Here's a failed vacuum experiment I just had.
My mom was given a Bissell Quicksteamer Plus by a good friend of hers, who stated that sometimes the soap doesn't come out of it. This particular machine is from the early 2000s, and uses a stationary "Cross Action Brush" that just brushes over the carpet, so it doesn't loosen dirt as well as a machine with rotating brushes.
I'm currently at her apartment, so she asked me if I could try and get it working again. I was able to remove the nozzle, brush assembly and spray bar just by unscrewing 4 Phillips head screws. There was a lot of dog hair trapped in the nozzle (the original owner has a Miniature Schnauzer), but I got it out by using a butter knife and soaking the nozzle in water. I also rinsed off the spray bar and brush. The spray bar was connected to a tube, which I had to forcefully pull off to wash the bar.
In addition, the measuring cap on the clean water tank was stuck on, making it very difficult to remove. I tried twisting it off, but it wouldn't budge. I ended up using the butter knife to pry off the cap; from there I could attach and remove it normally.
Then the magic moment arrived. I filled up the clean water tank with nothing but hot tap water, even though my mom just purchased Bissell formula. I took the Quicksteamer for a test run on a small area of carpet. I used my normal cleaning technique: I squeezed the trigger and slowly moved the machine forward and back, and then I repeated the same strokes without pressing the trigger to extract the remaining water. The first section I did turned out very well; the carpet was left damp, not soaking wet.
However, upon doing the next section, while the machine was extracting water, the motor began to stutter and sound rough. I immediately turned the machine off and unplugged it, and then there was a slight but noticeable burning smell! I killed the machine right off the bat. The most likely cause of death was that I sucked up too much water at once, which made its way to the motor. Overall, this is the second time I've had a vacuum motor burn out on me (first was my Fantom Fury).
The dirty water that I managed to recover wasn't very dirty, most likely due to the stationary brush. However, there is a cosmetic issue with this machine: one of the latches to the dirty water tank is missing. But the tank stays on well enough with just one latch.
My mom is going to tell her friend about what happened. I've never had experience with a Bissell Quicksteamer until now, so what should we do? I'm scared to turn the machine on again after this. Below are some pics; the test area is to the right of the machine.[this post was last edited: 8/11/2019-23:47]
My mom was given a Bissell Quicksteamer Plus by a good friend of hers, who stated that sometimes the soap doesn't come out of it. This particular machine is from the early 2000s, and uses a stationary "Cross Action Brush" that just brushes over the carpet, so it doesn't loosen dirt as well as a machine with rotating brushes.
I'm currently at her apartment, so she asked me if I could try and get it working again. I was able to remove the nozzle, brush assembly and spray bar just by unscrewing 4 Phillips head screws. There was a lot of dog hair trapped in the nozzle (the original owner has a Miniature Schnauzer), but I got it out by using a butter knife and soaking the nozzle in water. I also rinsed off the spray bar and brush. The spray bar was connected to a tube, which I had to forcefully pull off to wash the bar.
In addition, the measuring cap on the clean water tank was stuck on, making it very difficult to remove. I tried twisting it off, but it wouldn't budge. I ended up using the butter knife to pry off the cap; from there I could attach and remove it normally.
Then the magic moment arrived. I filled up the clean water tank with nothing but hot tap water, even though my mom just purchased Bissell formula. I took the Quicksteamer for a test run on a small area of carpet. I used my normal cleaning technique: I squeezed the trigger and slowly moved the machine forward and back, and then I repeated the same strokes without pressing the trigger to extract the remaining water. The first section I did turned out very well; the carpet was left damp, not soaking wet.
However, upon doing the next section, while the machine was extracting water, the motor began to stutter and sound rough. I immediately turned the machine off and unplugged it, and then there was a slight but noticeable burning smell! I killed the machine right off the bat. The most likely cause of death was that I sucked up too much water at once, which made its way to the motor. Overall, this is the second time I've had a vacuum motor burn out on me (first was my Fantom Fury).
The dirty water that I managed to recover wasn't very dirty, most likely due to the stationary brush. However, there is a cosmetic issue with this machine: one of the latches to the dirty water tank is missing. But the tank stays on well enough with just one latch.
My mom is going to tell her friend about what happened. I've never had experience with a Bissell Quicksteamer until now, so what should we do? I'm scared to turn the machine on again after this. Below are some pics; the test area is to the right of the machine.[this post was last edited: 8/11/2019-23:47]
