thank you so much! Do you need me to send you my email address?
Hi,
I replied to your email. I will send the module as soon as I have the address.
Thank you so much again!
Note that it’s a 24V coil relay, and the datasheet shows it needs at least 18V to engage. The capacitor can fail such that the processor runs (so at least 7V for the 78L05 regulator) but there isn’t enough voltage to operate the relay. The zener diodes (I’m guessing 2x 12V) also seem to need a lot of current to regulate correct, and with my usual series resistor for testing on a bench supply, they were showing 5.5V across each. Failing cap will give less current, voltage will drop, relay won’t work, and eventually the pulsing on/off as the processor starts, beeps, tries to drive the relay, and it all goes very wrong!
Hello, our model has been doing the beeping thing for a while but it’s definitely about to give up completely! Are you still offering a repair service at all? Thanks
Hi, yes I am – I’ll send you an email
Thanks Ian – I was thinking somewhere along these lines but good to hear a proper explanation. I wonder why this cap keeps failing though, I know they do fail but could it be an incorrectly rated component, or maybe just a bad batch. It’s interesting that I can’t find a replacement part of exactly the same rating. Thanks for commenting!
For a replacement see RS Stock No.:201-1936 Mfr. Part No.:F862BS394K310ZV054 This is an automotive grade Kemet part that’s 0.39uF and rated at 310V. Dimensions seem to match but I haven’t bought any yet as I got two cheap 0.39uF ones from eBay. In a cap dropper supply, the cap reactance sets the current, so a 0.47uF will pass more current through the zeners. It seems they can handle it but might shorten their life. As part of diagnosing and fixing the one I got at a Repair Cafe, I tested the 220uF cap and it was fine, then this X2 one and it seemed dodgy but I didn’t have a replacement with me. I connected my meter across the smoothing cap and saw 7V with the unit powered up, but this was clearly not stable as it kept beeping. With a bench supply connected instead, the unit powered up at around 5V with a single beep and steady display.
You can avoid the RS delivery charge by collecting next day from your nearest Trade Counter.
I read that X2 caps “self heal” after voltage spikes, but slowly lose capacity. This matches me measuring one at 0.22uF and also the units being unreliable before fully failing. I have no idea if bad batch or just bad make. Note that if a zener fails, the 200uF cap and the 74L05 will see too high a voltage, and both will probably be damaged by the time the fuse blows. I’d hope the regulator would protect the CPU but who knows. 😦
Hi, are you still offering that postal service?
Yes I am, I’ll send you an email
Hello! Are you still repairing these for people? If so, I’d be very grateful if you could get in touch with me! Many thanks 😊
Hi, yes I am, I will send you an email
great, thanks – look forward to hearing from you
Hi James,
Could you drop me an email with your details? We’ve got ‘The Beep’ removing it, I think I can do but repairing it myself is beyond my ability.
Thanks in advance,
Jon
Hi Jon, yes sure I will be in touch
Hello,
I’ve got the same problem with the Dry:Soon and hope that you can assist if I send it to your postal service. Could you let me have your details please?
Sure Julie, I will send you an email
Hi there,looks like I’m joining the list of very happy people, who with your outstanding help, have repaired their Lakeland dry soon drier. I’ve got the beeping noise, was intermittent but now constant when I try switching on.
Are you still accepting repairs. Do I need to just remove the whole unit. Not confident enough to have a go at repair 🤔😂. Reply appreciated.
Shelagh Griffiths
Hi! I’m also having this issue – are you still accepting repairs?
Yes I am, I’ll send you an email about it
Hi
I have lakeland dry:Soon, its about 6 years old. Making constant beeping sound and light flashing.
are you still offering repairs? Im Manchester UK based.
I seen a comment that someone on Ebay is repairing these. Does anyone have a link to their Ebay page?
thanks in advance!
Hi, yes I am offering repairs, I’ll send you an email about it
Hi thank you so much for posting this! I have followed these steps but it is still not working. I’ve noticed that on the reverse of tje circuit board, one of the black bits has chipped slightly revealing the metal underneath. Not sure what would have caused this. Wonder if that is the cause.
Hello.
Thanks for this really useful post.
We have the same problem. I have got the new capacitor, plus a soldering kit, however, the solder will not melt on the circuit board to be able to remove the old capacitor. The soldering iron will go up to 450C but even that high heat doesn’t work.
Any suggestions?
