Thread Number: 16810
My New (Old) Rainbow! |
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Post# 179448   4/30/2012 at 17:02 (4,350 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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I finally broke down and bought a Rainbow E Series off Ebay. Before using it, I changed the motor filter, HEPA filter, separator, and the brush strips on the brush roll. It seems to have been well cared for too. However, I was a little surprised to see so much fine dust in the exhaust port behind the HEPA filter. The power nozzle didn't even have a scratch on it, although some of the small decals on the vacuum unit itself are coming off. Over all, I would say it's in very good shape.
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Post# 179450 , Reply# 1   4/30/2012 at 17:05 (4,350 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 179451 , Reply# 2   4/30/2012 at 17:07 (4,350 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 179519 , Reply# 4   5/1/2012 at 00:30 (4,350 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 179533 , Reply# 5   5/1/2012 at 07:04 (4,350 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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It is a one speed. I bought it from someone who is a reseller, but he didn't recondition it beyond doing some superficial cleaning. I saw a video on Youtube that gives step-by-step instructions on disassembling the E Series, so I plan to that this weekend in order to clean out the fan chamber and the fans. The HEPA filter was pretty dirty too.
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Post# 179576 , Reply# 7   5/1/2012 at 15:24 (4,349 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Yes. In the 80s, my grandma had a Rainbow and we often would let the basin get thick with crud because we didn't "think" about it. I think most people will probably do that. I don't know? I know it wasn't until the LATEST Rainbow that Rexair actually stated in the user guide to change water before it gets too thick and clean the separator frequently. Never before did they mention changing the water in any of their manuals. But it is common sense if you think about it. I have no idea WHY we didn't change the water as we should have. God knows what the fans must have looked like in my grandma's machine. I even remember putting Pine Sol in the basin for scent when she ran out of the Rexair scents. I don't even remember it foaming at all. She had it ten years with no issues though before a Kirby dealer talked her into buying a Kirby, and she told me she regretted it and wished she had her Rainbow back. Nothing against Kirby; I like Kirby. I just remember her telling me that.
Best thing to do is change the water with each room, then after a while you won't have to change it as often. |
Post# 179580 , Reply# 8   5/1/2012 at 15:36 (4,349 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Changing the water frequently makes complete sense to me, especially when vacuuming the entire house. It's clear to me now how dense debris and sludge in the water prevents effective filtration. I guess I'll tear it down this weekend and clean out the inside too. Funny thing. The power nozzle seems like it is brand new. I'll bet the previous owner had a lot of solid surface floors.
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Post# 179610 , Reply# 9   5/1/2012 at 17:44 (4,349 days old) by joshdonnell ()   |   | |
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Have the same model, i didnt change the water . My didnt ever did to slugy |
Post# 179645 , Reply# 11   5/1/2012 at 20:47 (4,349 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 180747 , Reply# 13   5/12/2012 at 21:55 (4,338 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Yep. I tore it down to clean it and service the motor. It was filthy on the inside. The fan washer was rusted onto the armature shaft and wouldn't come off easily. I ended up ruining the fan in order to get that darn washer off. So I had to order a new fan and washer too. They should be here on Monday so I can get everything back together. The moral to the story: Change the water and don't leave the unit on the water basin when storing. |
Post# 180766 , Reply# 15   5/13/2012 at 00:33 (4,338 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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The first year I had my rainbow, before I had purchased the extra long 14 foot non electric hose and my reason for getting it, I fell off a ladder 5 foot from about four steps up, holding my rainbow in one hand trying to clean up high. You should have seen it, in mid-air falling I refused to let go of it. I landed on the floor, the rainbow landed on me. Luckily the water wasn't dirty because I had just changed it. But still the fall caused shaking as you could imagine. I left it running to dry out anything that could have possibly got sucked into the motor. If that water had been dirty, I'm sure it would have been a mess, though I remember, even with that fall and all of that force, checking the water level in the basin was still on the proper fill line, so I don't think anything water got into the fans. I've heard that you can turn a rainbow upside down with a basin full of water and the water will stay in the basin, but I don't DARE try it. I wonder if that's true?
