I dun did it again...

[human]

So I had to make a trip to the other side of town this afternoon and while I was over that way, I stopped by this thrift store where I've been known to find interesting stuff at good prices. Although I needed it like I need another hole in my head, I just couldn't let this Electrolux Genesis LXe with its electrified pigtail hose just sit there with an $8 price tag on it. The thing was filthy but it ran great and I could tell that under all that dirt, it was in pretty good shape. It took about 45 minutes of work before it was fit to bring into the house.

The brush roll was encased in hair and dental floss that I had to cut away with my pocket knife but the bristles are nice and stiff. The bag was stuffed to overflowing with orange and white pet hair. When I got the thing home and tossed the bag, I was surprised to see it was only half full and the bottom half was still flat, having never completely inflated. I tore the machine down and gave it a thorough wipe-down with Lysol Disinfecting Wipes and removed and cleaned the brush roll. While I had the foot apart, I also gave it a good blasting with compressed air before I put it back together. It has a foam filter down in the bottom of the bag compartment. I don't know whether it's from the factory or something somebody cut to fit but it was relatively clean so I dusted it off and put it back in.

I used it tonight when I changed the cats' litter pan to get the stray litter up off the bathroom floor. It seems a bit more powerful than my Discovery II, which I normally use for that task. While I had the machine plugged in, I hooked up the hose and my Sidekick and confirmed that everything is fully functional.

So it was a good deal, even if I didn't need it. Heck, I could sell the hose on eBay, if I wanted to, and triple my money. It does have the recalled "ponytail" cord design, where it attaches at the top of the handle. Fortunately, there's no sign of breakage because I don't know where an Aerus dealer is anywhere around here to get it fixed. There used to be one at a strip center a few miles from here but it closed up a year or so ago and now it's a Hungry Howie's Pizza. Guess I'll just have to be careful with it for the time being. I hope I don't need the serial number when I get it fixed because the sticker fell off while I was cleaning it and I have no idea where it went.

 

[suckolux]

Sound like a great find there Edgar, not sure I would have passed it up either.

 

[human]

Genesis LXe Pix

As promised, here are some photos of the Genesis LXe I picked up yesterday. It really is in great shape now that all that grime is gone. As you can see, it still has the original, recalled "pony tail" cord connector at the top of the handle. The nearest Aerus dealer is about 30 miles away so I e-mailed Aerus' customer service today to request that the replacement part be sent directly to me as they had done for another member. I'll follow up with a phone call if I don't hear back in a few days. After running the machine last night, I checked the Envirocare bag I put in and it did fully deploy, unlike the OEM Electrolux "Germ Grabber" bag that was in it when I bought it.

 

[broomvac]

All too well, I know the feeling of "please DON'T find a good vac" as I am uncontrollably drawn toward the thrift store. Cause I know I don't need any more vacuums. lol!

That one looks like a good specimen!

 

[human]

Yeah, it's like an alcoholic being uncontrollably drawn toward the corner bar.

After using the machine a little, I like it pretty well although releasing the upper portion of the machine from the 'locked' position to be able to use it takes a little more effort than it does for either of my Discovery models. It feels like I'm getting ready to break something whenever I do it. I also haven't heard back from Aerus about getting a replacement handle sent to fix the recall. I may call them this afternoon. I'm really not enthused about driving a 60-mile round trip (120 miles if I have to leave the machine and go back to pick it up) to swap out a part that would take me about two minutes to do myself.

 

[human]

So I got a response today from the e-mail I'd sent Aerus about the cord recall. They said they couldn't just send me a handle and cord assembly directly. Of course, that would be way too easy and make far too much sense. Instead, I would have to take it to an Aerus dealer to be fixed. There used to be an Aerus dealer about three or four miles from my house but it closed down a couple of years ago. These days, the closest dealer is in Winston-Salem, about 30 miles away. When I called them on the phone a few minutes ago, they were very pleasant but they wanted me to drop the machine off before they ordered the part, then I'd have to come back and pick it up when it was fixed. When I explained that would necessitate a total of 120 miles of driving, he relented partially and asked me for the serial number. Fortunately, I had grabbed the sticker off the ground when it fell off while I was cleaning it the other day. So now he's the part and will call me when it comes in. while that will at least cut the driving in half, it'll still end up costing me more in gasoline than I paid for the machine in the first place.

 

[human]

Well, I just got back from getting the handle replaced under warranty, which entailed about 80 miles of driving and close to three hours of my time. When I got to the Aerus store, the lady at the front desk looked at me like I'd just stepped off of a flying saucer. She seemed not to even comprehend that I was there to get my Genesis LXe fixed and that the part was there waiting to be installed. She wanted me to leave the machine and they would call me in a couple of days. Once I got through to her that I had just driven some 40 miles to bring the machine in and I was not going back home without it, she told me the technician with whom I had spoken was out (presumably for an early lunch) and would fix it when he got back. So I had to cool my heels at the Dollar Tree next door for the better part of an hour before the technician called and said the machine was ready.

