Thread Number: 16505
Tri Star DXL Question
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Post# 176087   4/6/2012 at 11:10 (4,374 days old) by BrianKirbyClass (Eudora Kansas)        

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Question about a Tri Star DXL, 1998 grey and black metal speckle tone model.
The rear "Filter Fresh" filter, that screws into the rear exhaust. It keeps wanting to fly off, and wont stay "SCREWED" on!
How do you keep the darn thing from flying off all the time? I bought a new one, thinking maybe the old one was just loose or something, Nope,,still flys off. Will stay on for awhile, but,,,
Sometimes the filter itself comes unscrewed, and then all of the inner filters will fly off,,sometimes,or most of the time, the whole thing just flys off.
HELP,,,about ready to say bye bye to the TriStar,,very frustrating.
Thanks in advance for any help!


Post# 176088 , Reply# 1   4/6/2012 at 11:32 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Brian:

Sounds like your filter basket is damaged in some way. The filter basket is the black plastic piece that is riveted to the exhaust port of the vacuum; it's the part your afterfilter screws in to. They are available as a replacement part from TriStar, and not expensive. It's on the diagram below as Part 70014.

You will need to drill the rivets out of the old filter basket, and to have a pop-rivet tool to install the new one. There is a very delicate little rubber gasket between the filter basket and the vac body that is often missing, and is NLA from TriStar. If yours is not present, or if it's damaged, use black RTV silicone on the flange before installing the new filter basket. This prevents air leakage from around the filter basket, forcing all the exhaust through the afterfilter.

There is a little "finger" inside the filter basket (like the one inside the hose port) that is probably broken or bent or something. Replacing the basket will fix the problem.


Post# 176091 , Reply# 2   4/6/2012 at 12:13 (4,374 days old) by BrianKirbyClass (Eudora Kansas)        

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Sandy, thank you! I had no idea the black piece is a basket,or that there is a little finger inside,,i thought the whole thing was part of the vac itself. Unfortunatly i have no such tools to work on the basket myself, but i will print off your response and take it to my vacuum repair guy, incase he isnt familiar with this problem. Thanks so very much! Brian W.

Post# 176097 , Reply# 3   4/6/2012 at 13:01 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Brian:

You can buy a pop-rivet tool and some rivets at your local hardware store, probably cheaper than you can have the vac shop work on the machine. You would also need a drill to drill out the rivets on the old basket, though. And the skills to do the drilling - it's easy to have the drill slip and mar the finish on the canister body.

You can check the basket for proper function yourself. Look and feel inside it; you should see a little "finger" inside it, like the one in the hose port. The finger in the basket should be present, not broken off, and about the same length as the metal one in the hose port. It also should be straight, not bent in any way.

If the finger is present and in good shape, you might have another problem related to the filter itself.


Post# 176100 , Reply# 4   4/6/2012 at 13:17 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
P.S., Brian:

I KNOW this may sound like I'm not giving you enough credit, and if so, I apologize in advance, but....

....Do you know that the filter, like the hose, is supposed to screw into place? The slot in the filter that engages the finger is sort of spiral-shaped. You're supposed to push the filter into place, and turn it, so that the finger follows the slot. It works just like the hose end does in the hose port. And just like the hose end, you have to seat it all the way to prevent it working loose in use.



Post# 176101 , Reply# 5   4/6/2012 at 13:25 (4,374 days old) by HooverCelebrity (Germany)        

Moved to contemporary! :-)

Fred


Post# 176106 , Reply# 6   4/6/2012 at 13:40 (4,374 days old) by Sanifan ()        
Securing the filter basket...

Sandy,

Would it be possible to secure the filter basket with some short screws, some locking washers, and some nuts? Or some Locktite if no locking washers?

Those rivets sound like a pain to deal with if the basket ever needs servicing. If treated well, one would probably never have to deal with it. But with a big honkking filter sticking out there you never know.


Post# 176108 , Reply# 7   4/6/2012 at 14:06 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Khoi:

I don't think that would work as well as rivets, because screw heads stick up further than rivets do. That would interfere with the seating of the filter, I think.

Still, it would be worth a try if replacing a filter basket; if it did not work well, there would be no harm done - you could remove the screws and install the basket as intended with pop rivets.

You are absolutely right about the presence of the big afterfilter being a threat to the filter basket; if the big filter knocks against something very hard, the basket often breaks. I personally do not use the big afterfilter, only the little flat afterfilter, for this reason. I do not have allergies that would require HEPA levels of filtration, so this works well for me. The four levels of filtration that TriStars have are more than adequate for my needs, and I don't see dust again for a LONG time after vacuuming. That's in contrast to my Luxes, where dust shows up again within 30 minutes, if not sooner.


Post# 176111 , Reply# 8   4/6/2012 at 14:14 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
P.S., Khoi:

You're also right about the basket being a bit of a pain to replace. However, I felt it was worth the trouble to drill out the old rivets and replace them with new, because I am an originality freak - I like my vacs just the way they left the factory if possible. Not everyone feels that way, so it could be that another approach would work for someone else.

BTW, drilling out the old rivets is the hard part - putting in new pop-rivets is very easy, thanks to pop-rivet tools.


Post# 176114 , Reply# 9   4/6/2012 at 14:49 (4,374 days old) by BrianKirbyClass (Eudora Kansas)        

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Fred, thank you!,,sorry i should have put this in the Contemporary Forum originally.
Thanks again Sandy,,i wish i had the skills (and tools) to do this kind of work myself, but unfortunatly i do not. Thats OK tho,,i have an excellent Vac Tech that has been doing it since the dark ages, im sure he has the tools and know how. I wish you were here to do it for me!
I did check and the little finger you speak of is present, and does not seem to be bent. Yes, i know that the filter body is suppsed to screw on,,thats the trouble the harder i screw it on tight, the faster it comes flying off when using the TriStar. Even the entire Filter itself will losten and all the inside filters come flying off. The tighter i screw, the faster it UN-screws!! UUUGGGG very frustrating! - But thanks to you i know what the trouble may be, and how to fix it. I'll bet that little finger is bent just enough to let go of the filter body.
Speaking of this,,i have had trouble with the hose unscrewing itself and also comming off of the TriStar,,not very often, but once in awhile.
I keep the hose and Filter attached at all times, even when the machine is being stored, so i guess time just has a way of lostening these.

I dont use the TriStar ALL the time,,i have Central Vac in the house, and my Kirby Classic Omega (with a Mini Emptor and G Series Hepa Bags) are my main drivers, but i do use the TriStar alot,,,will get it fixed ASAP.
Thanks again for all your help!


Post# 176118 , Reply# 10   4/6/2012 at 15:14 (4,374 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Brian:

You're welcome - I hope that's the trouble, and that it gets fixed to your satisfaction.

If it doesn't, remember - you know who you can sell the DXL to! ;-)


Post# 176218 , Reply# 11   4/7/2012 at 11:36 (4,373 days old) by BrianKirbyClass (Eudora Kansas)        

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LOL,,hey, i will keep that in mind! Thanks again, Brian


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