Tempted by a Eureka

[human]

So I was at Goodwill a little while ago and I came very close to walking out with a metal Eureka canister. It was a pretty cinnamon color, a little larger and more squarish than the orange one I used to have that my former stepdaughter destroyed. It was in nice shape with a hose and foot switch pedal that were obviously replacements. The pedal and the hose ends were black instead of the off white of the rest of its plastics and the hose itself was a silverish gray. It was only $10 (same price I paid for my Electrolux Diamond Jubilee at the same store) but what ultimately led me to walk away was that it was missing all of its tools except the wide floor tool, which was stuck on the end of the hose handle. There were no wands, no power nozzle and no other tools. Yeah, I've got plenty of Electrolux tools I could pair up with it but I've got plenty of vacs already and this one would have required me to stock yet another type of bag. While I was greatly tempted, nostalgia simply wasn't enough to seal the deal.

 

[real1shep]

With the present crew and the ones in the queue waiting for some TLC, something has to just about fall into my lap or really be interesting.


 


I applaud your will power!


 


Kevin

 

[human]

Yeah, having just shelled out a couple of weeks ago for a Kirby Sentria I really didn't need kind of helped curb my appetite. But I have to admit, I might still have bought it if it had had at least the wands and power nozzle.

 

[broomvac]

It's always bittersweet when I spot an appealing vacuum after I have already reached "max capacity." I have to weigh my options: If I get this new one, which one do I let go?

But hey, no attachments = takes up less space! You can always use attachments from another one of your vacuums.

I am not a fan of canisters so I do not keep many attachments around. Those I do are a mashup of tools--the ones which I think are actually useful--from various cleaners and I have no problem swapping attachments between vacuums when I need to do some above-floor cleaning

 

[human]

My willpower slipped...

I had a bit of a failure of willpower today and went back by the Goodwill store and bought that Eureka. It's a model 1746 with 2 amps peak power, according to the sticker on the top. I figured for $10, I could use it as a beater to vacuum out my cars. The thing is, I'm not completely convinced I want to keep it. I had thought I'd be able to attach an Electrolux wand to it and use an Electrolux power nozzle with it. At a glance a wand for a 1205, which has a pigtail electrical connector, would be a good candidate. It connected up just fine, physically and electrically, but the problem became apparent when I was ready to take it off. The spring button catches on the metal lip of the Electrolux wand! It took me a good 20 minutes to figure out how to remove it by pulling back the release tab on the Electrolux wand and then inserting a flat blade screwdriver to press the release button down on the Eureka hose end. Ironically, the later style Electrolux wand for my Diamond Jubilee has a groove that looks like it could accommodate the Eureka button but it lacks the pigtail connector necessary to connect up the power nozzle. I guess I could still use the Eureka for the car. I'd just have to get hold of the appropriate non-powered nozzles and drill holes in their necks, if they didn't already have them, to accommodate the spring button. But is it really worth the hassle and expense? My gut tells me I'd be better off taking the Eureka back to Goodwill for a merchandise credit and digging to the back of my storage building, where my shop vac is presently inaccessible, and re-packing the barn in a way that will give me more open space and better access to stuff. This is when I really need a 'vacuholics anonymous' sponsor.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

If you find an upper want to fit the Eureka, then remove the lock tab at the bottom then the lower want of an Electrolux Sheath will snap into it. You would need an external sheath cord as well.

 

[human]

I've rummaged around my spares and come up with some beat-to-hell Kirby tools (see photo 1) that will work okay for car cleaning. They fit up nice and snug and the Eureka latch button doesn't get hung up on anything so drilling out latch holes would be optional unless I have an issue with them falling off when I vacuum the car. I may have to try that tomorrow.

I've also got an idea for making the 1205 wand work by removing the Electrolux latching mechanism, which would require drilling/grinding out a couple of rivets (see photo 4), then drilling a hole at the top of the metal wand to accommodate the Eureka's latching button. It would render the wand useless for connecting securely to an Electrolux hose, but I do have a spare 1205 wand that's in less than stellar condition. The advantage of doing it this way is I don't have to buy anything else to make it work.

 

[real1shep]

I dunno....if I get a shot at a crazy-find Sweet 16....I think I'm gonna take it.....might be the only Eureka I ever own. Gotta be post '72 and have the PN though. I've heard a lot of good things about that motor strength.


 


Probably not gonna find a  '<a name="start_36123.387454"></a>vacuholics anonymous' sponsor in this crowd though. But I do feel your pain...lol.


 


Kevin

 

[human]

Two minor defects I've noticed in the machine since I got it home are the plug has been replaced but that repair was done correctly so it doesn't bother me. The more potentially annoying one is it needs some sort of little retaining clip on the pin/axle that holds the foot pedal for the power switch in place. That's an easy fix, provided I can locate the right clip. Otherwise, it'll be a monumental pain keeping that foot pedal in place.

I'm really on the fence about what to do with this one. I kind of want to keep it and fix it up but the rational side of my mind says to take the thing back to Goodwill for a merchandise credit and be done with it because it adds zero functionality to what I already have. Honestly, the only reason I was attracted to it in the first place is it reminds me of a Eureka that was taken away from me years ago. Somehow, that machine has become a tangible--if petty--symbol of the resentments I apparently still feel toward my ex-wife. Who knows? Maybe that's why I've accumulated so many vacuum cleaners in the first place--overcompensation for a perceived loss.

