Preventative maintenance, or (PM), is crucial to the performance and lifespan of your Windsor vacuum cleaner. Here we will take some basic steps to sustaining the cleaning power and longevity of you machine.
No vacuum will do you much good without a strong uninterrupted power supply. For this reason we will start our PM with an inspection of the power cord. Starting at the plug end of the cord, inspect for broken, bent, or missing prongs. Then check rest of the cord working your way towards the vacuum. You’re looking for areas where outer insulation has been cut or burned through. Because of the safety risks involved, the cord should be replaced if any damage is apparent. The most common sign of wear to a cord is “pig tailing”, or twisting of the cord. The cord is pigtailed when it is not unplugged when winding, or is wound starting at the plug and working towards the machine. A faulty cord could damage supply boards and even motors. Change the cord if any of these conditions exist.
You won’t pick up dirt without airflow. The Windsor vacuum is one of the most powerful machines on the market, but that will not be the case with a machine lacking air flow. Let's start at the most obvious. Bags and filters should be checked and changed if needed when doing a PM service. Clogs are the second most common reason a Windsor vacuum may be lacking suction. First remove the hose and check suction at the inlet of the bag housing. Then, let the vacuum hose hang straight towards the ground and look through it. If it’s free of obstruction, plug it back into the vacuum and test suction at the end of the hose. If you notice a lack of airflow, or you hear whistling from the hose, you may have a cut or puncture requiring the hose to be replaced. Never tape or glue the hose to repair it. This will likely cause a blockage and will be a short-term fix at best. Then we will plug the hose into the vacuum leading towards the power head. You should have no loss of suction when doing this. You will hear the suction coming from the underside of the power head. If there is an obstruction in the swivel neck or power head use your finger or a pair of long needle-nose pliers to remove it. The Windsor Sensor and Windsor Axcess vacuums are equipped with an access door for easy removal. That is the orange colored door on the underside of the vacuum.
Suction alone will not clean carpets nearly as well as suction with agitation. The agitator or brush roll gives the Windsor Vacuum its complete cleaning dominance. You should regularly check for hair and string wrapped around the roller. Occasionally you will need to remove the brush roll and its bearing-blocks to remove debris from these moving areas. Failing to do this will cause costly replacements of prematurely worn brush and bearing parts.
Lastly, you should always inspect the housings of the Windsor Vacuum including the bag housing cover, chassis and axel assemblies. If the vacuum is having trouble standing up, you may have a bent axle. This can crack the chassis of the vacuum and lead to a costly repair. Also, the base plates and sealing strips should be checked on the base of the machine. And finally we will inspect the bag housing and cover for a good seal.
We hope these steps have helped you understand how to keep you equipment running soundly and keep your facilities clean with less pain.