I got my first Electrolux Tank!

[Sanifan]

It has finally happened. I got my first Electrolux tank!

Truth be told, I wasn't really looking for one. I am actually a bit confused with all the variations. That put me off - I'm kinda busy and don't really have time to do all the research. I knew I'd get into them at some point, but not now, not with my lack of knowledge and lack of time to find out.

Well, I ran into one at the thrift store and couldn't really pass it up. OK, I hemmed and hawed a little bit - I really don't have room for anymore vacs. Plus this was a plastic bodied one. It felt a bit cheapish. Plus it didn't have any extra attachments.

On the upside, it was in very good shape. It had the normal scuffs and whatnot, but pretty good shape. The hose was intact, cord rewinder worked fine, and it had a working powernozzle, brushroll looked good. No cracks on the plastic part of the wand or on the tank body. Not to expensive, too. Only $20. After I got it home I looked it up (I'm still so confused about all the variations).

Turns out to be a good one, I think. An Ultralux 80th Anniversary edition. Again,I don't know enough about Electroluxes to appreciate the nuances, but I did find out through the forum that this model is a very good performer - has the newer motor that's used in the current models, if I'm correct. Great! That's just what I'm looking for - performance. I consider myself more of a user than a collector, so performance it at the top of my list.

So now I'm on my journey into Electrolux tanks. I'm so excited I had to share!

And now a technical question: the lights underneath the panel (which indicate that the unit is plugged in, overheating, has no bag, or a full bag) don't seem to illuminate. At least the one underneath the "plugged in" symbol doesn't light up. Are these easy to replace? Otherwise, everything seems to be working fine.

Thanks!

 

[jmurray01]

If it were me, there would be no hanging around. If I had the money, I'd buy it within seconds, haha!

Then I'd think of where I could store it when I got home. But I can't resist any Vacuum Cleaner, so perhaps it is just me!

There are two possible reasons for the light not working.

1) The wiring to the bulbs has a flaw in it
2) Simply the power bulb is fused

I'm not sure exactly how to change it, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult.

What wattage of motor is it ? My '82 502S has a 500 watt motor, and it is very smooth and quiet for its age. Plus it has a lot of suction too! Electrolux are second to HOOVER in making things that last!

 

[Sanifan]

Well, I'm so green regarding Electrolux canisters, I don't even know what the motor specs are. But I got some good Information from a thread some of our fellow enthusiasts posted a short while back. I've included the link.

There I learned that the 80th Anniversary edition has a VM3 motor, which I take to be a newer, more powerful unit, and has 100 inches of water lift. Beyond that I don't know too much about it. One thing I was surprised about is how small the bag seems. I guess I'm more accustomed to uprights and their larger bags. Anyone have an issue with the size of the bags?

The linked discussion also has some pics of the vac. Tom's vac in the thread is in great shape. Mine is more scuffed, but not bad at all. I haven't tested the other lights, but the green one that's supposed to light up when it's plugged in definitely does not light up. Otherwise the vac works a you would expect.

I think these vacs are pretty cool.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?302

 

[jmurray01]

Is there not an ID plate on the cleaner ?

If there is, the motor speed will be printed there.

 

[thevacuumman]

there should be one on the bag door

 

[Sanifan]

ID Plate

I'll look today and post the info. Totally forgot about that plate.

 

[rugsucker]

plastic body Elux

I think you will like this.The lightwieght plastic body and after filter are very good features here.As to issues with bags lets consider what you get with them.They are a 4 ply(3 filter layers inside)with self sealing rubber over opening to earn the slogan"see no dirt,touch no dirt,breathe no dirt".You may be amazed at how much these can hold before changing.Then you ask for the same Elux C bag that fit most models from LX to Aerus.Most Elux will not run without bag which can be changed in 5 seconds.Compare to trouble and filter expence of bagless and let us know your thoughts.

 

[bimmer740]

What a great find and a fabulous deal for only $20! Congratulation!

The other tools for this machine should be easy to find online or on ebay, and since they are a standard size, you can mix and match your favorite tools to suite your cleaning needs. I bought a like new Aerus Classic for my bf about 6 months ago and its a wonderful machine. It has the same motor as your machine does, and it cleans nicely, along with being less heavy than any other plastic bodied Luxe I own. They are easy to move around and if you should have to clean anything up high, its light enough to pick it up while standing on a step stool to reach any cob webs or ceiling fans.

I've being using Electrolux tanks for most of my life, and while I no longer use them as my primary machine, I have never had a problem with the bag size. It is small but they arent expensive so I've always just tossed the bag if I noticed significant suction loss. The Perfect PowerTeam Canister HEPA bags work amazing in these machines and are certainly worth the price. You really can clean for a lot longer without noticing a decrease in airflow. Ive noticed they seem to control any dirt odor better and they have superior filtration to Lux paper bags.

Good luck with your new machine!

 

[Sanifan]

Thanks! I'm very excited about my new Electrolux tank. My very first one! I do like the lightness of it a lot. I'm glad they still have the manual in PDF form on the Aerus site. It gives me some insight on the latches and button on the powernozzle wand, which I don't find immediately intuitive.

Well, I looked at the info on the hinged door. Not a plate, as such, but the info was molded or hot stamped into the plastic on the inside of the door.

Here goes:

Aerus LLC
Model: C152E
120 Volts 60 Hz AC
9.5 Amps with Power Nozzle
7.5 Amps without Power Nozzle

On the underside of the vac is a smooth, flat, oval plate molded into the plastic. What I assume to be the serial number is hot stamped onto it.

It says: H 10317 M

I'm not sure if these specs tell anything about the motor-type or not.

Next up is to get some bags and replace the output filter. Can't wait to clean with it!

 

[Sanifan]

Aerus Airwatts Observation

OK, doing a little research, here.

I came across the comparison page on the Aerus site and noticed something quite interesting and a little puzzling.

The published airwatt specs of the canisters and uprights seem to differ dramatically: 439 for the canisters, 270 for the uprights. And only 36 for the lighweight upright.

Can this be right? Is there such a big difference in airwatts between the canisters and uprights? Does this translate into a performance difference? Very curious.

I recall reading that the Aerus Guardian upright corrected the low suction problem on some of the older Electrolux uprights, so maybe these numbers have not been updated on the site?

Here's the comparison page:

http://www.aerusvacuums.com/compare/

 

[vac_whisperer]

Congrats! Even being a Kirby elitist, Electroluxes are mighty fine vacuums and Im proud to own one.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I use & own Electrolux vacs my whole lifetime; but I love the Model L!

My Ambassador sees little use; but I use it strictly for carpeted rooms.

 

[billybud21]

That is a find

I was -- well who am I kidding -- I am a Kirby man. So shinny. Anyway, you scored one hell or a deal. I have a Lux Classic (2007) I bought off of Ebay cheap and I absolutely love it. There are a lot of videos on Youtube about how to disassemble and replace parts on an Aerus/Electrolux vacuums. Check out Aerus's website, they may have the manual for your machine posted as a pdf. Just look under the customer service tab.

Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of Aerus/Electrolux canisters. They will beat the crap out of any bagless vacuum out there -- yes even that damn Dyson.

Johnathan

 

[floor-a-matic]

The only time the other indicator(s) light up is when:

Thermometer when exhaust filter needs to be changed or clogged hose, wand(s) or tools
Bag full when bag needs changed
? when there is no bag inside unit