Just confirming this is normal ?

[jmurray01]

I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong, but I thought I'd ask you knowledgeable people here just to be sure!

When I put a new Exhaust Filter on my 1994 HOOVER Turbopower 1000, it gets pretty black with carbon deposits after a couple of months of vacuuming.

I use it twice per week, so lets say in 2 months it has been used to vacuum the whole house (a large 3 bedroom dwelling) 16 times.

Is it normal for the filter to go black in that time ?

The motor runs very smoothly, and it doesn't seem to have any problems at all.

Oh, and once per week it is used for some heavy work (cleaning up wood shavings) with "Turbo" engaged, so I presume that is increasing the blackness also ?

 

[henry200]

It's worth a look

I don't have any experience with that particular Hoover model but I think having the post-motor filter going completely black in two months is excessive.  It might be worth taking a look at the motor.  Carefully examine the brushes to see if they are reaching the end of their lifespan, that they are seating evenly, and look at the armature for any irregularities such as a small scratch or speck of dirt which could be causing excessive wear on the carbon brushes.  Maybe someone who has experience with the model you have will chime-in here and shed more light on the situation.

 

[jmurray01]

It isn't going completely black.

 

[twocvbloke]

It's the nature of the brushed motor, they emit carbon dust, and that dust either goes into the air around you, or gets trapped in a filter, which gradually turns grey and eventually black if not changed or washed (depends on the filter material) soon enough...

Also, if the said filter is a post-motor filter, it could be that your bags are leaking dust which is passing through prefilters and the motor and being caught in the post filter, so that could be why it's changing colour...

One other thing to consider is that us brits have to have a capacitor across the motor's terminals to reduce excessive spark and reduce the RF emissions, if the capacitor has failed, then it might cause the brushes to wear out excessively, releasing more of the carbon, problem is, capacitors aren't easy to test without the proper tools, so it's easier just to swap it out regardless, using a capacitor of the same style and rating...

 

[jmurray01]

I went upstairs to the "Vacuum Cleaner Room" a minute ago and it is actually going grey not black, so I'm not that worried any more.

I'll wait until it gets almost black then change it. It isn't a washable filter so I don't want to take it out any sooner than I have to seeing as I'll have to spend money on a new one!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Yes it's normal for it to go black.

It is also normal for that exhaust filter to not quite fit the grille perfectly. Over a period of time, the filter will show an edge poking through the grille.

Careful examination will reveal the filter to be a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The actual grille is ever so slightly banana-shaped, so a perfect filter fit is impossible.

I have also seen machines on display, with the filter inserted into the air-freshener slots in the grille. I don't know if some Hoover staff assembled them that way, or shop staff. I personally got the impression that Hoover staff did - but it is wrong. Those slots are shown in the manual as being for the air-freshener tablet.

The tablet measures 1" x 3/4" approximately, and is a brittle, moist affair. Smells nothing like the "Spring Bouquet" Turbopower-1 pliable, rubbery, plastic disk affair.

 

[jmurray01]

I have noticed the bit at the end of the grille for the air freshener, but I thought the filter was meant to go over that even if an air freshener was fitted ?

If not, how should I put the filter ?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Air-Freshener tablet slides into the grooves in the grille.

Place cleaner flat to the floor as if cleaning under a coffee table.

Filter simply sits in the space where the grille fits over.

Fit the grille (with the tablet in-situ) over the filter, so that the grille snaps into place. It will not be a perfectly dust-tight seal - that never appeared until the 1997 "Purepower" appeared.

 

[jmurray01]

Ah yes, so basically if you don't have an air freshener in place (as I don't) you just put the filter in as normal. OK.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Yes.

Grille off, place filter into vacant space on the cleaner, snap the grille in place over it.