Cleaning out a Bissell Powerforce Helix

[niclonnic]

The Bissell Powerforce Helix at my local food bank was NASTY! So today, I decided to give it a good cleaning. First, I washed out some parts. These parts included the inner pleated filter, the outer circular filter, the pre-motor filter, the dirt container, the cyclone separator and the filter cup. As I was washing the parts, my sink water was BLACK. This shows just how filthy this vacuum was.

In addition, I wiped down the outside of the vacuum, as well as inside the upper tank, to make it look like new again. The base of the machine was coated in dust!

Also, the hose had dust and debris trapped inside of it. I removed the hose and shook it over a trash can to knock out that debris.

So when I come back to volunteer after spring break, this vacuum should have TONS of suction!

Do you wash the parts on your bagless vacuums on a regular basis? And does anybody wipe down their machines regularly? How about removing debris trapped inside hoses? This was probably the filthiest vacuum I've ever worked on.

 

[daknx1994]

I wash out the basin and separator on my Rainbow. I clean the separator daily and give the basin a good soaking once or twice a week. As far as the hose, once a week about a cup of water gets sucked up to clean the inner walls of the hose. As far as debris, I am assuming you mean clogs and such in the hose? Well, for one, my Rainbow never loses suction, and I do not vacuum up stuff that is NOT designed to go into a vacuum.

 

[dustin]

They really aren't bad vacuums when working properly, lightweight, good suction, not too loud, and cheap enough to replace if it croaks. I've had several versions and have only had one that was completely a lost cause and was dumpstered. I don't even know how someone could be that hard on a vacuum to break as many parts as that one had broken- even the handle was snapped in two.

 

[niclonnic]

Daknx1994, I take apart my Bissell deep cleaner and wash out the tanks, nozzle, brush rolls and end caps after EVERY SINGLE USE. This might sound like overkill, but the reason I go through all this is because I want the machine to last. If I use the portable spot cleaner portion of the machine, I suck up hot water from a sink to clean out the inside of the hose. I've used this machine a lot over the past 3 years, and it still works wonderfully.

Dustin, you are right. The Bissell Powerforce Helix is surprisingly durable for a $50 vacuum. Just remember to wash the filters often, and it will continue to work well for years to come.

 

[fantomfan]

This is why I can't use a Bissell Powerforce Bagless.

They DO clean well and DO have good suction but, everything has to be cleaned after every use. That is simply too much work for me. Not to mention, it's a poorly designed system to begin with that exhausts lots of dust left and right. The Bissell Heavy Duty is multi-cyclonic and is a much better, abeit heavier machine.

 

[niclonnic]

Yeah

I would not want to use a Bissell Powerforce, or ANY vacuum from Walmart in my house for that very reason. If you have allergies or asthma, this is DEFINITELY not the machine for you.

Have you tried the bagged Bissell Powerforce? I've never used one, but it should be a lot more sanitary than the bagless version.

In the end, you get what you pay for.

 

[fantomfan]

I've never tried the Bagged Version.

But, I did have a bagged Bissell Powerglide a couple of years ago that I sold off. That was basically a Powerforce bagged with a wider brushroll. For a Bissell that was a VERY nice vacuum. The brushroll on that was very aggressive. My family used to have a Powerforce Bagless from 2007, and I just finished cleaning a Cleanview Helix for my mom's boss. They are VERY dirty to work on.

 

[dustin]

I've just got another one in yesterday to be refurbished and sold. Motor and brushroll are fine, but I don't think the filters were ever cleaned. NASTY! It wouldn't pick up anything when I tried it, but it should be fine once I put it back together later today. All the parts (except the motor and switch obviously!) Were washed in hot water and lysol, and after I put a new belt on, it shouldn't be any problem to sell it for $25.

 

[niclonnic]

Correct

This explains why I can't stand single-cyclonic bagless vacuums. I can only stand A) cyclonic vacuums with two or more cyclones or B) bagged vacuums. When these Powerforce Bagless filters get completely caked with dust, the vacuum will have NO SUCTION!

Thankfully, Bissell now makes vacuums with cyclonic technology, such as the Bissell CleanView with OnePass series.

 

[daknx1994]

You know, I did a service on a Bissell Powerforce today, not the Cleanview Helix, just the plain Jane one. Everything turned out fine and I went to test it, the motor was not as loud as I thought, it kind of just hummed, and it cleaned pretty well. I guess for the money these are not that bad.

