Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

My wife and I finally finished to remodel / update our house.

We went with a loop pile carpet. However I am starting to realize that our
old Hoover WT with his rotating brush is not adapted to this type our carpet.

So far it seems we need a "suction only" vacuum cleaner. Is this correct?

If so, which vacuum cleaner (upright or canister) should we go with?
Oreck? Riccar? Hoover?

Thanks - Didier.

Hi Didier,

"Suction only" means making use of canister vacuum with a straight suction rug tool or an upright vacuum with its brush roll turned off. I have only heard of this recommendation for cleaning very old museum quality and/or expensive "oriental" carpets. If your new carpeting is standard broadloom installed wall-to-wall its care is best served by either an upright or canister vacuum with a revolving brush.

Check to see if your WindTunnel is in good working order and that it has a height adjustment and you should be just fine. Turn the cleaner on and start with the highest height setting and, setting by setting, lower the nozzle height until you hear a change in sound. The sound should be constant on both forward and backward passes. If not, lower the nozzle height just one degree lower.

However, if you feel that your investment in the new carpeting will be best protected by a vacuum with no revolving brush, the answer is to buy a canister vacuum without a power nozzle or one that at least offers a dual purpose straight suction tool for rugs and floors. I'd also say, in my opinion, the straight suction nozzle should have a brush strip as opposed to velcro-like lint picking strips.

Check out your local vac shop for a good rebuilt all-metal Royal or Electrolux tank-type that has a regular nozzle as opposed to a powered one.

IF you have no high traffic in your home or pets or children a straight suction vac should serve you well enough -- that is if you vacuum often. The particular advantage of upright or canister vacuums that employ revolving brushes is that besides being better at routing out embedded dirt and grit and getting up pet fur they also aid in keeping capeting looking as perky as the day it was first installed.

Hope that helps . . .

Venson

Hello Didier:

You want a vacuum that is light and easy to maneuver over the looped carpeting without getting buried in the rug pile and making it difficult to push/pull.  Also, a vacuum with a manual rug height adjustment to set the rug nozzle height: High enough off the carpeting to clean and groom, but not too low that it gets mired in the rug. 

ORECK is light and versatile at 8 pounds and maneuvers effortlessly over my looped medium pile wool carpets.  Even w/o the rug adjustment.  I suspect the comparable RICCAR and SIMPLICITY lightweights would be the same as the ORECK.  But I'd rate them a tad above the ORECK overall.  The HOOVER TEMPO at 16 pounds, with tools on board, has a rug height adjustment and works very well on my looped wool carpets too.  At $70 on sale this week at BEST BUY stores, it's the best on the market for the money, IF you prefer uprights over tanks/canisters.   The short cord is the drawback on the TEMPO: Only 24 feet.  Consumer Reports typically rates HOOVER TEMPO in the top 10 uprights and a Best Buy.

A suction vacuum alone is never an option for carpets like yours.  The dirt that falls down into the fibers and gets embedded in the rug, if not removed, wears out the carpets as you walk over.  You have to have a revolving brush and/or agitator to remove this embedded dirt in order to make the rugs last.  Suction alone removes only the surface dirt/dust.  Brands that can't perform well on looped rugs will say that suction alone is okay.  And tell users to stop the brush roll action when vacuuming rugs.  It's a ploy and disingenuos.  Don't believe it.

Carmine D.

Hello Venson, Didier:

I posted before having the benefit of seeing your post.  And repeated much of what you said. 

Another option that comes to mind, if you are so inclined, is the halo upright with the UVC light.  Which has some risks for service and support in the future.  At 17 pounds it will maneuver like a lightweight despite not having a rug adjustment.  And these halo models are being battered down in price by retailers to sell: $179 for the model with tools on board including free shipping.  Possibly even a better deal can be had with the holiday sales.  

Carmine D. 

I would suggest Riccar/Simplicity.  These have been approved for all carpet types, and do a very good job cleaning, particularly the Brilliance/Synchrony and the Radiance/Synergy models.

