Best Way To Protect Your Vacuum Cleaner

Best Way To Protect Your Vacuum Learner

There are many places that you can use to find parts

for a vacuum cleaner that is broken, providing you

have someone around that is handy enough with tools

to take a swing at fixing it. The part that breaks

the most on most less expensive vacuum cleaners

is the drive belt. It's the rubberized belt that

is around 6 inches long, that when stretched out

turns the brushes on the bottom of the vacuum.




When you take the vacuum over objects that don't

belong in the vacuum cleaner, such as pieces of

rope or a cat's tail and the unit comes to a screeching

halt, the burning smell that will soon fill up the

air is your drive belt slowly melting away.




Luckily, the drive belt is available at several

locations, so many in fact that your local drug

store may even carry them! They are cheap to buy

and a snap to replace with a screwdriver and a bit

of common sense. For other types of problems that

you may encounter, there are a lot of resources at

your disposal just in case you decide to tackle

the problem on your own.




You should never forget that when you buy parts for

your vacuum cleaner, most of the parts you'll need

are going to be specifically made for your particular

brand name and model. With the exception of basic

items such as drive belts and most bags, most parts

aren't interchangeable between brands and between

different models of the same brand.




The first thing to try when you need a part for

your vacuum cleaner is the local Yellow Pages

book. Inside of the Yellow Pages, you'll find

many listings for appliance parts and suppliers.

You'll have to call each one of the individually

to find out if they carry parts for your model

and brand. In the rare event that they don't

carry what you need, they can normally order it

for you quickly and easily. If that fails, you

can always call the company direct that manufactured

your model of vacuum cleaner and order the part

that way.




Most of the time, you won't have any problem

getting your hands on a part for your vacuum

cleaner, unless it is a more intricate part that

isn't readily available. Parts such as the intake

or exhaust port are very tricky to replace, and

you will probably want to have a professional

fix these types of problems.




Drive belts, vacuum bags, and little problems such

as these are a snap to replace. With the older

style of vacuum cleaners, you don't have to be

an expert to fix a majority of the problems. The

newer models however, require quite a bit of

skill and technique.




One of the most common problems that will happen

is clogging. If your vacuum stops picking up

dirt and dust, chances are it has become clogged,

which is normally not a parts problem. All you

need to do to fix it is take the front assembly

off, then manually clean out the agitators and

the housing where the dirt makes its way upwards

through the vacuum cleaner. This is very easy

to do, and won't take you but a couple of minutes.




Anytime you encounter a parts problem with your

vacuum cleaner, you should always take things one

step at a time and don't rush. You can almost

always get a hold of a part. If the part is more

expensive than you anticipated, you can always

scrap the vacuum cleaner and buy yourself a

better one - which will save you a lot of time

and headache in the long run.

Vacuum Configurations

Vacuum cleaners are devices that use an air pump to

create a partial vacuum to suck up dirt and dust,

normally from carpeted floors. Most homes that have

carpet floors have a vacuum for cleaning. The dirt

that is pulled up from the carpet is collected by

a filtering system or even a cyclone for later

disposal.




There are several type of configurations possible

for vacuum cleaners.

Upright

Upright vacuums have the pump mounted directly above

the suction intake, with the bag mounted directly on

the handle, which will rise to waist height or so.

The upright type designs normally employ mechanical

beaters which often rotate brushes, to help disturb

dust enough to be vacuumed up. These beaters are

normally driven by a belt that is attached to the

vacuum motor.

Canister

Also known as cylinder vacuums, the canister type

designs have the motor and bag in a seperate canister

unit that connects to the vacuum head by a flexible

hose. Even though upright units have been tested

as being more effective, the lighter and more

maneuverable heads of the canister models are quite

popular. Some models have power heads, which contain

the same type of mechanical beaters found it upright

units, although they are driven by a seperate electric

motor.

Wet vacs/dry vacs

These types a specialized form of the canister

vacuum and they can be used to clean up wet or liquid

spills as well. They will commonly accomodate both

wet and dry soilage, with some being equipped with

a switch or exhaust port that reverses the flow of

air. This is a very useful function for everything

from clearing clogged hoses to blowing dust into a

corner for easy collecting.

Back pack vac

These types of vacuums are commonly used for

commercial cleaning, as they allow you to move about

quickly and efficiently in a large area. They are

basically canister vacuum cleaners, except for the

fact that straps are used to carry the canister

on your back.

Built in or central

These types of vacuum cleaners will move the suction

motor and bag to a central location in the building

and provide vacuum inlets at strategic places

throughout the entire building. You only need to

carry the hose and pickup head from room to room,

while the hose is normally 25 foot long and allows

a large range of movement without changing vacuum

inlets.




The plastic piping will connect vacuum inlets to

the central unit. The vacuum can either be unpowered

or have beaters that are operated by an electric

motor or an air driven motor. The bag in the

central vacuum system is normally so big that

emptying it or changing needs to be done less as

often, sometimes only once a year.