Many thanks
Simon
Hi, this does rather sound like an issue with technique rather than anything else. It can sometimes be a bit difficult to get factory solder joints to melt, a good tip is to try and add some new solder first. You could also try adding a small amount of flux, although I don’t generally use this for desoldering. Also make sure the bit is well tinned so you can transfer the heat nicely, this does sound like the most likely problem. The solder will melt but it does need to have a direct connection with wet solder on the tip of the iron. There are plenty of videos on YouTube on soldering which are worth looking at.
You shouldn’t need to go as high as 450, I have my iron set at 350 and that works well. You do run the risk of damaging things otherwise.
So perhaps have another go and see how you get on? Do let me know if you get stuck
Thanks. Is it the ‘beeping’ error, or is the board just dead? Can you post a photo of it and I’ll have a look?
Thanks. I’ll give another go and let you know
Hi – I’ve got a 2018 three tier model that’s just started bleeping and displaying on when I turn on (not heating up). Red light on the on switch stays lit up.
Please could you email me a quote to fix.
Many thanks
Nick
Sure, I will send you an email with some details
Hello. It’s me who had the problem getting the solder to melt. Your comments worked and i have replaced the capacitor. However, i fitted the the box and am still getting the bleeping/clicking sound. Could it be the capacitor it bought? Have you got an email i can send an image to?
Thanks
Simon E
Hi, yes I’ll send you an email – sounds like it needs some further investigation
Hello, thanks for this brilliant blog – repairing beats replacement every time!
It seems that the correct capacitor size is crucial and Switch Electronics are out of stock (still / again?) – Can you point me in the direction of an alternative source or I would be happy to Paypal transfer you if you have any spares?
Thanks for the kind words! Another commenter has suggested this part from RS https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/film-capacitors/2011936?searchId=6bbf8227-878a-4a15-bf94-27ec0d537799&gb=s
It is the correct value, and based on the measurements I think it will fit although I’ve not tried it myself. If you have an RS counter nearby I think you can have them delivered there for free but otherwise postage can be expensive.
I do have a good stock of the 0.47uF parts which I have used extensively and work fine, so if you prefer I can supply one of those, I’ll drop you an email
if you provide a postal service, please do let me know.
top bit of posting though. I almost think I might be able to do this!
Hi, yes I do and I’ll send you some details by email
I have this problem too, could you please let me have details of your postal repair service. Thanks
Sure, will be in touch by email
Have you checked your spam folder? Your email to me went into my spam folder, maybe my reply has gone into yours.
Thanks, yes it did and I have replied now. If anyone else is waiting for a response for me then please let me know on here
I’ve now got some of the 0.39uF caps from RS and the pin spacing is the same but they are maybe 2mm taller than the ones I got off ebay. I can’t recall how tight space is but I think they should be OK and they will provide the same current limit as the original. The are also Kemet automotive grade.
Hello! Thanks for a brilliant blog post. The supplier you have suggested for the part is out of stock, and they’ve just told me it will be at least 6 weeks before they have any. Not really sure what I’m looking at (total novice), but can I get the same thing from this listing, if I select ‘275V 0.47uF 474K’ and ’15mm’ from the drop down menus? I don’t have the tools or skills to do the job myself but hoping to take the airer and the new part to my local repair cafe.
https://ebay.us/m/N9E4hQ
Hello, I would love more information about the repair service. I don’t think soldering and I can be friends!
I thought that, but bought myself a cheap soldering kit and had a go. Since then not only do I have a functioning airer, but I also repaired our baby monitor that was headed for the bin!
Hi Helen, thanks, I’ll send you an email
That’s great, well done. It’s such a useful skill to have and a real gateway to lots of repairs. There are lots of good tutorials on YouTube and I would encourage anyone to have a go
Good afternoon,
Would it be possible to send me all the details of your postal service please ?
Many thanks
Marie
Hi,
Just read your post ref problems with Dry Soon as well as the comments. Seems like same problem with mine. Any chance of getting it repaired please?
Hi Ann, yes of course, I will send you an email
hello! I would love your help if you’d be happy for me to post to you? Thank you!
This is brilliant! I had previously tried to repair our Lakeland Airer but gave up as I have no clue about electronics. With your help on here I ordered the parts from Switch Electronics. After a few minutes fiddling with the soldering iron, its back in full working order!
Its so satisfying being able to fix something rather than confine it to the tip. I’ve now discovered that there is a pop-up Repair Café held near me about once per month. I’ll certainly be seeking help there next time I have an issue like this.
