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Thread Number: 28907
/ Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Bissell Powerforce Helix sounds like a chainsaw! |
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| Post# 323099 4/23/2015 at 20:15 (3,282 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
Weird noises never stop coming these days!
So at my local food bank, I vacuumed with the Bissell Powerforce Helix. I did the upstairs floors, and the vacuum sounded absolutely fine. However, when I went to vacuum one of the offices, within about a minute, I heard a really loud grinding noise! So then I checked the underside, and the brushroll was turning freely. I didn't see anything stuck in the brushroll housing. So now this vacuum sounds like either a weed eater, a motorcycle or a chainsaw! It's the weirdest dang thing, and this Bissell has worked absolutely fine for the 2+ years I've been volunteering here. Just a few weeks ago, I completely cleaned it out, and a couple months ago, I cleared out a clog from the lower hose. Does anybody know how to stop this grinding? I don't want to sound like I'm using a chainsaw in the place! Any solutions would be greatly appreciated. Below is a pic of the underside.
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| Post# 323113 , Reply# 1 4/23/2015 at 23:22 (3,282 days old) by vacmaster (San Diego) | ||
Try removing the bottom plate and see if the brush roll is out of place and scraping in the Indicated points below.
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| Post# 323127 , Reply# 2 4/24/2015 at 05:28 (3,282 days old) by HVRVACLVR (Altoona PA) | ||
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| Post# 323147 , Reply# 3 4/24/2015 at 09:06 (3,282 days old) by vacmaster (San Diego) | ||
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| Post# 323151 , Reply# 4 4/24/2015 at 09:27 (3,282 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 323193 , Reply# 5 4/24/2015 at 19:34 (3,282 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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Thanks!
I'll look into trying one of the tricks you guys told me about! I might go back to the food bank next Thursday.
Vacmaster, I'll look into the part where the brushroll rides on and see if there's anything wrong. I've never done electrical maintenance to a vacuum. Changing a belt, changing a bag and clearing out clogs are the extent of my skills. HVRVACLVR, I don't think this vacuum is dying. I just need to inspect what's wrong under the bottom plate. Suckolux, I'll give your idea a try. I also took a quick video yesterday with my iPhone. I just uploaded it to YouTube so you can hear what it sounds like. | ||
| Post# 323194 , Reply# 6 4/24/2015 at 19:37 (3,282 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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One more thing...
I left a note for the owners of the food bank. I stuck it onto the vacuum.
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| Post# 323198 , Reply# 7 4/24/2015 at 20:37 (3,281 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 323235 , Reply# 8 4/25/2015 at 10:59 (3,281 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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It sure does | ||
| Post# 323337 , Reply# 10 4/25/2015 at 21:47 (3,280 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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Post# 323343 , Reply# 11 4/25/2015 at 22:50 (3,280 days old) by KirbyClassicIII  (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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| Post# 323704 , Reply# 12 4/30/2015 at 15:00 (3,276 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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I found the culprit!
Back at the food bank, I was able to remove the bottom plate and perform an inspection. It turns out this issue had nothing to do with the motor or brush roll!
What really happened was a tiny rock got stuck in one of the little crevices of the brush roll in between the bristles. It was grinding against one of the rug strips on the bottom plate. That's what was making the vacuum sound like a chainsaw! So I dug out the rock, and now the vacuum works like new again! How crazy is that?! This really saved the owners from a trip to the vacuum shop! The food bank owners thanked me for my good deed. Below is a pic of the rock still in the vacuum. The second pic shows me holding the rock in my gloved hand. | ||
| Post# 323711 , Reply# 13 4/30/2015 at 16:42 (3,276 days old) by parwaz786 ( ) | ||
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Lol I cant believe that LITTLE thing caused such a LOUD noise | ||
| Post# 323730 , Reply# 14 4/30/2015 at 20:50 (3,275 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 323793 , Reply# 15 5/1/2015 at 18:37 (3,275 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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I know, right? | ||
| Post# 323801 , Reply# 16 5/1/2015 at 19:40 (3,275 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada) | ||
Niclonnic | ||
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Post# 323810 , Reply# 17 5/1/2015 at 20:42 (3,274 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA) |
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I've never heard of a small pebble like that getting stuck in a brush roll like that. I guess stranger things can happen.
