Vacuums

How to Identify and Fix Common Vacuum Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced Vacuum Technicians :

Should the brush not rotate freely there may be debris tangled around the ends of the brush, carefully remove any obstructions or replace the brush with a new one. We recommend that you fit a new belt and brush once per year to keep your Reactive vacuum working efficiently.
If the roller brush is not spinning, it cannot pick up dust. One reason could be that the power button is not set to position II, which runs the roller brush. If the button does not work, here is the link to the power button replacement guide. Another reason is that the roller brush could be broken.
The roller brush is the combination of a belt, a roller, and sometimes a small vacuum head motor. The roller spins, and the bristles attached to it sweep up debris that then gets sucked into the dirt container of the vacuum. The brush head also helps to pull dirt and debris out of carpets of various pile heights.
Clear the brush roll of any hair and debris and inspect by placing it on its end and spin. The brush should spin freely. If it doesn`t spin; it may be time to replace.
You may have stalled the brush motor. To reset, turn off and unplug, then plug back in and turn on. The brush roll may have lodged debris or other entanglements keeping the brush from rotating.
Inspecting the Vacuum Commutator for Motor Brush Problems

Test that by turning the motor off and pushing on the center shaft, the armature. If it has any play, besides spinning, then replace the motor. If solid then replace the brushes – motor brush replacement instructions.

1. Motorized Brush Head. Sometimes called the “power nozzle,” this large attachment has a rotating brush to clean carpets more like an upright.
Discovering the advantages of the on/off brush roll

When vacuuming hard surfaces, the brush roll can often push dust and debris away from the vacuum before it can be suctioned. Turning off the brush roll switches the vacuum to “suction-only” for quick and easy cleaning of hard floors.

Brushes. According to iRobot, brushes should be replaced every 6-12 months. Robot vacuums like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have multiple brushes that allow it to clean.
If the Side Brush is not spinning after cleaning, you may need a replacement Side Brush Module. Please visit the iRobot Store – Parts and Accessories, contact iRobot Customer Care, or use an authorized retailer or partner.
Remove the brushroll and clean all hair, string, and lint from the brushroll bearings. If the vacuum cleaner brush still doesn`t spin after you clean the brushroll, consider replacing the brushroll.
If your brush is not turning it could be due to a broken Belt or a seized Brush Roll, follow these steps to resolve: Turn off and unplug machine. Use a Phllips-head screwdriver to remove 3 screws, 2 in the belt cover and 1 on the brush roll mount. Remove belt cover.
Check for a clogged hose or filter; unclog the hose and replace the filter, Wait 45 minutes for the vacuum to cool; then plug in the vacuum, Turn the power switch to the `I-On` position to start the vacuum. If the vacuum still does not start, contact Customer Service at 1-800-798-7398.
To reset your shark vacuum, put the Power button in the On-Off position and keep the vacuum unplugged. If necessary, clear the hose. Once it has cooled completely, plug the vacuum back in again.
Why does my Shark vacuum keep stopping? For Shark robotic models, odd sweeping or sudden stops can often be a result of dirty vacuum sensors. These sensors can often be found on the bottom and sides of the vacuum. Hitting them with a soft cloth should be enough to remove any excess dirt.
The TurboBrush® Tool has a rotating brush that easily connects to most vacuum hoses and is recommended for cleaning stairs, upholstery, rugs and other difficult to reach areas in your home while vacuuming. The TurboBrush® Tool stores on board most BISSELL vacuums for easy and convenient above floor cleaning.
What is a Beater Bar? A beater bar is a smoothly contoured metal agitator bar on a rotating brush roller. See below image. It works in conjunction with bristle brushes to gently beat the fibers, when the beater bar rotates, to loosen soil and allow the brushes to comb away the soil into the suction ports of the vacuum.
A rotating brush is used in conjunction with a machine that spins it on a cylinder or on a ring. This spinning motion cleans objects that come in contact with the brush`s bristles. These brushes can be found on shoe polishers, street cleaners, conveyor belts, runway sweepers and more.
To attain a state of vacuum, a space must be empty, i.e. devoid of all gaseous material. The consequence of this is that the pressure in this space is very low, as it contains no or only a small number of particles, which exert a force on an area as a result of their impact against the walls.
Description. Used extensively for preparing, cleaning and finishing surfaces, disc brushes can be provided in a range of materials and sizes to suit all applications. Constructed on a synthetic, wood, aluminium or steel core, tufts of fill material are machine stapled, resin set or hand drawn into the core.
: a brush used for dusting.
Next to the motor, the belt on your vacuum is just about the most important part of your vacuum. Without the belt to spin the brushroll, most vacuums won`t pick up on carpeting at all! If your vacuum uses a rubber belt, check it once a month for cracks, melting, and especially, slippage.
After a year or so, you may need to replace your vacuum`s beater brush. If the bristles seem to be squished, broken or are varying heights, it`s time to replace the brush. These can be found online with the vacuum`s brand and model of your vacuum cleaner.
If washed regularly, makeup brushes should last much longer than makeup sponges. We recommend replacing your makeup brushes about every 1-3 years.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Hoover WindTunnel Self-Propelled V Belt
ANSWER : I had this same problem with the V belt on my Hoover Vaccuum..
.There are three (3) basic things that will cause the brush roll not to spin..
.1. When handle is upright, brush roll is OFF..2. When switch is set for HARD surface, brush roll is OFF..3. Broken/worn FLAT belt or V Belt, brush roll will not spin.
.
.I noticed that the brush roll was not spinning when my vacuum was set for CARPET. After removing the cover I noticed that the V belt was loose, I thought the belt was worn so I purchased a correct replacement belt and installed it, but the new belt was also loose and when I turned the large flat belt pulley it did not turn the V belt pulley at the same time..
.I double checked the surface setting and I had the vacuum switch set for carpet, but still when I released the handle out of the upright position the brush roll would still not spin..
.My aggravation finally led me to this posting on FixYa’s website..
.The first thing I did was checked the screw to the left of the V belt as suggested by ejmjr5 and this did nothing to solve the problem or create more tension on the V belt, even when the upright handle was not in the upright position..
.After playing around with the surface setting control switch/nob I notice that when I moved the switch out of the HARD surface setting and over to CARPET, I had thought that the switch was set for CARPET as it visually appeared, but I was not pushing the switch over hard enough to click it into the CARPET setting mode..
.VOILA, the brush roll now spins correctly even though the V belt seams to be too loose for the pulley..
.You really have to force the switch into the CARPET setting. Be sure that you hear the switch/nob click into place..
.Now you can effectively clean up after that hangover of a party!.
.Burp!

