Identifying Durable Designs & Construction
A vacuum cleaner is an unusual appliance in that it falls
somewhere between a small appliance and a major appliance. Like
most appliances, it exists to assist us in our daily chores. Being
the workhorse of a household's cleaning tasks, it needs to be as
effective and durable as it reasonably can be. Typically being
portable, it takes quite a beating as it is pushed or pulled around
the house while it picks up and retains the household dust and dirt. Its components must be designed and constructed to withstand this
hard use and still keep performing dependably.
There are many different types and brands of vacuum cleaners
but most have similar system components. This article is designed
to help you to identify durable designs and construction when
searching for your next vacuum cleaner. Additional articles
regarding specific components also touch on their durability based
on various designs and construction.
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Identifying Durable Clean-Air Upright Designs |
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Since the majority of vacuum cleaners being sold are the
upright type, the two different fan
designs and their inherent durability factors will receive our first
attention. As discussed in the article on Fan or Impeller Types & Performance,
the first type is used in the traditional upright
and some hand held vacuum cleaner
designs while the other type is used in all other designs including
the "clean-air" upright,
two-motor upright,
two-motor power team,
standard canister and
central vacuum system.
The traditional upright design is often referred to as the
dirty-air design since the air going
through the fan is still carrying the dirt which was picked up. Our experience has shown that, on most upright cleaners with the
dirty-air design and motors drawing about nine or more
amperes (amps) of current, the
higher speed of the fans causes a much higher failure rate.
A word about the amperage ratings mentioned above. As
mentioned in our article on Hoover's Efficiency and Performance Ratings,
the suction motors on most vacuum cleaners typically draw
seven to twelve amperes (amps) of
current from the electrical power source. (Twelve amps is the
maximum permitted for any appliance which plugs into a standard
household electrical outlet. If you see a rating larger than
twelve on a vacuum cleaner, it is probably a
Cleaning Performance Rating,
not amps!)
The traditional upright design can easily be determined by a
few simple design characteristics. All uprights with soft bag type
of paper bag enclosures are of this type. Also, those with hard
paper bag enclosures which allow air to easily flow through vents
or openings along the edges are a sure sign of this type. All
clean-air designs must have an sealed hard paper bag enclosure. To
identify this more durable type, open the lid of the bag enclosure
and look for rubber seals along the sides of the main enclosure
where the lid contacts it. Another sure sign is a filter at the
bottom or back of the sealed enclosure through which the air passes
after leaving the paper bag on its way to the suction motor.
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Identifying Durable Construction Materials |
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Along with being effective, a vacuum cleaner needs to be
designed and constructed appropriately so that it can withstand the
hard use it receives on a regular basis. Our article on the
External Structure Materials & Durability
elaborates on different materials used in vacuum cleaners and how the
life span is affected by them. Although metal is used extensively by
some companies, tough ABS Plastics
and polycarbonates like
Lexan are used to manufacture most
vacuum cleaners. Since it is very difficult to determine which types
of compounds are used in the construction, a knowledgeable sales
person like those at Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service is probably
your best source for obtaining this information.
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Reduced Wear on Moving Parts |
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A close examination of the moving parts and how they are
designed and constructed to reduce normal wear and tear can help
you find a vacuum cleaner which will be more durable. The type of
bearings used to support rotating parts like the
brush roll and motor
armature can make a big
difference on how long they will perform without failure. Due to
the extremely high speed of the suction motor, both of its bearings
should be ball bearings instead
of sleeve bearings. One company,
Lindhaus,
uses ball bearings which are mounted in rubber sleeves to absorb
vibration for quieter and longer operation. As discussed in our
article on Power Nozzle Elements & Durability, well designed sleeve
bearings for the brush roll can be quite durable, lasting the life
of the vacuum cleaner itself.
Another area to examine is the wheels and their axles. Uprights and attachments cover a lot of ground every week. The
axles should always be steel for reduced wear. A very poor design
used by some manufacturers is to make the axle part of the main
molded plastic base. The wheel then rotates on this plastic axle,
sometimes with a nylon sleeve between
the wheel and axle. This tends to create a large amount of wear
that can require the expensive replacement of the main base after
just a few years of use.
The type of belt used to transfer the power from the motor to the brush
roll can make a big difference in performance and cost of maintenance. Most uprights and power nozzles use a flat rubber belt which is stretched
when installed. The tightness of the belt keeps it from slipping on the
pulleys but also increases the wear on the bearings, particularly sleeve
bearings in the brush roll. Stretch type belts should be
replaced annually to keep the cleaner performing well. If not changed in
time, they will stretch to the point that the brush roll will stop and the
motor shaft will overheat and melt through the belt.
A much better belt design is the cogged or
geared type. It is constructed of reinforced rubber so it does not
stretch. The cogs mesh with gear type pulleys so that there is absolutely
no slippage. This extends the life of the bearings due to much less
pressure on them. Examples of cleaners having non-slip cog type belts
including all Lindhaus uprights and
power teams, all SEBO uprights and
power teams and all Aerus (formerly Electrolux)
uprights and power teams. This superior design eliminates belt slippage for better carpet
agitation and extends the belt life to about
five to seven years.
Recent years have seen the advent of a third type of belt, the Reinforced Banded
V-belt. Like the cog belt, these are reinforced and can not stretch. Instead
of being flat on the inside, they have about four or five miniature V shaped
grooves much like the belts used on car engines. Tention produced by a steel
flat spring pushing against the motor keeps them tight. Like the cog type belt,
these will last a number of years before requiring replacement.
