Spotted an old 1205 in my parents' attic

[human]

So I went down to visit my parents this weekend to help them clean stuff out of the attic in preparation for their move to a retirement facility later this summer. My dad is a serious hoarder, so this is no small feat. As Mom and I were digging through the attic, I came across an Electrolux 1205 that Dad had pulled off a neighbor's trash pile back in the early '80s and we had used at their previous house. I hadn't seen the thing in at least 20 years and thought they had gotten rid of it when they'd moved the last time.

It's not in all that bad shape, but not as good as the one I have. The lengthwise part of the T-shaped handle on top broke off years ago but the smaller crosswise part remains. Other than that, the canister itself appears intact. It has a non-electrified hose that leaks to the point that it has almost zero suction. but the wands and two-sided floor tool are in great shape. I didn't bring it home because my car was already full of other stuff but maybe I'll grab it on another trip this summer. If nothing else, I'll have a parts machine for my other 1205.

 

[suckolux]

Cool find! Good for you!

 

[delaneymeegan]

 


 


Sounds like it just needs a new hose.  That's easy enough.

 

[human]

Yeah, the hose is totally shot but I have a couple of newer vinyl hoses that work just fine. I really shouldn't have to spend any money on it unless I want to. But that's assuming everything else still works okay. It hasn't been plugged in and turned on since sometime in the first half of the '90s, maybe even back in the '80s. The good news is it's been continuously stored in a dry, protected, albeit not totally climate controlled environment so there shouldn't be any internal rust or corrosion to speak of.

 

[delaneymeegan]

Well the mere passage of time doesn't make something suddenly not work.  Being safely stored like that means it should be preserved.  Good for you.  Another toy, and it has family history.  


 


It would be interesting to see pics of the front of it.  I've read that the very first 1205 did not have an electrified port, instead had only a pn plug.  The second version apparently had both. It would be interesting to see what version you have.  Time will tell.

 

[human]

I don't think it has the pigtail plug. When I was vacuuming the house with it in high school, I didn't know about the electrified hoses and assumed the machine just wasn't equipped to handle a power nozzle.

I doubt there's been much deterioration over the past few years, except the extremes of temperature in the attic might have done a number on the little plastic vacuum lines but they're easy enough to replace.

 

[rugsucker]

"electrified port"

ALL 1205s should have been able to use the direct connect hose.

 

[dysonman1]

All 1205 models, from the first one, had the electrified port. The first year of production, they also had the receptacle. The problem was, the pistol grip electric hose (made in Canada) was not UL approved yet. So they had to use the strap-on hose cord. The power nozzle also came with the single piece wand. Once the Electric Hose was ready, the Canadians also sent us the telescopic wand (which also had to have the UL approval). As we know, these items were soon discontinued in favor of the simple curved hose end and steel wand with sheath.

One way to tell a FIRST run 1205 is the following:
NO dusting brush clip
NO screen in the back of the bag compartment
Receptacle for hose cord plug under suction opening on front door
Automatic Control panel color - black (as opposed to the later blue)
Smooth paint on body
Serial number on rear bumper, underneath cleaner
Bag lock-out plunger is round, not square
Power Nozzle has single piece plastic wand, permanently connected

Consolidated Foods didn't own Electrolux when the 1205 FIRST came out, but bought them very shortly afterwards. The very first 1205's don't have the Consolidated Foods name on the cleaner, or the bags.

 

[airiderusa]

1205

Hi everyone!

I just joined vacuumland an hour ago..

I've dealt with the USA Genuine Electrolux exclusively for over 20 yrs. and now own a vac shop repairing all brands...YUK but Electrolux is still home for me.
I have every unit made from 1924 thru the mid 90's on display in my store...even the hard to find "Thrift" model from 1956 in good running condition.

I also own a 1961 Lux Model G that was NEVER USED with original standard hose, wands, floor tool and all attachments. My pride and joy!

You'll also note the display of genuine Model AF accessories from 1957-61 on display- some never opened.

I rebuild and sell them on locally and on Ebay.

I also now am the owner of the all new aiRider USA "Hovercraft" 6.5 lb. powerful vacuum company.

Great little machine that packs a real suction punch and quite reasonably priced as well. My senior customers LOVE this thing they there's no weight to actually pull as it floats on air...

Let me know if you have interest and I'll be happy to help you out!

Mick

 

[delaneymeegan]

 


 


Thanks for the info.  Tom.

 

[human]

I spent the holiday weekend down at Mom and Dad's, helping them clear more stuff out in preparation for their pending move and I made a point of grabbing that 1205 first thing. It's stashed in my barn for now.. Interestingly enough, it seems to be the same version as my other 1205--smooth metal, light teal front plate and no pigtail connector. I found a replacement for the broken handle on eBay for only $3.99. I'll probably pull it out and clean it up and fix that when things calm down a bit.

 

[paul]

Welcome to Vacuumland, Mick, and thanks for the info on your vacuum store & collection. I recognized your dog from your eBay listings!

It's hard to believe that you have such a well-kept Model 1401--Super J let alone an unused 1961 Model G. That's impressive! By the looks of it, you do a good job of restoration.

 

[human]

It works!

Having a little down time today, I went out to the barn and plugged the old 1205 in and turned it on for the first time in at least 25 years. It ran fine with no squeals, squeaks or grinding, and then for probably the first time in its entire existence, I attached an electrified hose and a power nozzle (a SideKick) and fired it up. That worked as well. Interestingly, the machine had been stored with an almost empty bag in it.

While it does function, the motor sounds kind of muffled and suction isn't as strong as my other 1205. I'm not really sure what the problem is or how much effort I will expend on fixing it, but maybe I'll look into it when I take it apart to replace the carrying handle. Speaking of which, is there a procedure somewhere I can look at to see how to install that part?

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Those beauties are indestructable

 

[mchmike]

Piece of cake . Open the blower door and remove the 2 screws . Next remove the screw in front the on off switch. Now you can flip the top and see two wires going to the on off switch pull them out carefully. If I remember correctly one is orange/red the other blue. Next you take the top upside down and remove 2 screws in the front with square retaining washers . Next you'll remove the screws that hold the blower plate in place . Now the 2 halves of the top can be separated and the old handle removed and replaced. Now you just have to put it all back the way you found it . Easy peasy no engineering degree required .

 

[mchmike]

Just a flathead and Phillips head screwdriver. And 30 min.

 

[mchmike]

Now as for the muffled sound my guess is the fan stages and motor need to be cleaned out and bearing replaced. That's a little more in depth but their are instructions for that on here. Under Super J motor , I think.

 

[mchmike]

Yep here it is.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?4779

 

[human]

Mike, Thanks for the info. That looks like it's well within the scope of my technical skills. Once the handle arrives, I'll start tearing into it.