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Thread Number: 32579
/ Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Tested: Bagged vacuums lost suction when bag fills |
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| Post# 357262 , Reply# 1 8/7/2016 at 13:09 (2,817 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
The thing is, collectors, reviewers, salespeople and owners can continually keep posting videos showing bagged vacs can still go the extra mile with suction but the damage has been done already on the mere promise that bagless eliminates buying dust bags.
I think it was Dyson that uttered that statement in the early days; pity back then the uprights that were being made had drive belts that also had to be purchased, and not all of them were cheap to buy as per the model in question. Even now there are only a few bagless uprights that might have motorised lifetime belts. How easy the owner forgets that if they own a vacuum that requires drive belt replacement as well as the "joy" of actually putting the new one on. Other false claims that exist of course are HEPA filters in bagless vacs. All very well until that piece of dog hair or cat hair gets stuck around the shroud and requires to be pulled out manually. HEPA filter ain't going to save you then from the allergens, the moment the stuff becomes airborne. | ||
| Post# 357265 , Reply# 3 8/7/2016 at 13:50 (2,817 days old) by myles_v (Fredericksburg, VA) | ||
I've never had any issues with bagged machines losing suction until they become completely filled, and even then the only vacuums I've filled far enough to lose suction are canisters where the bag is designed so the whole thing is able to fill evenly.
However, bagless machines in my experience lose suction very fast. I believe that the Shark models are better in this sense because on every model I've used the filters are directly under the dust bin in a way that each time one removes the bin they see the filter, thus any owner can see the dust buildup and decide when to clean the filters. Bissells, Hoover Airs, and Eureka machines most seem to almost hide the filters. They stick them under flaps and little doors on the bins where many people wouldn't even realize there is a filter unless they read the manual. I'll always remember my grandmother telling me about how she is always cleaning the filters on her Bissell (which she purchased to replace a Kirby G4 that she dreaded using), thinking I would be proud of her. So I reached down and pulled open another little door on the front to expose yet another filter, one that she did not even know existed. | ||
| Post# 357267 , Reply# 5 8/7/2016 at 14:41 (2,817 days old) by wyaple (Pickerington, OH) | ||
I posted some HEPA bag tests back in February
I wanted to answer these two questions:
1) How much performance do you lose by re-using a cloth HEPA bag and 2) How much performance do you lose by completely filling a cloth HEPA bag. Mike81, What you see (really hear) is airflow loss, not so much suction loss. If the brush roll is spinning slower, it's mostly because the air "speed" is going down as the bag fills up. When Dyson claims no loss of suction, that does not mean no loss of airflow, which really picks up the dirt. Think about it: if you clog/cover a Dyson's hose, suction (sometimes referred to as water lift) is mostly maintained, but airflow is completely cut off, hence no dirt pickup. In fact, how you measure suction is by completely sealing the hose. If anyone is interested in actual measurements of a wide variety of vacs, just search my name and many posts with water lift and airflow measurements will come up. For about $100, you can purchase a Marshalltown water lift (suction) gauge and a Baird airflow meter. Bill CLICK HERE TO GO TO wyaple's LINK | ||
| Post# 357269 , Reply# 7 8/7/2016 at 15:15 (2,817 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah) | ||
Some Kenmores and Panasonics used what's called "Optiflow" on their bagged machines that's designed not to loose as much suction and airflow when the bag fills up. I've seen some of those models that had a full bag but it surprisingly still pulls up alot of suction and airflow, even it doesn't make much of a difference when you replace the bag on those.
The only bagless vacuums that I have seen or used that doesn't loose suction when it's fills up would be a Filter Queen, a Rainbow, and a Vacuflo true cyclonic model. Not only that but I find them much cleaner to empty than any other bagless vacuums that I have seen. | ||
| Post# 357274 , Reply# 8 8/7/2016 at 17:55 (2,817 days old) by Marks_here (_._) | ||
Speaking of Vacflo true cyclonic | ||
| Post# 357313 , Reply# 9 8/8/2016 at 13:16 (2,816 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY) | ||
I can attest to the amount of
bagless vacuum full bins a bagged vacuum can hold (in my case, electrolux epic 6500) and the bags are super cheap and work great.
