Appliances Renovation

Cylinder cleaners

This type of cleaner, which cleans purely by suction, is better suited to situations other than large carpeted areas: rugs, car interiors, large areas of hard flooring, walls, curtains and furniture. Carpeted stairs are also much easier to vacuum with a cylinder cleaner.

Suction-only carpet cleaning does not remove dirt and grit from the pile base in the same way that the beating and sweeping action of the upright models. However, a machine has been developed that combines the cylinder model with the powered brush roll of the upright vacuum. This type of cylinder appliance has the option of a powered cleaning head attachment that can be connected when required for large carpeted areas. This attachment has a revolving brush roll which is similar to that of the upright cleaner and the suction is supplied by the motor of the cylinder cleaner.

There are two ways in which the brush roll can be rotated. The first is by means of a fan system mounted in the suction head of the tool. The flow of air rotates the fans which, in turn, rotate the brush roll. This type is not very effective for several reasons. Very little power is produced to turn the brush roll, so stalling is common. In addition, the fans within the air flow are easily choked by debris. The second and better method of powering the brush roll is by a second smaller motor which is mounted in the attachment itself and supplied with power via a cable moulded into the flexible hose. This system is very efficient because two motors are used, one of which is purely for suction leaving the other motor to power the brush roll. The drawbacks are that fitting can be somewhat awkward and cable connections can cause problems due to constant movement during use. Problems with brush rolls, belts and motors are the same as those listed for the upright cleaner.

Suction in cylinder and canister machines is created by a very high-revving series-wound brush motor. A series of fans is attached directly to one end of the motor armature and rotates within a housing. The housing is a series of baffle plates and fixed fans that act upon the airflow to increase it substantially. The motors used in cylinder and canister type cleaners range in power from 800 watts to more than 1000 watts. As a result, a great deal of heat is produced when they are in use. They are designed so that the airflow created for suction is drawn over and through the motor to keep it cooled down during normal use and operation. This is why the air expelled from the exhaust/outlet vent is often quite warm.

The airflow is normally slowed during use and even over long periods of use it does not normally cause any problems. However, if the disposable bag is not changed regularly or incorrect bags are used, the airflow will become impaired. Infrequent secondary filter cleaning and renewal add further to this problem. It is most important to renew these items regularly. Failure to clean or renew secondary filters or the use of poor or incorrect disposable bags not only results in poor cleaning performance, but motor damage ¹or burn-out are likely to occur through overheating. General cleaning of the dust container compartment, regular renewal of the disposable bag and the cleaning or fitting of new secondary filters should be part of a regular maintenance routine to keep the machine in peak condition and prevent serious motor problems.

There are both double insulated and earthed appliances, but as with the upright models, double insulation is the more popular. As always, make sure that the correct flex is used and remember to make a note of all wiring, connections and fixings before and during servicing and repair. Although each part is shown individually in the exploded view of a typical cylinder/canister motor and fan assembly, many manufacturers do not supply separate parts as spares — only a complete motor and fan unit. Buying individual components often works out much more expensive than purchasing a complete unit.

Problems with the modern, high-revving motors, unless spotted early, can result in extensive damage to other parts of the motor unit. Therefore, it is preferable to obtain complete motor and fan units, thus avoiding any imbalance through worn or chipped fans, poorcommutators or heat damage to other components.

If you are carrying out stripdown of the motor and fan assembly, ensure that the motor casings are marked and that the fans, washers and spacers are all placed neatly in the order and position they were removed. This is essential: the positioning of all the components is critical as fans can often be reversed, producing little or nosuction.

A popular feature on cylinder cleaners is the optional variable power setting which controls motor and fan speeds. A reduction in fan speed produces a direct reduction in suction power. This is useful for cleaning loose fabrics that would otherwise be sucked into the attachment. Variable speed control is achieved using a special electronic circuit based on a thyristor or triac and a printed circuit board. The circuit interrupts or pulses the power supply to the motor. The speed control module is not repairable and is available only as a complete replacement unit. If speed problems are encountered, look for burnt components or loose connections. Check the motor for any shorting insulation, loose wires and worn or damaged brushes. Only when all other possible faults have been eliminated should the module be replaced. Make sure you buy the correct replacement and note all wires and connections before repair.

Some appliances have an automatic mode that alters the motor speed to suit cleaning conditions. This is done by a pressure-sensitive switch detecting a change inpressure of the air flowing in the suction hose. Alterations in pressure are countered by increasing or decreasing the motor speed accordingly.

Plastic casings and components, both internal and external, are popular with all manufacturers.

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