Hoover WindTunnel 2 Rewind Pet Hose Ripped!

[niclonnic]

So today, I vacuumed the downstairs bathroom with my Hoover WindTunnel 2 Rewind Pet, which is now 5 years old. I cleaned up lots of cat litter. At the end of my vacuuming session, I stretched out the hose to clear out the litter that got stuck, which I normally do, but then the hose ripped near where it attaches to the dirt cup intake!

Now I'm at my wits' end with this vacuum. In my experience, Hoovers give me nothing but problems. It all goes back to my SteamVac Agility, which was purchased around March of 2005. After roughly a year of use, one of the internal hoses split, which carries dirty water from the nozzle to the recovery tank. One of the solution tank lid latches snapped off. The stair/upholstery tool had its latch break off. Several years later, ANOTHER internal hose split! So we threw out the machine in late 2012.

Anyway, I've had just as many problems with this Hoover WindTunnel vacuum. The cord clip broke twice! The dirt cup hinge broke! And now, the hose ripped! I understand that this vacuum is 5 years old, but I didn't expect this to happen so suddenly. I do not recall this happening with all the other vacuums we've owned. I wonder if TTI uses inferior parts compared to other manufacturers?

Due to its age, the vacuum is well out of its 2-year warranty, which means I'll have to PAY for a new hose. I looked on Hoover's website, and a new hose costs $14.19. Is it worth it? Or, considering all the problems I've had with the vacuum, should I just cut my losses and put it in the trash where it belongs? It still cleans well, and the belt, which is the original, is still in great shape. And it has a great turbo brush, too!

http://https//www.hoover.com/upper-hose-assembly-4:1-ratio/303239003.html

 

[blackheart]

Probably fixable

I'd imagine the machine end cuff has ridges in it for the hose to screw into. what i'd do here is use a wire cutter to snip the fragment away from the hose. then cut into the hose near the machine end once you've done a full rotation pull on the metal wire and you could be able to unravel the hose from the interior of the cuff. You might find it necessary to scrape away some of the adhesive or left over hose materia, but once it's clear you should just be able to screw the cuff onto the remaining hose. You'll lose length but eh I wouldn't bother buying a new hose.

 

[fantomfan]

I wouldn't call this "sudden"

The vacuum is five years old, and clearly has held up to a considerable amount of use. You have to remember that this is an $80 vacuum, not a $1000 Kirby or Miele. Five years is a long time for an $80 vacuum to last these days. Plastic gets weaker over time and I've seen this problem with ALL vacuum brands, this has nothing to do with Hoover at all. In fact, the company that manufactures Hoover vacuums is actually responsible for many other brands in China. It's really a big conglomerate over there. I can name three vacuums off the top of my head where I found the hoses split: a Dyson Dc07, a Eureka Boss Smart Vac, and a Shark Navigator. These, along with just about anything else under $200, are NOT manufactured to withstand five years of supposedly heavy usage, especially with little to no maintenance. The fact that this vacuum has its original belt in it is a dead giveaway that it hasn't been maintained. Even though the belt hasn't broken, conventional vacuum belts stretch over time, and shouldn't be expected to last more than six months to a year. That being said, you can do what blackheart said above, or you can buy a new hose. I would probably do it if I was in that position. For what it cost new, it's not a bad machine. Good luck.

 

[niclonnic]

FantomFan

No offense, but I have some points to make. First of all, this was actually a $140 vacuum, but my dad got it for free from Amazon Vine back in July of 2013. Nowadays, it's discontinued; I've seen it retail for around $100 before its discontinuation. Now it costs $200 on Amazon.

My mom's Dyson DC07 Animal, which was originally used in my household, is 10 1/2 years old and has NEVER had the hose split. It did need a clutch and HEPA filter replacement earlier this year, though. The vacuum was made in Malaysia.

