Saturday, August 18, 2012

Repair Tips for Vacuum Cleaners

It's a fact of Murphy (whoever he or she is) that whatever can fail will - and at the worst possible moment I believe.  Take your vacuum cleaner for instance, the in-laws are do in and the vacuum decides to quit working right when you need it most. You have to scramble to either borrow a vacuum or, if that's not an option, run to the store and shell out your hard earned dollars on a new vacuum. A little preventative maintenance can alleviate these nuisances.

The first thing you need to do is get familiar with your vacuum's owner manual or, check out the manufacturers website for maintenance tips. You need to know where to look for potential trouble spots and when the problem occured you need to have an idea based on what you heard, saw or smelled where to begin looking for the problem. Though a vacuum can be a complex machine in terms of HOW it does what it does, there's relatively few parts that can malfunction.  Assuming it's not a catastrophic motor issue of course.

The belt that turns your brushbar (bristle brushes) is located underneath the base plate of the vacuum head.  To access, turn you vacuum on it's side and then flip over once more so the base plate (the bottom of the vacuum) is facing up. This base plate is either held on with screws or there are some type of locking cams that simply need to be rotated to unlock it. Go ahead and unlock or unscrew so the base plate can be removed.

If the belt is frayed or seems loose on the brushbar, it needs replaced. Sometimes the only issue is debris or hair has gotten wrapped around the brushbar and tangled with the belt. If you smelled something akin to burning rubber before turning the vacuum off, the belt has become stretched too much and needs replaced. You can normally find replacements at the "big box" stores or a vacuum repair center if there's one in your area.

A look through your manual or manufacturers website or perhaps a little search on Google should lead you to directions (video) on how to replace this belt.  A good Google search is something like "make and model of your vacuum belt replacement" (no quotes and replace with your actual make & model).

While you have the base plate off, check the brushbar. These frequently get tangled with hair, carpet fibers and sometimes stuff that resembles the spaghetti you make and ate several weeks ago. If the brushbar is removable, take it out and thoroughly clean all the gunk off the brushbar by either unwrapping what's wound around or use a pair of scissors and gently cut everything off.  If the bar is removable, also check the two spots where the bar rides in the vacuum for bits of debris that sometimes gets trapped in that area.

If the vacuum seems down on suction and you know the bag or canister isn't full and needing emptied, chances are there's a clog somewhere in the hose or air channels. Again, the manual, website or Google is your friend finding where and how to check all the nooks and crannies of the vacuum's air channels and hoses used to carry air from the cleaner head and through the bag or canister before exiting out the vacuum.  If the extension hose is clogged, you may need a yardstick or broom handle to dislodge what got stuck.

If your vacuum has filters and you can't remember the last time you cleaned or replaced them, it's time to check them. Some vacuums have one, some have two filters. If you do have the washable kind of filters, you'll need to let them COMPLETELY air dry before putting them back in your vacuum and using it.  Otherwise, you'll quickly have a bigger mess using wet filters.

As preventative maintenance, unplug your vacuum from the wall and check the entire length of cord for frays or spots that look damaged or perhaps cut. Sometimes a quick repair with electrical tape is all that's needed but if the cord is cut very deeply at all, DO NOT plug it back in. The cord needs to be replaced.

Belt, brushbar or clogs are the three main culprits of vacuum cleaner failures. Simple, periodic checks of these components can give you trouble free use of your vacuum for years to come and eliminate some of the panic moments you have when guests are about to arrive.

Lastly, if your current vacuum is just plain worn out and in need of replacement, I highly recommend this dyson vacuum review site.  They are written by an actual owner and are some of the most in-depth, reviews I've see.  he not only tells the good, but also shares what some of the negatives are about each model. Well done.

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