Are you losing patience with your vacuum cleaner because the belt keeps breaking? What on earth are you doing wrong? Don’t despair, as the Vax expert has wise words of advice to help solve this problem.
Vax Expert says:
If you find the belt keeps breaking on your vacuum cleaner, firstly, it’s important to know the machine is only doing this to protect itself. Think of it like a baby crying - something has gone slightly wrong, and it needs your attention.
The drive belt, most commonly housed in the base area of an upright vacuum cleaner, is your machine’s first line of defence. It’s designed to stretch, and potentially snap, if anything causes tension to the brushbar, which it rotates. Anything that can jam or push against the brushbar will stop it rotating, and pull at the belt, which is still trying to turn.
At this stage, something has to give, and rather than allowing the vacuum cleaner’s motor to burn out under strain, the belt gives way to let you know what has happened, and to prevent any significant damage. In other words, it’s a lifesaver.
The first step to preventing this happening too often is to identify the objects and situations around your home that can lead to this. Some or all of these may apply to you:
- Changes in elevation of flooring, including carpet laid onto an uneven floor, or any sloping flooring.
- Raised edges, including those seen on rugs, and often present underneath doors and entrances (sometimes called room dividers.)
- Any objects too large for your machine to collect. Children’s building blocks, small stones brought in by shoes and any other solid objects are likely to get trapped in and around your brushbar.
- String, cords, rope or tassels on furniture and rugs that can wrap around and strangle the brushbar.
Obviously, none of us are perfect, and some or all of these items may be encountered by your machine from time to time. It should not prove harmful to your vacuum cleaner to have to change the belt once in a while.
Your vacuum cleaner’s User Guide will explain how the belt works in your vacuum cleaner with instructions for changing this correctly, and may also have advice on how to prolong its life. Essentially, the best way to think of the belt is like the tyres on your car. The calmer and more vigilant you can be whilst driving, the less your tyres will wear. The less rough terrain they run over, the less chance they will puncture. The same careful operation of your vacuum cleaner can lead to your belt lasting years rather than days.
It is also important to check a couple of areas of your vacuum cleaner itself to ensure they are not the cause. Look at the following:
- Ensure the metal spindle that the belt sits on is clean, free of debris, and has a bright metallic appearance. If it is not, use light strokes of an emery board or fine sandpaper across this to remove anything that could interfere with the belt’s positioning.
- Check the brushbar is not stiff. With the belt removed, this should spin freely using your fingers. If it does not, a replacement may be required.
- If applicable, ensure you are using an appropriate height setting for your vacuum cleaner. Many machines have a dial at their base to allow you to set the unit for different carpet piles. To set this correctly, ensure your machine’s brushbar sits gently on top of your carpet pile, and is not firmly in contact with your floor itself, which would strain the belt and cause this to give way.
If you take into account all these likely causes, but still find the belt breaking regularly, it may be that your machine needs some professional attention from an engineer. Your vacuum cleaner manufacturer’s website is likely to have more information on this.
