human
Well-known member
Okay, file this one under 'can't leave things well enough alone'.
After tinkering with my Sanitaire SC686* upright off and on for a few months, I determined the bearings on the brush roll might be a little the worse for wear and perhaps that was causing the belt to drag, producing a hot rubber odor when I used it for more than a minute or two, so while I was watching TV the other night, I started perusing eBay for a new brush roll and found a genuine (albeit made in China) Eureka Vibra Groomer II brush roll that was compatible. Unlike the original, it has only one pair of brush strips instead of two and beater bars molded into the metal cylinder where the second set of strips are on its original brush roll. Once I got the old brush roll out, I gave them both a finger spin. The new one definitely turns easier and without any scraping sensation.
I just gave it a little test run in my bedroom and while it's still an absolute bitch to push and pull, it cleans efficiently and the hot rubber smell is gone. Still, there's something very off about the height adjustment. The knob has four settings—'Low,' 'Reg,' 'High,' and 'Shag'. On the first two, I can't even push the machine and it will quickly snap the belt. The 'High' setting works well but it's still a workout to use. The 'Shag' setting is the easiest and works pretty well, even on a Persian rug. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to calibrate the height adjustment. I'm wondering if I should consider shimming the axle with some washers or or maybe bend the axle a little bit.
All in all, this Sanitaire has come a long way since I snagged at Goodwill for $10 a little more than a year ago; in fact, it's starting to remind me of the old joke about the family axe that's been in the family for 200 years and it's had only six new handles and two new heads. I've replaced a lower cord hook, the belt a couple of times, swapped the original dump bag out for a more civilized F&G set up, and now updated the brush roll. In many ways, it's not the same machine I started out with. While these uprights are not my favorite vacuums to use, they are so simple, they're really fun to work on, especially since parts are so dirt cheap. But I will say that putting the belt on makes me appreciate Kirby's belt lifter system for the elegant solution it is.
*I have yet to find any reference to this particular model, SC686, online. I see references to the SC886, SC684 and SC688 but not the SC686. It must be a really rare bird or maybe nobody remembers it because it was a Eureka Williams product. That said, any part I've ordered that will fit the three aforementioned models seem to fit mine as well.
After tinkering with my Sanitaire SC686* upright off and on for a few months, I determined the bearings on the brush roll might be a little the worse for wear and perhaps that was causing the belt to drag, producing a hot rubber odor when I used it for more than a minute or two, so while I was watching TV the other night, I started perusing eBay for a new brush roll and found a genuine (albeit made in China) Eureka Vibra Groomer II brush roll that was compatible. Unlike the original, it has only one pair of brush strips instead of two and beater bars molded into the metal cylinder where the second set of strips are on its original brush roll. Once I got the old brush roll out, I gave them both a finger spin. The new one definitely turns easier and without any scraping sensation.
I just gave it a little test run in my bedroom and while it's still an absolute bitch to push and pull, it cleans efficiently and the hot rubber smell is gone. Still, there's something very off about the height adjustment. The knob has four settings—'Low,' 'Reg,' 'High,' and 'Shag'. On the first two, I can't even push the machine and it will quickly snap the belt. The 'High' setting works well but it's still a workout to use. The 'Shag' setting is the easiest and works pretty well, even on a Persian rug. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to calibrate the height adjustment. I'm wondering if I should consider shimming the axle with some washers or or maybe bend the axle a little bit.
All in all, this Sanitaire has come a long way since I snagged at Goodwill for $10 a little more than a year ago; in fact, it's starting to remind me of the old joke about the family axe that's been in the family for 200 years and it's had only six new handles and two new heads. I've replaced a lower cord hook, the belt a couple of times, swapped the original dump bag out for a more civilized F&G set up, and now updated the brush roll. In many ways, it's not the same machine I started out with. While these uprights are not my favorite vacuums to use, they are so simple, they're really fun to work on, especially since parts are so dirt cheap. But I will say that putting the belt on makes me appreciate Kirby's belt lifter system for the elegant solution it is.
*I have yet to find any reference to this particular model, SC686, online. I see references to the SC886, SC684 and SC688 but not the SC686. It must be a really rare bird or maybe nobody remembers it because it was a Eureka Williams product. That said, any part I've ordered that will fit the three aforementioned models seem to fit mine as well.
