As the title indicates, new member and first post!
My vacuum story begins when I was about 8 years old. Simply put, my mother got me to vacuum my own room with the Kenmore canister vac. What model was it? I can only describe it as being beige plastic, with external top attachment storage and front top loading dust bag lid. It was from Sears in the late 1980's. Anyway, I thought it was the coolest thing to peel up that velvety thick dust under the bed or behind a door. And those evil dust bunnies lurking around the periphery of a room... how do they regenerate so fast? And where the heck does all that dust come from anyway? These deep questions disturbed me even then
Well, I guess I was on a power trip or something... I wanted to vacuum the whole house from then on. And since I was a sensible and responsible kid I was allowed do to so! The initial thrill wore off, but only slowly, gradually...
Fast forward up to 2001 and I gain a deeper appreciation for indoor air quality through various online reading. Heard about Miele vacuums and watched a few videos. Fascinating. I want one to see if they really are that quiet. Must be like a luxury car I reckon... suddenly driving becomes a joy instead of a worrying nerve wracking ordeal.
And so, moving along, on January 24th 2012 I will have had the Miele Solaris 10 years. One of the best items I have ever bought, no regrets! It really did turn vacuuming into an even cooler new experience. This vac has had an easy life doing light duty in a small place, no pets, no kids, not much carpet. I avoid the highest 2 speed settings - just not necessary and reduces mechanical stress and heat on the motor. And filter materials too, no doubt. No problems, nothing broken, no complaints and all is well!
I've had the Miele vacuum apart a few times over the years to clean any stray dust and check out what's inside. Took many pictures for future reference. Got me wondering though... What routine motor maintenance could, or should, one do for maximum longevity? My interest in (older) air fans has taught me the importance of proper motor lubrication with the correct oil. Air fan motors are not directly comparable to vacuum cleaner motors - for starters, an air fan is expected to run for a great many hours before one need worry about checking the bearings and oil situation.
Nonetheless ~ since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ~ I'd thought I'd ask the real experts what the situation was with modern high quality vacuum motors. Do you guys, in your vac shops, ever do any routine motor lubrication? And what type of bearing assembly do the Miele's use? With a supposed rating of 1000 hours, do the Miele motors not need any maintenance? I find it hard to believe. An electric motor can run a whole lot more than 1000 hours if it is maintained and looked after.
Here is a picture I took of my spare S514 motor (not a Lamb) that I obtained from an e-bay vac store some time ago. (I like to plan ahead and obtain spare motors for all my fans too!) This pictures only shows half of the equation since the other bearing is concealed within.
Thanks everyone for a great forum. I only discovered it this morning and spent a few hours searching back through the archives to 2006 on Miele motors, hoping to find what I was looking for without having to create a new thread.
Luke
My vacuum story begins when I was about 8 years old. Simply put, my mother got me to vacuum my own room with the Kenmore canister vac. What model was it? I can only describe it as being beige plastic, with external top attachment storage and front top loading dust bag lid. It was from Sears in the late 1980's. Anyway, I thought it was the coolest thing to peel up that velvety thick dust under the bed or behind a door. And those evil dust bunnies lurking around the periphery of a room... how do they regenerate so fast? And where the heck does all that dust come from anyway? These deep questions disturbed me even then
Well, I guess I was on a power trip or something... I wanted to vacuum the whole house from then on. And since I was a sensible and responsible kid I was allowed do to so! The initial thrill wore off, but only slowly, gradually...Fast forward up to 2001 and I gain a deeper appreciation for indoor air quality through various online reading. Heard about Miele vacuums and watched a few videos. Fascinating. I want one to see if they really are that quiet. Must be like a luxury car I reckon... suddenly driving becomes a joy instead of a worrying nerve wracking ordeal.
And so, moving along, on January 24th 2012 I will have had the Miele Solaris 10 years. One of the best items I have ever bought, no regrets! It really did turn vacuuming into an even cooler new experience. This vac has had an easy life doing light duty in a small place, no pets, no kids, not much carpet. I avoid the highest 2 speed settings - just not necessary and reduces mechanical stress and heat on the motor. And filter materials too, no doubt. No problems, nothing broken, no complaints and all is well!
I've had the Miele vacuum apart a few times over the years to clean any stray dust and check out what's inside. Took many pictures for future reference. Got me wondering though... What routine motor maintenance could, or should, one do for maximum longevity? My interest in (older) air fans has taught me the importance of proper motor lubrication with the correct oil. Air fan motors are not directly comparable to vacuum cleaner motors - for starters, an air fan is expected to run for a great many hours before one need worry about checking the bearings and oil situation.
Nonetheless ~ since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ~ I'd thought I'd ask the real experts what the situation was with modern high quality vacuum motors. Do you guys, in your vac shops, ever do any routine motor lubrication? And what type of bearing assembly do the Miele's use? With a supposed rating of 1000 hours, do the Miele motors not need any maintenance? I find it hard to believe. An electric motor can run a whole lot more than 1000 hours if it is maintained and looked after.
Here is a picture I took of my spare S514 motor (not a Lamb) that I obtained from an e-bay vac store some time ago. (I like to plan ahead and obtain spare motors for all my fans too!) This pictures only shows half of the equation since the other bearing is concealed within.
Thanks everyone for a great forum. I only discovered it this morning and spent a few hours searching back through the archives to 2006 on Miele motors, hoping to find what I was looking for without having to create a new thread.
Luke