A small pebble getting stuck like that could mean that the filters are about clogged. The filters on these can clog severely after a few uses or in about 5 minutes!! Just depends on what you're picking up. If you're cleaning a very dusty area then expect this machine to lose airflow very quickly. When you do a thorough clean on this model. Remember to wash the helix separator that spins loose from above the dirt cup. Then you have the outer foam and round drum filters to clean in lower section of dirt cup. There is a tiny filter below the dirt cup that occasionally grabs dirt. Then depending on how bad you also have the front exhaust filter to clean. All of these are replaceable but also washable. I recommend not soaking the round drum filter in dirt cup for more than 20 minutes. You have to be careful with all filters of that material. These vacuums are very cheap, so if there is anything major I would suggest just a new vacuum and not spending money to repair. This model brand new is a WalMart exclusive that usually sells somewhere between $38-48 depending on their current promotions. I like these machines better than their closest competitor in my opinion: Eureka Maxima. I would highly recommend a Bissell PowerForce anyday over a Maxima or similar Eureka. However for allergy sufferers, major usage, heavy cleaning in a similar price range I would look to the bagged version Bissell Powerforce which usually sells about $4 lower than the bagless one. Next choice for a low priced vacuum brand new above the Bissell Powerforce, I'd look to a Hoover Tempo bagged upright. Currently on WalMart.com the bagless version is $47.84 and bagged version is $43.84. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Durango159's LINK | ||
| Post# 323827 , Reply# 18 5/1/2015 at 23:59 (3,274 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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Durango159
I did a thorough cleaning of this vacuum a month ago. I washed out every part, namely, the dirt container, helix separator, inner and outer circular filters and pre-motor filter. Plus, I wiped down the exterior of the vacuum. There is no exhaust filter. Oh, one design flaw with this vacuum is in the exhaust. It powerfully blows out of the front of the machine, which moves notes, calendars etc. It could even hit your face!
The filters were lightly soiled when that pebble became lodged in the brushroll. Yes, for the money, these Bissells work fairly well. Granted, they will be messy to clean, but you get what you pay for. I haven't used the bagged version, but it should be a lot more sanitary than the bagless one. I linked a Vacuumland thread where I shared the experience of cleaning out this machine so you can see what I'm talking about. CLICK HERE TO GO TO niclonnic's LINK | ||
| Post# 323848 , Reply# 19 5/2/2015 at 09:03 (3,274 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 326158 , Reply# 20 5/30/2015 at 23:31 (3,245 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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Well...
I just saw one of these machines sitting by the dumpster at my mom's old apartment. It looked fairly new, but I didn't pay attention to the filters. I just glanced at it when throwing away some trash and left.
As Durango159 said, these vacuums are indeed easy to replace when they break, due to the low price and Walmart exclusivity. Earlier this afternoon, I was with Mom at Walmart in Federal Way, WA, and I saw somebody buying a Eureka AirSpeed All Floors vacuum. Those currently sell for $98.96. How can people stand using such horrid machines!? | ||
| Post# 326159 , Reply# 21 5/30/2015 at 23:44 (3,245 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 326206 , Reply# 22 5/31/2015 at 19:50 (3,245 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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Oh nice!
That is where my mom lives now!
Today, my mom, sister and I did some major cleaning at Mom's old apartment. While throwing away trash, the Bissell I mentioned was still there! I managed to sneak in a picture. The filters didn't look too dirty. Why do people just throw away machines like these?
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| Post# 326207 , Reply# 23 5/31/2015 at 20:16 (3,244 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 326208 , Reply# 24 5/31/2015 at 20:34 (3,244 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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That
Actually happened at the food bank. One day I noticed that the vacuum wasn't picking up anything, so I took off the bottom plate and found a big clog in the lower hose! I pounded the vacuum against the floor, and dirt poured out into a PILE on the floor, which was then swept up.
It's a good thing that I'm around for fixing vacuum cleaners! | ||
| Post# 326211 , Reply# 25 5/31/2015 at 20:49 (3,244 days old) by HVRVACLVR (Altoona PA) | ||
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| Post# 326214 , Reply# 26 5/31/2015 at 21:34 (3,244 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 326222 , Reply# 27 6/1/2015 at 01:35 (3,244 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA) | ||
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Yet another example of... | ||
| Post# 326227 , Reply# 28 6/1/2015 at 02:16 (3,244 days old) by parwaz786 ( ) | ||
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Wowstill there? Throw something out around here and it's gone within like a few mins! | ||
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