Panasonic makes power nozzles with
this type of belt which are used on their own canister vacuums, some
Sears Kenmore power nozzles,
the deluxe Hayden power nozzle as well as a few
other brands.
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Multi-Fan Suction Motor Design |
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As mentioned in our article on
Fan or Impeller Types & Performance,
the more powerful suction motors in clean-air systems have two or
three fan stages pulling in series. While this design produces
more suction, it also extends the motor life substantially due to
reduced wear at the lower operating speeds. Single fan motors spin
much faster due to the reduced load of only one fan spinning the air.
This higher speed helps to create a more acceptable amount of
suction but the motor brushes,
commutator, and
bearings all have reduced life spans. This higher speed can be
heard by the higher pitch of the sound which the single fan motors
emit. Unfortunately, almost all canister and upright vacuum
cleaners made in the United States have been downgraded to using
single fan motors. The Aerus
(formerly Electrolux) power teams and two-motor uprights,
Rainbow power teams by
Rexair and most central vacuum
systems are some exceptions to this in that they still use
motors with more than one fan. We're finding more and more that we
must turn to European made vacuum cleaners like the
Lindhaus two-motor upright (Italy)
imported by Lindhaus U.S.A.,
and the Eureka, Sanitaire & later Electrolux power teams
(Sweden) imported by Electrolux Home Care Products North America
(formerly The Eureka Company)
to find these more durable multi-fan motors. These are extraordinary in their
durable designs and construction as well as their high
filtration capabilities. The vacuums in a subset of the
Panasonic Performance Plus Series with the
TriForce Motor are examples
of one-motor clean-air uprights which has a two-fan motor. Since
most vacuum cleaner literature doesn't specify how many fans the
suction motor has, you'll need to depend on a knowledgeable vacuum
cleaner technician like those at Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service
to tell you which vacuum cleaners use the more durable multi-fan design.
Some newer high performance motor
designs incorporate one fan which is much thicker near its center so more
air can enter its blades. Examples of this are the
Miele Vortex Motor
and the motor used in the SEBO canisters.
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Protective Filtering System |
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The filtering system of a vacuum cleaner performs two
functions. The first is to efficiently remove almost all of the
dust and allergens from the air which you breath as discussed in
our articles on Air Filtering Efficiency and HEPA and Micron
Filtration. The other is to keep the motor in a clean-air system
as clean as possible. Dirt is abrasive by nature and increases the
wear on the various motor parts. Excessive dirt in the suction
fans can even cause them to pull apart due the increased
centrifugal force exerted on their fins. Excessive vibration of a
suction motor can be caused by the uneven dirt deposits in the
fins. Look closely at the filter or filters which are between the
paper bag and the motor. The pores for the air to pass through
should be a small as possible. Plain foam rubber tends to be the
worst type of filter while the
electrostatic filter is the best. Also, make sure that it fits tightly in its housing and doesn't
allow any air to bypass it. Some vacuum cleaners like the
Aerus (formerly Electrolux)
use only a very coarse
screen instead of a filter between the paper bag and the motor.
The filter also acts like a safety barrier in the event the paper
bag tears and lets its dirt escape. With a poor filter or none
at all to stop the dirt, the motor gets more dirt in it, reducing
its life span.
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Natural Hair vs. Synthetic Bristles |
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Bristles on attachments like the floor brush and dusting brush are
usually made from a synthetic substance like nylon. While nylon is
normally an excellent wearing material, bristles made of it have
the tendency to curl and mat, becoming hard instead of maintaining
the nice soft feel. These synthetic bristles can be identified by
their black shiny appearance. The much better natural hair
bristles are usually brown but sometimes died black and have a
matte appearance. Although they will become shorter with use, they
will remain straight, soft, and flexible for many years of use. While the natural bristle if often referred to as "horse hair" it
often consists of boar (pig) hair.
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Repairable Electrified Hoses |
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Power teams and central vacs with motorized
power nozzles usually have a hose
with internal wires which carry the current for the power
nozzle's motor. These electrified hoses
wear like any other type of hose and eventually tear near one of
the ends. Due to the additional complexity of this type of hose,
it tends to be rather expensive to replace, particularly the long
30' ones used on central vacuum systems. Most electrified hoses
have molded cuffs on the hose at both ends and are unrepairable
when they tear. The hose used by Hayden
on their central vacuum is one of only a few which have ends that
can be taken apart, enabling a technician to repair the hose by
shortening it a few inches. By being careful to purchase a vacuum
cleaner with a repairable hose, you will save considerable money
in hose replacements over its life span.
The vast majority of vacuum cleaners, particularly those you
find being sold by mass merchants like department stores, discount
stores and block warehouse stores, are designed to provide
seemingly powerful motors along with a number of desirable features
at a very low price. Unfortunately, in order to create such
machines, the quality and durability is neglected and the life
expectancy drops to only a few years. By shopping at a vacuum
cleaner specialty store like Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service,
knowledgeable salespeople can show a broader range of vacuum
cleaners to you including those which will have three to five times
longer life spans while maintaining much greater system performance
all the time. Your chances of making the best purchase for your
particular cleaning needs is greatly increased when you talk face to face
or on the phone with our salespeople. All of them are also skilled
technicians who are very knowledgeable about vacuum cleaners, both inside
and out. They will be happy to talk with you regarding your various vacuum
cleaner needs, preferences and desires.
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