Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Thalandor46]

Hi all!

As part of my weekly cage cleaning routine, I went to vacuum tonight, and noticed that suction was completely gone, despite the vacuum running completely fine.  I spent about an hour cleaning filters and disassembling various parts of the vacuum, and while I was unable to find any specific culprit, one thing was very clear.  The vacuum is dead.  Long live the vacuum!

Before I go out and buy the same one again, I thought I'd do some research and see if I can find one better suited for its purpose.  Surprisingly, Google didn't seem to have much to say on the topic, and searches for 'pet vacuum' mostly came back with models designed for hair, which is not really a chin issue.  I vacuum once a week, and don't put a whole lot of effort into keeping things inside the cage.  So there's a lot of shavings, droppings, some hay, and various other tiny things that get kicked around the cage.  I'd need something good at picking those up, and I'd also prefer if it was particularly easy to empty, since I usually do that right into the same trash bag as the discarded shavings.

So does anyone have any experience with this?  Anyone have any notably good and especially long lasting experiences with a particular model of vacuum?  Any insight would be wonderful.  Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

Chances are the hose is clogged with hay. Remove the hose and see if you can push a broom handle or rod through it. Sometimes hooking it to a water hose helps. My favorite vacuum cleaner for the job is a craftsman shop vac. Its the one with the 6.5 peak HP motor but 4 will probably work. Get one that uses the large diameter hose if possible. The smaller hose does work but does clog.

[Jo Ann]

    To unclog a vacuumcleaner .... first try putting your hand over the nozzle ... sometimes this extra suction caused by blocking the opening, will force it to unclog and suck the debris into the trash section of the vaccumcleaner.   

IF that does not work ... turn the unit off and gently tap the hose on the inside of your trash container to try to jar what is clogging it up loose.
 
IF that does not work, place your vacuum cleaner outside and connect the hose to the exhaust, instead of it's normal suction connection ... while holding the nozzle away from you (and anyone/thing else that might be around), turn the vacuum cleaner back on ... this should blow the clog (and lots of extra dirt and dust) out the other end. (This is why you do it outside the house, not inside the home.)

IF that does not work, try to gently, but firmly, to push it out or break up the clog with the use of a broom or mop handle ... caution: this last action could damage the hose if you do not do it properly, so be careful or let someone else try it for you.   

A replacement vacuum cleaner ... hummmmmmmmmm ... I use a Shop-Vac ... they work wonders for cleaning up after chins, kids and messy people.       They are also able to clean up liquid spills.   

When you empty a vacuum cleaner, regardless of the style, always try to do so outside ... otherwise, you are just putting pollutants back into the air in your home, even if you don't see them. 

    Jo Ann

[mojito]

I sweep up the hay and then either use my shop vac or if I have to vacuum my whole room I use a dyson. If hay clogging up in the vacuum is the problem try sweeping up the hay first. If I don't both machines will clog!