My New (Old) Rainbow!

[eurekastar]

I finally broke down and bought a Rainbow E Series off Ebay. Before using it, I changed the motor filter, HEPA filter, separator, and the brush strips on the brush roll. It seems to have been well cared for too. However, I was a little surprised to see so much fine dust in the exhaust port behind the HEPA filter. The power nozzle didn't even have a scratch on it, although some of the small decals on the vacuum unit itself are coming off. Over all, I would say it's in very good shape.

 

[eurekastar]

My first impression is very favorable. The power nozzle seems to do a great job on carpet too. I vacuumed just three rooms (one with carpet) and pulled all this junk up into the water bath. It was pretty thick too, so I'm thinking I might need to get a 4 quart basin for it.

 

[eurekastar]

Bleach?

Would it be a good idea, when rinsing out the basin, to use a little bleach in one of the rinses? I was vacuuming up dead bugs.

 

[dwhdarren97]

The fine dust could have been caused by infrequent emptying of the water pan by the previous owner. We all know through common sense that water or any liquid can only absorb so much before it dries up. Just figured I would say this before someone started trash talking the Rainbow

 

[mark40511]

Agree - that AND cleaning the grooves of the separator. If these two things are not done, dust will get into the fans and onto the hepa.

It looks like you have a one speed. I'm guessing you just got one used from someone just selling theirs, and not a vacuum dealer on Ebay who reconditions them?

 

[eurekastar]

It is a one speed. I bought it from someone who is a reseller, but he didn't recondition it beyond doing some superficial cleaning. I saw a video on Youtube that gives step-by-step instructions on disassembling the E Series, so I plan to that this weekend in order to clean out the fan chamber and the fans. The HEPA filter was pretty dirty too.

 

[henry200]

Your picture of the water pan after cleaning 3 rooms illustrates well how dust was escaping the water bath.  When the water gets that thick with muck it can't trap the dust any more.  It's a shame there isn't a way to incorporate a signal alerting the user when the water needs to be changed.  Lint, hair, and heavier debris will sludge-up the water quickly.  When using a Rainbow I change the water after each room or every 15 minutes or so.....and that's in a relatively "clean" house with no pets and no wall to wall carpeting.

 

[mark40511]

Yes. In the 80s, my grandma had a Rainbow and we often would let the basin get thick with crud because we didn't "think" about it. I think most people will probably do that. I don't know? I know it wasn't until the LATEST Rainbow that Rexair actually stated in the user guide to change water before it gets too thick and clean the separator frequently. Never before did they mention changing the water in any of their manuals. But it is common sense if you think about it. I have no idea WHY we didn't change the water as we should have. God knows what the fans must have looked like in my grandma's machine. I even remember putting Pine Sol in the basin for scent when she ran out of the Rexair scents. I don't even remember it foaming at all. She had it ten years with no issues though before a Kirby dealer talked her into buying a Kirby, and she told me she regretted it and wished she had her Rainbow back. Nothing against Kirby; I like Kirby. I just remember her telling me that.

Best thing to do is change the water with each room, then after a while you won't have to change it as often.

 

[eurekastar]

Changing the water frequently makes complete sense to me, especially when vacuuming the entire house. It's clear to me now how dense debris and sludge in the water prevents effective filtration. I guess I'll tear it down this weekend and clean out the inside too. Funny thing. The power nozzle seems like it is brand new. I'll bet the previous owner had a lot of solid surface floors.

 

[joshdonnell]

I

Have the same model, i didnt change the water . My didnt ever did to slugy

 

[floor-a-matic]

I change the water after each room (when I vacuum AND dust the ENTIRE room); after a quick vacing the floors only every 1/3 of the house.

The manual says "Change the water every 15 minutes under normal household conditions," and "DO NOT clean too long with ONE filling of water." Even the D2 manual states that message.

btw, I just got a Chrome Dome D today.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?16074

 

[eurekastar]

Erik

Your new Chrome Dome looks great!

 

[floor-a-matic]

@eurekastar

You should NEVER let the wster get too thick like the 2nd pic shows! But you've seen how thick the water gets after vacing with a Rainbow even AFTER vacing with an ordinary bagged or bagless vacuum.

Leaving the water to get thick can also smell up the Rainbow; & the fans can get dirty, & motor & bearings get rusted.

 

[eurekastar]

@ Erik

Yep. I tore it down to clean it and service the motor. It was filthy on the inside. The fan washer was rusted onto the armature shaft and wouldn't come off easily. I ended up ruining the fan in order to get that darn washer off. So I had to order a new fan and washer too. They should be here on Monday so I can get everything back together.  <span style="background-color: #999999;">The moral to the story:  Change the water and don't leave the unit on the water basin when storing.  </span>

 

[ralph123]

Another warning - don't loan out your Rainbow - unless you really trust that the person will take proper care of it. I was at my local Rainbow store getting fragrance as gift, and a couple had brought in a filthy Rainbow that their daughter had borrowed. There was mud under the HEPA filter. It was an expensive mistake.

