Thread Number: 5628
Tristar came today! 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 62358   3/12/2009 at 15:57 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        

My new Tristar that I ordered off of Ebay came today! I'm really surprised at how good it looks for a $31 investment (plus $22 for shipping, of course)! The Tristar emblem is knocked off the canister. One screw is missing from the bottom plate on the power nozzle and the decal is coming off. It needs a new brushroll too. Unfortunately, it came from a smoker's home so I'll have to deodorize it. But cosmetically, it's in very good shape. Not a ding anywhere. ONE QUESTION: Can the Filter Fresh exhaust filters be washed? It must be pretty clogged because when I took it off, the suction and airflow increased dramatically. Also, is there a different type of filter that doesn't put as much back pressure on the motor? I already have new bags and motor filter on the way. But I need to order a new brushroll (and maybe a new exhaust filter).

Thanks!

Bill

Post# 62366 , Reply# 1   3/12/2009 at 16:50 (5,516 days old) by brandon_w_t ()        
Which one?

 Was this that red 2 speed on ebay?

Is the filter the big huge black one? Or the little grey one?

If you dont have allergies that are bad, I would ditch the filter...

Post# 62369 , Reply# 2   3/12/2009 at 17:01 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Two Tone

 It was the two tone unit -- taupe with a blue/gray lid. I disassembled the filter and there are several components to it. It was filthy too. But I don't suffer terribly from allergies, so I'll see if I can't find a less restrictive filter.

Bill

BTW -- the power nozzle on this thing is extremely quiet compared to others that I have. Overall, it is a rather quiet vacuum.

Post# 62370 , Reply# 3   3/12/2009 at 17:14 (5,516 days old) by crevicetool (GA )        
Oh! Brother......

 A Tristar?

Bill, you are so bitten by this vacuum bug!!!

It's all over! Sell everything, buy some shelves, Rent a six-car heated garage.

My Condolences...
Rick

Post# 62371 , Reply# 4   3/12/2009 at 17:21 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Rick, it all started . . .

 It all started with those Electrolux vacuums my friend gave me! I do need to spend a Saturday trying to figure out what to do with everything I've got, because one bedroom is pretty cluttered.

Bill

Post# 62372 , Reply# 5   3/12/2009 at 17:29 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Bill:

 As you note, the Filter-Fresh afterfilter isn't really necessary if you don't have allergies. There is a standard afterfilter that not only decreases backpressure, but looks sleeker; I'm including a pic of my CXL with a standard afterfilter below. Search eBay for "Tristar filter" and you should turn one up quickly and cheaply. You may find one that looks a little different from mine, but they're all basically the same thing - a thin foam filtering element held in a plastic grille frame. Generic or factory should work just fine.

To begin deodorising your new baby, you could start with a disassembly. It's very easy; turn the vac over and look inside the wheel wells. You will then see where the screws are located; undoing them will allow the upper half of the body to be lifted away from the top. Be gentle- there is wiring connecting the on/off switch (mounted in the top shell) to the motor (mounted in the bottom shell). If you like, the switch can be removed with a box wrench; that will completely free the top shell from the bottom one.

Once you've got 'er opened up, you can then have a great time cleaning her out with Fantastik, Murphy's Oil Soap, Krud Kutter, or what-have-you. Just be very careful to keep all these substances off the decal on the left side of the canister.

TriStar no longer makes the emblem that mounts through the body holes. They now make a self-adhesive plastic emblem that adheres on over the old mounting holes; it works fine. TriStar Canada (www.tristarvacuumscanada.com...) has them; they're not expensive, like maybe five or six bucks. While you're on their Website, you can also download the parts PDF's for your vac; click on the links for the EX-20, which is pretty much the same as your machine.

If your PN is quiet, then you are in luck, because it sounds like all the little spacers and dust seals that should be inside it are intact. Noisy TriStar PNs are nearly always the result of people changing a belt and not putting all "them funny lil' pieces" back where they belong. If you want to check to be sure everything's there, the parts PDFs have an exploded view of your PN, showing everything and where it goes.

Welcome to the ranks of TriStar owners! You'll appreciate that vac more and more as you use it; it's a real workhorse, not temperamental at all, and very easy to work on.