How To Vacuum

To maintain the look, feel, and appearance of your

carpet you'll need to vacuum on a regular basis. If

you are new to vacuuming, you'll find the tips below

to help you when it comes to keeping your home clean:




1. Before you start, you should always inspect

the area. Pick up any objects that could cause

your vacuum cleaner to clog up. The smaller objects

are fine, just as long as they will pass through the

vacuum.




2. You should check the vacuum bag to ensure

that is isn't full already. If it is full, you

should go ahead and change it. A full bag isn't

going to suck up much dirt, as the power will be

greatly reduced due to the bag taking up a great

deal of storage and limiting the suction.




3. You should always vacuum forwards instead

of going backwards. Going forward will get the

job done quicker and you won't wear your cord out

near as fast. When going backwards, you also run

the risk of running back over your cord, which is

something you don't want to do.




4. Be sure that you overlap your strokes

to ensure that you get out all of the dirt and the

residue. You don't want to miss any of the carpet,

which is why it is important that you overlap your

strokes.




5. You should change your vacuuming

direction on occasion to reduce any type of matting

in your carpet. You can change direction without

any problems. Doing this every time you make a

sweep on the carpet or every other time you vacuum

will be good.




6. On corners, use a damp cloth or a

crevice tool attachment that hooks up to your

vacuum cleaner. This will ensure that you get the

corners and tight areas good, and they don't

stand out from the rest of the carpet.




7. You can get rid of dust particles and

dirt by waving a vacuum wand under your bed. Doing

so on occasion will ensure that your bedroom

stays clean, and smells clean as well.




For kitty litter on carpets or floors, you should

use a lightweight vacuum cleaner. To get deep

into the fibers of the carpet, you should try

an upright vacuum cleaner with a power brush. Kitty

litter can be a pain in the neck if it gets

crushed in the pile or embedded, which is why

you should get it out as quick as you can.




Give some thought to purchasing a vacuum cleaner

with a rotating brush or combination beater and

brush bar, which will loosen up the dirt in the

carpet and then suck it out. This will beat the

dirt from the fibers and even embedded dirt, which

will leave your carpet clean and smelling great.




Whenever you vacuum, you should always be on the

lookout for straw, thread, and string as it can

trap debris in the vacuum hose and result in a

clog. These types of hazards are also bad for the

agitators as well, as they can clog up the suction

as well, or get tangled up in the agitators and

cause more problems.




If you have pets, you should sprinkle some baking

soda on the carpet before you vacuum. Let it sit

for a little while, then vacuum. The baking soda

is a lot cheaper than carpet fresheners and it

does the same thing - only better.




Vacuuming is very easy to do, and it's something

that should be done on a regular basis. You don't

have to be an expert to vacuum, all you have to

do is make an effort. Your carpet will look good

all the time, and your house will stay smelling

great - which is reason enough to grab the vacuum

and take a trip through the house with it.

How Vacuum Cleaners Work

Even though it may appear to be a very complicated

machine, the conventional vacuum cleaner is actually

made up of six essential components: intake port,

exhaust port, electric motor, fan, porous bag, and

a housing that stores all of the other components.




When you plug the vacuum cleaner into the outlet and

turn it on, the following happens:

1. First of all, the electric current will

operate the motor, which is attached to the fan,

which resembles an airplane propeller.

2. As the blades begin to turn, they will

force the air upwards, towards the exhaust port.

3. When the air particles are driven forwards,

the density of the particles will increase in front

of the fan and therefore decrease behind it.




The pressure drop that occurs behind the fan is

similar to the pressure drop when you take a drink

through a straw. The pressure level in the area

that is behind the fan will drop below the pressure

level that is outside of the vacuum cleaner.




This will create a suction inside of the vacuum

cleaner. The ambient air will push itself into the

vacuum cleaner through the intake port because the

air pressure that is inside of the vacuum cleaner

is much lower than the pressure on the outside.

Picking the dirt up

The stream of air that the vacuum generates is just

like a stream of water. The air particles that move

will rub against any loose dust or debris and if

it is light enough, the friction will carry the

material around the inside of the vacuum cleaner.




As the dirt continues on to the exhaust port, it

will pass through the cleaner bag. They tiny holes

in the vacuum cleaner bag are large enough to let

the air pass through, although too small for the

dust particles to fit through. Therefore, when

the air current gets into the bag, the dirt and

debris will be collected there.




You can stick the bag anywhere along the path

between the intake tube and the exhaust port, just

as long as the air current passes through.

Suction

The power of a vacuum cleaner's suction will depend

on several factors. The suction can be stronger

or weaker depending on:

1. Fan power - In order to generate a

strong suction, the motor needs to turn at a good

speed.

2. Air passageway - When a lot of debris

builds up in the bag, the air will face a greater

level of resistance on the way out. Each particle

of air will move slowly due to the increase in

drag. This is the reason why a vacuum cleaner

works much better once you've replaced the bag

than when you have been using it for a while.

3. Size of the intake port - With the

speed of the vacuum fan being constant, the amount

of air that passes through the vacuum cleaner per

second is also constant.