Thread Number: 15455
A few reasons why vacs come to me
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Post# 164262   1/1/2012 at 23:54 (4,470 days old) by gmerkt (Edmonds WA)        

Here are a few photo examples of why dead vacs come to me for refurbishment:

Very typical blockage of pick-up tube in nozzle. This material was stacked in there like cut, layed discs of tack board. Lots of dead vacs right after Christmas. Reason? Dry fir needles packed inside the hose. As part of their design, many plasti-vacs have a length of hose between the nozzle and the inlet port of the bag/dirt bin. Loops and curves in the hose restrict some objects which get caught, then the snow-ball effect sets in.


Post# 164264 , Reply# 1   1/1/2012 at 23:56 (4,470 days old) by gmerkt (Edmonds WA)        

PC board from the nozzle of a Fantom Cyclone. The inside of the nozzle was packed with lint, including all around the components of the board. Result: fire.

Post# 164266 , Reply# 2   1/1/2012 at 23:58 (4,470 days old) by gmerkt (Edmonds WA)        

What you see here is a mini tennis ball jammed behind the brush roll of a Hoover Windtunnel upright (Hoover Windtunnel tennis ball launcher that failed to launch). Additionally, the pick-up tube was completely packed.

Post# 164268 , Reply# 3   1/2/2012 at 00:03 (4,470 days old) by gmerkt (Edmonds WA)        

Lady brought over a Kenmore canister of fairly recent vintage. She said "it has a bad connection" and left it. Then she called back later and said, "We bought a new machine; you can keep the Kenmore."

The bad connection was between the hose and telescoping wand. Both connectors were badly burned. The connector on the wand side Kenmore calls a "card" but I don't know where that comes from. I bought a new card and cannibalized a bad hose for replacement hose nozzle parts so now the machine is back in order, cleaned, and will go on sale soon.

Hose connection on left, wand card on right.


Post# 164286 , Reply# 4   1/2/2012 at 06:43 (4,469 days old) by thevacuumman (Borger, TX)        

Thats how the original owner of my fantom cylcone burned up the the same board except it wasn't that severe and it didn't damage the vacuum

Post# 164291 , Reply# 5   1/2/2012 at 08:21 (4,469 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)        

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Yep - At this time of year plenty Vacuum Cleaners will be getting left out for the bin men because they have sucked up needles from Christmas trees that people are taking out of their houses.

I remember when we bought a real tree back in 2007 and the trouble our poor 2004 Hitachi Upright cleaner had getting the needles up.

The hose must have clogged up about four times!

Needless to say the year after that we bought a fake tree!

The worst we ever get now when taking the tree down is a few of those plastic needles which the Turbopower can pick up with ease.


Post# 164351 , Reply# 6   1/2/2012 at 16:09 (4,469 days old) by kirby519 (Wisconsin)        

These kind of reasons are why we die hard kirby fans love the ancient technology of the Heritage series and earlier models.

None of those fancy computer boards to fail, Short air paths that have less chance of clogging up. Yes you can knock off fan blades however you have a well constructed machine that is worth repairing.

How many indicator lights, switches and hoses does it really take to effectively vacuum a surface? I can clean any surface I have at home or on any job site with 1 pre Generation model KIRBY.



Post# 164357 , Reply# 7   1/2/2012 at 16:37 (4,469 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)        

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What you said Steve got me thinking...

If I did have a real tree that left my carpets covered in needles, I would use the 1977 HOOVER Ranger to clean it up, reason being:

It is a dirty fan cleaner, with no hose, and a short journey for the dirt to travel from being picked up to going into the bag.

I wouldn't trust using a cleaner with a hose, seeing as they clog up so easily.


Post# 164370 , Reply# 8   1/2/2012 at 17:11 (4,469 days old) by goadie12 ()        

Yes I notice those plasti vacs clog up somthing terrible and that's one of the reasons those vacuums don't last so long. It people would take a little time to maintain them they should have no problem getting five plus years out of their machines thanks. Zach

Post# 164380 , Reply# 9   1/2/2012 at 18:15 (4,469 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
FIVE YEARS????

I should HOPE that even in this day and age, people would get five years out of a vacuum cleaner even with average-to-poor maintenance.

My newest Lux (a Diamond Jubilee) is nearly 30 years old. My 1205 is forty years old. My other vacuums are of similar vintage, and all have survived indifferent care to reach a hale and hearty old age, still capable of vacuuming merrily away after only minor repair or replacement of consumable parts such as hoses and tool brush inserts.

What have we come to that consumers can expect only five years even if they take very good care of their machines?

I don't think it's a coincidence that all my machines are basically a can, a fan and a motor - no circuit boards, no electronics.


Post# 164381 , Reply# 10   1/2/2012 at 18:17 (4,469 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
FIVE YEARS????

I should HOPE that even in this day and age, people would get five years out of a vacuum cleaner even with average-to-poor maintenance.

My newest Lux (a Diamond Jubilee) is nearly 30 years old. My 1205 is forty years old. My other vacuums are of similar vintage, and all have survived indifferent care to reach a hale and hearty old age, still capable of vacuuming merrily away after only minor repair or replacement of consumable parts such as hoses and tool brush inserts.

What have we come to that consumers can expect only five years even if they take very good care of their machines?

I don't think it's a coincidence that all my machines are basically a can, a fan and a motor - no circuit boards, no electronics.


Post# 164421 , Reply# 11   1/2/2012 at 20:51 (4,469 days old) by Rolls_rapide (-)        
Real trees

Use a "dirty-fan" vacuum cleaner and admire the fresh pine air that emanates from the cleaner.