 

[human]

A less destructive alternative...

I've just had another look at the Eureka hose and the Electrolux wand and realized I'm approaching things backward. Instead of adapting the Electrolux wand to the Eureka ecosystem, it really makes more sense to adapt the Eureka hose to the Electrolux ecosystem. This could be accomplished by removing the little button from the Eureka hose end, making it compatible with the Electrolux latching system. This would be even easier than modifying the Electrolux wand because only one rivet would need to come out instead of two and no new holes would have to be drilled. I like the idea of doing less work to accomplish the same goal, plus the process would be easily reversible with a pop rivet gun should I ever happen upon a pair of Eureka wands and a Eureka power nozzle for a cheap enough price. If I'm going to modify something, this is really the better way to go about it.

 

[human]

The deed is done...

...and non-destructively, at that. I started trying to drill out the rivet that holds the button assembly in place, and when that didn't work, I started prying at it with a screwdriver. In the process, I managed to dislodge the button from the hole and wedge it to one side. Now, it's out of the way and the hose end fits into the Electrolux wand perfectly! My only worry is there's an outside chance it might accidentally get moved back onto its normal place and I'll once again be faced with prying the hose end off with a screwdriver like I did yesterday, but I don't see that as very likely. I think a rubber grommet would solve that problem.

 

[real1shep]

<a name="start_36123.387512"></a>Somehow, that machine has become a tangible--if petty--symbol of the resentments I apparently still feel toward my ex-wife. Who knows? Maybe that's why I've accumulated so many vacuum cleaners in the first place--overcompensation for a perceived loss.


 


Man, can I empathize with that.  The ex got the Diamond J I bought new for $1,300 and I wound up with the old G that my ex-mother-in-law gave us. In the end, I won because the ex hired a cleaning lady that absolutely destroyed the DJ......and I still have the G.


 


But like you've I've overcompensated by buying vacs for the original loss of the DJ. Then I started restoring DJ's and giving them to family and friends. I still can't pass one up if it's in decent shape....lol.



 


Kevin

 

[human]

I hear you, Kevin. My red orange Eureka Princess had belonged to my grandmother and was in near perfect condition until my then-stepdaughter decided to use it to clean up dry cat food that she had spilled. Somehow, a piece or two got into the motor and was making a hellacious racket. When I couldn't fix it in two minutes, my (now ex-) wife declared it a total loss and toted it off to Goodwill. When we split up a few months later, I had no vacuum cleaner and ended up getting an Electrolux 1205 from another Goodwill in another city to replace it.

This afternoon, I ordered some bags for the Eureka, making it officially a keeper. I've messed with that button so much it doesn't even clear the hose end anymore but I don't care. The Kirby attachments I dug out for it fit the hose end much better and somewhat ironically, the floor brush that came with the machine falls off without the button. I'm not worried about it though. I've got plenty of other brand tools I can use with it. At this point, I've accomplished my goal of getting a cheap Eureka and I don't intend to spend any more on it. I won't ever get Grandmother's machine back, but that's okay. I've got what I need--and then some.

 

[human]

So it's an ugly, bodged together mess of mismatched components, but how well does the Eureka work with a 1205 wand and a PN4A? Quite well, thank you very much. I just gave this frankenvac a test run and was impressed with its performance. It made me want to straighten the living room up so I could vacuum some more. My only complaint is it makes a hell of a lot of noise. Fortunately, it backs that noise up with some good performance, so I'm pleased.

 

[human]

I made an error in an earlier post when I stated the Eureka had 2 amps peak power. It's actually an 8.8 amp motor, producing 2.0 peak horsepower. Not bad for a little tin can.

 

[n0oxy]

another alternative

If you want to avoid all these modifications, is the electric receptacle on the hose standard and is the hose end a standard 1 1/4 end? If so, buy a few power nozzle extension cords to make the short cord on the power nozzle long enough, plug it in to the receptacle on the hose and just use a regular telescopic wand, the cord will be external and may dangle a bit but that's no big deal, that should work perfectly.
Mike

 

[human]

It's all done and together as pictured in Reply #14. The only modification I had to make was to wiggle the lock button out of the way on the hose end. All the electrical connections are the same, end to end. The only thing I really can't do with this setup is use a Sidekick. I'd need to come up with a pigtail cable to make that work. The best part of the whole deal is I was able to make it all work with pieces I had on hand. I didn't have to buy anything beyond my $10 outlay for the machine itself. Well, I did buy some bags, but consumables don't really count, do they?

 

[n0oxy]

side kick alternative

Here is a mini electric brush that should work with that machine, assuming the receptacle on the hose is the mini electric outlet that is used on most electric hoses, I have this brush and it works really well, I've never used a side kick so can't compare the performance but I love this mini electric brush. Glad you got everything working, I love to create frankenvacs and combine machines with other attachments and power nozzles.
Mike

http://https//www.greatvacs.com/super-deluxe-electric-powerhead-power-nozzle-wessel-werk-heb160.html

 

[human]

Yeah Mike, that does look like it would work but that price tag is a bit outside my comfort zone, especially considering I already have a couple of Sidekicks on hand. The trick would be finding one more affordably second hand. I'm thinking a pigtail cord like this one, designed for a Filter Queen Majestic, might do the trick at a small fraction of the cost. It would also enable me to use a later style Electrolux wand with this machine.

http://www.ebay.com/p/Filter-Queen-...b40ca8336f390882978d0&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=5%2