Wanna fix a Hoover head

[marsha_figg]

Hello all,

I have an old Hoover vacuum cleaner (was purchased in the USA in 1990), it had a great head with a rotating brush that truly cleaned my carpet. Alas, it's not working anymore- I've recently replaced the rubber band and after some time it stopped working- the head rotates a bit and then stops. The rubber band gets really hot and got burned.
Can it be fixed? Should I fix it? Can I buy another head like that anywhere? The size of its tube on the inside is 2.8 cm and it connects to the cleaner itself with a plug. The vacuum itself works well.

Thanks!

Racheli.

 

[suckolux]

I would guess the bearings on the ends of the brushroll are tight with debris or dry and need lube

 

[eurekaprince]

Racheli,

You have a specialized 220volt version of an American Hoover power nozzle canister vacuum. The only place that could offer you a proper replacement nozzle is a specialized 220 volt appliance store which sells appliances for those moving overseas. It would probably be best to email one of these stores in New York and see if they still sell this kind of Hoover carpet nozzle.

I will do a quick search on the internet to see who could help you out.

You may just save time and aggravation by getting a new little Miele canister with a power nozzle - they sell them in Israel.

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Racheli,

There are now a handful of special 220volt appliance stores in the USA. Try visiting this website in Long Island: http://www.newkunst.com/

You can email them and see if they can find a replacement power nozzle for your Hoover "Spirit" canister.

Two more possible solutions: the revolving brush roll probably needs cleaning or replacing. When you remove the rubber belt, the brushroll should spin freely. If not, it needs to be thoroughly cleaned of all hair and dirt which affects its ability to spin. You could always try ordering a replacement brushroll from Hoover in the US. Also, you may be able to replace the power nozzle with what is called a "turbo nozzle". These don't need electric power, because the spinning brush is powered by the flow of air rushing through the nozzle. But it may be difficult to find a turbo nozzle that will fit on the end of your Hoover's aluminum tubes.

 

[vacerator]

Maybe there is

a vacuum dealer, or a fix it shop near you in Israel who can try to repair it Racheli. Maybe the brush roller only needs cleaning, and oiling up. Maybe a proper new belt.

 

[kloveland]

Follow suggestions above. See if the brush spins freely. Also make sure the end caps are tight. I've seen these and they tend to become lose. Those Spirits are great little canisters. They are very light weight and easy to pull around.

 

[eurekaprince]

Here is another idea: keep the canister vacuum for cleaning everything from bare floors to furniture and beds and draperies. But buy a new upright just for your carpets. If you go to the website of Chicago's 220 Electronics, they are selling a nice 220volt bagged Hoover upright. I am sure you could order it to be shipped to Israel, as I see that the market there is flooded with bagless upright vacs like Dyson and Shark. Here is their website showing the Hoover:



http://www.220-electronics.com/hu5435-hoover-heavy-duty-vacuum-for-220-240-volts-50-hertz.html

 

[durango159]

I think the problem is primarily with the belt and brush roll. You can test my theory by disconnecting the belt and listening to the sound of the motor. See if it is consistent or if it powering up and down.

From your photo I can tell that the belt you have installed is too wide for that nozzle!!! Belts definitely matter and are not created equal.
The proper belt for that unit is a Hoover 38528-011-- see link below. The width of the 38528-011 belt is 13 Millimeters.

For your brush roll, I would recommend removing it from the housing. Unscrew both end caps. Clean and remove any hair and dirt and wipe the underside of the end cap. Directly below the end caps are bearings on each side. You can pry off the white plastic cap. Clean the white cap, Gently scrape as much gunk out of the bearing as possible. You can hit it with some WD-40 or similar spray if really bad to loosen it. Then repack the bearing with blue grease. I use a flat head screw driver to manually pack the bearing and turn the bearing on occasion to get the various balls of the bearings distributing the grease throughout.

Directly below the bearing are metal washers. The washers should be completely clean and grease free. Lastly I wipe that entire area of the where the bearings and washers are housed. Get rid of any dirt, grease, build up.

Reassembly of the brush roll is then crucial: Washer in first. The raised end of the bearing will face up toward the bottom of the bearing which will sit on top of it. The down facing sides of the bearings should face down towards the inside of the brush roll. Bearings go on top of the washer. Ensure that white or black plastic top is firmly secured below the metal top. Bearings should rotate smoothly with ease. The plastic part should be visible on top! End caps get screwed on.

Then to test brush roll:

Stand the brush roll on its end on a newspaper or cloth but not a dense carpet. Support the brush roll by placing fingers on end cap only. Use free hand to quickly spin the brush roll middle. It should rotate with ease, very smoothly and not get stuck at all anywhere!
Reassemble your nozzle and see how it sounds then.

Another issue you will face is that the bristles on your brush roll are getting quite worn though too. Hoover has discontinued the replaceable strips and the brush roll itself. There are some vac shops here and there that have found replacements or you can track eBay.

Any Hoover power nozzle with a 2 prong flat plug and wand set with the raised button set up like yours has will work on that unit!

Best of luck.

http://hoover.com/search/?q=38528-011&x=0&y=0

 

[marsha_figg]

Just in case anyone was curious-
I took the nozzle to a better repairman (the pervious one told me it can't be fixed and tried to sell me a cheap replacement). He said that the brush roll should turn faster, with no relation to the belt. He ended up replacing the belt (which was somewhat burned), some inside part in the ends of the brush roll that makes it spin, and he reassembled the engine. The nozzle twists amazingly after all this. I had to change the vacuum cleaner's bag quite soon after I started using it, maybe the bag being almost full also contributed to the problem. Anyway, now my carpet is very clean again .
Thank you guys for the help!

Racheli.

 

[vacerator]

Ah, a new set of

brush roll bearings made it run smooth and easy. Too bad some humans don't. They need lube jobs so they run smooth and don't think they are better than others, because we all bleed red.
Peace, Love, Happiness always!
Maybe you know the neighborhood in Tel-Aviv where people from Pittsburgh live (Squirrel Hill).
When I was three years of age, Dr. Saul at Eye and Ear hospital in Pittsburgh operated on me, and corrected my crossed eyes.

 

[durango159]

Excellent news!!

I'm very happy that you found a repair shop that knew what it was doing!! Some new bearings in the brush roll and check the motor out.

A being full may reduce airflow and suction which will affect not pulling the power nozzle deeper into the carpet for a more thorough clean. With your power nozzle working better it will surely fill the bag faster as it will be more effective at performing its job.

Congrats again!