Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Technically, the Rainbow vacuum was the first to not lose suction.  It uses a more primitive dual cyclone design with water as a pre-filter.   If the Rainbow didn't have such a ridiculously high price and clumsy power nozzle, it would be a pretty good vacuum.  I don't know why they require you to hold a button down to keep the power nozzle operating.  One would think that they would use a simple 2-way switch.  All that on/off cycling can't possibly be good for the power nozzle motor.   The Rainbow uses an innovative brushless motor.  It would be a pretty good $800 vacuum with a better power nozzle. 

I noticed a website offering every product for eash model...The e1 model they offered the internal cooling filter...But for the e2..they didn't..SO this internal cooling..Is this hepa?

Hi Mark,no it's not a hepa rated filter,my only quess would be a pre hepa filter,that is used for cooling and air deflection,the reason for it being there is really undefined,My figuring is for when consumer reports rates the machine,it cuts down on the emmisions for the period of the testing.

mole

Hi Mole,

I think this would mean that the Rainbow may have a true by-pass system that compartmentalizes the motor and fan chambers.  Air coming into the suction port is not used to cool the motor but exhausts separately as in many wet-and-dry shop vacs. The second filter would be used to clean air brought in to air inlets meant expressly for cooling the motor.  If this is the arrangement, it helps to ward off motor damage due to accidents if the machine is tipped or over-filled and I would thnk may even lower shock hazard in such cases.  In my soap suds story, the Rainbow D2 I had began to sputter as the foam got past the fans and into the armature area of the motor. I unplugged it before it could short out.

Hey Mark, um-m . . . could we take yours apart for a look? :)

Best,

Venson

Thanks DIB!  Now we don't have to take Mark's apart.  In any event this constitutes more interesting science.  I'd love to see one of these motors au natural but hope that doesn't mean having to pay for the experience.

Thanks again,

Venson

Well....I've been curious to see what the hepa looks like anyway and I've looked at it closely...it still looks and smells very clean.. I've has this rainbow 1 yr and 3 mos..I have used it atleast 30 times..My house is wall to wall berber and tile in bathrooms 1300 sq feet home. Granted I change the water every 20 minutes..I may go a tad longer but the water has been at worst dark mop water...,mostly just cloudy with cat hair in it...I'm telling ya....I can tell a difference in how long the house stays clean..I'm a neat freak and a clean freak...If I use the regular Kenmore..It does a good job...But I'm trying to figure out if this water is not filtering the dirt like some say and it's bouncing off the water wouldn't the hepa be NASTY???? I mean it's a sealed system..all the air comes straight out of that hepa.

Thanks Guy's for the information,could this be the differences between the e2 and the e2 2speed machine,so the e2- 2 speed machine uses the sr motor and the e2 uses the carbon brush motor,hence the cooling filter.How has this sr motor worked out? any problems with the computor control boards?.

mole

Hi,Actually Rexair did use the fact the Rainbow would not loose suction as part of their marketing campaign!

I collect vintage Rexair products and have a 1961 Model D "chrome dome" which still has its original Parents,Good Housekeeping & Better Homes and Gardens hang tags intact and attached to its handle!

The back of the better homes and gardens tag has a Rexair Ad which shows the cleaner and bears the text....

"Sick and Tired of Cleaning Dust?,Rainbow will curtail your annoying dust problem!,All cleaners use airflow to clean,but because they force dirt through bags and dry filters airflow is reduced and decreases thier abilty to pick up dirt,as dirt clogs bag and filter pores airflow is further impeded!,thats why they clean much better with a new bag or filter...RAINBOW USES NO BAGS OR DRY FILTERS! the dust is trapped in Rainbows turbulent water bath which has no pores to clog.there is never a reduction in airflow,never a drop in cleaning efficiency..WITH RAINBOW YOU DONT CHASE DUST,YOU TRAP IT IN WATER!"

Its interesting to note that Rainbow didnt get a power nozzle option until 1974!,I dont understand that..RCA Whirlpool vacs had them in the late 50's..so did Lewyt...and of course the Electrolux G had one in 1960! What took Rexair so long?

The Hepa filter added on the current models was done because water doesnt trap all the dust,some things such as talcum powder,plaster and ash,blow right past the water and out into the exhaust air.

When Rainbow came out with their D3 model in 1980  this fact became quite obvious as they had routed the exhaust under a transparent dome,before long all the dust that blew past the water had clouded the inner dome and owners started complaining and asking why there was dust buildup when the water was supposed to trap it all.

Rainbow quickly dropped the d3 after only a few years and came out with the d4 in 1984 which deliberatly routed the exhaust air under the bottom of the cleaner so it never passed through the translucent dome...clever huh?!

