Ah! There's nothing like a heating pad to soothe away aches. Such a simple device. Yet, they sometimes quit for no apparent reason. Fortunately, they are relatively easy to troubleshoot and repair--or replace.

How Does It Work?

A heating pad is a small electrical device with a continuous electrical wire encased in a plastic pad. Heating pads include a removable fabric cover; wet heating pads also have a spongelike liner that holds moisture to pass heat.

What Can Go Wrong?

Most heating pads are relatively maintenance free. But the electrical wire within the heating pad can be broken, causing the pad to heat intermittently or not at all. The thermostat can malfunction. Often the best solution when a heating pad malfunctions is to replace the entire device. Before doing so, however, identify the cause of the problem. Maybe you can fix it yourself.

Fix-It Tip

Small appliance repair shops typically won't repair heating pads because they are so inexpensive to replace.