I would highly suggest avoiding the Halo, as they have a lot of reliability issues around the belt driving the brushroll, and the UV bulbs burning out (based on other people's experience), and the fact that no parts are available, and if it needs repair they just send you a new machine.  I tend to prefer a vacuum that you CAN get parts and service at a local store.

Venson wrote:
Venson and all,

Thanks for your reply.

My wife and I found the following comments on some sites like Amazon ->
http://tinyurl.com/5dhdah

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=41167

Hard to say, but after reading this I thought I would ask. Our carpet is not exactly berber but definitely wall-to-wall loop carpet
in multiple rooms of our 2nd story.

Thanks - Didier.

Thanks again for all these info.

The reason for this is that Dyson, and many other cheaper uprights have brushrolls that are too aggressive on the carpet.  Most of the higher end machines were designed to clean well, but not damage even delicate carpets.   Of course there are some very delicate Oriental rugs that you shouldn't use a brushroll on, but all modern wall to wall carpets can be brushroll vacuumed.

Hello Didier, Vacuuman:

My looped pile wall to wall carpets are Mohawk.  And I have berber area rugs throughout the house.  I bought and tried a dyson upright DC07 pink but to no avail.  I identify with the link you posted.  I noticed too that the rug nap [new carpets]  wrapped around the brush bar and constantly caused the clutch shut-off ratcheting noise.  An indication that the brush bar stopped by the clutch.  The dyson Help Line was not much help.

My home builder and flooring subcontractor warned all the home owners in a September 21, 2006 meeting against using dyson vacuums and recommended HOOVER models.  [Unfortunately I bought this dyson on a Labor Day Sale 2006 at a local TARGET store several weeks before the home meeting.  I didn't want to return it, as the dyson Help Line recommended, because dyson contributed $45 of the purchase price to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.]

One reason for the HOOVER preference and recommendation is the rug height adjustment which is not on any dyson upright vacuums.  With the height adjustment the user can manually set the rug nozzle from falling down into the rug.  On dyson models, with no height adjustment, the brush nozzle falls down into the rug.  The user can't push and pull the vacuum.  Brush bar on dysons get mired down in the rug pile and this causes rug damage.  With dyson models like the DC07 and DC14, the clutch shuts off the brush bar/roll making the ratcheting noise.  This feature is no longer used on dyson uprights.

You're right on all the risks of buying the halo upright, Vacuuman.  My reason for recommending halo uprights are the rug bugs and mites.  We know now from scientific research that brush roll action kills the mites and bugs.  As does the halo UV-C light.  Straight suction alone will not kill the rug bugs.  Another reason, Didier, for having brush roll action on looped carpets.  The ORECK uprights [recommended by the Carpet and Rug Institute on all carpets] and halo uprights, due to their light weights, maneuver well on higher carpeting even without the rug height adjustment.  Why?  Light weight brush nozzles heads.  The prices on halos are way down from their MSRP.  All halos still around during the 2008 Holiday Sales will be sold at bargain basement prices.  Less than $179 with free shipping and tools on board.  But like you said Vacuuman, it's risky!

I am currently using the HOOVER TEMPO upright for $70.  It has a brush roll, rug height adjustment, a bare floor adjustment, and with tools on board weighs only 16 pounds.  It works perfectly on all my carpets:  Mohawk wool medium looped and berber.  BTW, a local retailer of rugs and carpets gifts a HOOVER TEMPO away to buyers who purchase wall to wall carpets.  It has for many years.

I also have and used the ORECK Classic XL.  It weighs 8 pounds.  ORECK has worked wonderfully on all my carpets and floors since April 2007.  I'd recommend either/both without reservations. 

Carmine D.

Hi Didier,

I would say that your application calls for a upright with the following features,double helix brush roll [no beater bars] Bypass twin motors one dedicated for the suction,one just for the brushroll, A geared toothed geared belt,with auto shutoff if something stalls the brush, The timing belt sends the same signal to the brush no under revving or over revving,top load easy change bags filtrete if desired, very easy to use and maintain by the user, a company thats in the vacuum business and dont sell vacuums as a sideline.