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Post# 180857 , Reply# 17   5/13/2012 at 21:38 (4,337 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 180859 , Reply# 18   5/13/2012 at 22:11 (4,337 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 180867 , Reply# 19   5/14/2012 at 00:47 (4,337 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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So yesterday - I had my rainbow out. I decided to snap a few pics of the fans. I had to shine a flashlight to get the pics to show up. This is six years old & a 2 speed Gold which I bought brand new. I've used it A LOT over the past six years and I think the fans look really good compared to some I've seen. The one pic the flashlight sort of magnifies what I think is mostly mineral dust, probably a little dirt as well. But it still is a very clean smell on the inside. Nothing caked on or nasty. The first year I had it I didn't change the water as often as I should because I didn't know any better, but I never really let it get that bad
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Post# 180868 , Reply# 20   5/14/2012 at 00:48 (4,337 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 180869 , Reply# 21   5/14/2012 at 00:49 (4,337 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 181018 , Reply# 23   5/14/2012 at 16:53 (4,336 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 181022 , Reply# 24   5/14/2012 at 17:00 (4,336 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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The careful eye will notice that the pin striping around the motor unit is missing. That's about the only thing on this unit that was dinged up, so I just removed it. I vacuum the rung it's sitting yesterday with an Electrolux. Today, I vacuumed with the Rainbow E2 I just finished putting together. Even I was surprised by the amount of crud it removed from the carpet today. But I have two dogs and one child in and out of the house all the time. |
Post# 181067 , Reply# 25   5/14/2012 at 23:55 (4,336 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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floor-a-matic
Thanks. I'm the only person that ever uses it. I wouldn't dare let anyone else use it. Seeing how as much as I've used mine over the past six years, I was always puzzled by some comments about Rainbow after my experiences with it. But this machine has a high rate of user error, I'm sure (unfortunately), so that would explain the many dirty rainbows out there. Even the first year of owning mine in 2006, I didn't clean the separator, only rinsed it because it never looked dirty, but it does get dirty in the grooves after a while, so I started cleaning it after each use from that point on. Eurkastar- Looks great! Now you don't have anyone else's dirt. It will be your dirt. Whatever you do - don't lend it to anyone (LOL) |
Post# 181071 , Reply# 26   5/15/2012 at 02:01 (4,336 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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I forgot to mention: That four quart water basin; that's a good idea for a large house. This may be a DUMB question, but, I wonder if the larger basin with more water in any way affects the efficacy since it's having to churn more water? Probably not. I know it would come in VERY handy when using the Aquamate 3. It certainly would help with people who don't like to change the water as often.
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Post# 181091 , Reply# 27   5/15/2012 at 07:21 (4,336 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 181092 , Reply# 28   5/15/2012 at 07:22 (4,336 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 181121 , Reply# 29   5/15/2012 at 09:47 (4,335 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 181126 , Reply# 30   5/15/2012 at 09:52 (4,335 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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EurkeaStar.........So you think the ONE speed is powerful? I've never seen a one speed in person. I could be wrong, but I've heard that the one speeds had less lift that the previous PE SE Rainbow. That lift was increased even more with the 2 speed brushless. Then again, I've read that the difference is very slight. On yours, did you take the PN completely apart and clean it or just the main unit? How did you take the PN apart?
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Post# 181133 , Reply# 31   5/15/2012 at 10:32 (4,335 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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I didn't take the PN completely apart. I just installed a new belt and brush strips. It didn't look like it had been used much (if at all), so I'm guessing the previous owner must have had mostly hardwood floors. One of the things about this E2 is the AMP rating on the main motor. I've seen one speed E2 Rainbow on Ebay that are rated at 9.5 AMPs, but mine is rated at 10 AMPs. The tag on the bottom and the tag on the motor both state that it is 10 AMPs. So I guess there was a change in motors later in that model's production run. |
Post# 181205 , Reply# 32   5/15/2012 at 14:18 (4,335 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Yeah........
Do you want to know the BEST thing (in my opinion) to put in the water before vacuuming? Essential oil. It's cheap, lasts a LONG time, and doesn't cost much....AND, No chemicals. I bought a bottle of lemon essential oil off ebay like 3 yrs ago and I'm just getting low on it. I recently bought this and it's my favorite. CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark40511's LINK |
Post# 181245 , Reply# 33   5/15/2012 at 18:34 (4,335 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 181259 , Reply# 34   5/15/2012 at 20:48 (4,335 days old) by joshdonnell ()   |   | |
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Sold by rainbow are fake not true oils . Buy tree tea to disinfect and lemon is good too |
Post# 181281 , Reply# 35   5/16/2012 at 01:23 (4,335 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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The Rainbow scents are chemicals. I do like the way they smell, but after using real Lemon essential oil, and then using the rainbow lemon flavor, you can see how it's not as good as the real thing. Another thing I have noticed, that big green Bottle of Deodorizer from Rexair; I always loved the way that smelled but it foams too much. Even the latest formula, someone was telling me they were having trouble with it foaming. I still have half a bottle of it from six years ago. If I ever use it, I can only put a few drops. If I put 2 cap fulls like it suggests, too much foaming, and I have hard water.