See, I keep the Lux in my laundry room for suction only to clean up lint, etc from doing laundry and keeping the laundry room clean, but day to day I use my Shark bagless or my Rainbow. When the shark gets full, I take it to my laundry room and use my bagged lux to suck the bin, and the shark filters clean. I can do this SO many times before I need to change the bag - so many times that I lose count. It keeps dust from flying all over the place. It does lose suction somewhat, but with a bag getting 75% full, it still sucks the dirt out of the bagless bin with ease | ||
| Post# 357318 , Reply# 10 8/8/2016 at 15:47 (2,816 days old) by mchmike (West palm beach fl) | ||
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The newest vacuum I own was made in 1982 . I would never use any plastic machines I currently see at the stores. Who in their right mind would want to empty a bin. Yuck!!! As long as hepa c bags for Electroluxes are available that's what I'll use and at 35 cents a bag it'll hardly bankrupt me. | ||
| Post# 357363 , Reply# 12 8/9/2016 at 09:40 (2,815 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 357365 , Reply# 13 8/9/2016 at 10:26 (2,815 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 357368 , Reply# 14 8/9/2016 at 11:59 (2,815 days old) by wyaple (Pickerington, OH) | ||
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Here's a slight variation of the dreaded vac stink probl
Rvarley,
My house (3 humans and 1 dog) is clean enough that it would take at least a year (if not longer) to fill a Kirby bag. Soooooo, after about 30-60 days of very little dust/dirt buildup in the HEPA bag, the outer bag just begins to smell as well as the inner bag. My solution, and it isn't for everybody to be sure, is to put in about 1 ounce of fish-tank rated charcoal pellets in the HEPA bag. I then take a scented dryer sheet and place it between the inner and out bag. For plastic vacs, I place the dryer sheet between the HEPA bag and outside cover. For my Kirbys, I wash the outer bag every 6 months. Then monthly, I take the cloth HEPA inner bag and reverse blow it out (outside of course) and re-use it. I have done the blowout and reuse up to 8 times over the last year (per machine) with great success! Very little airflow loss and of course no smell. I have at least 7 machines that have cloth HEPA bags and since I could never fill them over any reasonable period of time, I clean them out and reuse them. Although I wouldn't mind tossing a $2 bag every month that's one-tenth full, I would have a difficult time tossing seven $2 bags every month. You say, "ah-ha!", that's obviously a huge downside of any machine that isn't bagless. Welp, unless you're using something like a Rainbow, all my bagless machines require just as much work, if fact even more so. Cleanup on a Rainbow doesn't usually involve flying dust, but does involve drying time though. My routine to keep my bagless Hoover and Dyson performing at tip-top levels is to blow out the dust bins and cyclones every use. That's in addition to washing and drying the sponge filters and letting them dry over night. My wife couldn't believe how much the remaining dirt "poofs" out of the cyclones when I get the leaf blower out to clean them. I don't tolerate any vac stink at all and the above procedures eliminate that issue from all my vacs regardless of type. But note that ALL vacs require some periodic cleaning in order to keep them performing at or near 100%. Bill | ||
| Post# 357369 , Reply# 15 8/9/2016 at 12:41 (2,815 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 357373 , Reply# 16 8/9/2016 at 14:26 (2,815 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY) | ||
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Cleaning hoses
I recently had the Shampoo my berber and I used my aquamate 3, and after done, you have to suck water through the hose to clean it, then hook it to the blower port and dry it, so the hoses get cleaned during the process
I've never tried to clean a bagged vacuum hose, but I've never had a vacuum ever clog. The bag stink to me is just this "stale" smell. A few months ago, I started using these Scent Tablets made by Oreck I bought from Amazon. The scent is super strong for a few weeks. I can't explain the smell. To me, they only postpone the stale smell for a few weeks, then it starts happening. It takes so long for me to fill my electrolux bag, I always end up changing it way before it needs it. I could imagine how much worse this would be if there were dog hair. I only have to deal with cat hair Anyway - the smell we are smelling is bacteria growing in the bag - I don't have anti-bacterial bags, but wouldn't this fix that problem? | ||
| Post# 357394 , Reply# 18 8/9/2016 at 20:29 (2,815 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 357395 , Reply# 19 8/9/2016 at 21:04 (2,815 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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I am assuming that you machine wash the shake out dust bag regularly? Either way, a pipe cleaner with a piece of cloth on one end pushed through can be achieved as well as near wet wipes. I have used wet wipes before and find them to be great, provided I then push a dry lint cloth through the dry off the channel at the same time.
I realise there is a limitation in terms of a dirty fan vac design of an upright but if the Kirby's main dirt channel leading to the bag that can dismantled completely, i.e the filler tube as on the Kirby Tradition, then that's a start. If the filler tube is completely removable, its easier just to lay it into a bath of hot water and some washing detergent. This loosens all the muck and dog hair oil. Tubes can normally be hung up to dry right through, particularly if it is coiled where water will stay collected. | ||
| Post# 357397 , Reply# 20 8/9/2016 at 22:29 (2,815 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
That's all just too much trouble
Reduced suction is just the vacuum cleaner's way of telling you it's time to replace the bag, which takes all of 30 seconds and then you're back to being productive without getting all covered with filth. In what universe is all that shaking and washing more convenient than just changing the disposable bag?