 

[mark40511]

The first year I had my rainbow, before I had purchased the extra long 14 foot non electric hose and my reason for getting it, I fell off a ladder 5 foot from about four steps up, holding my rainbow in one hand trying to clean up high. You should have seen it, in mid-air falling I refused to let go of it. I landed on the floor, the rainbow landed on me. Luckily the water wasn't dirty because I had just changed it. But still the fall caused shaking as you could imagine. I left it running to dry out anything that could have possibly got sucked into the motor. If that water had been dirty, I'm sure it would have been a mess, though I remember, even with that fall and all of that force, checking the water level in the basin was still on the proper fill line, so I don't think anything water got into the fans. I've heard that you can turn a rainbow upside down with a basin full of water and the water will stay in the basin, but I don't DARE try it. I wonder if that's true?

 

[floor-a-matic]

@mark40511

DON'T ever try that trick! A few yers back, when I sold Rainbows, I once turned the Rainbow upside-down wneh running & the water spilled all over & got into the motor.

Why didn't you get extra wands & clean the high places while standing on the floor? Its safer than climbing up ladders.

I'm unsure about going back to selling Rainbows again?

 

[mark40511]

Because I live in a house with vaulted ceilings and a few high flat areas that collect dust and then there's also two ceiling fans in the house. I don't mind getting on the ladder now since I don't lose balance holding a heavy vacuum

 

[eurekastar]

@ Mark

You must be quite the acrobat and protecting your rainbow too!  That reminds me of my Junior High Band Director.  If someone fell while carrying an instrument, he'd walk over and ask, "Is the horn ok?"


 

 

[mark40511]

So yesterday - I had my rainbow out. I decided to snap a few pics of the fans. I had to shine a flashlight to get the pics to show up. This is six years old & a 2 speed Gold which I bought brand new. I've used it A LOT over the past six years and I think the fans look really good compared to some I've seen. The one pic the flashlight sort of magnifies what I think is mostly mineral dust, probably a little dirt as well. But it still is a very clean smell on the inside. Nothing caked on or nasty. The first year I had it I didn't change the water as often as I should because I didn't know any better, but I never really let it get that bad

 

[mark40511]

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[mark40511]

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[floor-a-matic]

VERY IMPRESSIVE, Mark! It's a rare event that I ever see a used Rainbow (even one that's at least 5 yrs old) in clean, like new condition.

That's why people should NEVER store the Rainbow power unit on the basin, no matter if the basin is dry or wet, empty or full with water/dirt; and ALWAYS clean the Separator & spider after EACH USE; & ALWAYS change the water every 15-20 minutes; & never clean too long with only one filling of water.

 

[eurekastar]

Mission Accomplished

My Rainbow E2 is fully serviced and back together!  I also purchased a 4 quart water basin since I have a fairly large house. 

 

[eurekastar]

The careful eye will notice that the pin striping around the motor unit is missing.  That's about the only thing on this unit that was dinged up, so I just removed it.  I vacuum the rung it's sitting yesterday with an Electrolux.  Today, I vacuumed with the Rainbow E2 I just finished putting together.  Even I was surprised by the amount of crud it removed from the carpet today.  But I have two dogs and one child in and out of the house all the time. 

 

[mark40511]

floor-a-matic

Thanks. I'm the only person that ever uses it. I wouldn't dare let anyone else use it. Seeing how as much as I've used mine over the past six years, I was always puzzled by some comments about Rainbow after my experiences with it. But this machine has a high rate of user error, I'm sure (unfortunately), so that would explain the many dirty rainbows out there. Even the first year of owning mine in 2006, I didn't clean the separator, only rinsed it because it never looked dirty, but it does get dirty in the grooves after a while, so I started cleaning it after each use from that point on.


Eurkastar-

Looks great! Now you don't have anyone else's dirt. It will be your dirt. Whatever you do - don't lend it to anyone (LOL)

 

[mark40511]

I forgot to mention: That four quart water basin; that's a good idea for a large house. This may be a DUMB question, but, I wonder if the larger basin with more water in any way affects the efficacy since it's having to churn more water? Probably not. I know it would come in VERY handy when using the Aquamate 3. It certainly would help with people who don't like to change the water as often.

 

[eurekastar]

4 quart basin

I don't know if the 4 quart basin does affect performance.  I don't have any way of test airflow and water lift, but it still feels plenty powerful!

 

[eurekastar]

Separator

Does anyone know if the separator is dishwasher safe?