Shark vacuum loses suction after connecting the bin

worriednoob

Hi everyone,

We have a shark NZ801UK which has been running great for the last 2 years or so.  However it's developed a very odd problem where it's lost suction. 

So I took it apart and checked every single part to ensure that there was no blockage.  Any rubbish and dust was cleared in this process.

Also I removed the lift-away bin and checked the area directly where the dust filter goes above the motor to see if there is any fault with the motor.  But it has excellent suction power. 

However strangely enough as soon as I connect back the vacuum lift-away bin, the suction becomes extremely poor.  I have double-checked to see if there's any blockages but can't find any at all.

It's like the bin is not sealing properly or the air starts blowing out rather than sucking in.

Any ideas or is this ready to throw away and be replaced?

Thanks in advance!

FreeBear

Have a Dyson that did something similar to me... Washed the foam filter out, and got the suck back. Now have a spare, and they get rotated and bunged in the washing machine once a month or so.

Jonboy_1984

There are the two foam type filters below the bin, they are supposed to be washed monthly under the tap and dried for 24 hours per the manual, doing ours does make a difference to its suction.

worriednoob

FreeBear said:

Have a Dyson that did something similar to me... Washed the foam filter out, and got the suck back. Now have a spare, and they get rotated and bunged in the washing machine once a month or so.

Jonboy_1984 said:

There are the two foam type filters below the bin, they are supposed to be washed monthly under the tap and dried for 24 hours per the manual, doing ours does make a difference to its suction.

Thanks Freebear and Jonboy.

We've realised the issue with the reduced suction after contacting Shark.  It looks like one of the big filters is missing from the top of the motor.  It's possible that one of the family members may have taken them out to clean them and forgot to put the larger one back in and misplaced it, haha.  Thankfully Shark have ordered a new one for us.

However whilst going through diagnosing the issue, Shark have found another problem.  They told me to do a coin test and throw a penny through the hose.  If it comes out, then there's no blockage, but if it get's stuck, then the handle/hose is totally blocked.  Ours is totally blocked.  We've tried using flexible bamboo sticks to clear the blockage, but not had any success.  Can you recommend anything to clear this?

FreeBear

worriednoob said: However whilst going through diagnosing the issue, Shark have found another problem.  They told me to do a coin test and throw a penny through the hose.  If it comes out, then there's no blockage, but if it get's stuck, then the handle/hose is totally blocked.  Ours is totally blocked.  We've tried using flexible bamboo sticks to clear the blockage, but not had any success.  Can you recommend anything to clear this?

A drain snake might do it - Available from the likes of Amazon & Ebay from £3.00 - One with a spiral wire end rather than a brush. If you can poke it from the vacuum end, it may be a bit easier to clear the blockage.

worriednoob

FreeBear said:

worriednoob said: However whilst going through diagnosing the issue, Shark have found another problem.  They told me to do a coin test and throw a penny through the hose.  If it comes out, then there's no blockage, but if it get's stuck, then the handle/hose is totally blocked.  Ours is totally blocked.  We've tried using flexible bamboo sticks to clear the blockage, but not had any success.  Can you recommend anything to clear this?

A drain snake might do it - Available from the likes of Amazon & Ebay from £3.00 - One with a spiral wire end rather than a brush. If you can poke it from the vacuum end, it may be a bit easier to clear the blockage.

Thanks Freebear.  I've actually used a strong, but flexible metal wire.  But whatever the blockage is, it's really tough to remove.  It's solidified and almost like some form of gluey substance stuck in the middle of the pipe.

greyteam1959

If you can't remove the blockage buy a new pipe ??

kipsterno1

The whole pipe is detachable. Take it off and have someone hold it straight. You should then be able to use something more solid to push the blockage through or twist and pull out. If the blockage isn't in the flexible pipe then all the other parts are easily disassembled for cleaning.

worriednoob

greyteam1959 said:

If you can't remove the blockage buy a new pipe ??

I'd happily buy a new pipe, but I don't like unnecessary wastage ending up in landfill, so if I can fix this one, then I'd rather do that.

kipsterno1 said:

The whole pipe is detachable. Take it off and have someone hold it straight. You should then be able to use something more solid to push the blockage through or twist and pull out. If the blockage isn't in the flexible pipe then all the other parts are easily disassembled for cleaning.

How do I detach the flexi hose from the handle?