The Genesis now has a mismatched dove gray handle with a black cord and a two position rocker switch in place of the original slider switch. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look all that great, either. Still, it's better for the machine to be safe. The technician also lubricated the spring catches that hold the upper part of the machine upright when not in use. They were a little rusty, to the previous owner's use of that damned carpet fresh powder, which made it tough to release the handle. He said it could eventually break the plastic housing if I don't keep it lubricated.

While it was a pain getting it over there and getting the repair done was a mixed bag, I'm glad the machine is now safer to use.

 

[human]

Odd switch behavior

Now that the Genesis has been fitted with its new handle/cord assembly, I decided last night it was time to properly put it through its paces. I'm generally pleased with its performance, although it's definitely not in a class with my Kirbys. That said, it does now have one little glitch that it didn't have before. About half the time when I move the new rocker style switch from the off position to the 'I' (straight suction) position, it won't turn on. When this happens, I can then move the switch to the 'II' (brushroll active) position and then back it off to the 'I' position and it will work fine. This behavior usually happens when the machine has been off for at least a minute or two. I don't recall it happening at all when the original handle with the older slider style switch was still on it, although it's possible I was frequently overshooting the 'I' position. The rocker switch does offer a little more control in that regard. Is this normal behavior? Should I be concerned? I'd hate to have to take the thing all the way back to the Aerus store to get this fixed. Another odd thing is the markings on the switch are kind of faded looking. It almost makes me wonder if this handle might be a refurbished part. The cord is obviously new, judging from the pristine condition of the plug prongs, but maybe the switch isn't.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Plenty of Vacs used that switch...Its held in with compression fittings. Just take out the screws for the handle-grip to access it. I think lots of Hardware stores have those. Otherwise, and GOOD Vacuum Shop will be able to get the switch fairly easily.

 

[human]

Thanks Andy.

Considering that eVacuumstore,com wants $15 for the switch, which is almost twice what I paid for the vacuum itself, and that the switch's action feels very solid, I think my first step will be to take the switch out, hit it with some contact cleaner and make sure everything is properly seated when I put it back together. Hopefully, that will solve the problem without any further expenditures or road trips.

 

[human]

I fixed it all by myself...

I just got finished taking the handle apart, dislodging the switch, checking the connections, re-seating it and reassembling the handle. Now the switch works like it's supposed to. My guess is the switch wasn't seated exactly right and was apparently getting pressure at an awkward angle, maybe from a wire that was crammed in behind the switch in an odd way, which was keeping it from functioning properly. I'm glad that was the only issue. I was actually inspired to try that by watching a TV show last night called Wheeler Dealers. They fixed a non-functioning hideaway headlight on an '82 Toyota Celica Supra by disconnecting, cleaning and re-seating the electrical connector. I always love it when I can fix things myself and it doesn't cost me anything. A bonus score on this one is it also saved me another 80-mile road trip to the Aerus store in Winston-Salem. I still prefer the older style slider switch the machine had originally, but I can certainly live with the rocker switch now as long as it's working properly.

 

[huskyvacs]

Just because it's recalled doesn't mean it isn't safe. You could have just left it alone and it would have been fine. I have a power drill that was recalled in 2001 because the motor was/is defective and can catch fire while running. I got the drill used at a thrift store in 2011, and I've used it for the past 6 years pretty much weekly and never had any incident with it. Recalled things don't always blow up, catch fire, etc. It's just a one in a million chance that it might, and companies cover all their bases when dealing with incidents so if one does break or cause injury, the company can just say "lol you didn't read the recall" and just like that the case will be thrown out of court.

 

[human]

Yes, it may well have been safe to use, at least for a while--and had been for more than 20 years since the recall was announced. There was no visible damage and I wasn't (ab)using it in the way that typically caused the damage. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall notice, the problem was that people were using the cord as an extension of the handle, essentially pushing and pulling on the 'ponytail' cord connector and eventually weakening it to the point of exposing the wires and thus exposing the user to possible electrical shock and related burns. At the time the recall was issued, there had been some 75 people hurt. That was a significant enough number to influence me to make the pre-emptive repair. From an aesthetic standpoint, it would have been nice if the replacement handle were the same color as the original and had the (to my mind, superior) original style switch, but I didn't really expect that. And now I've got the switch sorted, so it's all good. And frankly, I prefer the new lower down location of the cord.

 

[human]

Follow-up from Aerus dealer

I was surprised yesterday to get a call from the Aerus dealer in Winston-Salem. After I fixed the switch on my vacuum cleaner, I didn't bother to call him to say I wasn't coming, so he was following up to make sure everything was okay. That's good customer service, especially considering he wasn't making any money off the follow-up. If the store weren't so far away from my house, I'd be more inclined to get to know him. For a variety of reasons, I just don't get over that way very often anymore.