I now have a few spare capacitors. I’d be happy to donate them to you if you wish as you seem to get plenty of requests to fix these.
Thanks for letting me know Rob! It’s always great to hear of success stories like this, and I’m glad you have found a Repair Cafe. I have a lot of fun running ours, and as you say it’s great to save things from being wasted. Thanks for the offer of the capacitors, that would be great (I’ll send you an email)
Hi, yes very happy to help. I’ll send you an email with the details.
Hi, is anyone happy to sell their capacitor? I found this on eBay but not sure if it’s correct one. Thanks everyone! What a fab post and community.
10 x 0.1uF 310VAC X2 Metallised Polypropylene Film Capacitor 15mm Pitch
Hi David, yes that’s not the correct rating. I did have an offer of some spares from someone else, let me see if I can connect the two of you
Hi Marie, sorry for the delay, your comment was incorrectly marked as spam. I’ll send you an email with the details.
Hi Kayleigh, sorry for the delayed response, your comment was incorrectly marked as spam for some reason. Yes that’s the correct part, and is the one I use. The one that it originally had was 0.39uF but I have used the 0.47uF (aka 474K) with no problems. The 15mm pitch is important as it won’t fit otherwise. I’m sure your local Repair Cafe will be able to help, it’s a simple job for them. Please let me know how you get on
Thanks for checking really appreciate the help. I double checked your suggestion and have sourced x 0.47uF 310VAC X2 Metallised Polypropylene Film Capacitor 15mm Pitch.
i think that’s right? Time to find a soldering iron and remember my GCSE electrical work!
if anyone has a video showing what needs to be done is be super grateful. To YouTube I go!
Thanks all!
Yes that’s the one – perfect. There are lots of good YouTube videos on soldering. I keep meaning to do one of how to do the repair although I’m not really very good at videos. The hardest bit is removing the old one – my tip is to wedge a small flat-head screwdriver under the existing capacitor, then heat one of the joints up and twist the screwdriver which should lever out one of the legs. Once one leg is free, you can twist the body of the capacitor to and fro which should free up the other leg. I use a desoldering gun which is cheating really, but if you do a lot of soldering work they are worth having. Another much cheaper option is a spring loaded desoldering pump, or you can get a fairly cheap desoldering iron which has a spring-loaded pump built in. Good luck! Let me know how you get on
Just a quick update.
Never done electric work really before. The de-soldering was the hardest part and took a bit of time to get the old capacitor off. Then I blocked the holes on the circuit board so then needed a finer soldering tip to get that off, and then used a spring loaded desoldering pump.
Finally got a new capacitor in, soldered it down. It looked like it was working at first (yay) but the idiot I am mixed the wires up. So then switched them around to the correct positions (I knew the white was in the middle, just muddled up the others).
I am a complete noob at this stuff and was amazed when I saw the watts show up on my smart plug, and the heat working.
Back to working order. Thanks so much! Not only fixed it, but also had a bit of experience doing something I have never done before.
Thanks so much for this blog.
Hi. Are you still offering this service for postal repairs? Thanks
I removed the PCB for repair and lost the 3 small screws (for the back cover) and 2 long screws (for attaching to the drying rack). Would anyone have the measurements or pictures for these so I can order a replacement please?
I should be able to find this out for you, I’ll dig mine out later on
Yes I am, I’ll send you an email about it
Thanks for the update David – always great to hear of a success story! Those wires can be a pain to reconnect, it is well worth labelling them carefully when you are taking the module out. I have seen examples of miswiring blowing the fuse on the board, which fortunately is repairable with a bit more soldering but still best avoided. Thanks again for sharing your experiences
Hi. I have just seen your blog through Google, a fantastic explanation of repairing the problem. However my issue is slightly different. I turned it on for the first time in months, it started to get warm, then nothing, stone cold. I stripped the control panel off to see if something was obviously wrong. But there was nothing obvious. When plugged in and turned on, there is power going to one of the outer terminals, but that is it. Do you think that this can be repaired in the same way? Thanks very much. Peter
Hi Peter, I think this could be a relay failure. Does it start up and show ‘On’ steadily? Can you hear a click when it starts up? If it is steady but no click then I think it is more likely to be the relay. You can get replacements, and I have seen another one like this with a relay fault but it’s much rather. I would still replace the capacitor as that will likely fail sooner or later. I will see if I can find a link for the correct relay. If the display is dead, then it is either the fuse or the capacitor, both of which are also easy fixes.