Post# 62373 , Reply# 6   3/12/2009 at 17:31 (5,516 days old) by brandon_w_t ()        
quiet

 Yes tristars are some of the quietest, and most powerful vacuums around.

Again- you may not even need the filter. My grandfather has compacts, and he does not use the filters, and it seems to run stronger without them.

Oh and- are they grey or black- (the filter)

Post# 62374 , Reply# 7   3/12/2009 at 17:33 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
P.S., Bill:

 TriStar Canada can also supply you with that brushroll, the PN decal, and the screw for the bottom plate. Please don't try to substitute another screw for the correct bottom plate screw; that screw goes up into threads cut into the upper housing, which is die-cast metal and costs a lot of money as a replacement part. Messing up those threads with the wrong screw would be an expensive problem.

Post# 62375 , Reply# 8   3/12/2009 at 17:41 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Tristar Canada?

 Is there a reason why Tristar Canada is preferable?

Bill

Post# 62376 , Reply# 9   3/12/2009 at 17:42 (5,516 days old) by vintagehoover ()        
It seems TriStars are 'in' this season...

 ...and I just couldn't bear to be behind the times!

Post# 62378 , Reply# 10   3/12/2009 at 17:49 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Selector Switch

 What is the selector switch on the power nozzle for? Does it change airflow/suction?

Bill

Post# 62379 , Reply# 11   3/12/2009 at 17:51 (5,516 days old) by xraytech ()        

Bill,

I do know that Sandy has said of past experience that Tri-Star Canada is better on the customer Service side and you recieve your stuff quicker, since the American side always says the item is out of stock.I do believe I am remembering correctly.

Post# 62382 , Reply# 12   3/12/2009 at 17:56 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
TriStar Canada:

 Bill:

In the United States, TriStar assigns its dealers territories, and the dealers are not supposed to do business outside their territory. If you are in a place where the TriStar dealer is good (like California), there's really no problem. But if you're in a place like mine (name deleted to protect the guilty), then the territorial stuff is a big problem, because our state has an incompetent dealer, and other U.S. dealers aren't supposed to supply my parts needs. TriStar Canada will deal with you without all that hassle, and they are very nice and friendly people to boot. Shipping takes about seven to ten days, and I've never had a backorder. Everything comes in separate envelopes marked with the part number, so there's no confusion about which screw or washer is which. Very, very good service!

Pricing is in Canadian dollars, and the U.S. dollar is a little higher than theirs at the moment, so you're actually going to pay a bit less than you see on the TriStar Canada Website - plus shipping, of course.

Post# 62383 , Reply# 13   3/12/2009 at 18:00 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Selector Switch:

 Bill:

The PN selector is a suction control. You'll need to play with it to get the best results on your particular carpet; the settings marked don't mean a heck of a lot, I've found. Normal works very well for most things.

Post# 62384 , Reply# 14   3/12/2009 at 18:03 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
vintagehoover:

 WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!

When I looked at the pic of your TriStar, I realised something was "wrong" - something wasn't quite familiar. When I saw your mains plug, then I knew what I was looking at - a rare U.K.-spec TriStar.

That must be some machine. Even with our wimpy 110v mains, TriStars are very powerful vacuums. With your 220v system, they must be capable of hoovering the carpet right off the floor!

Post# 62388 , Reply# 15   3/12/2009 at 18:12 (5,516 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Thanks!

 The Tristar Canada site is set up better. Each part has an actual photo, whereas the US site doesn't. That helps.

Bill

Post# 62390 , Reply# 16   3/12/2009 at 18:19 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
New TriStar Emblem:

 Here's a pic of the replacement emblem TriStar offer now; it's self-adhesive. Just peel 'n stick, and those little holes are sealed up again, leaving you with a purty, purty mo-sheen.

Current price is $6.59 CDN, plus shipping.

Post# 62393 , Reply# 17   3/12/2009 at 18:35 (5,516 days old) by vintagehoover ()        

Hi Sandy,

yes, it is indeed, a UK-spec TriStar DXL. It had been listed on eBay recently about 3 times, with the price going lower each time. What with all the TriStar talk lately, both on here, and with my MSN contacts, I though I'd see what all the fuss was about - I'm not one to go on other people's opinions, I like to make up my own mind! I got it for quite a good price, since the brand is more-or-less unknown over here - it has no reputation or brand-recognition.