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| Post# 357406 , Reply# 22 8/10/2016 at 03:20 (2,814 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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Well actually no, there are other variables to take into account with disposable dust bags or bagless - if suction is reduced there's a clog in the system. The first rule of thumb is to check airways which, lets face it average Joe may not do. Collectors are different though - they know what to do in general if there's reduced suction in general.
Respectively there may be a reason for those who prefer shake out bags. I know I did when I had one in my Vax canister vacuum. I didn't mind shaking out the dirt because I stood away from the bin when I did it and promptly threw the bag into the washing machine. The reason for this is purely because Vax don't yet produce synthetic dust bags for their Vax tubs. Why I'm unsure but the paper bags have a tendency to burst open at times if full suction power is applied. Not all bagless vacuums are messy when emptying dirt. Not all bagged vacuums are clean when taking out the bag either - especially if ones don't have a seal upon removal. | ||
| Post# 357408 , Reply# 23 8/10/2016 at 06:39 (2,814 days old) by vacerator (Macomb Michigan) | ||
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Naturally, and so many gimmicks like the central vacuum system cloth's you can buy which claim to "clean" the pipes as they are sucked through the system. | ||
| Post# 357432 , Reply# 25 8/10/2016 at 12:29 (2,814 days old) by vacerator (Macomb Michigan) | ||
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I've tried the E-Lux anti odor S bags. They do work the first couple of times. Then as the bacteria from pet hair grows inside the bag, they emit odor. What I did was spray Lysol disinfectant on the hepa filter before vacuuming. | ||
Post# 357441 , Reply# 26 8/10/2016 at 17:10 (2,814 days old) by vacuumlad1650  (Wauponsee, IL) |
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| Post# 357459 , Reply# 27 8/10/2016 at 21:27 (2,814 days old) by Marks_here (_._) | ||
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It doesn't matter to me | ||
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Post# 357462 , Reply# 28 8/10/2016 at 21:55 (2,814 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I've bought cleaners from Ebay.  Sometimes, you can smell a dog, etc. I take care of that right away. Years ago, my late mother would spread moth crystals, not balls, on the floor, and later, would vacuum them up. I'm sure it was bad for us, but, I got used to that smell. I also have 4 cedar closets in the house, so THAT scent is very familiar as well.
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Post# 357464 , Reply# 29 8/10/2016 at 23:03 (2,814 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States) |
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vacuum smells I put laundry crystals in my bags, works great, freshens the air as I vacuum. I do think cloth bags filter much better than paper bags. I have a couple of canisters that only have paper bags available for them, and the bag compartment definitely gets dustier than the canisters where cloth bags is used. | ||
| Post# 357502 , Reply# 30 8/11/2016 at 22:02 (2,813 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY) | ||
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I don't have much experience
with bagged canisters other than Kenmore canisters and my epic 6500 Lux canister.
The bag chamber in the Kenmore would always be dust, no matter if I used a thick hepa cloth bag or a paper bag....but the bag chamber in my epic6500 lux doesn't get a speck of dust in it, and I've only used paper so far. So I have to wonder if it's the way the bag seals in as opposed to the bag itself. On the Kenmore, I don't think dust leaked from the bags, but from the area where the bag connected to the slot itself. The lux bag is much more sealed at the connection. I've taken a white damp cloth to my lux bag chamber, running it down the nooks and crannies, and it's always spotless, no matter how much crap I've sucked up in the old bag....So I don't know honestly, because the lux bags feel so cheap to me (even though they say 4 ply). If I had a dusty bag chamber I'd definitely be using the cloth bags, but so far I haven't, so I have yet to switch to them. | ||
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Post# 357503 , Reply# 31 8/11/2016 at 22:37 (2,813 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States) |
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kenmore bags I have a Panasonic mc-cg902 which uses the same bags that many Kenmore vacuums do. It came with a paper bag but I replaced that with a Kenmore Q bag, dust compartment is very clean, but you're right, this depends on a good seal between the bag holder and the bag itself. If it's a loose fit, the dust will bipass the bag. | ||
| Post# 358122 , Reply# 32 8/23/2016 at 15:51 (2,801 days old) by anthony (leeds uk) | ||
i am reading through this post 
chuckling to my self as i remember my mums used and abused Hoover senior in regular use for nigh on 40 years .it lived behind the front door permanently plugged in always ready for a quick clean up after meals Ect its bag so full it would be trailing on the floor the zipper long gone and the bag closed with a couple of safety pins and when it did get emptied the paper bag would be reused until it fell apart .every so often mum would say[ take a look at the hoover it getting a bit slow ] what she meant of course was it was not performing very well .Off it would go into the shed for what can only be described as a decoke new belt new brushes [both kinds ]a new bag and on occasion a new length of flex .The poor old thing lives with me now and has been fully restored and leads a much easier life
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| Post# 358131 , Reply# 33 8/23/2016 at 19:43 (2,801 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 358149 , Reply# 35 8/24/2016 at 10:18 (2,800 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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