Hoover Powermax U5242-930 Vacuum

How to Identify and Fix Common Vacuum Problems ?

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If your vacuum cleaner has lost suction power, it`s time to empty the container. Vacuum cleaners come with various foam or mesh filters. These might get clogged over time if not cleaned or replaced properly. This will cause your vacuum to lose suction.
The suction power is to be measured at the end of the tube of a complete vacuum cleaner (i.e. with tube, hose and filters – but without nozzle). Some manufacturers show the results from measurements made at the suction of the actual vacuum cleaner.
One of the easiest ways to increase vacuum cleaner suction is to empty the dust bag or container. Dust containers need to have enough space for airflow, otherwise, they could get clogged and have less suction power. Regularly check your dust compartment and empty or change it when it`s already 70-80% full.
Suction is measured in air watts (a European test standard IEC60312 for vacuums) and is a measurement of the airflow at the end of the cleaning hose.
Clog located in the vacuum hose

Turn the unit on and feel the suction at the end of the hose handle. If there is no or low suction, then the clog is in the hose. You can remove the clog by running a long, stiff object through the hose, such as a butter knife, starting at the wall end.

Suction pressure should be kept at less than 200 mmHg in adults. It should be set at 80 mmHg to 120 mmHg in neonates.
So, the usual areas that cause suction loss include the wrong height setting, stuck rollers, a faulty gasket, a broken vacuum belt, a filled bag, or a clogged hose.
Gravity and friction are the two main forces that make vacuum suction work. While gravity pulls molecules in the air toward the earth, creating an atmospheric pressure, the suction cup and vacuum pump cause a pressure difference, attaching both surfaces.
There can be a variety of reasons why your vacuum cleaner has low suction. It could be clogged filters, a dirty bag or container, or an obstruction in the hose. Check all these areas and replace any parts that need it to restore full suction power.
Next, you need to consider suction power. Typically expressed in Pa (pascals), this is a measurement of how powerful the motor is inside a robot vacuum. A good number to look for here is around 2,000Pa or above for an effective clean.
Max(4000 PA): It can deeply clean the place that needs cleaning, dust cleaning is up 80%, garbage collection is up 30%, and the cleaning times are up to 80 minutes.
Check for a plugged hose:

Plugged vacuum hoses are sometimes the reason for a loss in suction. Hoses can get clogged with hair, dust bunnies, string, or anything else that can`t pass through the other end of the hose. Airways inside the machine should be looked at as well. Wherever there is an air passage, check it.

Often when your machine is not picking up it is due to loss of suction. If your vacuum cleaner turns on but won`t pick up on carpet or bare floors, something is impeding suction. You may need to change the vacuum bag, unclog the hose, replace/clean the filters, replace the hose, change the belt, or repair the motor.
The equation for determining how much of a suction lift you can pull with your pump you can take your Atmospheric pressure(Pb) subtract your Pump NPSHR, Vapor Pressure (Vp), friction losses (hf) and NPSH Margin (Safety factor) and you will have your maximum suction lift.
A suction lift simply means the maximum level of the liquid to be pumped is physically below the centerline of the pump impeller. Most centrifugal pumps can operate with a suction lift if they are primed first.
Low suction pressure/low superheat:

Apart from refrigerant leaks causing loss of critical charge, the most common problem associated with low suction pressure is: LOW LOAD, i.e., not enough warm, moisture laden airflow across the evaporator coil.

Some GI suction regulators can provide full line vacuum; others have a range of 0 to 120 mm Hg or 200 mm Hg. Thoracic suction regulators provide lower vacuum pressures than other types do, generally in the range of 0 to 45 mm Hg and 0 to 60 cm H2O.
The sealed suction of a vacuum cleaner is measured in inches of water lift. This rating is taken when the motor is totally sealed, and the term refers to how many inches the motor will vertically lift a 1″ column of water.
Boil old suction cups to revive them.

Take the pot off of heat and drop your suction cups in for about 30 seconds. Take them out with a pair of tongs and pat them dry on a lint-free towel. Try to use the suction cups right after you dry so they`re still warm and flexible.

Air watts refer to the number of watts used by the vacuum cleaner to carry a unit of air through an opening or nozzle. The higher the air watts, the higher the suction power.
Take your time. Vacuuming slowly will allow your machine to suck up more dirt and dust, and ultimately get your rugs and carpets much cleaner. Slow vacuuming allows the brush to agitate the carpet properly and suck up the unclean bits that emerge.
Air watts are a European test standard (IEC60312) for vacuums. An upright vacuum cleaner should be around 100 air watts and a cylinder vacuum cleaner needs to be about 220 air watts.
Pa refers to the “vacuum level”, which is the force required to lift objects. The typical range of Pa for a regular robot vacuum cleaner is around 2500 to 3000 Pa. The higher the value of Pa, the greater the force lifting the debris off the floor.
I found out that pa stands for pascal and is the unit of measurement applied to vacuum suction. 6000 is considered optimal in terms of performance. The weak area with smaller vacuum appliances is the filter which needs to be kept clean to maintain it`s performance.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

I purchased a brand new Eureka Pet vacuum, sorry don’t know exact name but it the one that has the self cleaning duster on it. Last night I used the vacuum on my carpet, it was working fine until I accidently sucked up the corner of a scarf that was hanging off a couch. I shut the vacuum off, pulled out the scarf and and resumed vacuuming. Much to my dismay the suction on the vacuum had ceased. Can you tell me if there is a reset button on the vacuum? The vacuum does not appear to be damage
ANSWER : If the motor is running, there should be suction. Possible problems depend on whether it’s a canister or upright and are:
.A clog in the hose, UR or canister. Detach hose. Drop small coin in one end and lift hose causing it to roll out the other. If it does, no clog in hose. Drop same coin into hose opening on power head. If it rolls out, no clog in PN.
.Broken fan blades, UR. Needs to be taken to shop for repair/replacement.
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.A reset button is for use if the motor isn’t running, so won’t have anything to do with the suction.

