Thread Number: 13200
Kirby suction fans |
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Post# 140574 , Reply# 4   6/22/2011 at 11:00 (4,698 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️)   |   | |
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and used to trash pick vacuums which I would never do with todays vacuums . I always used to find Kirby`s , Hoover convertibles and Eurekas with metal fans always were broken . I am 43 and must have replaced at least 25-30 metal fans in my life due to breakage. Now a days I just deal with Kirby G series and have yet to replace a fan due to breakage. I usually just replace them becuse they are a tad nicked and most people would just clean and leave them on the machine.
Dan |
Post# 140591 , Reply# 7   6/22/2011 at 16:21 (4,698 days old) by whirlsonicmore (South US)   |   | |
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It's good insurance to replace the fan whenever servicing a Kirby. Just about every one I do will get a fan unless it's relatively new. Those fans take a beating. |
Post# 140603 , Reply# 9   6/22/2011 at 18:32 (4,698 days old) by KirbyLover (Louisville Kentucky )   |   | |
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The fan material is black plastic (I'm not sure if that is lexan or what?) when my new fan comes in the mail I think it might be white in color (at least it is in the ebay picture) would that be kevlar? |
Post# 140609 , Reply# 10   6/22/2011 at 19:05 (4,698 days old) by twocvbloke ()   |   | |
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Genuine Kirby fans are either metal (No longer made), grey (lexan, no longer made) or Creamy-white (Kevlar), anything else is just generic aftermarket parts... :) |
Post# 140649 , Reply# 13   6/22/2011 at 22:06 (4,697 days old) by KirbyLover (Louisville Kentucky )   |   | |
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Says "Genuine Kirby OEM#119096G" it is creme colored. I did a google search for that number and come across various sites with creme colored fan pictures and they all say lexan?? Guess I'll find out (I'm selling that one anyways lol) |
Post# 140651 , Reply# 15   6/22/2011 at 22:16 (4,697 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)   |   | |
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Yes best to go the the original manufactures parts. The generic ones just don't seem to hold up as well. May cost a little more up front but by the time you replace a generic part with another generic one a few times you just spent much more than you saved. |
Post# 140761 , Reply# 21   6/23/2011 at 21:29 (4,696 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)   |   | |
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I'm not familar with P.E.E.K. How does it differ from todays kevlar? |
Post# 140788 , Reply# 23   6/24/2011 at 06:36 (4,696 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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Looks like the Hoover Jr fan in the picture was used to clean up after the rock crusher?Some SERIOUS vacuuming done with that fan.Like lots of pebbles must have gone thru it.I always thought Hoover metal fans were pretty tough. |
Post# 140835 , Reply# 27   6/24/2011 at 21:28 (4,695 days old) by thevacuumman (Borger, TX)   |   | |
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most of them were broken off and i found six of them in the Mini-Emptor one of the blades had a nail drove through it. but it was used in a home that my dad's friend owned |
Post# 140836 , Reply# 28   6/24/2011 at 21:31 (4,695 days old) by thevacuumman (Borger, TX)   |   | |
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i do know one of the lexan fans that was on the Classic(my grandpa had 5 or 6 fans in a drawer) was worn down because their back yard was mostly sand |
Post# 140918 , Reply# 29   6/25/2011 at 14:33 (4,695 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)   |   | |
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How long did he get out of each of those fans. Next time I go to our get away I'm going to check out the fan on the classic we have there. The fan has been on it since about 1992 to 1994. All sand up there as well. |
Post# 140922 , Reply# 30   6/25/2011 at 14:57 (4,695 days old) by thevacuumman (Borger, TX)   |   | |
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about 2-3 years if he didnt pick up a nail or a rock or something like that |
Post# 141900 , Reply# 31   7/3/2011 at 20:46 (4,686 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 141905 , Reply# 32   7/3/2011 at 20:52 (4,686 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Reason I ask is the straight blades of the clear lexan fan in the vacuum seem to bounce small bits of grit and small stones back off it and then it spits them back out, a bit like the hoover juniors used to do...
