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Vacuum not sucking

Etowah
N

Noob

Active member
I’ve got a vacuum that is not sucking near as hard as the others. All three of the motors appear to be operating. Does anybody know what’s going on or have suggestions?
 
Sometimes all the motors appear to be working because they are all spinning but one may be dead and going backwards from suction. Look carefully on startup to verify direction or put a clamp on multi meter on each motor hot lead to verify it is pulling amps. If it's not a dead motor then it's all about the leaks. It could be a whole bunch of small leaks added up. Door gaskets, motor gaskets, the hose may have a crack. Also something that is harder to find is a break in the factory caulk that seals the housing and the bottom. I think some have continuous welds and some do not.
 
We had that problem last week. Motors & gaskets were good. Vacuum hose was new. Filters were clean. However there was a weird vibration inside the hose... Used the Diskin In-bay Dryer to blow out pens, a hairnet and several bottle caps! 🤪 FIXED!!
 
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Always start with simpleat things. 1. Door latched? 2 Good Seal at door? 3. Pull off hose and Check suction at the Tank. 4. Take off top and open trash dor. Leave open and start Vac. Dead motor won't turn if Trash door is open. 5. Pull , Motor and check screen under motor. 6. Check Vac Bags.
 
Can someone tell me what you mean by the screen
Under the motor? I pulled the motors it looks like the picture below. All three motors are still spinning when I open the top door. I change the hose out. The gaskets look good. The bags haven’t been cleaned in probably a year. Could that be the problem?
 

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Here's an image of the motor screen... You can buy from Kleen-Rite or make your own from thick wire screen. It goes between the motor and vacuum housing, so large debris doesn't get sucked into the motor & damage it. Replace your filters with clean ones and I bet your suction will improve! We clean our filters every Wednesday and wash them every 6 months. We turn them inside-out and soak in a bucket of soapy water, then rinse & drip-dry. Good luck!!
 

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Changed the bags. It’s sucking a little better. I also have a plug missing in the bottom of the vacuum. Could that have something to do with loss of suction ?
 

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Roz said:
Whenever we have a vac whose suction is lower than normal it is always a missing or cracked or unseated plug (mentioned above). We keep 6 of the $1.50 part on hand for such situations and that is first thing we check.
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Heck if this were a recurring problem I would get some aluminum Flashing, Silicone sealer and self drilling srews and gluse an screw the flashing over the plug and hole.
 
Not a recurring issue as we use a little plumber pvc glue to keep them in place. Over time some do tear or get a cut in them.
 
One of my anchor bolts broke free from the concrete and had to be reanchered. I slightly tore one when I had to take them out. I’m sure it probably just deteriorated after that.
 
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