Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

I am 74 and have repaired vacuums as a hobby for many years. This winter has been so bad for my work as an arborist that I have taken to vacuum repairs. I enjoy the challenge and want to declare that the designs of vacuum cleaners prove the old adage"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". I am new to this Forum but not to Internet forums. Last week I joined www.abbysguide.com forum and today the very small Yahoo Group vacuum_cleaners (only 14 members). I will post photos of the Fantom's electro-mechanical switch mechanism and a plastic spring loaded device that was loose inside it. I cannot find a source for a schematic or parts so I am having to mend broken parts with two-part epoxy. A plastic spacer inside the agitator brush broke into four parts so I will turn a replacement out of dogwood or hard maple on my General-Interational wood lathe. I am doing the best I can without information and my customer has no owner's manual. Manuals seldom have a parts diagram detailed to the full extent. I am also reconditioning my own Bissell 8975 and a Hoover Conquest 14" C-1418 that belongs to our church. Next week while volunteering at a museum I will work on a carpet shampooer that is stuck...probably a gummed orifice. My search thus far has shown that Fantom models kind of entered the market about the time Dyson did. It may be so that AMWAY bought the Fantom line for their distributors to sell from their Catalog. If anybody out there can help my plight please toot your horn and sound off. Thank you!

Thanks for taking time to salt this wound. If I can figure out the mechanical design of the switch and plastic plunger I'll have it running again. If not, part it our and move to the next vacuums.

A patient diligent persuit has finally located a comprehensive history about Fantom Technologies. From this forum and three others I gathered enough clues to find a corporate report of Fantom Technologies, Inc. for the year 2000 on sec.edgar-online.com. The company made their vacuums in China for corporate office in Ontario, Canada and West Columbia, South Carolina. Much of the report presents their drive for quality manufacturing in dual-cyclonic bagless vacuums and their marketing efforts made a broad reach to retail and AMWAY shopping catalog. My career in business management has relied on sayings such as Inspect What You Expect, and A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and a few others. The SEc report is written in very fine print and I am watching the Ohio State vs. Oregon game while reading trying to focus on both. At first glance, Fantom's weakness was caused by inadequate service and parts support. If they were so confident that their vacs were indestructible or infallible because of their high quality I believe they should have looked deeper within their products and plans and been more proactive for potential needs. The vac I am working on goes intermittent when the handle is at 12 o'clock position. I will figure how the three components work together to deliver continuity of current.

My progress since the 12th has been good. I found the pair of snap connectors in the handle assembly, left side, just above the wheel. They had rusted so I've spliced a pair of new connectors from Radio Shack, item 23-444. I am in reassembly phase of this very complex vac. Stay tuned for more news.

What is the url for your vacuum group?  I would like to check it out and maybe join it.  I collect and restore old vacuums, mostly canisters though I have a few uprights. 

Btw, a lot of the switches on vacuums are not specific to vacuum cleaners.  I have had some luck finding replacements for switches that manufacturers show as no longer available from a company called Carlson Electronic Sales ( http://cesa.com , no "www" in the url ).  I made this happy discovery trying to find a replacement off/on switch for old first generation swivel hose Kenmore canisters.  The switch on one of the ones I have had "Carlson" printed on the side.  I checked out their web site and lo and behold, they had several switches that filled the bill.  I have used their parts to replace those in other household appliances too. 

Made a mistake.  The switches will come from Carling.  I had one of my old vacs apart last night and looked at the manufacturers name on the switch.  My apologies for sending you down a rabbit hole.

Your reference was not a problem CountVacula. I have achieved a solution with the Radio Shack connectors 23-444 except for two black plastic mystery parts. The customer took the vacuum apart to try to fix it but got stymied with it. When I mentioned I repair vacuums he dug the Fantom out of his closet and sent it off with me to try. I have tried to find the fit but batted zero so I'll shoot a pic and post it for the group members to toss a dart at it.

Do i have to have a Yahoo e-mail account to participate in your group?

I do not have a vacuum group per se. My web site www.shermanstops.com pertains to wooden toy spinning tops which I turn on a wood lathe. I blog on two pages in Facebook but Do not have a web site for my tree service as all my accounts are local, earned by referrals, my business card and a weekly ad in the local newspaper. The Fantom reassembly is almost finished, down to the handle assembly and motor assembly. Their merger will be finished off with just two screws. First, I must make a pair of twist-lock tabs for the bottom panel to affix to the motor housing. Using seasoned dogwood I will make three pair each going a direction of grain that does not match the other: with, across and end grain coated with cryoanalate (Super Glue).. The original tabs were made of plastic that broke up. I enjoyed our dialogue and wish you good luck with your machines.