 

[mark40511]

Single cyclone

Yes, my Shark Rotator has a single cyclone. I did not know this when I bought it. The filters do get dirty quickly. I asked someone why Shark would go from multi-cylonic to single, and they said because of reliability - that the multi-cyclonic vacuums are less reliable, and that the cyclones have to be cleaned too......Luckily I have a Rainbow, and every few days I use my Rainbow to clean my Shark filters and bin out and haven't had to wash the filters yet since I suck the dust off of the filters rather than wash them and it hasn't lost any suction....I haven't had a clogged hose on a vacuum ever in my life, so that's never been an issue for me.

 

[fantomfan]

I don't think a single cyclone would be more reliable at

That is just my opinion. Single cyclonic Sharks pass FAR more dust onto the filters than say, a Multi Cyclonic Dyson. Most don't clean the filters so it goes straight into the motor. Eventually, the motor would overheat or the motor would simply be ruined by fine dust. I saw that with a single cyclonic Bissell once. Even when the filters are clean, a small amount of dust would still penetrate through. And simply put, a Shark isn't the most reliable vac to start anyway.

 

[niclonnic]

Mark40511, it's a good thing you have another vacuum to clean the filters on one vacuum. That is VACUUM INCEPTION!

You think multi-cyclonic vacuums aren't as reliable? Well, it depends on the brand. On the original Shark Navigator, the 21-cyclone chamber will have to be emptied after every 5 uses. However, on a Dyson, when you empty the bin on one of those, the inner cyclones are automatically emptied.

FantomFan, you reckon Shark vacuums aren't the most reliable? Well, I'll put it this way. Shark vacuums are among the highest rated vacuum cleaners, according to online customer reviews. The vast majority of customers give Shark vacuums 4- or 5-star ratings. In addition. Shark ranks highest in customer satisfaction with upright and canister vacuums, according to J.D. Power and Associates. So loving a Shark vacuum would be easy.

 

[citroenbx]

is there any pics

 

[niclonnic]

No

I didn't take any pics during my cleaning of this Bissell. My hands got dirty, and I couldn't really use my phone.

 

[sptyks]

That's what happens when you clean out any bagless vacuum, Your hands get dirty! Cleaning filters and washing out the insides is a dirty nasty job.


 


Now with my bagged vacuum, I just pop off the old bag and drop it in the trash. I'm DONE! I pop in a new bag and I'm all set to go. It takes all of 30 seconds. And best of all, my hands stay nice and clean.

 

[fantomfan]

There are many reasons why they love their Sharks.

One said on this site: "they love it UNTIL they have a problem." Most people don't do follow ups on their reviews either. The vac can't possibly last more than a couple years with daily, hard use. Also, don't forget that there isn't a parts base for Sharks. Of course, the manufacturer expects you to just go out and get a new one.
That's why they are called "disposable." I don't trust any of these big review sites. They do not do important tests like durability, motor life and parts availability/access.

 

[niclonnic]

Sptyks, you are absolutely right. Bagged vacuums are MUCH more sanitary than bagless. However, the disadvantage is having to pay for additional bags.

FantomFan, there have even been news reports about the reliability of online reviews. Researchers have found out ways to tell how trustworthy a review can be.

 

[tolivac]

Out my way various places carry "Shark Lift-Off Rotator Pro"So far many of these machines have come into the Sew&Vac place where I vist to be unclogged.One woman brought hers in TWICE for two weeks in a row.The throat area of the power nozzle gets clogged.The floor shoe on the nozzle is SEALED in place so you can't replace the belt,motor, or the brushroll.The machine was clogged with a pen in the nozzle throat--How did THAT get in there-to me and Mike-still a mystery-would have to get thru the brush.The second time-a few business cards mangled by the brushroll choking the throat.Mike then showed the lady a Simplicity BAGGED vacuum.She then liked it!!Both of us pointed out the nice,clean Filtrete bag.And to prove the machines capacity-it gulped up most of the stuff her Shark choked on.Only things we didn't gulp up were the pen and cards.The Shark was left behind and the happy lady proudly left with her new bagged Simplicity.Forget the model-it was a clean air model.and Mike supplied a hose for her to use with it.And another funny thing-most of the stuff picked up by that Shark was what clogged it-hardly ANY debris in the bin!
Mike asked if I wanted the Shark-No I didn't-that horrible,dusty dirty thing.---So it found its way into that big red,square can--the Pak-r Dumpster!
On the customer reveiws of Shark vacuums-is anything said about the sealed construction preventing replacement of such parts as brushrolls,belts,and brush motors?So with that you are forced to buy a new Shark every few years-You get BITTEN by the Shark!!Think they need to name this vacuum under the name of a diffrent animal-it doesn't have the appetite of a shark!