HiThanks for a super fast reply. There is nothing happening. The on / off switch does not light up, there is no clicking sound. At first I thought it was a fuse in the plug. I just know power is going in by using an electrical screwdriver. I’ve never used a soldering iron, so I was wondering if this was something you could repair for me.Thanks, PeterSent from my Galaxy
Hi Peter – yes I’d be very happy to have a look. It does sound a bit different from the usual failure but it could very well be the same cause. I’ll send you an email with some details.
new capacitor fitted, all good now- regards-Dave
Thanks for letting me know – always good to hear a success story
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have the same issue so hoping I can learn to fix this.
Does anyone have any of these capacitors available? Would greatly appreciate being sent one if someone has a spare they don’t mind sending 🙂
Alternatively, do you still do the postal service? I’d be interested in doing that too
Yes I do, I’ll drop you an email
Hello, I’m hoping you can help me. Things started to go wrong a few weeks ago, the dryer would warm up but only after unplugging and plugging back in several times. The display was not working either.
I came accross your excellent site and changed the X2 capacitor hoping that this would solve the problem. When I turn the dryer on now, all I get is rapid clicking, the on / off switch lights but the display isn’t working.
Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
Thank you, John.
Hi John, thanks. That does sound different from the usual problems I have seen. If the switch is lit up, it means that the heating element is off, and the rapid clicking sounds like something is wrong with the relay control. I’ve not seen a dead display before either. Forgive the question but are you sure the X2 is the correct value? It does sound rather like a problem with the microprocessor, although there is at least one other capacitor on the board and it’s possible that has failed. I’ll send you an email, I’d be happy to have a look but it does sound like you have been rather unlucky and something different has gone wrong.
Hello drying Champion. I’ve got a 8/9 Yr old airer. Very occasionally done the bleepy thing – I had assumed my old bent extension cable was at fault. Airer does “click” when it’s supposed to. However, heat is not always forthcoming. Sometimes it’ll start heating then give up, other times it needs several power resets before it heats up. Problem remains when plugged direct into socket too. Any hints appreciated. Drying is a nightmare!
Hi, this sounds very much to me like the same problem with the X2 capacitor. A lot of people report intermittent problems which get steadily worse and they inevitably fail completely after a while. I’m happy to have a look at it for you and see if I can help, I’ll send you an email about it.
Hiya, thanks so much for the advice, so helpful and what a great environmental impact to be helping so many people repair! I’ve tried following this and have managed to disassemble, desolder to remove the old capacitor and solder a new one on but when I plug everything back in and turn it on I get a single beep and the light comes on then clicks and instantly turns off again. It feels like something is wrong – though possible lots could be wrong from my extremely amateur soldering. Any ideas why or what I can do? One thing that was bothering me was on the circuit board there were 2 sets of holes right next to each other for each ‘leg’ of the capacitor to go through, I stupidly didn’t take a picture of which ones the old one was through, does it make any difference? Wonder if you might be able to do a 1 minute video call to tell me if it’s redeemable, pop me an email if so! Thanks so much for any further advice you can give
The two sets of holes are so the manufacturer can use different pin pitches of capacitors depending on which they can buy the cheapest and/or obtain the easiest.
The two sets of holes are so the manufacturer can use different pin pitches of capacitors depending on which they can buy the cheapest and/or obtain the easiest.
Hi Tom. The big question here is… Is the airer warming up? What you are describing is the normal behaviour for the controller. It’s a bit eccentric, but the light on the switch comes on when the heating element is off and vice versa. I think the idea is that it lights up to remind you to turn it off. If you are hearing the click then the relay is engaging, which is exactly what it should do. So I think it’s fine, switch it on and leave it for a few minutes and see if it warms up. The two holes are just for different size capacitors, your repair has worked fine as otherwise you wouldn’t be getting the click. Let me know how you get on!
I fix probably 10+ of this style of “capacitor dropper” power supplies per month across devices such as fans, coffee machines, wifi/Bt smart switches (loads of these!), hair straighteners, and exactly one of these driers. I have to date met only three bad X2 caps but clearly they are a big issue in these Dry:Soon products. Most of what I find are bad electrolytic smoothing caps (95% of issues), failed diodes, or (on my most recent hair straightener fix) a bad microprocessor, which fortunately I carry spares for. Even if replacing the X2 doesn’t fix it, there are other things you can try, but it’s down to having a decent multimeter and being both methodical and safe.
