Keeping your home clean and dust-free is essential for a healthy living environment. A vacuum cleaner is a valuable tool in achieving this. However, it can be disappointing when problems like low suction force, excessive noise, and ineffective cleanup outputs happen to your vacuum cleaners.
Fortunately, instead of discarding the appliance or paying a high fee for repairs, you can actually try some manual methods to fix your vacuum cleaner without hassle. We'll explore why your vacuum cleaner might stop working and provide insights into vacuum disassembling guides. Additionally, we've gathered 6 easy solutions for repairing vacuum cleaners on your own. Now, let's dive in and get your vacuum cleaner working again.
What Causes Vacuum Cleaners to Stop Working
It's better to identify the exact cause of the issue before attempting to repair the vacuum cleaner. Here are some common problems resulting from a vacuum cleaner that is malfunctioning:
- Clogs and Blockages:Blockages in filters, a broken vacuum bag, an obstructed floor head, neck, hose, or clogged brush can all lead to reduced suction power, resulting in decreased cleaning efficiency.
- Broken Belts: Vacuum cleaners with belt-driven brush rollers can experience belt breakage or slippage, leading to reduced cleaning effectiveness.
- Full Dustbin or Bag:If the dustbin or bag is full, airflow can be restricted, leading to reduced suction and possibly causing the vacuum to shut off.
- Overheating: Frequent use can cause the vacuum cleaner to overheat. Additionally, a malfunctioning motor could be responsible for overheating.
- Power Issues: If the vacuum cleaner is not properly connected to the power source or is not functioning correctly, it may fail to operate.
- Mechanical Wear:Wear and tear on various mechanical components can accumulate over time, affecting the overall performance and reliability of the vacuum.
NOTE: It's important to address these issues promptly to ensure your vacuum cleaner's optimal performance and longevity.
Different Types of Vacuum Cleaners: How to Disassemble Them
Generally, to repair a vacuum cleaner, you'd better grasp the right way to disassemble the device. But pay attention that the ways to disassemble the upright and canister vacuum cleaners can be different. Check the guide below, which will lead you to take apart both types of vacuums respectively.
Before getting started, prepare the following tools in advance:
- screwdrivers;
- pliers;
- multimeter
Disassemble An Upright Vacuum Cleaner
An Upright Vacuum Cleaner is a common type of vacuum with a vertical design, featuring a handle and nozzle, allowing it to be used in an upright position on floors. Let's take a closer look at the steps involved in disassembling an upright vacuum cleaner.
STEP 1. Unplug the handheld vacuum cleaner and loosen the lower handle screw to detach the handle. If your device is equipped with a hose, remove it as well.
STEP 2. From the bottom of the vacuum cleaner, find the top cover screws and remove them to take off the cover.
STEP 3. Now remove the brush roller and the drive belt from the vacuum. Next, loosen the screws used for securing the motor clamp. Then, carefully extract the motor.
NOTE: Be careful not to damage the gasket on the other side of the motor no matter when dismantling or installing it.
Disassemble A Canister Vacuum Cleaner
A Canister Vacuum Cleaner, also known as a Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, has a separate design consisting of a main unit and a flexible hose, handle, and nozzle. Here, we will guide you through the dismantling procedure with the sequential steps.
STEP 1. Unplug the vacuum cleaner and directly take off the hoses, dust bag, and filter from the device.
STEP 2. Loosen the screws on the vacuum's body and move the cover off it. You can easily see the motor and electrical components inside the cleaner.
STEP 3. Now, to repair the vacuum cleaner's motor or its brushes, remove all screws and take the motor out of the vacuum's body.
STEP 4. For the brush roller repair, clean out the dust and debris from the nozzle, and then move to the top cover to take it off.
Repair Manual for Vacuum Cleaner: 6 Steps to Fix
Now, when you have disassembled the vacuum cleaner and evaluated the exact components leading to the problems, you are able to follow the step-by-step guide below to manually process the vacuum cleaner repairs.
