What was Your Worst Vacuum Experience?

[seboguy]

I have two.

My first "worst experience" was with a Regina Housekeeper Whispurr. This vacuum was a tank, and not in a good way. It was heavy and clunky, and NEVER cleaned well. The only positive thing about this machine was that it had quite a bit of hose suction. But this vacuum taught me that just because a machine sucks at the hose, it can BLOW with cleaning at the brushroll. It would frequently grind dirt in, and make the carpet appear dingy and worn.

My other one was caused by my own stupidity (and is quite hilarious taken in context). I was vacuuming out my wood pellet stove with a 6 gal shop vac. About 5 minutes in, I heard a thud inside the cleaner. I didn't turn around, and kept on going. Turns out the filter came off, and I had a tornado of black soot blowing around the living room. Yup... I vacuumed the ENTIRE stove before I smelled the soot. It made one hell of a mess

 

[compamac]

WOW

Did it get all over the walls and furniture?

 

[seboguy]

it went ALL over... windows, furniture, you name it... I even could taste it upstairs

 

[vacuumman206]

sebo guy

had that happen, but never heard the thud! I hate any shop vac that doesn't have the filter screwed on.

 

[tolivac]

That happened to my Dad-he was cleaning the fireplace years ago with his shop type vacuum and its filter blew-soot all over everywhere-My Stepmom was furious-she was yelling at Dad for a long time.then he checked the filters before using the vacuum!-most of the ash he cleaned out with the shovel and ash bucket.Later he called a sweep to do it.I got so nervous when he climbed on the roof at his age to sweep out the chimney.Glad he called a sweep.

 

[hi-loswitch98]

Using a Dyson

To be precise a 1997 DC01 Absolute.

It was $hit. To be fair it was beaten up & not looked after properly, filters never been cleaned ONCE!!! It belonged to my then sister-in-law, let me have a go & it stank, plus the fact that it refused to pick up anything & smelt like crap.

Also another bad Dyson experience was using my sisters second-hand 2003 DC03, same condition as above & had CURRY sucked up in it. Needless to say after that experience I took my trusty Henry to their houses.

 

[gmerkt]

In my experience, curry is one of the most difficult smells to get out of a vacuum cleaner completely and utterly. When a machine comes my way now with that smell, I pass on it. The one I struggled with I cleaned while disassembled more than once. Certain parts had to be cleaned with a spray odor neutralizer (lovely lavender scent). Eventually, it got it to run without emitting a smell but it was way too much work. Once purged, I moved it on down the road.

I don't really have any dramatic vacuum failure stories to my own credit. One that I recall attributed to someone else is interesting. Some time ago, a Hoover Celebrity was given to me. It was a nice navy blue model with the chrome trim. When I lifted the top, the first thing I noticed was that the plastic motor cover was melted. Not good. Further disassembly showed that the lower motor bearing was completely blown out; no bearings left. The bearing races were kind of rattling around off of each other. I later found out that the previous owner had been deaf. They accidently left the machine on indefinitely until it destroyed itself. They only discovered the problem when the circuit breaker tripped.

 

[ultimatevacman]

"They accidently left the machine on indefinitely until it destroyed itself." What? Can a Hoover Convertible destroy itself just from being left on too long?

Thanks,

- Joe

 

[tolivac]

Remember, any motor can't run idefinitely.Something will go sooner or later-did serve as an endurance test for the Celebrity vacuums motor!Although in a building I used to work in an older Crocker Wheeler motor was walled in and forgotten for about 40yrs--ran all of that time without attention! was on a HVAC blower.Same with the blower!The units were replaced with new ones when the wall that was no longer required taken down.The fan was a Buffalo Forge.These were put in 1939 when the building was built-Wash DC gov't building.It is interesting what you find or is walled in at those places!A building engineer told me about the motor and fan.

 

[compamac]

Whoa

They accidentally left it on to long? That is something I have never heard lol. I have heard of motors going naturally bad but not that

 

[anthony]

a dyson

i tried to vac the stairs with my daughters latest fashion accesory yes you guessed it a Dyson i got so sick of it i threw it down the stairs and made sure it hit every one on the way i then gave her a kirby i had in the attic