I used my Hoover a lot, especially when I had wall-to-wall carpeting downstairs. Now I have laminate with area rugs, and thus don't need to vacuum nearly as much. As for maintenance, I DID wash the primary filter as needed. I would inspect the belt from time to time, and it would still be in great shape. I vacuumed low-pile carpets with this Hoover, so it's amazing how a belt could last such a long time.

I would likely buy a new hose, since blackheart's method would result in the loss of hose length.

 

[fantomfan]

The fact that you got it for free furthers my point

It shouldn’t be a big deal as it has already outlasted its life expectancy. Even when you compare $80 versus $140, that is still cheap for a vacuum. It doesn’t matter how much or how little the vacuum is used either in regards to the belt. Just it sitting stretches out the belt. Hoses splitting doesn’t happen on every vacuum, but it is rather common. It all depends on the quality of the plastic and how much stress it takes. The parts you were replaced on the Dyson were to be expected given its age. It’s one of the few models of Dyson worth putting money into, that was a good move on your part. I guess the real question here is why you set your expectations so high for a disposable vacuum you got for free, that is now five years old. I really hope that someday you’ll be able to get your hands on a “real” vacuum cleaner, such as a Kirby, Miele, Riccar, Sebo, Electrolux, etc... because your issues with these cheap bagless machines will never end. I’m not one to argue on here so here is where my post will end.

 

[electroluxxxx]

If you are getting a new hose grab a new belt too like mentioned above... compare the new to the old belt and see the size difference. The old one will be very stretched.

 

[huskyvacs]

Not sure what's going on with the silly "get a real vacuum cleaner" comments. Just because something costs 6 times more doesn't mean it will work that much better or last that much longer since all those brands are well known for retail markups.

I have a Eureka Altima I bought at Goodwill in 2014 that Goodwill themselves used to vacuum the doormats and the back room of the store for who knows how long. It's now 2018 and not a single thing has broken on it except needing a new filter and a belt in the times I have owned it. No bits have broken off or come undone. That was considered a cheap vacuum at the time it came out, and here we are...15-something years later and it's still holding up.

I do have a windtunnel 3 pet that I got for $30 on eBay last year from a guy selling store return salvage. My local Menards is still selling it for $186. When you feel it and manipulate it, it feels like the interior of a modern Chevrolet. Very plasticy and lightweight and everything flexes a lot when you push on it. That's due to people being ignorant to repairing vacuums and just throwing it in the trash can when a belt snaps or the filter clogs up or a piece breaks off and just buying a new one. Companies see that and will take advantage of society being that way to cheapen things up so it breaks more often so they can make more money. This then in turn manipulates society to think that getting a year or two out of a vacuum they pay $100 is an acceptable fact of life compared to when you look at vacuums from 1990 and prior that have lasted 3 or 4 decades with little to no professional maintenance.

5 years is a great lifespan for a post-2010 consumer grade vacuum, but just because parts break on it doesn't mean it's a bad vacuum. It's a machine, an appliance, things will break on it over time as you use it like anything else. All those prosumer-level brands mentioned above still have parts break on them, and because they release new models every year with new features to get people to buy it, the older models depreciate like a rock. They aren't that special. Personally I think dropping over a grand on a vacuum is totally unnecessary and falling victim to sales gimmicks. You can buy a car with that kind of money!

The only thing I will say is that vacuuming up cat litter with a bagless vacuum is a terrible idea both for the abrasiveness in it eating away the interior of the hose such as what happened here, and the pulverized clay jamming up the filtration on it. It's best to use an older bagged vacuum for that purpose, like a Convertible or ESP. Also I found that more humid climates tend to take a toll on vacuums. I have a Shark Navigator and it came from Florida down near the marshy parts of the state, and its hose is really grimey from discoloration and you can hear it crackling any time you stretch it out.

 

[niclonnic]

@fantomfan I have another correction to make. I did not do the repairs to my mom's Dyson. Believe it or not, she did! For the clutch repair, the hardest part was getting the brush bar back in, so she had her fiancé do it for her. The total repair bill was $60. I know we broke Dyson's claim of "no extra costs," but Dyson vacuums DO have parts that will wear out over time.

