Thread Number: 31007  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
a question about my hoover upright
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Post# 342682   2/2/2016 at 12:10 (2,976 days old) by jill1990 ()        

I have a question for you all. I have a Hoover convertible upright. I have the attachments for it but I had never used them. Since I lost my ge canister I thought I would use the attachment for my Hoover. The suction is awful! The attachments had never been used but just in case I looked the entire hose over for a hole and there were none. I know there is no clog because the hose had never been out of the box. The vacuum does an awesome job on the rugs but when I put the hose on there is hardly any suction. And the vacuum sounds funny. When I put the hose on the motor sounds louder and kind of high pitched. Is it normal for these vacuums to have lousy suction with the hose or am I somehow doing something wrong? I don't want to do anything that might break my vacuum.

Post# 342687 , Reply# 1   2/2/2016 at 13:22 (2,976 days old) by tazcatsdad (Buffalo, NY)        
Convertibles are WONDERFUL carpet cleaners ...

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... but their attachment suction is abominable!  And to my recollection, they've always been that way.  (Please understand, I'm not bashing 'em -- I love Convertibles a bunch -- but I'm just stating a fact.)

 

What you might want to do, since you have the proper attachments for your Convertible, is go to eBay and look for either a nice Swingette or Portapower handheld canister to take the place of your GE.  I've got a Swingette, myself, and it's got excellent suction for the furniture and upholstery.  And the Convertible's tools will fit the Swingette/Portapower, so having spares available isn't going to be a problem for you.

 

Hope this information helps.

 

Bill W.


Post# 342689 , Reply# 2   2/2/2016 at 14:16 (2,976 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
That Swingette IS wonderful.

gottahaveahoove's profile picture
When you insert the attachment converter into the back of the upright, the motor 'shifts' into high, which is normal. (If you have an older cleaner with rear conversion.)
If you have a front conversion, the motor will pitch when the handle is in the upright position. That is why it is called the "Convertible".... converting the cleaner to above the floor.
True, the tool suction isn't like , say, a Constellation. But, for normal, everyday dusting, it is fine.
So, relax. Your vacuum isn't broken.
John


Post# 342738 , Reply# 3   2/2/2016 at 23:57 (2,976 days old) by hooverU4089 (CT)        

Is the bag full, perhaps? I find that, on the older bottom-fill C-bag models, the tool airflow decreases significantly when the bag is close to full, just because of the design of these machines. BTW, just curious, what model do you have?

Post# 342846 , Reply# 4   2/4/2016 at 16:09 (2,974 days old) by jill1990 ()        

No the bag isnt full. I had just put a new bag in before I tried the attachments. I guess it just has lousy suction with the hose. That swingette looks like a nice little vacuum. But I need a canister that has wheels and can be pulled behind. I use a canister on my wood floors. My Hoover has a green motor cover and a brown bag. I found the numbers 1020 on the underside. Is that the model number?

Post# 342850 , Reply# 5   2/4/2016 at 16:52 (2,974 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

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Hoover Convetibles DO have terrible hose suction. You almost have to pick up the dirt and insert it into the end of the hose. All the dirt has to pass through the blades of the fan. The fan was designed to pull dirt from a few inches (at the rug) into the blades. Not really designed for pulling air six feet through a hose.

Canister vacuums were always designed to pull air through six feet of hose, hence the reason for the greater suction and airflow.

Modern upright vacuum cleaners with attached hoses and tools, have TONS more suction than the old Hoover, just as an FYI.


Post# 342853 , Reply# 6   2/4/2016 at 17:04 (2,974 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

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I always felt that the dirty fan models excelled at carpet cleaning, the agitation and air flow, but not so much with the hose on there. Pretty much all of them. Many will prob have an argue on this, but its my take. I like the dirty air upright for carpets and separate canister for other tasks.I don't mind the canister with power head, but the upright that tries to work with hose for above floor, not so much. Totally just my 2 cents, nothing more.

Post# 342862 , Reply# 7   2/4/2016 at 20:59 (2,974 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
I agree that many fan-first classic uprights by both Hoover and Eureka had lousy airflow through the hose when adapted for above-the-floor cleaning. The rear converter on the Convertible also had the disadvantage of allowing suction to leak out in the direction of the brush roll - the design did not provide a sealed pathway for suction into the hose. Eureka Williams made a stronger attempt at capturing all the suction possible for use in the hose. In the 1960's most Eureka uprights provided a Bottom Plate in their tool kits to prevent suction loss through the brush roll window. The later Dial-a-Nap and Rugulator uprights used a pan converter to capture all the suction possible. Even Hoover reverted to a pan converter for their Convertibles in the late 1970's.

In all cases, the suction was never very strong - just enough to dust bare floors and even to clean carpeted stairs with vigorous brushing by the upholstery nozzles. But the classic Convertible rear conversion set up let a lot of suction leak out the front of the air channel - the adapter only covered about 80% of the fan port under the motor because of the agitator belt.


Post# 342866 , Reply# 8   2/4/2016 at 22:25 (2,974 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
That vacuum is known as

gottahaveahoove's profile picture

"The Brady Bunch" cleaner.  "Alice" was seen using it.  You'd think that Mike Brady, the architect,  would have a more deluxe model.

  I use the attachments at times.  Is the suction as good as newer ones?  Of course not,  everyone knows that.  But,  they're not THAT bad.  I doubt that every Hoover owner uses his/her vacuum correctly.

 John


Post# 342867 , Reply# 9   2/4/2016 at 22:30 (2,974 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
These, obviously, are much

gottahaveahoove's profile picture

stronger.  Who doesn't know that?


Post# 342870 , Reply# 10   2/4/2016 at 23:18 (2,974 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
Here it is............

gottahaveahoove's profile picture

Poor Alice.


Post# 342900 , Reply# 11   2/5/2016 at 15:38 (2,973 days old) by Bikerray (Middle Earth)        

bikerray's profile picture
I have a Hoover Model 29 and a Model 63 and my 1928 Electrolux Model XI can get up more suction than the Hoovers with the attachments. The Hoovers have air flow around the converter since the belt is still on the pulley. If you seal to the suction opening you can get more suction, but for the convenience of plugging in the converter while the vac is running you lose suction.

Post# 343106 , Reply# 12   2/7/2016 at 15:19 (2,971 days old) by hooverU4089 (CT)        

If this appeals to you, a Hoover Constellation floats on a bed of air, even easier than wheels! They are just as colorful as the Convertibles.


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