Thread Number: 40979  /  Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Kirby Diamond After Fire 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 435126   11/16/2020 at 18:47 (1,255 days old) by KirbyCollector (Columbus Ohio USA)        

kirbycollector's profile picture
I saw this post on a Facebook vacuum group. I thought I should share here. It’s crazy what happened to this Kirby. Which sat in a house fire. It’s not totally gone, but quite damaged from the heat and smoke. Do you think it could be brought back to its former glory?? I think it’s doable.

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Post# 435127 , Reply# 1   11/16/2020 at 18:57 (1,255 days old) by Hooverman99 (Pennsylvania )        

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The question is.... does it still work?

Post# 435128 , Reply# 2   11/16/2020 at 19:08 (1,255 days old) by KirbyCollector (Columbus Ohio USA)        

kirbycollector's profile picture
That is a good question.

Post# 435129 , Reply# 3   11/16/2020 at 19:18 (1,255 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        
Parts recipient or donor?

 human's profile picture
Yeah, send that one back to Kirby for a factory rebuild! They could polish up the aluminum and replace darn near everything else. And that might actually make some sense for the original owner, who can get it done for $100, assuming the paperwork didn't burn up in the fire also. While it could doubtless be repaired, there comes a point at which the extent and expense of doing so would make it more practical to salvage what few usable parts are left and just chuck the rest, especially since it would be far cheaper to replace it with a nice, used Kirby.

Post# 435131 , Reply# 4   11/16/2020 at 20:02 (1,255 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Yes

 lesinutah's profile picture
It looks like it would work. If you sprayed on a cleaner and let it soak. Spray it off and repeat.
It looks more cosmetically damaged. It looks like if you replaced the cord.


Post# 435135 , Reply# 5   11/17/2020 at 00:16 (1,255 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        

huskyvacs's profile picture
I would leave it alone as it is. It would be a big mistake fixing it. It will be just another Kirby Diamond. It tells a history and a story as it is. I will bet you money if you plug it in it will work. The cord is not even damaged. Heck I would buy it like that and use it daily.

Post# 435139 , Reply# 6   11/17/2020 at 02:03 (1,255 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)        

madman's profile picture
It looks like it only witnessed a house fire up close, not actually been in one. If none of the plastic pieces are melted, it's probably fully functional. But it's probably going to smell like smoke for the rest of eternity.

If it's been in the fire and melted some stuff, the fire might've burnt off the motor winding insulation. Even if it works now, the insulation might be degraded and I might not consider it electrically safe.

Post# 435144 , Reply# 7   11/17/2020 at 07:38 (1,254 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        
Might work

 hoover300's profile picture
If an Oreck can do it, this probably can. Granted it sounds awful, but still.





Post# 435146 , Reply# 8   11/17/2020 at 08:41 (1,254 days old) by Electroluxxxx (……)        

My rainbow was in a house fire And actually managed to survive while everything around it was completely destroyed. I sold the machine to a very close family friend in 2014, and they lost their house in July 2018. The fire started about 6ft from where the rainbow was stored. Everything in the house was completely melted. How it survived I will never know. If you zoom into the closet door you can see it sitting there. The hose has a faint smell, but the rest of the machine is fine, it was thoroughly soaked and cleaned, foam replaced and all is as good as new.

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Post# 435148 , Reply# 9   11/17/2020 at 09:05 (1,254 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

dysonman1's profile picture
Isn't it wonderful that Kirby offers the original owner a lifetime fire damage rebuild warranty. For a pittance, the original owner (doesn't need to have paperwork, only the fire damaged remains) can have it totally rebuilt at the factory to original condition? One of the main reasons the original owners are protected by the Kirby factory warranty.

Post# 435172 , Reply# 10   11/17/2020 at 22:38 (1,254 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        
@ dysonman1

 huskyvacs's profile picture
The Kirby Co offers a better insurance policy than most car manufacturers.

Post# 435226 , Reply# 11   11/19/2020 at 11:38 (1,252 days old) by KirbyCollector (Columbus Ohio USA)        
Electroluxxx

 kirbycollector's profile picture
Dang! That Rainbow is a survivor. That’ll be a good story to tell many years from now.

Post# 435301 , Reply# 12   11/21/2020 at 05:59 (1,250 days old) by Jake1234 (greasby)        
Kirby Fire Plan

 I remember reading on the back of my instruction book for my legend 2 that there was a kirby fire plan. I originally thought how stupid that was as after a fire that destroys your entire home and possibly takes some victims with it the last thing on your mind is going to be the vacuum cleaner. But now I look back on it maybe its not such a bad idea after all, if you actually bothered with the fire plan ( I wonder how many people payed extra for that, not many I presume) you could send it for a rebuild. I wonder why this kirby that was seen on facebook was never sent? Maybe the owners wernt the original ones or didnt bother to buy the fire plan? Do kirby still do the fire plan? I havnt heard about it recently.

Post# 435308 , Reply# 13   11/21/2020 at 18:16 (1,250 days old) by kirbykid (Horseheads,New York 14845)        
fire damaged kirby

 Thomas, Two years ago, my mothers Kirby Dual 80 was lost to a house fire. I contacted John in the rebuilding department at the Kirby Company in Cleveland Ohio. All we needed was prof that we purchased the vacuum from a Kirby dealer and the date that the Kirby was Purchased. We had the instruction book that came with the vacuum. On the last page was the Date December 10th 1969. John sent me a form that needed to be filled out. I needed to send a check for $32.50 plus $22.00 for shipping. Also needed was a fire report from the fire investigator stating the address of the fire and that the house was completely distroyed and no remains of the Kirby could be found. For the cost of $32.50 The Kirby company would send me a new Kirby. I asked if they would send me a Kirby Dual-80 and was told the best that they could do is send me a new Kirby legion 2 with the 13" nozzle. My mother has the Diamond addition and liked the smaller head Kirby. It was about three weeks later the new Kirby legion 2 came by UPS with a 5 year gurantee. The company used the serial number that was on the Dual-80 on the legion 2, and was told if any future service was needed to use that serial number. Hope this information helps. The fire insurance was included in the price of the vacuum at the time it was purchases. Dave

Post# 435309 , Reply# 14   11/21/2020 at 18:25 (1,250 days old) by superocd (PNW US)        
Kind of reminds me of a story I read...

 ...a while back about a house fire. Pretty much everything was toast, but there was an IBM ThinkPad upstairs that was melted and a bit wet from the firefighting operations, but it still powered on and was completely functional. Is it probably something you'd want to keep using as-is? Probably not, but it's a testament to the impressive, second-to-none build quality that goes into products like a Kirby or an old IBM ThinkPad. It will last longer than you want it to.

Post# 436930 , Reply# 15   12/30/2020 at 21:52 (1,211 days old) by myles_v (Fredericksburg, VA)        

myles_v's profile picture
Good chance it'll still run but I can imagine how bad it must smell. I've been inside of homes after fires, it's not a smell that leaves anything it touches for a long time.


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