HELP MY VACUUM CLEANER HAS LOST ITS SUCK!
We’ve all been there; your vacuum cleaner just about sucked the carpet out of the ground when you first bought it. Then after a couple of years or even months the suction gets lower and lower and lower. You find yourself going over the same patch of carpet again and again and again trying to get it clean(ish) and promising yourself you’ll never buy this model of vacuum cleaner again!
We feel your pain, vacuum cleaners are our business and over the years we’ve had many a flustered customer march into our shops frustrated beyond belief that their usual cleaning work is taking twice the time.
But before you demand blood....Have you given your vacuum cleaner a once over and the TLC that any machine needs to keep operating at its best? If your vacuum cleaner has lost its suck here are three easy checks you can do that might just save your sanity:
1) ARE THE FILTER(S) CLOGGED AND BLOCKING AIRFLOW?
When last did you change the vacuum filter or at least blow it out with an air compressor? This should be done a couple of times a year for domestic use vacs and on a more frequent basis for commercial use vacuum cleaners (refer to your user manual for details on filter cleaning). Also have you replaced/cleaned all the filters? Many vacuum cleaners come with multi-stage filtration (more than one filter). All filters need to be cleaned regularly for your vacuum cleaner to perform at its best. If you need new filters, or if all of this just sounds too hard, then bring your Kerrick vacuum cleaner in for a regular service and our crew will do the dirty jobs for you.
Why are clean filters important? For a vacuum cleaner to work air needs to pass through the vacuum cleaner and into the motor to help cool it down while it lowers the air pressure inside the machine to create a vacuum which in turn creates suction. The key role of the filter is to filter the air that gets sucked up into the machine, trapping dust particles to prevent them from entering the motor (which could cause mechanical damage). If your filters are dirty the air can’t pass through as easily, the motors will have less air with which to cool down properly which can lead to them performing poorly, overheating and burning out. Filters tend to be one of those "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"parts of a vacuum cleaner, but as you can see they play a fundamental role in how well your vacuum cleaner works.
2) HOW HEALTHY ARE YOUR VACUUM TOOLS?
Vacuum cleaners operate by creating a vacuum (no surprises there) that causes air to be sucked up through your tools into the hose and then into the vacuum cleaner. If your hose, wand or floor tool is cracked or loose allowing air to get in and out through the damaged areas then the suction that's created between the vacuum cleaner itself and the floor tool is greatly diminished...but that’s enough of the sciencey stuff! What you need to know is: Damaged Tools = Less Suction. From time to time you should check that your hose and tools fit snugly together and aren't damaged. If any tools are broken or don’t fit together tightly then drop into Kerrick and we’ll will find the right replacement tool for your machine.
3) HOW FULL IS YOUR TANK?
Dry Vacs: If your collection bag or vacuum tank is full or just about full, then it’s time to empty it. Having a full tank limits the cyclonic airflow which helps to create suction and also clogs up your filters quicker. As we learnt earlier, clogged filters put more strain on the motor and reduces overall airflow.
Wet & Dry Vacs: If you’re sucking up liquids with one of our wet and dry vacuums and suddenly your suction disappears, try emptying your tank. When wet vacuuming, Kerrick vacuums have a built in safety mechanism that shuts off your machine if the water levels get too high, to prevent liquids getting into the motor and frying the circuit board. A nifty little invention that helps to protect your asset and potentially saves you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in replacement equipment over the years. It's pretty brilliant really.
WHAT IF IT STILL DOESN'T SUCK?
The above three items are the three most commonly overlooked issues people tend to have, but sometimes the problems can be a little more complex. If after giving your Kerrick vacuum cleaner the once over, you’re still left scratching your head, then drop it into our service team and they’ll have you back in business in no time. We've been at it since 1937. We know what works.
Oh and Kerrick also carries a great range of commercial and industrial vacuum cleaners for just about every need you could possibly have from dry vacuums for everyday use, to multi-purpose wet and dry vacuums to hazardous materials vacuums, industrial fine dust vacs and even vacuum cleaners that clean your gutters from the safety of the ground! If your current vacuum cleaner has given up the ghost then have a browse of our range and get in touch, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to get the right vacuum cleaner for your application.