Purple Puke Eater..

[stricklybojack]

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Actually the puke was gray hair and mud brown, the Kenmore vac is purple.
Well it's been a while since I worked on a vac and posted about it here.
Two reasons, one I got interested in automaticwasher site and have been busy there,
And secondly I have been away from San Diego where I have my vacuums.
The summer is slipping away but last night I got busy on my first vac rehab of the season.
This vacuum was literally in the way so it got the nod over about 100 other contenders I have scattered about. It was night so the pics are poor but when I finish I'll get some in the bright so cal sun.

These are belt less machines. This one was choked with hair, filth, and mud, no surprise at what sent it to the curb. More to come in the days ahead..

 

[suckolux]

Sorry to say, have seen this so many times! Can you imagine what their carpet and vacuum smells like? Yikies

 

[n0oxy]

getting used vacuums

This is one reason among others, why I would not buy a used vacuum from a site like ebay. For one thing, I'm a blind person and would not be able to see the condition it was in, but second, you never know what it has picked up. I would onlhy purchased a used vacuum if I could see it first.

 

[hvrvaclvr]

It amazes me how vacuums can clog like that. It's one thing if you're not really paying attention and suck up a cat toy or something like that and it clogs the machine... But how do people get them clogged with hair and stuff like that?

 

[stricklybojack]

More..

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I didn't want to get this thing too far apart but that smell must go!
I am trusting with proper drying the electronics will survive the dunking.
Never tried just hosing the whole thing (minus motor) but here goes..

 

[stricklybojack]

Add these close ups..

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The first pic in the last post shows the clog as I initially found it.
Here are some hopefully sharper pics of the largely cleaned up body.
I have made it to the half way point.
Some detail with q-tips and a magic eraser pad should be good.

This vacuum (and a couple of others) was bought from a summer rental landord that sees tenets leaving vacuum they had brought..if I recall correctly.

 

[stricklybojack]

Another day..

..
Should have taken a few more pics as reminders and I would have been done by now.
I had forgotten I left the front wheels on to do later. Well today was later. The most pleasureable aspect besides removing the mountain of grunge in the brush roll area was getting at the corroded front wheel axle with some steel wool.
Also everything especially the vacuum motor got a good blast of compressed air, a vac rehabber's best friend.
I basically have it done except for two of three switches that signal for example the hose is in place or the bag cover is off.
Have to work out just how they were originally.

 

[reo580]

Good job on the cleaning and restoration!

It absolutely amazes me that people let their vacuum cleaners all clogged up with all sorts of funk- and on top of that, actually turn them on, push them around the carpet, seeing how it's clogged all I can think of it accomplishing is the new exercise for the uneducated masses: Vac-aerobics!! In addition to that, they stand behind the funked up vacuum cleaner and breathe in all kinds of foul smelling fumes!

It just boggles my mind!
I just don't understand how people can stand behind a puke/ dog hair/ filth / U-name-it clogged vacuum and breathe in the fumes.

Then again, I see young women out in public with their hair in a knot on their head ( Plus 6 or more inches of dark roots on their bottle blonde dye-job) dingy, stained, over sized t-shirts and pajama pants - Actually dressed like that in public , restaurant, supermarket etc. I guess it doesn't surprise me when I think about it and put the two together.

Anyhow.. I digress.
That is a really impressive restoration!

 

[suckolux]

Like minds here, all I can say!

 

[stricklybojack]

All together now..

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But i'm too tired to upload a video to do it justice...let me explain.
As you can tell from the pics this vac was pretty rough and would never be a trailer-queen show-vac.
No this is one was destined for regular use.
I decided before i started, not to use the above floor cleaning on this machine, i just wanted a clean-air daily-driver.
Well good thing cuase not only were all the tools missing (which i obviously knew) but also the release pedal is broken. That and it's missing the edge cleaning bristles, sorta like the ones Orecks have, big whup.
That is the sum total of where this nearly free vacuum falls short of the %100 mark

Otherwise she now runs like a dream, a Jet dream if you know what i mean..
Being of Panasonic heritage this vacuum has that oh so wonderful sound of a Jet Vac.
The dirt finder, head light and clogged hose indicator lights iluminate as they should. The brush roll switch, on off switch, work fine. The cord is good, the brush strips show little wear, and it rolls aok across the floor.
Yes the release peddle is kaput, but guess what? It doesn't matter! This vacuum doesn't need it to be parked in the up right position, it is only needed to lock it for using the tools, which i don't have, and never planned to use anyway.

So for my purposes it's pretty much a %100 cool purple cruiser.
I'll post a video/pics of it in action later, i think i already like using it better than my nearly new pristine red Kenmore upright This one is quieter, lighter, smoother.
And these saved vacs are so loyal, like an old dog saved from the pound.

 

[gsheen]

I see this all the time. New uprights have smaller airpaths compaired with old gen dirty air machines.
All it takes is the owner vacuuming over a patch of damp on the floor. Ie entrance way in winter or were a spill accured. This lines the pathway with moisture which the dust and grit clings to. Slowly building up and eventually clogging the machine.

Todays fast paced life style means that its easier to dump it and buy a new one that clean it up and see whats wrong

 

[tolivac]

See clean air machines all the time in the vac shop--bagless and bag that come in for unclogging.Usually its the hose that goes to the floor nozzle that gets clogged-next the hose itself-or the neck in the floornozzle on Shark machines.Its very rare one sees a clogged dirty air machine.It can happen-just more rare.

 

[stricklybojack]

After pics..

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Looks like this will be the only vacuum I'll have time for this summer.
I have too many other projects here right now to tear into another one.

This was one turned out very satisfyingly. From extremely abused cast off to now a daily driver.
That said I will be pretty wary of such machines in the future. I've got too many already waiting to be
worked on, of which about half a dozen are mid rebuild waiting to be finished, one of which is the first vacuum I bought to rehab!

 

[jmurray01]

That Kenmore is looking gorgeous now!  What a great job you have done.


 


I love restoring old vacuums that have been abused to within an inch of their lives and then seeing them put back into daily use with GOOD treatment.  It is like saving a homeless animal; mending its wounds, feeding it back up to health and then seeing it enjoy the rest of its life.

 

[suckolux]

Well said Jamie

 

[stricklybojack]

gsheen,

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how right you are, this vacuum came from a house just a couple blocks from the beach.
Thanks everybody for the kind words on getting this vac back on the road as it were.
I did wonder myself -about mid way through the filth- what i had gotten myself into this time.
Like, "maybe i should find another hobby" kind of wonder.

Now i am already looking forward to the next vac challenge, whatever it might be, i got two rust old self propelled Eurekas from the 70's that i think will keep me busy for a month! Might pick something a little more tame, like finally assembling my first tear down, a rusty Hoover Concept One i mentioned earlier.
The parts are all painted and ready to go...

 

[tolivac]

From an ugly duckling to a beautiful Swan!!!The machine looks so new now.You found hidden beauty in a curbed ,dirty vacuum!