Vintage Vac Question

The name plate (brass plate on top of the fan case) will give you the model and serial numbers. Interesting too, is that the name Electro-Hygiene, as you see it on the name plate, is what was registered as their trademark. And to sum up what I said in earlier posts on this thread, if it is a model 80 it was built between 1934 and the late 30's, model 94 was late 30's until 1942, when they switched over production for the war effort, model 230 was from 1945 to 1954, and the 2-230 was built from 1954 until they started production of the 285 with the revolving brush in 1955.
IMPORTANT: Before you even plug it in, take a look and you'll find two oil tubes, one toward the front and one toward the back, and they will either have a screw cap or plastic cap on them. Remove these caps and put about 6 drops of oil in each one. 3 In 1 Electric Motor oil works best (NOT regular 3 In 1 oil). If you can't find it in your area, 30 wt. motor oil will work, but I repeat, DO NOT USE regular 3 in 1 oil, as it is too light. Also, do not use sewing machine oil for the same reason. Let the oil soak in a few minutes, then remove the nozzle (raise the lever next to the nozzle as far as it will go and the nozzle will pull out), reach in with your finger and see if the fan turns freely. If so, you're good to go. If not, add a few more drops of oil into the ports, let it soak in, and try again. The point here is that if it's been sitting a long time it probably hasn't been oiled for a long time and the bearings may be dry, so it's a good idea to make sure they are well oiled and the fan and shaft are turning freely before you attempt to run it. It would also be a good idea to check the carbon motor brushes before you attempt to run it. There is a black screwcap on each side of the motor. Remove this cap and you will see a coil spring, and the carbon brush should be on the end of it. If the brush does not come out with the spring, use a small pair of needle nose pliers to pull the brush out. If it's less than 1/4 inch it must be replaced. After oiling the bearings and checking the motor brushes you should be ready to plug it in & fire it up.
As for value, I'll tell you the same thing most others on here would probably tell you, which is that it is only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. But seeing that it came from your Grandparents' house I would think that the sentimental value would outweigh any monetary value, so I would encourage you to keep it.
Jeff


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Post# 224898 3/23/2013 at 20:02 (4,043 days old) by IanIJM ()
Checkrate/Likes Just curious ... we're cleaning out my Grandparents house and came upon this old vacuum. I know NOTHING about vintage vacs. Does anyone have any info to share? Any value in this one?

Post# 224904 , Reply# 1 3/23/2013 at 20:22 (4,043 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes *Hi IanIJM* Electro-Hygiene was made by Royal which was part of the P. A. Geier company located in Cleveland, Ohio. This one dates back to about 1930. Here's what it looked like cleaned up and running. Alex Taber

Post# 224907 , Reply# 2 3/23/2013 at 20:24 (4,043 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes *Electro-Hygiene* Another look.

Post# 224939 , Reply# 3 3/24/2013 at 04:06 (4,043 days old) by mieles7 (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Is the vacuum running?

Post# 224948 , Reply# 4 3/24/2013 at 04:36 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Actually It's Newer Than That!* Electro-Hygiene had its beginnings in March of 1934 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the P.A.Geier Co. On August 8, 1941 Electro-Hygiene became a company in its own standing when Arthur R. Frankenfeld, F.J. Gottron, and James Farrell filed for incorporation, and P.A. Geier continued to build their vacuums for them until they went out of business in 1983. Arthur Frankenfeld was still the president of Electro-Hygiene when I was selling them in 1974, and I had the privelege of meeting him at a sales convention at the home office in Dayton, OH. The first model of Electro-Hygiene was the model 80, which had a smooth, polished surface and an inline switch on the cord. It was built from March of 1934 until the late 30's, when the model 94 was introduced, which was produced until they switched over for war production in 1942. The 94 had a hammered finish (not hammertone, but an actual hammered finish), and a switch on the handle, with the cord having a pigtail connection at the bottom of the handle so it could be broken down for use as a hand vac. Both the model 80 and the 94 had a black bag with Electro in red and Hygiene in gold running horizontally across the bag. After the war, the model 230 was produced, still a straight suction machine, from 1945 until 1954, and during the last year of production a slightly modified version, the 2-230, was produced. With the 230 they went back to the smooth polished finish, redesigned the bag, with Electro running horizontally and Hygiene running vertically down the bag, first black with red & gold printing then later blue with red & gold printing. The reason Electro-Hygiene remained a straight suction machine long after Royal began producing vacs with a revolving brush was that they didn't know what to do about the crystal chamber, which was such an important part of the Electro-Hygiene that they refused to market a machine without it. A chamber was designed that would snap on the front in place of the adjust-o-rite cover, and the first revolving brush Electro-Hygiene, the model 285, was introduced in 1955. Now for some pics. First, the model 80,all original except the bag and the cord. Jeff

Post# 224949 , Reply# 5 3/24/2013 at 04:44 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Electro-Hygiene Model 94* The second model of Electro-Hygiene, made from the late 30's until the change-over for war production in 1942. This is one of two 94's that I have. The bag and cord are both replacements, but this bag has a piece of the original bag sewed onto it so you can see how the original looked. And if you look close you can see the "dimples" of the hammered finish on the nozzle and fan case.

