Vorwerk ET 30 powerhead questions

[Mike81]

So I bought the Vorwerk VK 117-1H upright vacuum cleaner and it came with the ET 30 powerhead.
In fact I bought it because of the powerhead and I intend to use the ph with my canister vacuum. Wiring for it is already sorted.
Powerhead is almost non used and in excellent condition. Motor in it runs very smoothly.
Problem is, that the belt has stretched and it really needs replacing.
Has anyone any experience of this powerhead?
I have to order new belts from Ebay. I live in the Finland and it's impossible to get belts from here.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VORWERK-VK1...hash=item2eb53f7a90:m:mio-b_PJ2LYfiggNaUlCTAw

 

[whirlpolf]

Congrats

Hi Mikko,
good for you, you picked one of the best power nozzles that Vorwerk has made IMHO.
I like it even better than the current modern ones. Very sturdy and the 2-way swivel connector is almost indestructable.
And it is the only powerhead I know that features real side suction AND brushing action on both sides. When you place it on a white sheet of paper and turn it on you can really see the bristles sweeping out sideways under these small gaps in the side covers - it really sweeps 100% up to the baseboards.

For belts I would buy them at any vacshop here or from Ebay. If you cannot get them for a reasonable price, just let me know and I can get some for you.

I hope you know how to use the green light (brushing action ok indicator) and the 1 to 5 readjustment lever. It makes up for the natural wear of the bristles and will give you 5x extra usage time until you have to change the roller.
If you are not sure just shoot me a message.

Cheers, Joe

 

[Mike81]

Thank you for your answer!

I really like this powerhead, because it's built like a tank. Very good materials and all plastic parts are very well made and feels durable.
Edge cleaning seems to be excellent. Brushes go all the way to the edge of the nozzle.
Brushroller height adjustment is great idea. I have never seen so nicely done height adjustment mechanism.
Just need belts to arrive. I can't wait

And one more thing to mention. Brushroll has year 1986 printed to the wooden part. So this is 29 years old and looks like it has seen very little use.

 

[eurekaprince]

I have always been fascinated by Vorwerk vacs - such interesting and unique designs.

Looking at the configuration of the belt and air passage in the power nozzle, do you guys find that the belt and motor pulley get damaged or worn down faster because all the dirt passes right by them in the same chamber? I know that all classic "fan-first" uprights do the same thing, but I am wondering if this causes problems with the smaller power nozzle motor and with the rotation of the brush on this Vorwerk. Thoughts?

 

[whirlpolf]

1986 ? Very good indeed

Mikko, that is indeed a very good brush roller for its age.
Mind that the bristles should stick out from the base plate about 1 mm (just put a wooden match stick over the opening, once the bristles can cover it = 1 mm = correct setting.)
The green light should be fully aglow (somewhat flickering along with the rotation of the brush, very similar to the indicator on Kirby vacs). Light is too dim? Pull the lever until you get a full glow. Light is off? Belt is broken. Light is overly bright, no flickering? = Too many amps on the motor = bristles are too much "out" of the base plate.
Just pull the yellow lever all the way until you reach the correct setting. You cannot see the "flickering" of the LED when the vacuum is not moving, but when you push and pull it very quickly, you can see that typical "vibrating" light showing the rotations.

Brian, that is right, a belt in the airway may seem like a problem, but having used all ET power nozzles from the very first one: My experience is this: Dirt is no problem at all, it gets sucked up.

The only thing I have seen on the first models (ET 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) was the belt slipping off towards the casing. This is why they added this little metal log into the ET 20/21 and the ET 30/31 series. It keeps the belt from falling off.
Mikko, please try to cut away the bristles on the wooden belt path of the roller, this will keep the belt parallel and will avoid it "wandering off". Apart from that this brush roller seems to be (from what I can see here) on setting 2 or 3 which means it should give you some more couple of years of usage.

Long hair winding around the pulley was a problem too, it could wind around the shaft on the motor bearing. But not in this model: Vorwerk added a metal disc of the size of about a coin to the shaft (all in one piece) so the roller bearing of the motor is completely covered and nothing can enter it.
Should there be hair around the shaft, just cut it away or pull it off.

Happy power brushing.

 

[Mike81]

When I first opened the soleplate I also thought that what a strange belt setup. But nice to hear it works.
This brushroll height adjustment is very extensive. It really gives chance to use the same brushroll a long long time. And it also tightens the belt when you lower the brush, nice!
At the moment I can't (probably) go lower than the position 1. In position 1 brushes already stick out alot.
Now I just have to wait the money to transfer to my paypal account and then I can order the new belts.

 

[Mike81]

It's now working

So I got this powerhead finally running. I ordered two belts from the UK ebay about week ago. Belts have not arrived yet, but I managed make one tweak to make it run. I just wrapped alot of electrical tape around the brush roll and old belt works. Tape has been holding up so far.
It's quite effective, but suction of my canister is making it stick to the carpet too much and slowing down the motor.
Opening the air release valve from the handle will help.
I just wonder do I have to make air release holes to it?
Anyways I like it alot especially full nozzle width brushing (great edge cleaning) is nice.