Thanks – yes I’ve had similar experiences, and I’d love to understand why they consistently fail in these clothes airers. I tested the last one I took out and it came out at 0.22uF so not a huge drop from the original part, but clearly enough to stop it from working. Good to hear of your successes on those other items, I’m still learning but we haven’t seen too many of them coming through the cafe. We did have a couple of food mixers come though which were dead, although the power supply PCBs looked OK. I should have investigated them further, and I will the next time one comes in.
Thanks so much everyone, it turns out you’re absolutely right it actually works fine! I was just assuming it was turning off as the light goes off but it heats up fine! Thanks so much for the helpful comments and again for this helpful guide!
The X2 cap is a reactive current limit, and the current drops as its capacitance does. It’s sized for the load of the processor, beeper and relay, so too large and the zener (that limits the voltage) might get too hot, too small and the voltage will drop such that the processor will reboot straight after it turns on the relay. Microchip Application note AN954 is what I point people at when they want a deep understanding of this stuff.
I use to avoid working on these PSUs, and switch mode ones, but I saw so many dead ones that I put myself on “boot camp” of reading guides and datasheets, and now love them. The only issue is they can rarely be fixed the same day as you will never have the required MOSFETs or driver chips. But fixing (for example) a £350 Pioneer X-HM72-K micro system that no Pioneer service centre would touch for <£5 in parts was (for me) worth the effort.
Thank you. Please would you let me have details of your repair service as mine has also just started beeping and blinking and would love to save it from landfill. Many thanks
Sure I have sent you an email
That’s great! Thanks for letting me know
This is great work – well done – I’m definitely aspiring to this so will continue to work on developing my skills. I’m definitely going to pay more attention when this sort of thing comes into the cafe, especially on reading of your successes
Thank you. That would really help me out
Hi, please can you share the details for your repair service?
Massive thank you for you wonderful instructions. As a 46 year woman it was my first attempt at soldering anything. It worked. It’s fix. Can’t thank you enough. Also feeling proud of myself for doing it .
Thanks so much for letting me know. It’s a real pleasure to hear that you have been able to do a successful repair AND learn a new skill. Do carry on with soldering, it’s a gateway to lots of other simple repairs for electronics. I love the sense of achievement I get from doing simple repairs like this, and I’m glad you are feeling the same thing!
Sure Bill, I will send you an email
Further to my posting 13 November and subsequently learning that the new capacitor I had soldered had the wrong value and hence didn’t work, thank you for supplying me with the correct capicitor size and value. The good news is the dryer is back in good health and is working perfectly again. Another result for Mr Fixer.
Thank you very much.
Hi, please can you provide me with details of your postal repair service?
I nearly got rid of ours and so pleased I came across this!
thank you,
Hi, yes sure I will send you an email. I’m sure we can rescue it!
Thanks – so glad that I could help out. Just to explain for anyone else who might hit a similar issue, the values on these capacitors can be written in a few different ways. The value you need is 0.47uF (microfarads), but sometimes it can be written in a different notation, so 0.47uF is shown as 474K. The ’47’ refers to the value, and the ‘4’ is the number of zeroes after it to give the value in pF (picofarads). So if you had a 473K part you might think it was essentially the same, but in fact it is 10x too small being 47000pF (ie 0.047uf) rather than 470000pF (ie 0.47uF). Quite why they choose to do this I’m not sure as saying the number plus the unit (ie 0.47uF) seems very clear to me. Also any other value (eg 0.22uF) will not work, I have tested the failed parts and they usually measure about that so only 0.39uF or larger will do.
Hi, please can you provide me with details of your postal repair service?
Sure, I will send you an email
Hello, please could you provide me with details of your postal repair service? I have one that after months of beeping and intermittent working, now will not stop beeping. Although I’ve had a thorough read, I’m not confident to fix it because of the soldering part. Many thanks.
No problem, I’ll email you
hi there,
Thanks for the great write up on this, I’m going to attempt this, are these the correct capacitors?
https://amzn.eu/d/bBqOwMH
Hi, yes these look right – they are 0.47uF otherwise described as 474K. Good luck! Let me know how it goes
Hi, thanks for this, I’ve had the same problem so decided to give the repair a go. I’ve replaced the X2 capacitor without any major issues, though I did have the common difficulties of getting the wires to disconnect (they seem to have gone back on okay), and it was difficult to desolder the original part, but otherwise I didn’t have any particular issues.
