Vacuums
How to Identify and Fix Common Vacuum Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced Vacuum Technicians :
Before you spend your time trying to go back over the same areas, hoping you`ll get it all cleaned up the second time around, check out your brush roll and belt. If you`ve cleaned your brush of any sticky stuff and hair, and it all looks fine, you`re likely dealing with a stretched belt.
If your new belt is too loose, the brush roll will turn slowly, and the vacuum won`t do it`s job. If it is too strong or tight, it puts excessive wear and strain on your motor and bearings which can cause damage, resulting in unnecessary repair costs.
Unexpected noise: A squealing noise often indicates slippage between the belts and the pulleys. A chirping sound could stem from misalignment of a pulley or drive belt, as well as a host of other issues. Tensile failure: A common indicator of misalignment, tensile failure may be due to uneven cord loading.
For most vehicles, the belt should not be able to be pressed down more than ½ inch. If it can be pressed lower, then the belt is too loose.
A few things you can check to try and solve:
Turn off the vacuum cleaner – then check if the nozzle, tube, hose or filters are blocked and/or dirty. Let the product cool down for a minimum of 2 hours on the charging stand before starting it again (stick vacuum cleaners only)
Simply loosen the strap, take it off the motor, give the strap one twist, reconnect it to the motor, and tighten the belt. The belt now makes a figure-of-eight instead of a simple loop, which effectively reverses the direction of the motor.
An over-tightened belt can burn out any bearing that the belt rotates on, including alternator, power steering pump, A/C compressor, idler pulleys, etc. An over-tightened timing belt can ruin any pulley bearing it is connected with.
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.
Tightness of a waist belt might restrict forward movement of the center of mass, increasing pelvic inclination through a compensatory mechanism. This mechanical change would increase the lever arm between weight and fixed foot necessitating a greater force for extension of the knee joint.
Belt slippage: misalignment can cause the belt to slip off its pulley, resulting in reduced power transfer and system inefficiency. Reduced system efficiency: it gradually reduces belt performance by increasing wear and fatigue, resulting in increased energy consumption.
Using a laser belt alignment tool is quicker and more accurate than traditional methods. Belt alignment tools can either align the pulley faces or the pulley grooves.
Pause the programme and make sure the garments are spaced evenly in the tub. Very small loads can cause balance problems with the spin phase leading to a lack of spinning. Pause the programme and open the door. Manually redistribute the load so that the items are spaced evenly around the tub and add some laundry.
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.
Belt misalignment is the off-centre travel of the conveyor belt along the conveyor system. Belt misalignment can be caused by a number of factors including: damaged conveyor structure or ill-fitting components, poor belt splices, environmental conditions or material loading effects.
The short answer is the belt is molding to your body style. Belts will mold and form to your body much like a pair of leather shoes will. Each person will have varying degrees of curving on the belt based on their body size, weight, and how they wear their pants.
A vacuum cleaner`s brush roller also called the beater bar assists in cleaning your carpets and depending on your vacuum model, a variety of floors. The brush roller is usually located under the vacuum cleaner and some in the attachment tool.
Hold the belt between finger and thumb at this point and move it from side to side. See how much it deflects at the centre of the run. If it moves more than 1/2 in. (13 mm) it is too slack – any less movement and it is too tight.
The average life expectancy of a mid-range vacuum cleaner is about six years. You can fix or replace things like blocked filters, jammed brush rolls, frayed hoses, worn-out stick vac batteries and broken accessories yourself.
Multiply the inch measurement by 2.54 to find your belt size in cm. Men`s pant sizes are usually one size smaller than their belt size. For example, a 36-inch waist will correspond to a 38-inch belt size.
A squealing or noisy belt is one of the most common symptoms of a slipping or worn serpentine belt. Squealing can be more pronounced when you`re climbing a hill and running your heater or air conditioning at the same time. Squealing can also occur after you drive over deep puddles or have an undercarriage car wash.
When pulleys are not aligned properly, additional loads are induced. The aim of belt alignment is to align the grooves of the drive and driven pulleys so that the belts run with minimal wear. Proper alignment extends the service life of belts and bearings, reduces vibration and noise levels, and saves energy.
While it is possible to drive in this manner, it is not recommended. If you drive with a vacuum leak for a long time, the increased temperatures in your engine will begin to cause major damage. The low-fuel mixture will burn fast. This would be more than your engine cooling system can manage.
The major types of vacuum belts are determined by their different shapes. As vacuum designs have improved over the years, new belt shapes have been developed to increase both their durability and their ability to transfer power from the vacuum`s motor.
The best way to correct offset misalignment is by moving the pulley axially on its shaft, or by moving the adjustable machine (usually the motor) axially. Horizontal angle is corrected by moving the adjustable machine laterally to change its angle with respect to the opposing pulleys.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
The original belt on my upright Kenmore Progressive broke and I replaced it with the spare that was in the vacuum. The vacuum and spare belt are about 10 years old. Then the spare broke after one vacuuming session and there was a burning smell coming from the vacuum. I ordered new belts and replaced it with the new belt. It seems to be working fine with no smell. I checked the belt after I vacuumed the family room and although it was in tact, the belt was very hot. Is that normal? Should t
ANSWER : The belt heats up due to the friction, as well as being in contact with the shaft of a hot motor. It is normal.
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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.
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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!
.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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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.
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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.
.
.A reset button is for use if the motor isn’t running, so won’t have anything to do with the suction.
.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.
.
.A reset button is for use if the motor isn’t running, so won’t have anything to do with the suction.
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Electrolux Epic 6500SR Full Bag sensor working, Does not Reset properly
ANSWER : The problem was a sticking switch that was not being reset. The vacuum on/off switch mechanism is comprised of two switches. One is the main switch that turns the vacuum on and off. The second is a shut off switch that gets tripped when the full bag sensor is engaged. This second switch is supposed to get reset when you push the on/off switch on the outside of the machine. The full bag shutoff switch was stiff and it, therefore, was taking a couple of presses of the on/off switch to move the shutoff switch back into the running position.
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Smoking belt Hey I have a Eureka 2961 avz bagless vacuum, and if it’s on for a few minutes i can smell the belt burning. If the vacuum is left on any longer the belt starts smoking. I took the case off and there was a little debris but not much. Is there a cause and fix or just time to replace the belt?
ANSWER : Belt is slipping because the bearings on the beater brushes, which it turns, are jammed or full of dust.
.Alternatively the belt has stretched after being overheated and needs replacing because it now slips.
.Alternatively the belt has stretched after being overheated and needs replacing because it now slips.
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