Life Span of Round Drive Belts

[jmurray01]

I was wondering roughly how long round drive belts last ?

I know flat belts last 1-2 years (just shows how poor quality rubber the new belts are made of, seeing as belts years ago would've lasted 4-5 years, if not more!), but I'm not sure whether a round belt would last longer, the same, or less...

I thought with it being round, it would be stronger and last longer, but then again it has to bend more, so that would mean it would wear quicker...

I'll let the experts see what they think!

The Vacuum Cleaner with the round belt in question is my 1977 HOOVER Ranger. Before I received it, the seller said he'd given it a service (new belt, brush roll bearings & new bag), so I just want to know how long it'll be before I have to buy a new belt!

 

[vinvac]

That depends on usage. Sometimes they will last 6 months...sometimes only a month...again depending on how it is used.

Eureka belts (round belts) last about a month on our Sanitaire's at church...and I think that is good. I replace the brush strip about every six to eight months.

Morgan

 

[jmurray01]

A MONTH!?

I only use the Ranger about once a week, so that is a good thing I suppose...

But jeez - A month!?

 

[aeoliandave]

Get over it, kid and stop moaning. Belts deteriorate with use and according to the environment they are asked to perform in. Have you any concept of how large the carpeted floors of a big church are? Or any large industrial office building? I've been to Morgan's church - it's a whopper of a building. Homes are a different matter and again, how often does the homeowner vacuum the entire square footage? Some homes I've been in, it could be monthly if not annually.


 


It's a fact that genuine vulcanized rubber ends to break down after 5-6 years (which is why you want to replace your car tires whether you think they need it or not). Synthetic neoprene rubber has a similar lifespan and is not as pliant as real rubber.


Clay fillers are used in the rubber soup of cheaper belts and these dry out & crack the fastest if the clay content is too high.


 


If the belts don't break first they do stretch out and this can have the brushroll slipping. You know how fidgety is is to put a new tight belt on - you inevitably ask yourself if it is too small just before it slips in to place.  Fibre re-enforced flat belts last a bit longer but even the cogged ones need replacing when the rubber dies.


The brushroll groove will indicate round or flat and a multitude of sizes are available wherever plumbing O-rings are sold. You can pay more at a Vacuum Shop if you like but I buy in bulk at Hardware stores. There is always a belt that will fit, in Davy's house.


 


In fact, on this trip I'm on now, I am carrying around the broken belt off the Singer S4 and have no doubt I will find the replacement at a Hoover Shop.


 


Dave

 

[jmurray01]

I know belts deteriorate, stretch, and slip eventually, I'm not stupid, but a month seems like a really short lifespan to me, considering I usually get the best part of a year out of my flat belts.

Though if the church in question is very large and is vacuumed a lot, I can see why the belt would require replacement in one month.

On the subject of replacing brush rolls, I've never needed to do that, and my belts still grip fine, even though all my cleaners have the original rolls fitted.

Yep, that includes my '77 Ranger! 34 year old metal and slightly rusty brush roll and it still works fine. The only thing new to the roll is the brushes, which were replaced recently.

 

[rugsucker]

eureka F-G vacs

I had a customer who used to have large motel up north(Mich?)He calculated the size and quantity of rooms and came up with a figure in acres of carpet area.He used hoover convertible till he saw belt placement on Elite,then switched to standard F-G Eurekas.Every morning he would personaly check bag,belt and height adjuster before handing them to maids.Was pleased with service and easy maintenence.

 

[sanitaire]

I have a old sanitaire and the dirt has too go over the belt and into the fan then it's bagged. It all depends on what kind of soil i'm picking up and the square footage being cleaned. some times I get too use my NSS m1 pig, the advance carpetwin 16xp or a old castex backpack. I just put a spare belt in a figure 8 pattern on the handle and I'm ready.

 

[danemodsandy]

Ozone!

You might like to know that ozone is hard on rubber, and electric motors with brushes produce ozone. The very motor that is driving the belt is helping to destroy it. The more you use the vac, the more the motor runs and the faster the deterioration.

 

[jmurray01]

Yes I heard about that.

If you didn't see it in my other thread, the belt in the '77 Ranger snapped yesterday after only a month of use! It seems vinvac was right with the lower estimate.

I've ordered a pack of two belts, so that should be at least 2 months of use.

 

[vacuumfreak]

Mine last anywhere from a month to about 4 months on my '78 Eureka that I use almost everyday. Lately it has been right around the two month mark. I think the most I have ever got out of a belt was a year and a half on my central vac power nozzle.

Daniel

 

[jmurray01]

And when yours goes, does it just slip like a flat belt or does it snap ?

 

[vacuumfreak]

Mine snap. I believe it is because the dirt and everything else that you suck up hits the belt before it runs through the fan into the bag.

Daniel

 

[jmurray01]

Yeah, I think that is typical of dirty fan motor belts.

eBay estimates I'll receive the belts on the 28th or 29th of December, but I'm thinking more like January with all the Christmas post...

So, it looks like the Ranger will be parked up until 2012!

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Since they are so

inexpensive I change them every 3-6 months all belts flat or round the geared belts I never change until they break .

 

[suckolux]

My Panasonic has a round and flat belt, with a derailleur? between, that would be a clean belt, but it normally makes it years. Less stretching than on a normal application I would guess? it gets a slapping noise and I know its time to change.