Dan
I have done this, no resolution on this matter. I have been to two Aerus dealers and contacted the customer service at Aerus LLC Dallas.... the dealer claims its the motor blowing air from the power nozzle fan and it was fine... I laughed! I decided two months ago to take apart the unit to find out... what I found is that the air coming into the main chamber is forced past the intake hose at the bottom of the unit. The air is actually blowing out from the wire and hose area at the base. This is occurring because there is no seal inside the unit. So I would say a quarter of the air comes out of the base and the rest goes out of the side hepa filter. I went to a home show three weeks ago in the NY area and Aerus had a booth... I tried out their Guardian Upright and checked to see if there is the same issue, and there was!! So mine is not the only one being made with this problem. I think its a flaw that prior models may not have had. The company and dealers are oblivious to this.
It still works but its not a vacuum I will keep long term. Awaiting to see what the new upright is like, if its a major improvement I will buy one. If not, I will look to other brands for a sealed upright system that is better constructed and quieter.
