Why Maintain a Rainbow?

[eurekastar]

I recently acquired a Rainbow SE.  I only paid $30 for it, including the power nozzle.  It looked really nice too, except for one minor thing.  It wouldn't turn on.  So I thought, "Well, maybe it's the switch."  I tore it down and tested the switch and it was good.  But I knew there something up with the motor when I smelled WD-40 in the fan area.  When I removed the filthy separator, I discovered all kinds of caked up dirt around the spider.  I guess someone heard all the grinding from the dirt and filth and thought WD-40 was the solution.  The lower fan housing didn't seem too dirty, but when I disassembled the motor and got into the fans I found all kinds of filth.  I tested the the motor field and it had no continuity, even past the thermal fuse.  Several of the segments on the armature were bad too.  Dirt on the fan can cause the armature to operate off balance and that will ruin the motor.  So the moral to the story is that if you don't maintain your Rainbow by changing the water frequently and cleaning the separator, you will ruin the motor!

 

[mark40511]

I wish I were more handy when it comes to tearing things down, testing, and putting back together. I don't trust myself.

Joel made a video a while back taking an e 2 speed apart. At first I was watching it thinking, "I can do this." Then after I kept watching, and it got more involved, I said no way.

I think Joel also has taken his apart and cleaned the fans twice. He posted on facebook showing more dust on the fans a few weeks after cleaning it, but I'm thinking it was mineral dust. I think he said his water was very hard in New Mexico. I think Rob (who has a rainbow) told me that he had seen an old Rainbow taken apart and it had no dirt on the fans, but lots was mineral dust, which shouldn't hurt anything.

I know Rainbow makes this stuff called Aquawet which is a wetting agent that makes water wetter, so nothing non-wettable can escape it. It must help because I've been using a drop of Jetdry liquid rinse aid and some essential oil in my water for years and the fans have little dust on them after a few years. But, I'd still like to take it apart just to clean what little dust is on them, but I'm so afraid to.

 

[eurekastar]

@ Mark

The water in my area of Texas is also very hard.  As a result, a lot of people around here use some stuff in the dishwasher called "LemiShine".  I think it's pretty much just granulated citric acid.  I always use about a tablespoon in the first wash cycle along with the detergent.  It works extremely well too.  They also make a rinse aid.  Now, I'm curious about how that might work in a Rainbow.  Also, don't be afraid to tear something down.  My best advice is to carefully document everything with lots of photos and then carefully separate and label everything too.  I think you'll find lots of advice on this forum too.  The E2 that I tore down a few weeks ago was very straightforward.  The SE was too.  Although, I know the 2 speed would be a little more complicated. 

 

[twocvbloke]

And moral no. 2 of the story;

Do NOT use WD-40 as a lubricant!!! It's a Water Dispersant designed solely for restoring continuity on wet electrical contacts under the bonnet of a car as a get-you-home measure, it should not ever be used to lubricate anything, despite their false claims on their cans of the stuff...

And no, it's not made from fish oil either...

 

[jmurray01]

The only thing I use WD-40 on is the hinges of the shed and garage doors.

For lubricating I use 3-In-1, which is actually made by the WD-40 company.

 

[twocvbloke]

Try using the 3-in-1 on your hinges, you'll never use WD-40 again...

The last time I used WD-40 was as a flamethrower, but the smoke was a bit much, so that was another use out the window...

 

[jmurray01]

"The last time I used WD-40 was as a flamethrower" Directed at a Dyson ?

 

[twocvbloke]

"Directed at a Dyson ?"

Nope, at an ant army in the yard of my 2nd house, very effective, if a bit too smoky...

 

[kirbykid63]

I find most used rainbows to be beyond repair the water and dirt always rusts the shaft to the bearings and they are mostly caked with dirt.After working on them for years I wouldn't have one.

 

[mark40511]

Like I said before, they have a high rate of user error, so you're likely seeing only those machines caked with dirt, so you probably figure they must all be like that, which isn't the case.

 

[floor-a-matic]

You MUST clean the Separator after EVERY water change & when U empty the basin; otherwise the dirt on the Separator will enter the motor, damaging its components, esp. the lower bearing.

 

[rainbowjoel]

I guess some people are lazy to change the water and clean the separator. I do change the water often sometimes I noticed when using low speed the water vaporize for over 30 mins needed to refill the water basin before vacuuming.

 

[joshdonnell]

I

Wasnt lazy.. I just got tired of doing it even tho i know i should have.

 

[floor-a-matic]

@joshdonnell

Why don't U sell the Rainbow if you're not going to maintain it properly? There's lots of folks here on VL who REALLY care about Rainbows.

Like the one person said "Rainbows are NOT for everyone" & most people agree with that person who said this.

I have serviced Rainbows for 10 YEARS & know whether they have been cared for or not; I even see some that have been used as a dry vacuum WITHOUT water.

 

[joshdonnell]

What i

Meant to say is i didnt feel the need to empty it out every sec. My house doesnt get dirty that much.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Sorry joshdonnell,

I must've misunderstood.

The # of times the water needs to be changed DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL(S)' HOME ENVIRONMENT, so the water may not need changed very often, as long as the water is still liquid.