The current models have a Hepa filter..(or hepa "neutralizer" as the slick salesman call them to avoid questions ) because they got sick of taking a beating in the consumer reports tests which placed rainbow at the bottom of the list when it came to blow by!...so now by the addition of this filter,the cleaner doesnt really have "constant suction" because the hepa DOES become blocked with dust and impedes the airflow.

I have to agree with a previous poster,I think the price of the current Rainbows are out of line and the slick used car salesman type high pressure tactics used to sell them are ridiculous.

Why not just drop the price and market the cleaner in normal fashion?

I went to a Rainbow dealer recently looking for old parts for one of my d2's and couldnt believe the fast talk and buzzwords that were being thrown about to sell the machine. It was like the old snake oil salesman bit.

They would'nt even call the e2 a vacuum (which it quite obviously is) they would only call it "the rainbow system" the salesman are also told not to use the word "suction" but rather "airflow" instead. suction is airflow!

Its all pretty pretentious.

That being said,I love the classic d & d2 series of Rainbow,in my opinion that was the best cleaner they ever made and they should never have changed it.

It really was the machine of tommorow,today!  todays vacuums arent futuristic. Modern technology isnt fun like it was in the 50's and 60's when everything looked like something from the Jetsons.

I dont mind the wieght of the machine or the "work" it takes to use and care for it. I enjoy using my Rainbow D2 and like the unique water filtration system. Its never a chore. Its an amazing machine!

Rexair even markets Rainbow fragerances which smell incredible.just a few drops and your home smells great!

Today all the vacuums are ugly plastic throw away piles of crap,made for todays ugly plastic throw away culture....our culture declined when the fins came off our cars.

Hi..I'm glad I found this place

Somewhere over the rainbow my rainbow d3C came all cracked

Darn DHL...looke like it got caught in a twister in Kansas

So now I search for a good case

Does anyone have any opinions on the strong points on the various models?

I want the water pick up feature & I believe that started with the D3

Does the D2 pick up water?

I like the sound of my d3C motor

I  know the D4 motor is different has anyone\heard the various motors

& would like to comment on the sound?

I have heard the new E models are really LOUD

I have a bird & need the strong smooth purring motor

I really like my D3C

but its really badly messed up cracks screw holes broken

& still hoping DHL might make some restitution.

Bad thing about the rainbow is some particles may not enter the water

oily type etc smoke ash so I have been adding a drop pf simple green to the basin water

I feel it might help dissolve a better catch a oily particle

Any comments  on this laborious but inventive vac are appreciated

as instead of trying to find a new case & basin for this I might opt for another used in a different model.

Hi,

You can do wet pick-up with any Rainbow or Rexair made.  Squeegee attachments, first the standard bare floor tool fitted with rubber strips in place of brushes, were around all the way back to the Rexair days.  The D2 offered a better designed tool for floor scrubbing and wet pick-up. Having owned a few of these over time and though it will increase weight, I strongly suggest that you use the four-quart water pan and keep an extra hose on hand for "wet work".  I never liked using the same hose or the metal wands for dry and wet jobs.  You should also be sure to keep a watchful eye on the cleaner as there is no way to prevent it from over-filling otherwise.

Rexair/Rainbow is and has always been an acquired taste as far as vacuums go.  You either love them or  find you can quite easily live without them.  The water needed for filtering adds extra weight -- not necessarily a problem in a single-story home but a pain for some when moving up and down stairs. Not great either when what you're doing -- like cleaning the top of bookcases -- requires you to tote the cleaner along. 

Depending on the individual, maintenance may or may not prove an irksome chore. Rainbow is not a machine you just take out of the closet and get up and go with or then put away immediately after use.  Without proper care, thorough cleaning and drying after use and regular water changes while in use, investment in a Rainbow is a pure waste of time and money. To do otherwise means dirt that does not get caught in the water pan may end up on the fans and also build up on the inner unit housing.  

It's good that you are aware of the dry pick-up limitations.  It is not wise to use a Rainbow to clean soot, ash or plaster dust but it's probably not a good idea to do that with any household vacuum though I've seen some old Luxes used to plow through all manner of stuff and still keep going.  Anyway, my fun Rainbow story is the time I accidentally picked up powdered laundry detergent with a D2 I owned. No, no bubbles everywhere but the sputtering of the motor scared me into believing I'd killed it but good.  However, it just took a couple of days to let the unit sit and dry out before it was as good as new.

The D4 used a by-pass motor.  In other words, the armature, etc., were not cooled by air from the suction stream but a separate cooling fan.  This would mean less damage possibilties if water got pulled into the fan chamber.  A link to a schematic follows:

http://www.elkypro.com/hoops2005/vacuum_parts/rexair/D4.html

Part are available but for what Rainbows cost used these days, I suggest getting another whether or not DHL comes through.  Being an eBay and online shopper it's best to have the package insured.  It costs a couple of dollars more but proves worth it in situations like yours.

Here's hoping DHL refunds you in full.  Best of luck . . .

Venson