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Post# 181401 , Reply# 36   5/16/2012 at 20:18 (4,334 days old) by pr-21 (Middletown, OH)   |   | |
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Post# 181463 , Reply# 37   5/17/2012 at 05:49 (4,334 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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All the water vacuum manufactures say only to use their products. I've read some oils will harm the basin, like Spearmint and a couple of others. But I've used orange, pine, eucalyptus in mine for a long time now and the basin still looks flawless. I only use a few drops. I just don't like the chemicals
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Post# 181606 , Reply# 38   5/17/2012 at 21:56 (4,333 days old) by joshdonnell ()   |   | |
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Ive used lavender and the real deal, and orange oil and peperment . I hate chemicals all chemicals!! |
Post# 181627 , Reply# 39   5/18/2012 at 01:19 (4,333 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Well, other than damaging the basin itself, which I have not experienced, what other problems could it cause? It definitely doesn't foam at all, which is a good thing. If anything, since it is (OIL), I would think it would aid in trapping some non-wettable dirt if you happen to accidentally vacuum some up.
Josh, Actually, we need some chemicals. Laundry, dishwasher, etc. |
Post# 181667 , Reply# 41   5/18/2012 at 14:06 (4,332 days old) by joshdonnell ()   |   | |
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I dont use chemicals i use vingar |
Post# 181668 , Reply# 42   5/18/2012 at 14:36 (4,332 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 181692 , Reply# 43   5/18/2012 at 17:38 (4,332 days old) by joshdonnell ()   |   | |
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to clean my dishes and everythng else . |
Post# 182125 , Reply# 45   5/22/2012 at 14:38 (4,328 days old) by jfalberti (Visalia, CA)   |   | |
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If the scent being used in the Rainbow is a true oil, then it would be flammable. Since oil and water don't mix, there is like a sub microscopic chance that when the machine is off, the oil would come to the surface, and if the planets are aligned just right, and earth happens to be in the path of a major solar flare, and there is a major lightning storm going on, the oil could ignite and damage the machine. Odds are probably better that every one of us would hit the Lotto first. :-)
Joe |
Post# 182141 , Reply# 46   5/22/2012 at 17:15 (4,328 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 182146 , Reply# 47   5/22/2012 at 18:10 (4,328 days old) by jfalberti (Visalia, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 182150 , Reply# 48   5/22/2012 at 19:25 (4,328 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 182323 , Reply# 49   5/23/2012 at 16:39 (4,327 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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It is a natural oil extracted from fruits, plants, leaves, etc. I love the stuff and it smells much better than the chemical scents and have used it for a long time. I even read that you can make homemade daily shower cleaner using peroxide, alcohol, dish detergent, and liquid rinse aid and put a few drops of essential oil into a spray bottle to spray your shower and it seems to work good. I just wasn't sure if the word OIL was literal. I googled it and it is OIL and is actually flammable, like all oil.
But I'm not really concerned since I use only a little and it has never harmed anything. But I guess if conditions were perfect, the rainbow could explode (even though I know that was a joke.) I wonder if those bottles of Rexair scents are flammable? I'm not going to hold a flame to it and find out. |
Post# 182371 , Reply# 50   5/23/2012 at 20:33 (4,327 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 184040 , Reply# 51   6/3/2012 at 12:22 (4,316 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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wow thats impressive. I guess do need change water for 25-30 mins.I change the water when it gets light brown/tan color. Mark Hows your water your house? I bet its softer than my hard water since my water comes from well not from city. lol |
Post# 184089 , Reply# 52   6/3/2012 at 18:04 (4,316 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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I just noticed you have foam insulation on your Rainbow. |
Post# 184093 , Reply# 53   6/3/2012 at 18:27 (4,316 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Yes. I bought it brand spanking new in June 2006. I made absolute sure I wasn't getting a used DEMO model. So in 2006, the 2 speeds had been out for a couple of years, so I guess they made some changes in those 2 years and I got one that had insulation? I don't know. But I've read how some people think it's LOUD and I never understood that because it's not that loud at all.
My water is city water but it is HARD water. Once I made the mistake of using an ultrasonic humidifier with TAP water and it caused white dust to be ALL over the place. The best way I can describe the way I've always changed water is when it looks like dirty mop water, still very liquid, but with cat hair in it and a brown (ish) color and when I'm done I pour it down the toilet. As it is now, I can pretty much run the entire vacuum over my entire house with ONE filling of water, because I vacuum every two days or so. If I go too long without vacuuming, I can't do that, I change it two or three times. As soon as I'm done, I clean the separator, dry it, and put it back on. Another thing you have to make sure is the water line stays perfect, which is another reason you don't want to go to long on one fill. It seems like a pain, but after doing it so much, it's second nature to me and doesn't take long at all. I've been thinking about getting this PN for my Rainbow. What do u think? CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark40511's LINK on eBay |
Post# 184118 , Reply# 55   6/3/2012 at 22:30 (4,316 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Will this fit my Rainbow? It is 2 prong which is what my rainbow PN is and it looks as if the wand will snap right in, but I'm wondering if the two prong will fit securely since it shaped differently, also this says it's a private listing, whatever that means.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark40511's LINK on eBay |
Post# 184121 , Reply# 56   6/3/2012 at 22:39 (4,316 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)   |   | |
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Thats the same link as before. |
Post# 184126 , Reply# 58   6/3/2012 at 23:14 (4,316 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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I posted the same link again. Here's the one. Will the stainless rainbow PN wand that snap locks into the rainbow fit this? It says it's standard so I'm guessing it will.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark40511's LINK on eBay |
Post# 184127 , Reply# 59   6/3/2012 at 23:18 (4,316 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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PS.
