dandagreer
Well-known member
I regularly check the local thrift shops. So few actually ever have vacuums, but hit a good one yesterday. Found an Electrolux Ambassador for only $12.00! Of course, the bag was jammed and the power nozzle wasn't working, but....worth the $12.00 just to tinker.
Brought it home; new bag = brilliant suction. Took the tank apart and cleaned the inside well. All the internals seem to be in good shape. Power nozzle also in good shape; however, the brush roll is very difficult to turn on one side. I think it's time to replace. So will be getting a new brush roll and belt while I'm at it.
The hose....well that's another story. Cosmetically there are no breaches, but it leaks like a sieve. And the reason the power nozzle wasn't working....the main hose part had become separated at the pistol joint so that the contacts were not being made with the electric part of the hose. And the end where the hose fits into the pistol grip was all bent and maimed. How that ever happened? So fixed that and put the pistol grip back together. Voila, PN works.
I'm going to try Adam's trick of wrapping the hose in Press and Seal to see if that will make it usable for a while until I can afford a new hose.
I think I will keep this one around for a while for dusting. I've always been a Kirby man, but I hate disassembling it when I want to dust or do the kitchen floor. We'll see how it goes.

Brought it home; new bag = brilliant suction. Took the tank apart and cleaned the inside well. All the internals seem to be in good shape. Power nozzle also in good shape; however, the brush roll is very difficult to turn on one side. I think it's time to replace. So will be getting a new brush roll and belt while I'm at it.
The hose....well that's another story. Cosmetically there are no breaches, but it leaks like a sieve. And the reason the power nozzle wasn't working....the main hose part had become separated at the pistol joint so that the contacts were not being made with the electric part of the hose. And the end where the hose fits into the pistol grip was all bent and maimed. How that ever happened? So fixed that and put the pistol grip back together. Voila, PN works.
I'm going to try Adam's trick of wrapping the hose in Press and Seal to see if that will make it usable for a while until I can afford a new hose.
I think I will keep this one around for a while for dusting. I've always been a Kirby man, but I hate disassembling it when I want to dust or do the kitchen floor. We'll see how it goes.
