Dial A Matic

[kloveland]

Has anybody else had poor suction with their Dail-A-Matics? Today I purchased one and I wasn’t that impressed. After taking everything apart and washing the internal filter (beside the fans)the suction is still poor. I noticed that it was leaking air around the bag compartment so I used some weather stripping to make a good seal, it helped a little but still the suction is poor.

Any suggestions? I expected the vacuum to be a little quieter since it is a clean air upright. I know the motor has bad bearings and parts/bags are hard to find so I may trade it in tomorrow and get another Hoover Convertible. How many people actually use the Dail-A-Matic as their daily driver?

 

[kloveland]

By the way i just noticed Lady my families cat. She is an outside cat and she is napping by the back door. I thought the picture would be smaller. Oh well

 

[vintageroyal611]

I've never been a fan of the Dial a Matic. If you're not happy with it, do what you wish. They're not the easiest to fully service.

 

[eurekastar]

I have a DAM just like yours. I think mine is a Model 1118. I can't remember for sure. I tore mine apart too (almost lost my religion over that) and got rid of all the rotting insulation, and washed it thoroughly. It only got louder! LOL! The suction didn't improve either. It's not very good through the hose either. I think the DAM is way over engineered compared to a Convertible. But a lot of people are very fond of them. When I put new brush strips in the brush roll, I discovered that it groomed the carpet very well. I intend to keep it because it was the first clean air upright that Hoover made. I remember the motor had "April 1968" stamped on it, so I assume the vacuum was manufactured around then too.

 

[joe22]

do you have the dial on the back set wrong? if set on tools the suction will be diverted

 

[timborow]

Check the hose that leads from the power nozzle to the bag. I have seen them packed with carpet fuzz and pet hair. There could possibly be a clog there.
Tim

 

[kloveland]

It grooms the carpet very well. But it will hardly pick up anything. Personally, it is a real disappointment to me because the Hoover Convertibles worked so well. For a clean air upright my Electrolux Discovery III works so much better. So tomorrow I will ask my friend if he will let me trade it for something else.

Yes, Eurekastar it was very difficult to take apart. You do such an excellent job with your Kirbys.

The carpet suction is on max and still there is very little airflow.

 

[kloveland]

Thanks Tim, I have already checked that. Today I washed all the parts (not electrical) including the hose in a bucket of soap and water outside. I don't want to drag a dirty vacuum inside my house. It had to be done, the previous owner looked they had tried to vacuum up kitty litter without a bag. Gross!

 

[bagintheback]

I think that the weak suction is the vacuum itself. I bought a Powerdrive Dial-a-Matic last month at the Goodwill. I thought it would be a great vacuum because I love the Convertibles so much. It's very disappointing. It cleans my carpet worse than my Oreck and the bottom-fill bag is very abnormal. The belts are a pain to install too. I like my Hoover Elites much better.

 

[electroluxxxx]

I have a dial a matic and with the tools the suction seems to be ok, however the machine is kind of hard to push and pull. belts I have not had to install yet but will need to when the machine is pulled out of storage.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I have several. The suction is great on all of them.

Dou know that that orange one was the FIRST? It is known as the "Bewitched" cleaner. Do you nkow why? Agnes Moorehead was friends with the HOOVERS. It was a great fee ad. It was the first time America got to see that new idea from HOOVER... Samantha had it run itself. Even if you don't like it's performancce, it is a piece of history.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

actually,

the very first did not have the bag check indicator.

 

[powertank]

Rebuilding a Dial a Matic is kind of fun (ok for me at least). They are a nice challenge, and their motors are very interesting.

I have a tired (but clean) DAM in line for a rebuild, but it picks up very well. DAMs are very prone to loosing suction when the fans in the motor get coated with dirt and hair and other nasty junk. Taking it apart and rebuilding/cleaning the motor should improve the suction greatly.

 

[powertank]

Oh, post some pictures of the bottom plate removed (brushroll etc exposed).

 

[kloveland]

Underside

Luckily I took some pictures of the underside. This morning I traded it in for a Hoover Spirit canister with which I am very pleased aside from the noise.

 

[kloveland]

Here is the Hoover Spirit. Many of you probably think I am crazy, but I just wasn't that impressed by the Dial-a-Matic. Yes I did blow most of the dust out of the motor. The suction would have probably improved if the fans were washed.

 

[vinvac]

Kenny,

It has been a while since I have used a Dial-A-Matic, but memory tells me it had OK suction (air-flow), nothing great, but far better than a convertible. The one I used seemed to clean very well, just ahd problems with the loose handle.

The Spirit you traded for is a nice machine as well. Simple but a good performer.

I someday would like to have a simple Dial-a-matic in my collection. I have a power drive unit...Hoover never made a good power drive, to jerky. Eureka and Kirby hold the market there.

Morgan

 

[eurekastar]

You Like What You Like

Kenny, sounds like you made a good trade. You like what you like!

 

[arh1953]

A Dial-A-Matic for an upscale Spirit is a decent deal. Enjoy it!