It's not perfect - the logo is missing, which seems to be common! And some absolute moron had GLUED the large grey filter-cup to the black plastic bit it screws onto - I haven't yet managed to get it off! There was no powernozzle either, so I haven't been able to test it properly.

Feeling the suction from the hose-end, it certainly feels like it has a hell of a lot of airflow! However, I wouldn't say it feels like it has significantly more than, for instance, a Miele (remember, ours go up to 2200w!). But I'll reserve my judgement for when I've had a chance to sort out a powernozzle for it and really road-test it!

If you, or if anyone else, has any info on TriStar in the UK (how and when they were sold, how many etc), I'd love to hear. I know absolutely nothing about their presence in the UK.

Post# 62398 , Reply# 18   3/12/2009 at 18:55 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
vintagehoover:

 I should think that replacing that power nozzle should be easy enough. If you could find a North American-spec one on eBay, then you would hopefully have only to replace the motor with the correct one. It would probably be worth it to find a photo of the U.K.-spec PN, to be sure its housing is the same as the North American one, before doing anything.

One potential problem is that TriStar make two different PNs. There is the older 2-102, which uses a smooth drive wheel on the brushroll and a flat belt. And there is the newer 2-101, which uses a cogged drive wheel and a cogged belt. On the 2-101, there is a drive cog on the PNs motor shaft, which could pose problems if a U.K.-spec motor couldn't accept the cog wheel. A visit to the TriStar Canada parts pages will show you what I mean, if you're interested.

A new PN is terribly expensive, over £150.

Post# 62399 , Reply# 19   3/12/2009 at 18:59 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
vintagehoover:

 I forgot to mention: the black plastic part the filter mounts to is called a "filter basket." It is pop-riveted into place through holes in the top half of the canister shell. I had to replace mine (broken filter-mounting tabs), and it was not much fun. But I did get it done in the end.

The filter basket also serves as the exhaust port, if you should ever need to use the vacuum as a blower; it includes a little tab that engages that spiral slot on the end of the hose, just as the vacuum port in the bag door has.

Post# 62403 , Reply# 20   3/12/2009 at 19:25 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Bill:

 Check your email - I found your email to me, and I have a TriStar part I think you might be able to use.

Post# 62418 , Reply# 21   3/12/2009 at 21:36 (5,516 days old) by crevicetool (GA )        
Hey!

 Any one want to tell me what that little "c e" stands for in the corner of that Tristar sticker? I've seen that on so many things but haven't a clue what it is.

Rick

Post# 62419 , Reply# 22   3/12/2009 at 21:47 (5,516 days old) by lux1521 ()        

CE mark:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO lux1521's LINK
Post# 62444 , Reply# 23   3/13/2009 at 08:22 (5,516 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Yurrupeen Conformity:

 The "CE" stands for "Conformité Européenne", meaning that the vac conforms to applicable standards for the European market. It's a bit like our UL mark.

Post# 62464 , Reply# 24   3/13/2009 at 15:40 (5,515 days old) by crevicetool (GA )        
Nifty....

 Thanks, I Wondered' de Always'

Rick

Post# 62465 , Reply# 25   3/13/2009 at 16:11 (5,515 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Cleaning Machine!

 Well, this is my day off, so I spent the day disassembling my new Tristar, deodorizing and shining it up. It came with only the old cloth bag, so I hand washed it and the motor filter. My thanks to Sandy for giving me tips on taking it apart. Very simple design and engineering for a novice like me. Since the Tristar bags I have on order haven't come yet, I cut a Hoover Type A bag in half and used it to line the cloth bag. It looks rather "ghetto" sticking out of the cover! LOL! But it works. Then I vacuumed away with an old Electrolux rug nozzle. I still have the power nozzle apart, cleaning it. Anywhooo...I was shocked at the amount of dirt and grime it got out of the carpet with just the very limited vacuuming I did AND with only a non-powered rug nozzle! The one drawback to the Tristair hose is no suction control, which made pushing the rug nozzle kind of hard. A very impressive machine indeed!

