Thread Number: 11577
How Does a Rexair Work? |
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Post# 125082 , Reply# 1   2/15/2011 at 18:57 (5,048 days old) by richardc1983 (Leeds, UK)   |   | |
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Post# 125087 , Reply# 2   2/15/2011 at 19:25 (5,048 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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I'll post some pictures tomorrow....
Rexair(Rainbow) uses water instead of a bag. On the older models, the dirt is sucked into the machine and trapped into the water. All of the fine dust is then expelled by the machine. Rainbow claims that wet dirt can't fly, but most of the DUST doesn't even get wet. You can remove the blower port cover on any D-4, D-3, or D model and see this. To correct the problem of having absolutely no filtration, they added a HEPA filter with the E Series. In addition to completely defeating the purpose of having "water filtration," this does take care of a lot of the fine dust that escapes the water. The first generation E series motors were small, fairly crappy and weren't anything special. The newest generation motors are digital and not too bad. Bottom line: Rainbow is fairly overpriced for what you get- the PN2 is on the lower end of quality, but overall if you can find the machine for under $800 you are getting a nice and solid machine which will last awhile if you can deal with all of the time invested in emptying the water and cleaning out the machine. The new motor will outlast the machine, most likely. What would you like pictures of? I can send pictures of motors- complete units, etc. We recently had two Rainbows in for repair last week, and they have reproduced and now there about 6 waiting on repair. |
Post# 125088 , Reply# 3   2/15/2011 at 19:30 (5,048 days old) by vacfan6384 (Larksville,PA)   |   | |
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I have an older SE model and love it the only down fall is don't ever vacuum your carpet right after you have shampooed it cause the Rainbow will pic up the loose soap flakes and make bubbles in the water causeing the machine to burn out. Otherwise they are made very well a bit pricey but my aunt has one that is 30 years old and it still runs like new. You would not believe the dirt this vac can pull out of your carpet the evidence is in your water tank.
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Post# 125112 , Reply# 6   2/15/2011 at 20:54 (5,048 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Post# 125113 , Reply# 7   2/15/2011 at 20:56 (5,048 days old) by compactelectra (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Post# 125140 , Reply# 8   2/15/2011 at 23:57 (5,048 days old) by BrianKirbyClass (Eudora Kansas)   |   | |
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A neighbor of mine has had a Rainbow D2 since around 1977-78 and is still using it today. Was just talking to her about it here the other day.
She says the big deal at the time was that it resembled R2D2,,the little robot from Star Wars! She also said that the key to using it is to NOT clean too long with any one filling of water. She always stops after about 15-20 min of vacuuming,empties and refills the water pan. Also not storing the rainbow on the pan is important, and of course cleaning out, rinsing out, and towel drying the pan is a good idea. You also want to remove the seperator every few months and scrub it clean with a tooth brush. Infact, Rexair used to supply a special brush with the attachment kit, just for that purpose. My neighbor said she has always run her seperator thru the dishwasher every once in awhile,,and never had a problem. I agree that this is maybe why the machine is still going strong after all these years. I will have to say,,her house is VERY dust free,and always smells fresh and clean. She said that she has had to have a new PN motor once, and has gone thru a couple of brush rolls and hoses,and did have to buy a new water pan once, and one of the clamps that clamps the motor onto the water pan broke off and was repaired,,but other than that, her D2 Rainbow is still going strong. One thing she said she noticed tho is that the cord and plug are now getting hot after running the Rainbow,,probablly time for a new cord. |
Post# 125151 , Reply# 9   2/16/2011 at 03:48 (5,048 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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Here is a link to the Rainbow website-they give excellent diagrams and explanations on how the Rainbow system works.And if you want to buy one-how to find and contact a dist. CLICK HERE TO GO TO tolivac's LINK |
Post# 125218 , Reply# 12   2/16/2011 at 20:56 (5,047 days old) by djtaylor (Salt Lake City, Utah)   |   | |
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I found a D3 at the local thrift store about a year ago. All it needed was a belt on the PN. It ran wonderfully the day I got it. I did replace the brush roll,too. Then I found a newer style hose, with the squeeze trigger, dirt cheep on eBay. That made it even better(more fun to play with, that is) then I got a D4 tool caddy and attachments. I loved using it last summer. But I live in a little rabbit hutch of an apartment, cluttered with vacs(Mostly Kirbys) and using a canister vacuum is a bit of a hassel. I just upgraded my Lux 1205 and have been using it. I think I will try to put my Rainbow D3 and Fairfax into service more often. I have been using the Kirbys as my 'daily drivers' and really should spread the 'love' around more.
