Troubleshooting Your Vacuum

20 March 2015
 Categories: Home & Garden, Blog


If you have a vacuum cleaner, then you know that a vacuum that doesn't work properly can be very irritating. Such a situation can leave your house dirty and even pose a health hazard. Therefore, it is in your best interest to have a strong grasp of how to troubleshoot a vacuum cleaner. Here is a rough overview of the most common problems and exactly how you can fix them:

My vacuum has suction, but nothing is getting picked up

If you place your hand over the airway opening and can definitely feel suction, yet nothing is being picked up off the floor, you likely have either a blockage or an issue with the height setting. A blockage can result in material getting stuck in the hose, while the wrong height setting will prevent your vacuum from reaching low enough to pick up dirt and debris. Trying using lower height settings for tile and higher settings for thick carpet.

My vacuum has no suction

This is commonly caused by a full storage unit. If a vacuum has an entirely full container, then it will usually refuse to pick up any more debris. This is caused by the pressure differential between the inside of the unit and the outside. Basically, when there is available space inside the container, the vacuum will create negative pressure in that space in order to move waste through the tube and to the container. However, when the container is full, the vacuum is unable to create that negative pressure environment, and thus nothing will get sucked up.

My vacuum has weak suction and leaves debris on the ground

Alternatively, if you smell any sort of burning smell or if there is excessive dust in the air after vacuuming, you should thoroughly check the bag and filters. If these elements are worn and full of dust, they can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the vacuum and create an unpleasant odor.

Other common problems

In addition to the above solutions, your vacuum might have broken or worn belts. These are extremely simple to fix and diagnose, however you will be required to remove the faceplate of your vacuum in order to reach the necessary components. Once you can see the inner working of the vacuum, examine the belts that are used to turn the brush. If they show any signs of wear, then you could benefit greatly from replacing them. Talk to a Hoover, Dyson, Kirby, or Dirt Devil vacuum repair service to help sort out your vacuum woes. 


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