Bill

Post# 62477 , Reply# 26   3/13/2009 at 17:48 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Bill:

 Since I haven't yet seen a photo of your new baby, I don't know if you're using a TriStar rug nozzle with it, or something else from your collection/stash.

A TriStar rug nozzle moves pretty easily, because of the air intake slots on the bottom surface that contacts the rug. If you don't have one, perhaps someone here has one they can sell or trade you, or maybe one will turn up on eBay. TotalVac.com has them new, but they're fairly pricey at $65.95 (don't gasp - the floor tool is $30 more than that!). The new ones are not the polished aluminium finish that TriStar used to use; they're now powdercoated in spattertone silver and black. But they're still cast aluminium, and of a quality greatly superior to anything else I know of on today's market. The 1954 Compact C-2 my mom had for thirty years had exactly the same tool, except for the little slot for the wand's lock button; C-2s had friction-fit wands.

That PN is something of a tricky little beast to clean; it seems the hollows and crevices on the underside of the housing go on forever, LOL. Patience and perseverance do the trick.

P.S.: One of the projects on my "roundtoit" list is going to be stripping the powdercoat off my rug nozzle and buffing it to the old-style polished finish. I can understand that powdercoating keeps TriStar's costs down vs. the cost of buffing, but I like the classic Compact/TriStar look of the polished finish.

Post# 62483 , Reply# 27   3/13/2009 at 18:20 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Oops!

 I really should read the material, shouldn't I, Bill? You clearly said you were using a Lux rug tool.

I've tried that combination and it doesn't work well; keep your eyes open for a TriStar tool and everything will be all better.

Post# 62484 , Reply# 28   3/13/2009 at 18:23 (5,515 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Electrolux Model XXX Nozzle

 Unfortunately, the Tristar didn't come with any attachments. But for $31, I can't complain! It only came with the Turbo Brush. I was using the rug nozzle from an Electrolux Model XXX. It doesn't allow for as much airflow so it's harder to push on the short looped berber style carpeting I have in my den. I used a cheap floor brush that I vacuum the kitchen with. You can tell the Tristar has a lot of airflow by the way it starts drawing debris from a good distance before you ever vacuum over it. I'll see about posting a photo or two!

Bill

Post# 62485 , Reply# 29   3/13/2009 at 18:30 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Tools:

 Bill:

The best thing I can tell you regarding tools is to be patient and keep your eyes open. I was impatient to get a rug tool for my CXL, and it cost me dearly. I'm sure that the two expensive ones - the floor tool and rug tool - will turn up for you eventually. The dusting brush, crevice tool, and drapery/upholstery tool (all of which are plastique) are not any more expensive than those for any other brand, and they do turn up on eBay. There is a neat little clip-on tool caddy that fastens to the wands for storage of the plastic tools; you can see one in vintagehoover's pic of his U.K.-spec DXL, earlier in this thread.

There is one nice, money-saving thing about the floor and rug tools; their brush strips are easily replaced, like those in Lux tools. The insert for the dusting brush is, too.

Post# 62487 , Reply# 30   3/13/2009 at 18:44 (5,515 days old) by methodistbill ()        
I will keep my eye out!

 I just looked at the OEM tools at Total Vac. Yikes! I can't help but think that someone got rid of a perfectly good vacuum because all it really needed was a new brush roll and filter so it would have good agitation and suction/airflow again. The vac is really clean (other than the cigarette smoke) and in excellent cosmetic shape. Oh, well. My gain!

Post# 62493 , Reply# 31   3/13/2009 at 19:16 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
As Soon As...

 ...I can get my digital camera's battery charged, I'll post some tool pics. Shouldn't take too long.

Every single tool is based on the ones that came with Mom's C-2 way back there in '54. Plastic colours are different today, and there are now little slots to accommodate the wand buttons, but aside from those differences, they're the ones I remember so well.

Post# 62499 , Reply# 32   3/13/2009 at 19:59 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Tool Pic 1 of 4:

 This shows all the tools that came with a TriStar. Clockwise from upper left, they are:

- Floor tool
- Rug tool
- Dusting brush
- Upholstery/drapery tool with snap-out grille
- Crevice tool

In the centre is the beige plastic tool caddy that clips onto the wands; it holds all three of the plastic tools.

