My Supercharged Eureka Roto-Matic Power Team

[eurekastar]

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about this recent acquisition. It was in excellent condition and the motor ran smooth and strong. However, I felt the airflow was somewhat lacking. So I searched the internet for a stronger motor of matching size. And I found what I was looking for!

 

[eurekastar]

The builder's tag on the bottom says that the vacuum is rated at 10 amps. I'm guessing that rating includes the power nozzle. It is a Lamb motor, but it's been discontinued. The Ametek website lists it, but it doesn't include specifications. So I'm guessing it is rated at about 8 amps.

The new motor I installed is a Domel. It is rated at 10.6 amps, 146 cfm, and 82.7 water lift (vacuum).

The Lamb motor is on the left. The Domel is on the right.

 

[eurekastar]

I was a little worried about how the new motor would fit, but it has the same exact mounting points. So it was a perfect fit!

 

[eurekastar]

The original motor used a thin membrane type of filter. But since the Domel motor has more quite a bit more suction and airflow, I went ahead and used a HEPA type motor filter on it.

 

[eurekastar]

Not only did I use a HEPA type filter on the new motor, but I drilled additional holes in the bag retainer in order to allow for the extra suction and airflow.

 

[eurekastar]

I guess Eureka doesn't make a micro-lined bag for this model, so I'll see if I can't find an aftermarket bag that is.

 

[eurekastar]

And here she is all put back together! The dusting brush was missing when I got her, but she has a new one now. The outfit is complete!

She's not the most elegant looking model, but she is very functional. Her engineering is simple and straightforward. She's very easy to work on too. And the previous Lamb motor appears to to be one that is simple to service. This is another vacuum that can last for decades.

 

[eurekastar]

I also took the power nozzle apart and gave it a good scrubbing, removing all the old dirt and scuff marks. It came with a wooden brush roll with plastic beater bars. To improve airflow, I installed this VGI brush roll on it.

 

[constellation86]

Nice job! Where did you get the new motor from? I have one with bad bearings I want to swap.
Nicholas

 

[electrolux137]

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I've played "Dr. Moreau" with a few vacuum cleaners, some successful, some not so much. It's always rewarding when one's daring experimentation pays off, isn't it!

I'm just wondering ... the old motor appears to be a two-stage (two fan) motor while the new one appears to be a one-stage (single fan) motor.

The new motor does appear to have a larger field coil and armature and this is probably a higher-speed motor. It may give the cleaner more suction (and likely is noisier) but does it really have substantially more air flow?

Were it me who would have done this, I would've cut an opening in the bag retainer collar the same size as the opening in the cardboard bag top. You wanna talk about suction and air flow!! I'm surprised it wasn't done that way in the first place -- surely a lot of power is lost and a lot of strain is put on the motor by forcing the air through a few small holes. But, then, what do I know?!

I think it's a nice-looking machine btw except that I don't get why the hose is silver. Black would match the trim and, I think, look nicer.

 

[eurekastar]

The Ametek motor is one stage.  The photo is just deceiving.  In fact, the Domel is slightly taller by about 1/4 inch.  I think I bought the motor from Zoro.  But I checked their website and couldn't find the model I bought.  Just a few months ago, Domel motors seemed to be pretty plentiful from several online vendors.  However, a check today yielded scant results, which makes me wonder if Domel is being phased out of the US market. 

 

[vac_master_g]

Replacing the motor

Where you able to reuse those silver clips that hold the motor down? I'd like to open mine, the people who had it last were not using the foam filter. I had emailed you at your earthlink address, my email starts with upwardcrayon5.
Thanks,
Donald