Is my Kirby Sentria not cleaning right?

[mattshaver]

Hey Vacuum Geniuses,

I have a Kirby Sentria that is maybe 9 - 10 months old and I am unsure it is cleaning the carpet right and I'll tell you why.

Today, I vacuumed my carpets as usual and thought to run the shampooer as a "Rug Renovator". So I connected the head but ran the Kirby without replacing the mini-emptor and keeping the bag on.

Well I went all over my house attempting to reset the nap of the carpet and it was kicking up all kinds of things such as dust, pet hair and tiny objects into the tray. I would have thought the Kirby would have vacuumed it up.

Now I'm pretty "by the book" with my Sentria changing bags at the line, replacing the belt every 6 months no matter what and making sure the vacuum is cleaned once a month and shined (I have no social life...LOL). So I am unsure why the tray was so filthy with what should have been vacuumed.

Now when I was at my dealer last time, they talked me into a new type of brush roll for pet hair and it was a new design, so I got it. The bristles are very rigid and seems to be less of them than the other design. I'm not sure if any of you have seen it, but could that be the issue? I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and thought, yea I could use that brush roll and it is set to the "1" position in the Kirby head.

So I'm not sure what the issue might be. The carpet is a medium cut shag, oatmeal in color very neutral and very nice.

Is this normal to have that dust and stuff in the tray or should I get a regular brush roll and replace that pet hair one?

Thoughts?
Matt

 

[tommymilan]

rug renovation

Hello,
to use the kirby carpet shampooer as a "pile lifter" you have to disassemble the carpet shampooer , place the plastic shield-adaptor and then insert the shampooer's brushroll WHITHOUT the tray: the adaptor is in the carpet shampooer's box. Only this way those debris and things can be picked up; If you think your kirby is not working fine at carpet cleaning my advice is to replace the standard stiff bristles brushroll with medium stiffness brushroll (the one that was previously standard) and it will work great but it's always important to adjust the brushroll at the proper height (I mean inside the powernozzle) and make sure that when the kirby is operating you hear the vibration and air passing through the powernozzle and that no heavy marks remain on the carpet when you pull the cleaner backwards.
I hope this helps!
tommy

 

[kirbysthebest]

The renovator has a shield and air bleeds to prevent moisture from being pulled into the machine when using the suds.

I have found the Miricle Head (Floor Buffer) the best for just resetting the nap of the carpet. This allows suction to pull junk into the vacuum. It still won't be the same as when you use the rug nozzle because the air flow is not directed to the carpet proper but more like the back side of the brush.

What I usually do on my plush carpet is vacuum as regular. Then use the Miricle Head, adjusting just until it starts to drag on the carpet. You don't want to go too low or you will risk frizzing some carpets. After you are done with the Miricle Head, use the upright vacuum again to pull out the loose stuff you raised in the fluffing procedure.

I don't have to worry about wax tracks on my carpet because I have never used the buffer as a waxer, only on carpets. If you have used wax with this attachment, be sure to use a scrap piece of carpet first to wipe the brush clean before you track a clean carpet. Wax is a "B" to get out of fibers as it is water proof and burnished into the fiber.

 

[mattshaver]

I think...

What I'm going to do is go back to my Kirby dealer and get an original brush roll as I'm unhappy with the stiff bristle on that I have on it now. I noticed there is much difference there.

Also, I might look at a Sentria rug renovator too instead of using the shampoo brush which was fun to watch but nearly worthless in resetting the nap on the carpet.

I do, however, had a Legend II on the way and it's coming with a rug renovator, so I'll wait until it shows up and use it, saves money.

Matt

 

[swingette]

Good idea on trying the standard brushroll again. Havent used the pet hair style, but knowing the standard style i cant imagine it would have any problem with pet hair.

Another thing, make sure you arent passing the machine over the carpet too fast when vacuuming. One should not use the same motion as if using a straight suction nozzle or a Bissell-style push sweeper. You probably already know this, but i see so many people who dont.

Some people also make the mistake of setting the nozzle too low, hoping for aggressive brushing. The nozzle must be set to allow maximum vibration. Vibration gets more dirt that sweeping. I see lots of machines set too low.

 

[tolivac]

the main reason not to set your Kirby floor nozzle height too low---chokes off airflow-that thing we are talking about in another thread.If the nozzle is sealed to the floor-no air moves-thus no dirt pickup-and yes very hard on belts and your flooring.At the proper height setting the kirby sweeps and vibrates the carpet-and the airflow carries the dirt away that was just dislodged from the vibration.this could apply to ANY upright vacuum cleaner.