The snap-out grille for the upholstery/drapery tool is used when you want to vacuum something like curtains; it decreases the suction and also makes it impossible for the curtain to get sucked into the tool. For upholstery, the tool is used without the grille.

Post# 62500 , Reply# 33   3/13/2009 at 20:01 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Tool Pic 2 of 4:

 This one shows the underside of the rug tool; you can see the large air intake slots that allow it to glide over carpeting.

Post# 62501 , Reply# 34   3/13/2009 at 20:02 (5,515 days old) by xraytech ()        

there is a lot of tristar attachments on ebay now,
it is only the dusting brush, crevice tool and the rug shoe, all in clear glitter for $24.99

Post# 62502 , Reply# 35   3/13/2009 at 20:03 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Tool Pic 3 of 4:

 This shows the tool caddy loaded with the plastic tools and snapped onto the wands:

Post# 62504 , Reply# 36   3/13/2009 at 20:10 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Tool Pic 4 of 4:

 And this one shows the tool caddy in the user position; you can leave it clipped onto the wands while you vacuum. All the tools are right at hand that way!

P.S.: xraytech: I have a rug shoe as a collectible, but I don't recommend using it. It loves to come off the floor tool while it's being used, and it damages the bristles of the floor tool. For anyone who doesn't know what the rug shoe is, it's a plastic piece that clips to the bottom of the floor tool, converting it to a rug tool. Better to have the real rug tool, I think. The rug shoe came standard with late Compact-based TriStars like the CXL, DXL, and EX-20; you had to buy the real rug tool separately. I have a rug shoe only for display purposes; I used it one time and that was way more than enough for me!

Post# 62506 , Reply# 37   3/13/2009 at 20:26 (5,515 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Thanks for the pics!

 That rug tool looks similar to the old Electrolux style but with air channels! I really like that little tool caddy. I was kind of wondering if the rug tool and floor brush came standard too. Thanks!

Bill

Post# 62540 , Reply# 38   3/13/2009 at 22:21 (5,515 days old) by luxg ()        

IMHO, the Compact or Tristar floor tool is one of the very best!! I use it on most all of my machines including the Beam Central Vac.

Post# 62547 , Reply# 39   3/13/2009 at 22:49 (5,515 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Bill:

 The floor tool came standard all the way through the last Compact-style TriStar, the EX-20. The rug shoe was standard, too. The real rug tool was the option. I think TriStar's reasoning there was that with so many people having all wall-to-wall carpet and no area rugs, that was where they could shave their costs a bit. But at least they kept the real rug tool available!

Post# 62941 , Reply# 40   3/17/2009 at 16:18 (5,511 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Cord Repair

 The rubber on the power cord gromet (relief) where it pushes into the machine is separating. Now the cord doesn't want to stay in place even with the cord clip in place. Can that be repaired effectively with hot glue or something else. I've wrapped electrical tape around it in order to give the clip something to hold onto but I don't think it's going to hold. Since the cord relief has failed, the cord pulls easily out of the machine where exhaust air leaks out. Not a tight seal. Or would it be better just to replace the cord all together?

Post# 62943 , Reply# 41   3/17/2009 at 16:27 (5,511 days old) by methodistbill ()        
What the cord looks like

 This is what the cord looks like. The crevice area where the clip goes is what's cracking.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO methodistbill's LINK
Post# 62945 , Reply# 42   3/17/2009 at 16:47 (5,511 days old) by danemodsandy ()        
Bill:

 Replacing the cord would be the best option, sorry to say. I wish TriStar had not gone to that design, but they did. There used to be a separate strain relief piece, so that if the strain relief cracked, you could just replace that. But noooooo, they had to get fawncy. I feel for you - I had to replace the cord on mine, too. The TriStar part number is 70028.

You might look on eBay and vac parts sites to see if someone makes an aftermarket cord to the same design. There are aftermarket TriStar cords out there that are intended for the old, separate strain relief, so you have to make sure you're getting the right thing.

P.S.: Got your email about the Lux cord bracket. I am hardly able to sleep for excitement. Thanks!

Post# 62962 , Reply# 43   3/17/2009 at 18:46 (5,511 days old) by methodistbill ()        
Well . . .

 That's what happens when a vacuum cleaner is approaching 20 years old!


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