Justin |
Post# 125273 , Reply# 13   2/17/2011 at 08:42 (5,046 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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Post# 125274 , Reply# 14   2/17/2011 at 08:43 (5,046 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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Post# 125275 , Reply# 15   2/17/2011 at 08:46 (5,046 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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The last picture is a full shot of the same D4SE motor. This one has not been serviced yet- but you can see the dust surrounding the fan housings. Also, take note of the size of this motor. The new Rainbow motors are much smaller. One of the reasons the older Rainbows last so long is they have a beefy motor underneath the hood. My favorite Rainbow by far is the D4. These motors are easily rebuildable.
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Post# 125316 , Reply# 18   2/17/2011 at 22:06 (5,046 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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I'll post pictures of the issue with the power nozzle. Their engineering is completely off when it comes to basic dynamics of pressure points The brushroll isn't half bad, though.
Brian- you would be completely shocked to know that 90% of Rainbows come in looking like that. Rainbows are like a high maintenance lover...after the honeymoon wears off, they just become a pain in the butt to upkeep. |
Post# 125939 , Reply# 21   2/25/2011 at 17:40 (5,038 days old) by swiveltop (Galveston, TX)   |   | |
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I've never seen a rainbow that looked like that,you should have sent then back to the trailer with a wallmarks vacuum LOL |
Post# 126059 , Reply# 22   2/26/2011 at 20:28 (5,037 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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Post# 126078 , Reply# 23   2/27/2011 at 01:53 (5,037 days old) by vacuumalex ()   |   | |
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If you go to the Rainbow Vacuum website, they have a pretty cool diagram of how the vacuum works as well as a good history of the models over the years. Hope this helps! |
Post# 126161 , Reply# 24   2/28/2011 at 00:35 (5,036 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 126162 , Reply# 25   2/28/2011 at 00:37 (5,036 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)   |   | |
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Post# 126444 , Reply# 27   3/2/2011 at 15:18 (5,033 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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SCVACUUMGUY
I have to wonder........Those pics you posted........I'll bet the reason the inside looks like that is the fact that people using them don't change the water when vacuuming.......They let it turn to MUD. If someone buys a Rainbow and uses it from day one and changed the water before it gets to the point of even getting close to becoming thick, I'll bet the inside doesn't look like that...But most people won't do this. They fill it once, vacuum the entire house and when they are done they have a basin full of mud and a rainbow full of dirt. I remember growing up and my Grandma had a Rainbow in the 80s.....When we would vacuum her house, we didn't change the water often at all......I remember taking the basin outside and dumping it in a ditch...........Rainbow doesn't mention the fact that the water needs to be changed often. I guess they don't want to harm potential sales by saying this.....To me now, it's just common sense...... I would also think that would smell, having that dirt inside the machine trapped like that, right? Mine still has that clean Rainbow smell. I hate the power head on the Rainbow though.........And will AGREE they are way overpriced. But I think if used correctly, one will not have the issues |
Post# 126483 , Reply# 28   3/2/2011 at 19:36 (5,033 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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Post# 126488 , Reply# 29   3/2/2011 at 21:01 (5,033 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC)   |   | |
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Post# 126504 , Reply# 30   3/3/2011 at 02:03 (5,033 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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