Service the Vacuum Beater Bar
The beater bar is a round roller with brush fibers, which is placed at the front edge of both the upright and canister vacuum cleaners. Due to being the first component to contact with debris, it may increase the risk of entanglement and wear-down when using the vacuum for hair or stubborn stain cleaning. Therefore, replacing the beater bar is a proper way to vacuum cleaner repair. The steps below can be followed:
STEP 1. Put the vacuum upside down and remove the clips on both sides of the cleaner to take off the drive belt. Then you can access the beater bar and lift it over.
STEP 2. Next, remove the cap and flange on both sides of the beater bar to get it off the vacuum cleaner.
STEP 3. Check the beater bar’s condition to replace the brush, cap, flange, or case accordingly. You can also directly change to an entirely new beater bar.
Replace the Vacuum Belt
A vacuum belt is one of the necessary vacuum attachments connecting with the beater bar. It performs to pass the motor power to the beater bar and enables the vacuum cleaner to clear the dirt. When you discover that the vacuum belt is worn and needs to be replaced, you can process with the guide here:
STEP 1. Follow the above guide to remove the beater bar first, and then loosen the vacuum belt to get it off the vacuum.
STEP 2. Use a new vacuum belt to slip over both the beater bar and around the motor pulley again.
STEP 3. Put the beater bar back into the vacuum cleaner and adjust the belt to get it well installed.
Empty or Change the Vacuum Bag
Some vacuum cleaners are equipped with vacuum bags to prevent dirt and dust from entering the inner components of the devices. Hence, for the bagged vacuum cleaner, you can empty or change the vacuum bag to repair the vacuum cleaner when it is not functioning properly:
STEP 1. Unplug the vacuum cleaner. Then loosen the clips to open the vacuum bag.
STEP 2. After that, slide out the bag's cardboard collar enabling it to disconnect with the vacuum cleaner to get it off.
STEP 3. Get the cleaned or new vacuum bag and slide on its collar to complete the vacuum bag cleanup or replacement.
Clean or Replace the Vacuum Filter
If the vacuum filter is what you need to deal with for repairing vacuum cleaner, distinguish the 3 main types of vacuum filters (Foam Filters, Pleated Paper or Synthetic Cartridges, and HEPA Filters) and follow the proper guide to process it:
Foam Filters: Place the filter in the mixed liquid with both hot water and two drops of cleaning solution. By gently squeezing the filter to clean all its dust. Finally, use a microfiber towel to absorb the water and place the filter to dry it completely.
Pleated Paper or Synthetic Cartridges: You don't need to soak or rinse paper and synthetic filters into water because this can damage them. Simply hold it under a flowing stream of water to remove the dust, then get it dried and the filter cleanup is done.
HEPA Filters: HEPA Filters can easily be cleaned by being rinsed with cool water, or directly tapping them to remove some dust.
Clear the Vacuum Clogged Hose
If the hose is not attached to the vacuum permanently, you can directly disconnect it to remove the clogs inside. It will be placed in the front of the vacuum cleaner and connected from the bottom roller to the tank/bag. Here guides you on how to unclog it:
STEP 1. Reach the end of the hose and pull it out from the base of the vacuum.
STEP 2. Use broomsticks to pull out all clogs getting stuck in the hose.
STEP 3. As the hose can be deep and there are some clogs that can't directly be reached deep inside, use wire or a snake to twist it around and get them all out to unclog the hose.
STEP 4. Finally, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda and mix with vinegar to kindly clean out the hose by breaking apart all sticky dirt inside.
Reconnect or Replace the Power Cord
When your vacuum cleaner is performing improperly, try reconnecting it to the power source. If it doesn't solve the problem, consider whether the power cord fails to work normally.
To replace or reconnect the power cord, you'd better check the user manual first. If there lack of instructions on how to fix it, you may as well consult for professional help instead of immediately doing it by yourself for safety reasons.
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Conclusion
Vacuum cleaner repairing is a daily task many people will need to process. So for those commonly seen problems, the blog has provided you with the correct and workable ways to do vacuum cleaner repair on your own. But if you lack experience and worry about safety, you'd better turn to a vacuum repairing shop for help instead. Don’t forget that taking the time to peruse through user manuals is always an incredibly helpful option as well! With the help of these processes and techniques, you will be able to accurately diagnose potential repairs as well as equipment problems.