Cylinder machines clog. Sister-in-law's Dyson DC05 did.


Post# 164433 , Reply# 12   1/3/2012 at 00:30 (4,469 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)        

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That reminds me - I did see somewhere on the internet that the "average life expectancy" of a Vacuum Cleaner is 5-7 years...

5-7 years!?

My 1994 Turbopower 1000 is 17 years old and makes light work of any task you throw at it.

If that life expectancy were to be correct, it would have died by 2001 at the latest... Well it has outlived that by 10 years and will probably outlive it by another 10 years, and another after that.

Not to mention my 1993 Philips U800, 1982 Electrolux 502S, or 1977 HOOVER Ranger.

My youngest cleaner is my 2008 JMB SC1056 cylinder, and I expect that to last far more than 7 years.

The simple reason why you shouldn't expect long out of a modern Vacuum Cleaner is 50% because the parts just simply aren't up to scratch, and 50% because the average consumer doesn't have a clue how to maintain it.

Back in the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's people were much more aware of how to keep something going and knew a lot more about what they were using rather than today when people don't even know how a Vacuum Cleaner works.

That point is proved when you see Vacuum Cleaner after Vacuum Cleaner sitting on the roadside waiting to be collected by the bin men when it has stopped sucking after cleaning up lots of Christmas tree needles.


Post# 241519 , Reply# 13   7/22/2013 at 15:10 (3,902 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)        

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"My 1994 Turbopower 1000 is 17 years old and makes light work of any task you throw at it.

If that life expectancy were to be correct, it would have died by 2001 at the latest... Well it has outlived that by 10 years and will probably outlive it by another 10 years"

 

Well, that didn't quite work out the way you planned it to, did it, Jamie? Haha!!


Post# 241522 , Reply# 14   7/22/2013 at 15:27 (3,902 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)        

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Why not Alex?

Post# 241525 , Reply# 15   7/22/2013 at 15:32 (3,902 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)        

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...............................................It burnt out last year.


Post# 241527 , Reply# 16   7/22/2013 at 15:35 (3,902 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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was there really any need to bring this thread back up again? This is why I wish the archives were left archived.

Post# 241530 , Reply# 17   7/22/2013 at 15:39 (3,902 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)        

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Well if you can bring them back, they are not really archived!

I must say, Chris...Get over it. :P


Post# 241532 , Reply# 18   7/22/2013 at 15:42 (3,902 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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I just think it was pointless bringing a thread back up that had no relevance. You only brought it up so you could argue the toss with Jamie, and the rest of us aren't interested.

Post# 241544 , Reply# 19   7/22/2013 at 16:11 (3,902 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)        

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I did wonder why it had been "re-activated" and would have left it alone - but you know me Chris - I can't leave things be!!

Yes, the motor did burn out but it has been replaced now with an 800W one from a U2464.


Post# 241545 , Reply# 20   7/22/2013 at 16:13 (3,902 days old) by AlexHoovers94 (Manchester UK)        

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Well, on the bright side it has probably brought a smile to someones face :D


Post# 241590 , Reply# 21   7/22/2013 at 21:50 (3,902 days old) by NYCWriter (New York City)        
Ineresting point ...

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"Back in the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's people were much more aware of how to keep something going and knew a lot more about what they were using rather than today when people don't even know how a Vacuum Cleaner works."

***

As someone who grew up in the '70s, a couple of observations:

1. Dads back in the '70s knew how to fix stuff. ALL of them (or at least nearly all of them). It was just part of being a man. Along with learning how to pee standing up and flushing the toilets in public restrooms without using your hands, all young men were expected to know the basics of pounding a nail, screwing a screw, the basics of an automobile under the hood, and taking stuff apart and fixing it. Now granted, 40 years ago stuff was immeasurably simpler; the average guy really could figure out how to fix his car ... his refrigerator ... his wife's (yes, because it WAS the wife's) washer and dryer, etc. Nothing was computerized, and everything was purely mechanical. So it's not surprising that MOST men could figure it out. Also, quite frankly, the previous generations weren't so obsessed with political correctness, and guys were allowed to focus on what guys do best -- taking stuff apart and fixing it -- rather than the forced feminization that boys endure today, wasting so much of their time on learning how to do "girl" stuff so that the girls can have a "fair" shot at getting their testosterone fix and wearing the pants in the house.

2. Back in the '60s and '70s, while our appliances may have been purely mechanical and much simpler than today, they were also very well-built. And back then, as today, well-built didn't come cheap. My mom was given her Hoover Convertible 1060 as a wedding gift in 1968. Back then, it retailed for around $90. This was in an era where the median household income was just $8,600/year (which was a solid middle class, three bedroom house, new car in the driveway, mom-stays-at-home income). That Hoover back in 1968 was close to a week's pay for most folks; that's pretty dear (in fact, my parent's monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment outside of Pittsburgh that year was $68!). Adjusted for inflation, today that Hoover would cost $585. So as you can see, there was a huge incentive to get stuff repaired, rather than chucking a $600 sweeper after its belt broke or its headlamp burned out. And since EVERYONE needed stuff fixed, every town had at least a handful of general repair shops (or the more popular "sew and vac" stores).

3. Back in the '60s and '70s, stuff was taken care of much better because Mom stayed at home. This sounds sexist, but it makes perfect sense: As CEO of Home, Inc., Mom had all day, every day to make her own schedule. There was no need to rush through chores like people do today. And as Ben Franklin wisely said hundreds of years ago, "Haste makes waste." When we rush, we tend to be rough on stuff.




This post was last edited 07/22/2013 at 22:36

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