I've had it with the Eureka Boss SmartVac!

[niclonnic]

This Eureka Boss SmartVac is at my work portable. While using it earlier this afternoon, I ran into a few problems.

The first problem was, it suddenly shut in the middle of cleaning a car. Initially, I thought something like a cord came unplugged, but I checked and everything was still plugged in. I tried different outlets and turned the vacuum on and off, nothing. So while waiting for it to cool down, I checked the bag and filters. The bag wasn't too full, the motor filter was fine, but I found the culprit: The HEPA filter was filthy! So I think that's causing overheating. None of the airways were excessively clogged. It was weird!

The second problem had to do with the belt. After letting the machine cool down for about 20 minutes, I turned it on, and the belt tensioner mechanism started malfunctioning. In addition, I could smell something burning, like matches. The brushroll was spinning while in the upright position, and it would stop when I tilted the vacuum forward. After a moment, I reclined the vacuum, and the brushroll stopped! I shut it off, took the bottom plate off and it had burned through the belt!

This belt is odd as it isn't rubber. Instead, it's a thin, hard fabric belt that doesn't stretch.

The broken belt was the last straw. I think something's wrong with the belt tensioner mechanism. So do you think this vacuum is repairable? If not, should I just chuck it into the dumpster?

Below are some pics. #1 is the vacuum, #2 is the filthy HEPA filter, #3 is the bag and #4 is the snapped belt.

 

[sbakerde]

Belts on this model are a common problem.

I found when I had my store that this model was good until it starts breaking belts. That's usually the start of a lot more belts and brush rolls. May be best to just replace the vacuum. I haven't a clue who designed these weird belts but they haven't proven to be very sturdy or reliable.

 

[parwaz786]

Fabric belt?!?! WTH lol
Prankvsprank had this vacuum, but in yellow. Now they have a Pink Dyson DC65/41!
I quite liked this vacuum actually even though it's only sold abroad, I heard good things abou these and does it have beaterbars? Looks like a nice vac too and should clean good

 

[suckolux]

I think? from what I have read they were a good cleaning machine, but prone to clogging somewhere? But that was sometime ago, may be wrong.

 

[niclonnic]

Sbakerde, Parwaz786 and Suckolux

Sbakerde, yes, belts are a common problem on this series of vacuum. I've read reviews on Amazon.com where owners complain that belts break easily. However, I've read a comment on a YouTube video where an owner has had his Boss SmartVac for 2 years and hasn't had to change the belt yet. He must've been lucky.

Parwaz786, I believe that the belt is made out of kevlar, not rubber. It's hard to see in the pic above, but you can see little fibers in the spots where the belt snapped. It doesn't stretch.

If you can get past the quirks of this vacuum, it's a powerful performer. It doesn't have beater bars, but it has a nice, aggressive, large diameter brushroll, wide 15-inch cleaning track and TONS of suction! However, like most bagged vacuums, it will lose suction as it fills up. It's also heavy and awkward to maneuver.

Suckolux, this vacuum has an oversized hose and tube from the cleaner head to the bag, so it won't be prone to clogging. When the vacuum is set to "floors" and locked in the upright position, you can hear a tremendous amount of suction from the base!

 

[parwaz786]

Ohh OK. Iam perplexed as to how these brushbars can spin and have little friction with the motor spindle! Also, It's cool cos there's no real worry about the belt stretching out

 

[niclonnic]

Here's how the brushroll and belt work: There is a tensioner located between the brushroll and belt. When the vacuum is reclined and set to carpet mode, a metal pulley lowers and places tension on the belt, causing the brushroll to spin. When the vacuum is placed upright, the pulley is raised, releasing the tension and making the brushroll stop. The brushroll can be turned off for use on bare floors. On the base of the vacuum, there is a carpet/bare floor lever. You push this lever firmly towards "bare floor" until you hear it click. Then you can do bare floors.

Some disadvantages of this vacuum are that the controls are difficult to manipulate. The handle release pedal must be stepped on HARD in order to recline the vacuum. The carpet/bare floor level requires a hard push in order to be locked into the bare floor position. This vacuum is not for the weak.