Thread Number: 13725
2 speed kirby sanitronic motors 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 145586   8/1/2011 at 22:51 (4,821 days old) by kirbydude ()        

can someone explain this concept to me? can you change the speeds yourself? what is the secret?

Post# 145590 , Reply# 1   8/1/2011 at 22:56 (4,821 days old) by KirbyLover (Louisville Kentucky )        

The older vacuums had a single speed safety switch. With the nozzle or hose attached it depresses the saftey switch allowing the motor to operate. The dual Sanitronic and newer have 2 buttons on the safety switch and depending if you are using a hose or a nozzle (or something else) it depresses the corresponding switch to high or low speed for it's intended use. The motor simply spins faster if needed for suction than for regular carpet cleaning.

Is this what you are looking for?

Post# 145601 , Reply# 2   8/2/2011 at 01:35 (4,821 days old) by twocvbloke ()        

There's no secret to it, the safety/speed switch as mentioned above changes the speed depending on the tools attached up front, and the wiring within the field coil is activated to operate in the corresponding mode... :)

As for trying to do it yourself, it's not recommended, but I suppose if you're handy with wiring, you could jerry-rig a 2-speed switch to the handle and operate it from there like they do on other uprights, but you wouldn't really get better performance by running the vac in floor-mode on hose-mode speeds, and would be likely to cause damage to the motor and brushroll assemblies...

Post# 145609 , Reply# 3   8/2/2011 at 06:41 (4,821 days old) by KirbyLover (Louisville Kentucky )        
high speed brush roll, bad idea...

 as twocvbloke mentioned running the nozzle on high speed would likely cause damage to the unit. Have you ever taken the nozzle off after doing a thorough vacuum and then touch the metal part on the vacuum that holds/spins the belt? It is quite warm to the touch. At high speed I think it would melt belts. Kirbys get warm enough during normal operation (in the summer with the A/C not set to cold, and I start to work up a sweat cleaning, I can feel the heat coming from the machine. Not just my G5 but Heritage and I'm sure the others that i have not used as much.) Having the load of spinning the brush at high speed = more heat.

It would be kinda nice to have high speed suction for when you have the nozzle attached but the belt turned off so that you are just using straight suction, for a quick way to have suction without having to put on the hose and an attachment.

Post# 145631 , Reply# 4   8/2/2011 at 12:20 (4,821 days old) by vacman97 ()        

If u wanted to know which wires do what, the red and yellow make low speed, and red and white make high, and green is just the ground which u don't really need to make it run.

Post# 145648 , Reply# 5   8/2/2011 at 15:52 (4,821 days old) by normvac (COLUMBUS, OHIO)        
"By Pass wiring a Kirby Safety Switch "

 Teddy (Vacman97) you are correct with the by pass wiring on the older Kirby Safety Switches. I was taught back in the 80's by a Former Kirby Distributor, turned
vac shop man. How to do that. He told me and I found out for my self in the
7 years I was in business and rebuilding Kirbys. It was common to do it on the
older 500 series, when we rebuild them. So that you could inter change Heads
and hoses and not have to worry about them tripping the switch. As well as, the older 500 Kirbys trying to be used on really thick carpet or Shag from the early
70's. The Carpet Head/Nozzle would get loose and move a little so the switch would turn off while vacuumsing. It was NOT a good idea around Children. So I
always told my customer, that it was because it was an older machine. Not like the new ones. So as to insure some safety !
I did do some of the dual spead Kirby's for commercial use ! Kick them in High
they sold every time, when they hear the power. Then I knew that the Armatures could NOT take the hours of wear and tare on the HIgh spd. They would over heat and burn out. I did not do very many, as I wanted to presurve a Good reputation.
Norm

Post# 145661 , Reply# 6   8/2/2011 at 18:48 (4,820 days old) by kirbydude ()        
2 speeds

 thank you all for the answers. i am not tech. minded about the kirbys. i just collect them.

Post# 145668 , Reply# 7   8/2/2011 at 20:10 (4,820 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        

kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Like the books say: HIGH speed is for hose/Crystalator use only; LOW speed is for carpets/Miracle Head/Rug Renovator/Handi-Butler use.

~Ben


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