Hoover Concept One 2 Speed Switch Wiring

[johnnybochetti]

Hello Everyone.
A friend of mine has a old Hoover Concept One vacuum that she was about to throw out because it won't power on.
I told her I would give it a look before she tossed it.
Upon examining the on/off switch,I noticed there were 2 white wires connected to the switch And there was another wire dangling loose.

Am I safe to assume that it probably went to the switch originally?
If so,that terminal on the switch is missing because I only see 2 terminals to plug in the wires.

This vacuum has two speeds,Hi and Low.

If this were just a one speed vacuum with a 2 wire switch,I could simply wire the 2 wires
together,bypassing the switch. This would be just to see if the switch was indeed the problem.
But since it has the three wires,how do I go about bypassing the switch.
Thanks

 

[super-sweeper]

Well, you can easily wire a toggle switch to run in high only, or wire a 2-Speed toggle switch! The loose wire is the hot, otherwise the Concept would still run in one of the two speeds. If you know anything about basic wiring, you can take it from here! Otherwise, I'll be here to help that Hoover outshine it's replacement! Speaking of, what's been cleaning in the Hoover's absence? 

 

[johnnybochetti]

super-sweeper,

Thank you for the reply.
I will try to check it out as soon as I can get back to it.
As I mentioned,the vacuum belongs to a friend of mine.
She came across it while cleaning the garage and had forgot she even still had it.

She has other vacuums but I'm not sure what her daily user is.
If there's not much wrong with it,I would like to repair it for her.
She can always keep it as a backup or give it to a charitable organization.

Thanks Again.

 

[kirbylux77]

Johnnybochetti

If I was you, I would wait for Hoovercelebrity to chime in here with an answer. His name is Fred Stachnik, one of the webmasters here, & the website's resident Hoover expert. He used to work for Hoover & trust me, he knows them all pretty much inside & out! Another one to trust here is Gottahaveahoove, John Long....his collection is entirely Hoover cleaners, & his knowledge of the brand would rival most other collectors here. Considering this isn't your own cleaner, I wouldn't want you to take Super-Sweeper's advice, the cleaner get wrecked permanently & then feel bad about it. Best to wait from someone like Fred who has actually worked on them & will get it working as it did when new from the factory.

Also, I would encourage you & your friend NOT to throw this cleaner out & donate it to charity. This Hoover Concept One is considered by many collectors to be one of Hoover's best upright models ever made, & of course you won't find anything that's made nearly as well today. I would also suggest that if you do get it repaired & working properly again, to get a new set of brush strips for the brushroll in the powerhead. They may require some hunting around at older vac shops, as they are getting scarce now, or perhaps purchasing thru Ebay or a online Internet vac shop vendor.

Rob

 

[johnnybochetti]

Rob,

Thank you very much for your helpful advice.
Between now and when I can get back to the vacuum,maybe Gottahaveahoove or another Hoover authority will chime in.

If I hadn't mentioned to my friend that I would take a look at it,she was going to toss it in the trash.After reading a few reviews on these machines,I'm glad she didn't throw it away.

Thanks again,
Johnny B

 

[super-sweeper]

Rob, I'm a little insulted about your claims on my advice. This is a simple switch, not a complete rewire. Thankfully, I've discovered the switch is still available, at the link below. 



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hoover-Conc...d-Switch-/191232882313?_trksid=p2054897.l5659

 

[marks_here]

And that's why Alex I haven't been chiming in much or at all on Vacuumland, I'm just tired of being insulted with the advice that I have given out so I silenced myself...thinking about taking a hiatus from Vacuumland. 2158 members & only a hand full talk on here...such a shame

 

[johnnybochetti]

super-sweeper,

Thank you so much for that eBay link.
I'm amazed to see it on eBay but it's great to know if she needs and wants it.

A co-worker told me that he knew a retired gentleman that still had quite a few parts from his working days.It's always good to have options.

I think Rob was just trying to give me good advice.I don't think he meant anything against you personally.

I appreciate any and EVERYBODY that offers to help.
It's then up to me to use my good judgement and common sense.

Thanks Again,
Johnny B.

 

[constellation86]

I found a switch for a couple bucks at ACE hardware a couple years ago. I had it soldered in faster than the drive to the store. I found witch wires were hi and lo by touching them together and seeing how fast the motor sounded. Touch just hi to lo and it won't run. It's just three wires not brain surgery. Just make sure you use a GFCI outlet to do your testing and unplug it when you install the switch.
Nicholas

 

[johnnybochetti]

Thanks for the reply Nicholas.

I don't think I would have any problems installing a new switch.
I was just wondering if I could bypass the old switch temporarily to make sure the motor still works.
She says the vacuum has been out of commission for years and didn't remember why she stopped using it.

 

[super-sweeper]

Of course you can, just do as Constellation86 has instructed above! Easy-Peasy Kirby-Wirby! 

 

[johnnybochetti]

UPDATE:
I had a few minutes to spare today and was able to determine the switch was the only thing preventing the Hoover from powering on.

My friend was gone to church so I left her a note telling her if she wanted to buy a new switch,I'd be happy to get it going for her.

Thank you to Everbody that replied to this thread!

I am simply a novice that will tinker with things when they don't work.
I don't mind experimenting on my own stuff but whenever it belongs to someone else,as this particular Hoover does,it's nice to have a great forum like this to come to.
I found vacuumland.org by accident through Google.
Who knew there was a website dedicated to vacuum cleaners? :>)

 

[DesertTortoise]

Alex, just to learn, how does Hoover effect two speed operation? We know our Kenwhoppers and Filter Queens have these diabolical five wire Lamb motors and a DPDT switch that switches the motor between series and parallel operation. New vacs use a pc board to alter voltage and control speed. How does this Hoover do it? Teach me !

 

[super-sweeper]

It's all in the switch,I believe. There's 2 hot wires coming from the motor, one for HI and the other for LO. The switch has 3 poles on it, one for hot from the outlet, one allowing more current (HI) to the motor, the other allowing less (LO)!