My First Rainbow, an SE

[wyaple]

A few days ago, I acquired my very first Rainbow vacuum (paid $10), An SE model from 1998 with many attachments. It came with the PN2 and the Aquamate 1. In its 17 years of hard use, it was never serviced, so its condition is very rough but “restorable.” I am midway through the restoration process and I have a few questions.

1) Why are all the hose couplings corroded/rusty? Can they be sanded/polished to look like new? I have restored Kirby units that were so corroded that they were a dull grey, so I’m hopeful that these couplings can be cleaned up.

2) There seemed to be several gaskets in the PN2. I say seemed because there wasn’t much left of them so I’m wondering if I should buy factory replacements or just get black peel and stick weather stripping from the hardware store and use that?

3) The original brush roll is trashed. One bearing grinds and some bristles are missing. Should I get the OEM brush roll or get an aftermarket one that appears to have a more aggressive design for about half the price? I would like the one that performs better.

Both the main and PN motors were clogged with pet hair and various light debris. After a thorough cleaning and commutator polishing, they both sound and run like new. At this time, I can’t detect any bearing noise and both pairs of carbon brushes have at least 75% length remaining.

One thing that surprised me was the main motor air flow path. It seems to pull in air from the upper part of the housing and expel air from the middle of the housing. Another thing is the loose fitting house coupling to the water bowl. It does click in well enough (won’t fall out), but there is quite a lot of wiggle. I wonder if the connection could be sealed better for more suction?

Lastly, the original separator looks pretty good, but it is the original. Can the upgraded part, say from an E series be safely used in this SE?

Thanks for all your comments,

Bill

 

[dysonman1]

Bill:
Congrats on your Rainbow. The gaskets in the Power Nozzle should be replaced with originals. The Separator from a newer model Rainbow will NOT fit the D4PE, which is what you actually have due to the Performance Edition power nozzle. The coupling to the water basin has always been 'loose' so it will swivel within the connection - although the swivel on yours is limited by the tethering of the pigtail cord to the power nozzle receptacle. The D4PE uses a bypass motor design, so the cooling air fan draws room air into the machine at the 'slit' just lower of the handle connection, pushes that cool air over the windings and motor brushes, and expels the much warmer air out through the middle. Be sure to not clean too long with one filling of water, and store the machine OFF the basin between uses. Also, the original brush roller is FAR better (it has beater bars and cleans better) than the replacement brush roller.

 

[wyaple]

The OEM Brushroll has Beater Bars?

Dysonman1,

I'm looking at the pic of the OEM brush roll and I don't see beater bars like in old Hoovers (Should be Pic #1). The aftermarket brush roll doesn't have beater bars either but appears to be a more aggressive design (Should be Pic #2). Have you seen these? The Amazon reviews indicate the aftermarket unit to be quite a bit better than OEM, not to mention less than half the price. I am looking for the best performance though...

Bill

 

[dysonman1]

The beater bars are in the picture you posted Bill, right there, behind the bristles. Some call them brush stiffeners, but you can hear them beating the carpet (and feel it under foot) when it's running. The CWP brush roller has softer brushes that don't clean as well. The genuine also helps to pull the power nozzle forward (again due to the beater bars acting as brush stiffeners), and it certainly grooms the rug better, not to mention the genuine brush roller has replaceable brush strips, end caps, and bearings.

 

[wyaple]

Did more brush roll research and...

I'll get the OEM. But it turns out there are multiple choices for OEM, I thought there was just one. There exists a brush roll with two beater strips (without brushes) and just beater strip inserts.

I read that if you have all four brush strips (with stiffeners) that "skipping" across low pile carpet is less likely. Since I have medium to lower pile carpets, I'll get the brush roll that is less likely to skip.

Bill

 

[floor-a-matic]

beater bars help get out deep down dirt from carpets (stapled or tacked down except glued onto floor)

 

[wyaple]

Used The SE Two Days Ago And...

It certainly grooms the carpet well. I still wish it (and Rainbows in general) had much more airflow than they do. When I want a real workout cleaning over 2000 square feet of flooring, I pull the D4C SE PE out and let 'er rip!

Bill