I was thinking the curved blades which are shaped more like the kirby fan would be better as the grit should follow the curves of the blade and up into the bag? Its so annoying as when I vacuum my door mat it spits half the small bits of grit and stones that have been trodden in back out. Kirby doesnt do this though and never spits back out, I know the fan is not upside down though on Kirby but the blades are curved also. I have the ZC-880. |
Post# 141915 , Reply# 33   7/3/2011 at 21:25 (4,686 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 141983 , Reply# 35   7/4/2011 at 14:51 (4,686 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 142027 , Reply# 37   7/5/2011 at 00:42 (4,685 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 142197 , Reply# 38   7/6/2011 at 20:06 (4,683 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)   |   | |
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No the fan opening has remained the same for decades. Chances are there won't be any changes to it's design. As that has been what has worked for them for years. |
Post# 342953 , Reply# 39   2/6/2016 at 06:51 (3,008 days old) by Blackheart (North Dakota)   |   | |
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A while back i took some baird meter readings, these numbers were recorded at the end of a hose.
The Heritage II is using a plastic fan and pulls an 8.5 The Legend II is using a metal fan and pulled just under 10 probably about 9.75 I no longer have that Heritage II, and the Legend II has been given an amodel fan since it wasn't working well with the "looser" carpet in my apartment. I feel that the kevlar and amodel fans are far more durable than the metal fans which makes them better suited to the average user, like my parents, who suck up pennies, nickles, screws, and larger rocks. I'm sure it's not intentional, but it makes it's way into that emptor somehow. *shrugs* |
Post# 342976 , Reply# 40   2/6/2016 at 12:38 (3,008 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)   |   | |
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I did some research on this and what I found is very interesting. The fans that are installed in the newest Kirby's from the G5 through Avalir are made of Amodel, NOT Kevlar as almost everyone on here on Vacuumland have thought.
For a while Kirby used Lexan, which was discontinued when the switch to superior Amodel was made in the G5. Amodel is widely used in the Aerospace industry, in fact, Amodel was widely used to build the Space Shuttle. It was was used primarily for the framework of the Shuttle's fuselage. Kirby designed the new fan with the aid of NASA so that it would be the most durable and produce maximum airflow(CFM). Many folks here on Vacuumland, confused Lexan and Kevlar with Amodel. The fact is that Kevlar was never used in any Kirby vacuum . There were some problems with the Lexan fans after a few years of use. They would suffer stress fractures and would break apart if hit by any foreign object (not regular dirt).
Amodel is a new type of polymer that is stronger than either Aluminum, which is used in the Royal metal upright vacuums, or Kevlar which was NEVER used in any Kirby vacuum. The Amodel fan is tougher than metal and believe it or not, will always outlast Lexan and metal fans.
Back in 1998, Kirby did a demonstration for a large group of vacuum enthusiasts during a tour of the factory where they used a Kirby G5 vacuum with Amodel fan to suck up a bowlful of small nuts, bolts, glass fragments and pebbles. After disassembly, the fan had only a couple of very small nicks on it and deemed fully serviceable.
The Kirby Avalir with it's higher speed motor, and NASA designed Amodel fan, produces more airflow (127 CFM) than any previous Kirby model.
Here is a statement by Solvay Advanced Polymers which is the manufacturer of AMODEL polymers. You can find this statement on their website with the link provided below:
" About AMODEL Polyphthalamide--
With a heat deflection temperature of 536 degrees Fahrenheit (280 degreesCelsius) and continuous use temperature of 338 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius), AMODEL PPA retains its exceptional mechanical properties -- strength, stiffness, fatigue and creep resistance -- over a broad range and in high humidity environments. This versatile family of high-temperature nylons can give you the strength of aluminum, the stiffness of steel, and the impactand ductility of hard rubber --
I hope you all enjoyed the fruits of my research of AMODEL and look forward to reading comments any of you may have.
-Stan
CLICK HERE TO GO TO sptyks's LINK |
Post# 342983 , Reply# 41   2/6/2016 at 12:51 (3,008 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)   |   | |
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Here is another link that is very interesting. It is a Kirby/NASA article that describes how NASA and Kirby collaborated to create the new Amodel fan:
spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff1997/ch9....
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Post# 363627 , Reply# 43   12/14/2016 at 19:35 (2,695 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 363643 , Reply# 44   12/15/2016 at 08:24 (2,695 days old) by Kirbysthebest (Midwest)   |   | |
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I used to demo the Kirby by sucking up a penny. |
Post# 363725 , Reply# 46   12/16/2016 at 22:07 (2,693 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)   |   | |
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I will say that I have been very satisfied with the new generation of fan for the Kirby's. So far I haven't had any breakage or stress cracking on any of the machines I have. |