I think the Rainbow PN works well too, but I've always read terrible things about it. It definitely feels like it digs more into the carpet than any PN I've ever had before, including Kenmore and electrolux, it's also heavier and it has good brushes on it, so I don't know what the other posters are referring to, but there must be something to it, since the latest Rainbow nozzle (black) has sixty percent more suction at the nozzle. I think it might be that the airflow isn't (air tight) in the nozzle, but the opening for where the air gets sucked in doesn't look to me any wider than any other PN's I've seen. So there's nothing wrong with my current PN, I just thought I'd like to try another one to see if I see any difference. |
Post# 184129 , Reply# 61   6/3/2012 at 23:21 (4,316 days old) by rainbowJoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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I those German pn are very good. that's I hear but I wonder do they beat good without beater bar |
Post# 184130 , Reply# 62   6/3/2012 at 23:26 (4,316 days old) by rainbowJoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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is the brush roll bristles are stiff as Kirby brush roll on WW pn? |
Post# 184132 , Reply# 63   6/3/2012 at 23:54 (4,316 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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I think I'd like to try the Wessel Werk PN. It's brand new and I've seen them for much higher in price. I know a LOT of high end vacuums use it for their PN. Hopefully it will fit my Rainbow. I've seen sellers selling Rainbows with this particular PN on Ebay, but I'm not sure if any modifications were done or it will fit as is.
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Post# 184182 , Reply# 64   6/4/2012 at 09:09 (4,315 days old) by rainbowJoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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yeah it will fit on rainbow. |
Post# 184548 , Reply# 65   6/6/2012 at 14:01 (4,313 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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this or need change water sooner? |
Post# 184550 , Reply# 66   6/6/2012 at 14:02 (4,313 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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second picture. |
Post# 184561 , Reply# 67   6/6/2012 at 16:26 (4,313 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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Post# 184563 , Reply# 68   6/6/2012 at 16:49 (4,313 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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its amazing u can't see that debris on carpet. lol So did u decided to buy pn yet? |
Post# 184569 , Reply# 69   6/6/2012 at 17:15 (4,313 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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Post# 184570 , Reply# 70   6/6/2012 at 17:21 (4,313 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)   |   | |
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From what I've see the brushes are quite a bit stiffer than Kirby... In comparison to most Kirby brushrolls are actually quite soft. |
Post# 184571 , Reply# 71   6/6/2012 at 17:37 (4,313 days old) by director12 ()   |   | |
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Zach, you seem to know about Kirbys, especially your grandmother's Kirby. |
Post# 184574 , Reply# 72   6/6/2012 at 18:07 (4,313 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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No, I haven't given up on Kirby! My current house has 7,000 square feet and no "man space" where I can set up a workshop. I have a five bay carport and no garage too! However, there is a good sized storage room in the carport area that I'm planning to set up as a workshop. When I get that done sometime this summer, I'll start work on a Kirby Tradition. I gave away most of my collection when I moved last year. But I have plenty of room to grow it again! |
Post# 184575 , Reply# 73   6/6/2012 at 18:37 (4,313 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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Post# 184576 , Reply# 74   6/6/2012 at 18:48 (4,313 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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You must taking about older Kirby with brush roll. G5-Sentria brush rolls i am talking about because they are stiff brushes. |
Post# 184587 , Reply# 75   6/6/2012 at 19:46 (4,313 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 184589 , Reply# 76   6/6/2012 at 19:55 (4,313 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you're still enjoying your G5. That is really my favorite model in the G series, and I don't even have one! The two I've had, I gave away! LOL! The only G series model I own now is my Diamond Edition. The other models I have include my 4C, 510 (not yet restored), 511 with original bag and cord (not yet restored), and my Mom's old Classic Omega. The Tradition I'm planning to restore belongs to the church. Our head building steward has been on our staff for 38 years. She loves that vacuum, so I'm going to make it all shiny and new for her. |
Post# 187177 , Reply# 78   6/25/2012 at 23:20 (4,294 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM)   |   | |
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by the way what u mean sludgy? |
Post# 187204 , Reply# 79   6/26/2012 at 04:49 (4,294 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)   |   | |
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