Dirt devil vacuum cleaner–trouble vacuuming dirt and pet hair on carpeting –is the problem with the spinning brush which contacts the floor,  not contacting the carpeting??  I thought (when I bought this vacuum) that the aforementioned brush was adjustable to various heights of carpeting.  Sometimes, it seems like nothing is being vacuumed up –unless I have just put a new bag on the vacuum… Do I need or can I replace the spinning brush on the bottom of the vacuum so it kicks up and vacuums
ANSWER : Try replacing the belt. Rubber belts stretch out after about a year.

My home has a central vacuum system hook-up but no vacuum installed. My friend upgraded his central system and gave me his Eureka Mega Boss central vacuum system and the accessories, including the pow
ANSWER : The power head requires 120 Volts. Some hoses have a receptacle in the handle for the power head plug, and the hose has a cord at the wall inlet end that plugs into a receptacle. Some hoses have a plug at the wall inlet end that plugs into a 120Volt receptacle built into the inlet. The hose plugs into this receptacle when you push the hose into the inlet. The power for this built-in receptacle is wired with line voltage when the system is installed.

Need Kirby Generation 3 Vacuum cleaner manual. Vacuum is not picking up dirt from floor. Seems to have enough suction to inflate the bag, but when you check the suction under the vacuum, there seems to be extremely litle suction.
ANSWER : If your brush roll is turning and your bag is not overly full, then the only other thing it can be is a clog where the bag connects to the vacuum. Turn the plastic part out away from vacuum and lift off to see if you have something clogging it. It would have to be something big, but not so big that it could not get past the fan. As a rule of thumb, KIRBY never clogs. I suspect that your belt is stretched out and your brush roll is not turning while on the carpet so the brush roll is just in the way rather than brushing your carpet to pick up dirt.

Suction problem I have a Hoover Widepath Fold Away, 12 amp motor vacuum cleaner and the problem I am having is every time I vacuum, the vacuum gets clogged up with carpet. I am probably only able to do one stroke then it gets clogged and I have to stop and unclog it or it spits it out on the carpet. This is very frustrating and I don’t get much vacuuming done. Please can you help me. Thank you. Gwen email is [email protected]
ANSWER : Get rid of the carpet its shredding and falling apart.no sence in vacuuming old rotten carpet.or try using a vacuum without a brush roller and just suction

No suction i have a hoover supreme wind tunnel vac and its relatively new and the suction, well……sucks. It wont pick anything up! I am extremely frustrated! I picked up a ball of fuzz off the carpet and held it under the vacuum and it still wouldn’t **** it up. I then shoved the fuzz up INTO the vacuum. It fell right back out. I may as well not even vacuum. Please help!
ANSWER : I have found more vacuums on the way to the dump because they were full. Check. Is it full?
.If not the air way is clogged.

Suction Problem I was vacuuming and stopped to empty the cannister. When I started vacuuming again – the suction wasn’t working properly. The vacuum was just pushing stuff around the floor. I cleaned the hair out the brush on the bottom and it still isn’t working. It was working fine before I emptied the tube 🙁 I can’t figure out what happened.Help!
ANSWER : Greetings from GoVacuum,
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.I believe what may have happened is that your vacuum cleaner belt has either broken, or been stretched so far that ithe brushes are no longer spinning fast enough.
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.Here’s what you should do to diagnose this problem.
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.1. Take the suction hose out of the back of the vacuum (assuming that your vacuum has on-board tools), and see if you have any suction coming from the hose. If you do, this indicates your belt is bad.
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.2. If you don’t have suction coming from the hose, then it may be something as simple as replacing the filters, to a clog in the vacuum, or to your motor going bad.
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.In my professional opinion though I would say from what you stated that the belt is mostly likely going to be your issue. If you can provide me the model number of your vacuum cleaner, I can walk you through step by step on ow to replace the belt.
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.I have posted a short YouTube video on a vacuum belt change, this is not for all vacuums, but it will give you some idea of how to change a belt;
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Thanks, and if you have questions about your particular model, please feel free to contact me at
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.[email protected]
.1-866-468-2288

No suction I am getting no suction on my central vac at the vac. I do not believe that the piping is plugged up, the vacuum is not creating suction. What are the causes of no suction at the vacuum and how do I take the top half of the Nutone central vac off?
ANSWER : Use the guide at builtinvacuum.com/flowchrt.html to find the issue and solution. Most likely you need to test it without any filter and be sure the bottom of the unit is attached 🙂 To get access to the motors you need to unbolt the very top sides.