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Windtunnel belt I have a new Hoover Windtunnel canister. The belt keeps coming off. It happened a couple weeks ago (several times after putting the belt back on) so I assumed I might need a new belt as it might have dried out at the store. I ordered new belts and today I used it for about an hour and the belt came off again, twice. There doesn’t seem to be anything to hold the belt on the stem as it seems to slip off. I have tried it centered, to the left and to the right….can you help. I am v
ANSWER : I’ve successfully used a compatible belt – Royal 104425001 .It’s still new, but for the time being at least – it works.

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Hoover windtunnel t series belt is loose- roller brush doesnt turn.
Its brand new belt is slipping. we bough new belts and putthem on same problem. Can not find solutio in manual.
Is the belt supposed to go around the “metal pulley”. I know it goes around the little metal motor thing, then thru the guide and around the brush.
What is the metal pulley??? Is is the larger round silver thing between the guide and roller?
ANSWER : I also have a loose belt and have bought additional belts but have the same problem. I put the it around the metal rotor and around the brush roller a shown by he Hoover video, and it is loose.

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Hoover Wind Tunnel 7500 Brush not Turning. I have replaced the Brush and the belt. The problem does not seem to be either to me. I believe might be a missing part. The place were the belt hooks on is a metal pole which never seems to grip the belt well. In fact it seems loose most of the time and slips on the brush, causing the belt to eventually burn up. Could there be a missing plastic or rubber piece meant to hold the belt taught  on the metal pole?
ANSWER : Check the Idler Pulley part Number 43241004 (Item 13 in the IPB)

http://64.49.205.183/v/u6451900.pdf

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Brushes are not rotating, V-belt seems too loose
ANSWER : V-belt suppose to be loose (according the manual). I just replaces it (and was worry that it is loose), but brush rotating fine. So your problem is somewhere else.

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Hoover WindTunnel, month-old belt, now too large to turn brush
ANSWER : I suspect you have been bitten by the Chinese bug..
.A very large percentage of replacement parts for all manner of appliances and vehicles are now being conterfeited in China who we should know by now has no respect for the intellectual property of others and a flood of low-quality stuff is being made as ‘knock-offs’ since they are generally easy to fabricate with fairly primitive means..Our eldest son just returned a supposedly ‘new’ steering pump for his (US) car but this one at least had China as the origin shown on the package..
.Make sure though that the brush roller turns freely and isn’t being impeded by trapped thread in the bearings. 

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Hi my proheat bissell 7901 stopped pumping water to the floor, but it pumps water from the hand hose. I read the manual and followed how to check belt and the flat belt on right side of shampooer is fine and I turned on and it turns and so do the brushes at the bottom of the machine. I was reading online and I guess there’s two belts on this machine? where can I find the other belt to see if it needs replacing. I guess it’s a ribbed belt? that is the water pump belt?
ANSWER : Just taken ours apart with the same problem… found it was caused by the 2 halves of the main casing coming apart in the area where the upright pedal release is. I found this to be due to the upper casing having broken in 2 places – the bottom of the screw wells..This means that the water tank cannot exert sufficient pressure on the valve to release the water..Only solution is a new top cover assembly

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I have the bissell power force bagged upright vacuum and the brush is not turning, I have replaced the belt but the brush will not move but the metal piece that is hooked to the motor that spins the belt and brush is turning but the brush won’t, and the belt starts to burn
ANSWER : Sounds like your brush roll is seized. Remove the brush roll (see picture) and make both of the end caps spin freely. If not, replace it and you should be set.

*An example of a brush roll*
086dc3d.jpg
Make sure that the brush roll spins freely.

Hope that helps.
Chris

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