Post# 224950 , Reply# 6 3/24/2013 at 04:49 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Electro-Hygiene 230* The post-war model, from 1945 to 1954. This one is all original.

Post# 224951 , Reply# 7 3/24/2013 at 04:52 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *And The 2-230* This one is also all original, including original attachments. Now if I only had the floor brush, crevice tool, and wands!

Post# 224952 , Reply# 8 3/24/2013 at 04:56 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *And Last But Not Least, Th Model 285* Introduced in 1955, the first Electro-Hygiene with a revolving brush! All original except the cord.

Post# 224957 , Reply# 9 3/24/2013 at 07:59 (4,043 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks Hygine903* I was guessing on that one, but not far off, only 4 years. I'm not a Royal collector, and had very little history of P. A. Geier, only that they manufactured the first Royal in 1905, which was a non electric upright pumper. I have no idea when it was outfitted with the electric motor. As for my Electro-Hygiene, in the first picture it's being used by my late partner, Charles, at the VCCC convention in Los Angeles in 2005. In the second picture is my display of non electric's. By the was, this was the first vacuum cleaner, Charles, got, though his interest was hand vacuums which are pictured below.

Post# 224966 , Reply# 10 3/24/2013 at 10:58 (4,043 days old) by Good-Vac ()
*This post has been removed by the webmaster.*

Post# 224975 , Reply# 11 3/24/2013 at 14:19 (4,043 days old) by IanIJM ()
Checkrate/Likes Thanks for the feedback all. To the best of my knowledge it still works, although we haven't run it yet. Although it looks rough I think it really just needs to be cleaned up and dusted off. Does anyone have any suggestions on how/where to put it up for sale? Or any insight into how much it might be worth?

Post# 224978 , Reply# 12 3/24/2013 at 14:58 (4,043 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)
Checkrate/Likes You could always put it on eBay with a high reserve, if you want an idea on how much people are willing to pay for it!

Post# 224995 , Reply# 13 3/24/2013 at 18:00 (4,043 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Ian,* The name plate (brass plate on top of the fan case) will give you the model and serial numbers. Interesting too, is that the name Electro-Hygiene, as you see it on the name plate, is what was registered as their trademark. And to sum up what I said in earlier posts on this thread, if it is a model 80 it was built between 1934 and the late 30's, model 94 was late 30's until 1942, when they switched over production for the war effort, model 230 was from 1945 to 1954, and the 2-230 was built from 1954 until they started production of the 285 with the revolving brush in 1955. IMPORTANT: Before you even plug it in, take a look and you'll find two oil tubes, one toward the front and one toward the back, and they will either have a screw cap or plastic cap on them. Remove these caps and put about 6 drops of oil in each one. 3 In 1 Electric Motor oil works best (NOT regular 3 In 1 oil). If you can't find it in your area, 30 wt. motor oil will work, but I repeat, DO NOT USE regular 3 in 1 oil, as it is too light. Also, do not use sewing machine oil for the same reason. Let the oil soak in a few minutes, then remove the nozzle (raise the lever next to the nozzle as far as it will go and the nozzle will pull out), reach in with your finger and see if the fan turns freely. If so, you're good to go. If not, add a few more drops of oil into the ports, let it soak in, and try again. The point here is that if it's been sitting a long time it probably hasn't been oiled for a long time and the bearings may be dry, so it's a good idea to make sure they are well oiled and the fan and shaft are turning freely before you attempt to run it. It would also be a good idea to check the carbon motor brushes before you attempt to run it. There is a black screwcap on each side of the motor. Remove this cap and you will see a coil spring, and the carbon brush should be on the end of it. If the brush does not come out with the spring, use a small pair of needle nose pliers to pull the brush out. If it's less than 1/4 inch it must be replaced. After oiling the bearings and checking the motor brushes you should be ready to plug it in & fire it up. As for value, I'll tell you the same thing most others on here would probably tell you, which is that it is only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. But seeing that it came from your Grandparents' house I would think that the sentimental value would outweigh any monetary value, so I would encourage you to keep it. Jeff