@electroluxxxx I looked on Hoover's website, and new belts for my vacuum are out of stock. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere, like on Amazon.

I should note that I have two other vacuums to use, a Eureka AirSpeed Unlimited Rewind and a Fantom Fury. I am happy to report that the motor to my Fury has been repaired and was mailed out yesterday. I'm expecting it to arrive tomorrow. Thank you, electroluxxxx, for having the skills and know-how to accomplish this repair!

@huskyvacs Nice hearing your thoughts about budget bagless vacuums! Funny thing, I used to have a Bissell CleanView, one of the original models, that my dad bought in early 2004 for around $80. That was a reliable vacuum for the price! It lasted a few years, then the handle release pedal broke around late 2007. We replaced it with a Dyson, and the Bissell was put in storage. In the spring of 2012, I found some belts at Walmart, and put one of them in the Bissell for the purposes of doing a test. A year later, the Bissell was still working, so I donated it to Goodwill.

I'm honestly surprised at how much life I got out of the Hoover. When we first got the vacuum, my dad expected the retractable cord to be the first part to break, but it still works! I agree, it doesn't seem necessary to spend so much on a vacuum cleaner.

As for cat litter, I've never thought about the adverse effects they have on bagless vacuums. I've vacuumed up lots of cat litter with the Hoover, but never expected it would cause the hose to rip today!

 

[electroluxxxx]

I can promise that it was not the cat litter that did that... it would be wear and tear, belts are like 3 bucks at Walmart so just go there, and in all honesty if the machine runs fine what’s $18 in parts for a free machine anyway? Seems pretty cheap to keep it going for another 5 years. Or as I normally say run it into the ground until it no longer runs!

You’re welcome for getting the motor fixed, I ran it for another 30 min yesterday morning and all seemed fine, believe it or not the motor was still warm when I shipped it.

 

[fantomfan]

It does make a difference Huskyvacs

More expensive vacuum brands generally have better quality control, better customer service, and better parts availability. These are brands you find in vacuum stores such as Miele, Sebo, Riccar, etc... These are also vacuums that don’t have brushroll bristles that will cause damage to your carpet like many lower end vacuums do. They also don’t belch dust out like many lower end machines. I agree, many lower end machines can last if you care for them, but even compared to fifteen years ago, the machines of today are lower in build quality than before. If you’ve been in a Walmart or Target lately, I think that speaks for itself. While many of these machines are marked up, it’s not all about gimmicks. You generally get what you pay for.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Stretched out the hose..."

That might be the problem.

This appears to be a 'plastiflex' hose - and a cheap one at that. It will not have the flexibility of a proper plastiflex hose, nor an expandable, stretchable hose.

Likely, the plastic hose has become brittle; the heat of the machine no doubt helped in that. And flexing it out straight and back again, probably hastened the end.

Now you can go out and buy a new machine!

 

[niclonnic]

I agree

The placement of the hose close to the motor housing accelerated wear because of the heat, which makes the hose even more vulnerable to wear.

I also want to note that the cord rewind assembly on this vacuum is placed above the motor; therefore the hot air from the exhaust passes through the cord, making any part that remains retracted very hot during use. It made me worried! But the cord rewind still works great after all these years.

All I can say is that after having 2 Hoover machines break on me in this household, I've had it with Hoover. I'm taking a break from them. I think I'll just scrap this WindTunnel. It's lived far longer than its expected lifespan.

 

[justjunque]

Nick

It's your vacuum, and you're certainly free to do whatever you choose with it.
If it were mine, I would spring for the new hose, and, like some others have said, a new belt.
That's still a pretty small investment.
If, after making those repairs, you still just want to be done with this machine in general, you could give it a good cleaning and donate it to your favorite local charity/thrift store.
Someone else would probably be happy to get it for a reasonable price, and you could feel good about it, instead of just trashing a working vacuum.
Just a thought.

Barry