However now when I turn it on the switch lights up but there’s no display and it’s not heating up. Doesn’t seem to do anything when I press the mode/hour switches either, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a slight flicker on the light behind the switch too. Any suggestions on what the issue could be now please?
Flick the switch so the light goes off and it should all work.
Thanks. OK well the first thing to check is that you have the correct capacitor value – I’ve seen a few where they are behaving strangely because the capacitance value is too low. What you need is one that is marked with at least 0.39uF (or 394K), the most common available replacement is a 0.47uf (or 474K). Also always worth double-checking your soldering and possibly reflowing the joints. The way you describe it sounds very much like there is something wrong with the power getting to the chips, as you should have a display saying ‘On’ whatever happens, and the default position is for it to start up with the relay on (you’ll hear a click) and the light behind the switch off. I’ll drop you an email, if you can send me some pictures I’ll have a closer look and see if I can see anything obvious
could I have details of your repair service.
john
Certainly, I’ll drop you an email John
Thanks
jpwbyrne@gmail.com
Excellent blog. Please could you send me details of your repair service?
Thanks! Sure, I will send you an email
hi
please can you send me details of your repair service?
Yes sure I will send you an email
thank you!
I would love to use your postal service if possible please? I took my unit to local computer fixer who changed the component for me but still not heating up.
I’m so happy and relieved I found this blog! Thank you! Please can you send me the details of your repair service?
Hi Leisa, I’ll send you an email. There are a few possibilities here to look at and I will do my best to help.
Hi Lauren, yes I will send you an email. I have had some problems occasionally with emails not getting through, so if anyone is expecting an email from me and it hasn’t arrived then please add a comment on here
Hello, can I please send you my Lakeland dry soon circuit to repair?
My email is rammdave@hotmail.com
Thank you.
Yes sure, I will send you an email
hi there – I have the same problem and would love you to fix mine too – k@foster-brown.co.uk – was about to chuck mine out then found your very helpful post
Hi, yes of course, I will send you an email. Do let me know on here if nothing arrives as my email has been a bit unreliable lately
Thanks for this, I managed to fix mine at the weekend and it’s working perfectly now! The hardest part was desoldering the faulty capacitor, but apart from that it was pretty straightforward.
hi there – I emailed back to say yes please and could I have your address but it bounced back – would be v grateful if you could email it to me and I will get it sent off . Thanks!!
Hi, I’d be grateful if you could help as this is happening to mine and I am not confident at soldering
Hi James,,
Just an update on our airer which we fixed two years ago by following your excellent instructions and very happy to report that it’s still going strong! Great to read all the success stories and well done on repairing so many yourself! Thanks for tirelessly working to save an army of airers from landfill and thousands of pounds that would otherwise be spent on new airers!
Brilliant – thanks for letting me know, always good to hear a success story (and that the fault has not recurred!). I’ve really enjoyed working on these and it’s been very satisfying to hear how many people have benefitted. Saving the world, one clothes airer at a time!
Hi, yes very happy to help, I will send you an email
Hi, I’ve sent you another email, has it got through ok?
Hi there, do you still have a good stock of 0.47uF capacitors and if so please could you spare and supply a single one? I have no need for a pack of 5 or 10 bought online. Really appreciate it if you could drop me an email. Thank you!
Sure no problem, I’ll drop you a line. I have built up quite a stock of these now!
Magic, thanks very much!
HI there, I got the email with your address thank you.
I’m in the middle of planning my mother’s memorial service so a bit distracted. I will get it removed and over to you by early next week with huge thanks!
Ill let you know when its on its way.
with very best wishes
Katharine FB
I followed your guide and replaced the X2 capacitor. It took me about 10 minutes to do and i am not that competent with a soldering iron! The dryer is back to working perfectly again – a hige thanks! Cost me about £13 to get the capacirots from ebay and a cheap soldering ironfrom amazon
I got the cover off easy, the wires were hard to undo so i actually just left them attached – probably not the best option but it worked for me. I actually just put the soldering iron against the solder of the busted capacitor connecrtions and just eased the old one off one side at a time. I did this on both sides and it came out easy. I then cut the new capacitor to the same size as the old and fed each arm through the existing holes. I just put the soldering iron against the old solder and it heated up and just slotted in. I ended up not needing to use any new solder as the old stuff was thick enough. I then put it all back together and switched it on and all was working well.
A big thank you for posting this awesome How To!