Dyson DC17 Cyclone Issue

I've had my Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal for nearly 6 months now, and while it has been a solid machine, there has been an issue with its cyclone assembly.

To start things off, the shroud clogs very easily with fine dust, as the vacuum picks up so much of it thanks to its aggressive brushbar. Whenever the bin gets overfilled, the large debris goes up and clogs the shroud as well. In addition, some of the hair and fluff will make their way to the pre-motor filter. Despite this, I've noticed no loss of suction whatsoever.

Since this happens just about every time I vacuum the house, I logically have to clean the shroud frequently. However, every time I do so, the top cyclone part separates from the actual shroud when I press the gray release catch. I then have to unclip the shroud from the clear bin, thereby allowing me to clean off the shroud with the dusting brush. It's a pretty messy process that's not too different than cleaning the filter on a single-cyclonic vacuum.

Shroud clogging has also occurred on my old DC07 Animal, but nowhere near as bad as on the DC17.

There's also a quirk with emptying the bin: every time I push the red lever to empty the debris, the clear bin itself becomes slightly dislodged, making it difficult to close the base. I have to move the bin upwards to allow the base to be closed. That way, the thick rubber seal on the bottom won't get folded and cause the cyclones to work inefficiently. I always keep that in mind before using the vacuum.

When I first got this vacuum from eBay, the emptying mechanism was really stiff because the seal had been cleaned by the seller. But once the seal became dirty with usage, the whole thing loosened up, so now it opens easily every time.

Does anyone else have this issue with the DC17, and if so, is there a fix for it? Mine is one of the older models, which has a single Core Separator.

Photos... < > Photo 1 of 11 View Full Size


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Post# 452465 5/9/2022 at 15:46 (716 days old) by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA)
Checkrate/Likes I've had my Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal for nearly 6 months now, and while it has been a solid machine, there has been an issue with its cyclone assembly. To start things off, the shroud clogs very easily with fine dust, as the vacuum picks up so much of it thanks to its aggressive brushbar. Whenever the bin gets overfilled, the large debris goes up and clogs the shroud as well. In addition, some of the hair and fluff will make their way to the pre-motor filter. Despite this, I've noticed no loss of suction whatsoever. Since this happens just about every time I vacuum the house, I logically have to clean the shroud frequently. However, every time I do so, the top cyclone part separates from the actual shroud when I press the gray release catch. I then have to unclip the shroud from the clear bin, thereby allowing me to clean off the shroud with the dusting brush. It's a pretty messy process that's not too different than cleaning the filter on a single-cyclonic vacuum. Shroud clogging has also occurred on my old DC07 Animal, but nowhere near as bad as on the DC17. There's also a quirk with emptying the bin: every time I push the red lever to empty the debris, the clear bin itself becomes slightly dislodged, making it difficult to close the base. I have to move the bin upwards to allow the base to be closed. That way, the thick rubber seal on the bottom won't get folded and cause the cyclones to work inefficiently. I always keep that in mind before using the vacuum. When I first got this vacuum from eBay, the emptying mechanism was really stiff because the seal had been cleaned by the seller. But once the seal became dirty with usage, the whole thing loosened up, so now it opens easily every time. Does anyone else have this issue with the DC17, and if so, is there a fix for it? Mine is one of the older models, which has a single Core Separator. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 11 View Full Size

Post# 452475 , Reply# 1 5/10/2022 at 00:43 (716 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)
Checkrate/Likes Unfortunately the DC17 is known for it's clogging, that's one of the reasons why they were ceased for good. At least that's what my old vacuum friend told me when he still had his shop and was a former Dyson dealer. Dyson partially solved the problem by upgrading the bottom seal of the cyclone assembly for better sealage and less clogging. But other than that, the cyclone was a design flaw. Well I think all Dyson cyclones are but one of if not the most common model that I would see clog alot is the DC17. My overall tip for you is one, don't overfill the canister. Actually, empty it before it even reaches to the fill line. Second, upgrade the bottom seal. I can tell that yours has the original seal on it. Third, wash the filter every time you're done vacuuming. My recommendation is to wash it in the washing machine, ignore what the instructions say to not wash the filter in the washing machine. It is the best way to clean these pre motor filters. I've even bleached these filters before with no problem. They even look, feel and perform like brand new. Anyways, that's my two cents here.

Post# 452485 , Reply# 2 5/10/2022 at 13:10 (716 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes I know from what I have seen with the DC series Dysons, is the cyclone is indeed flawed. If the dirt in the bin gets too close to the cyclone tips, it will reverse-suck particles from the bins into the vortex from the bottom and then the dirt will get stuck inside there and clog up the cyclone nozzles.