That being said,look at the following machines,SEBO felix,SEBOx4, Aerus/Electrolux prolux uprights,pro team xp15, sanitaire sc785 upright, LINDHAUS activa series,all the mentioned machines will give you 15 to 18 years of service,with maybe 2 tune ups during that period, all the machines will groom and clean your looped carpeting and keep them looking nice.

Hope this helps

MOLE

Carmine... you suggested the Hoover Tempo.  Would that not have the same brushroll as Diddler's current WindTunnel?  Seems to be in WindTunnel form factor... even if it doesn't have the "dual" (or now "triple") WindTunnel suction chambers....

Carmine... you suggested the Hoover Tempo.  Would that not have the same brushroll as Diddler's current WindTunnel?  Seems to be in WindTunnel form factor... even if it doesn't have the "dual" (or now "triple") WindTunnel suction chambers....

Hello MOLE, Vacuuman:

The vacuum recomendations you suggested to Didier for his rug cleaning needs are the top of line and the best made and sold on the market today.  And they will all do well and last a long time.  It's really his own personal wants and needs that have to met and those of any user beside himself who will be vacuuming too.

Carmine D.

Vacuumfreeeke wrote:

Hello Vacuumfreeeke:

Yes, you're right.  The traditional HOOVER TEMPO, Catalina blue, under the tutelage of MAYTAG and Whirlpool, and the HOOVER WT use the same brush roll.  I've encountered the latest HOOVER TEMPO, white, and a TTI Floorcare product, which uses a different brush roll than the earlier TEMPO's and WT.  Almost identical to the EUREKA brush rolls in the Whirlwind models.  My preference is the traditional HOOVER brush roll like the WT and earlier TEMPO models. 

I suggest the HOOVER TEMPO over the WT because its lighter than the traditional HOOVER WT but in all other respects is the same.  And it's less expensive.  I had the WT Supreme for several years, not self-propel, and it weighs in at 20 pounds.  TEMPO weighs in at 16 lbs, almost worthy of the lightweight division, which is all the rage now.  The HOOVER WT SP tips the scale at 25 lbs.  Of the 3, if I were inclined to buy from a big box retailer, I'd take the TEMPO.  If I had the druthers and others, I go with one of the recommendations by Vacuuman, Venson, and/or MOLE.  They are in business and they know the best of the best from all of the rest.

Carmine D.

Thanks to everyone for all these info. This is definitely useful.

To Carmine -> actually my wife and I had thought initially about a Miele
canister (being European) with a power brush attachment, until I start
to read more about loop carpet and vacuum.

To Mole-> I am intrigued by the Sanitaire sc785.

While not as light and inexpensive as a Hoover Tempo, the price point makes it interesting
compared to the other more expensive option. 

Thanks - Didier

dcontis wrote:

Hello Didier:

Meine Frau ist aus Deutschland, Bad Homburg.  Miele makes excellent vacuums.  Top of the line.  They last 20 years for their owners/users and then are handed down to family members and loved ones.  Recently Miele launched an upright line called the S7 series, also made in Germany.  There is a thread here devoted to the new Miele upright vacuums.  Worth a look see.

http://www.abbysguide.com/vacuum/discussions/27129-0-1.html

If you look under the "Reviews" tab on this page you'll find several recent commentaries posted by users about the new Miele uprights.  I haven't seen it and scoped out in person yet but it's on my "to do" list.

Here is another useful source of vacuum information and recommendations from the Carpet and Rug Institute.  Note that many of the vacuums recommended to you here, like HOOVER, ORECK, RICCAR, SIMPLICITY, EUREKA/ELECTROLUX are also recommended by CRI and receive the CRI seal of approval.

http://www.carpet-rug.org/residential-customers/cleaning-and-maintenance/seal-of-approval-products/soa-gl-vacuum-list.cfm

Good luck and keep us posted on your vacuum progress and purchase.

Carmine D.