Shop-vac vacuum

[PHT]

Just thought I would give a word of caution. I have had a Shop-vac Pro, model QPL625 18 Gal for a number of years. The on/off switch went bad the other day. A call to Shop-vac revealed that the on/off switch is not a replaceable part. You have to replace the entire power unit. I don't know how many models have this requirement, but this model does. It doesn't make any sense at all to have to replace a perfectly good power unit because of a bad switch. I know that I will never buy a Shop-vac product again and will never recommend Shop-vac to anyone.

Paul T.

[Ed Edelenbos]

I agree they should be replaceable but especially on a device like that, it ought to be easy enough to replace it with a pretty standard switch or just wire it through and put a switch inline.

Ed

[Gordon Shumway]

I have one of their 10 Gal units and the switch went bad on mine as well. I didn't even inquire about a replacement because I figured the part would be extremely expensive. I just put a toggle switch in its place and it's worked fine for over six or seven years so far.

G.S.

[Greg O]

Welcome to the throw away society! You are not supposed to fix it. You are supposed to buy another one! Greg

[Swingman]

Listening to the politicians these days, it seems the cure for all our ills would be for us to all buy a car ... and not drive it.

[Leon]

I am already being reminded of the "Carter" days. We have had our hey day now we must pay out the nose for others mistakes. I cannot wait until Obama grows a shoulder length "Fro".

[Morris Dovey]

Hmm - where does this "supposed to" come from?

If you're planning to dumpster the ShopVac, hang on to the hose (or send it to me!)

[Daryl]

Check the date code in the bottom. Mine was a couple months shy of 3 years when it went out. Called their CS number and explained what the problem was. They sent me a new power unit no charge. Still crazy to have to replace the whole thing over that but was satisfied it was not on my dime. To be honest, I would be very surprised to find any vacs in the Shop Vac price point are any different.

Daryl

[David G. Nagel]

The point of building the on/off switch into the unit is that it costs less to manufacture that way. Repair is the last thing a design engineer looks at. If you don't believe me look under the hood of any modern automobile.

Dave

[Dave in Houston]

Ah, yes, the Rush Limbaugh School of Conservative Thinking: I WANT HIM TO FAIL !

Dave in Houston

[news]

And then compare it to the underhood view of a '57 Chevy with a 6 cylinder inline engine - you can actually see all the way to the ground on either side of the engine ;-)

John

[WW]

John... My 71 Ford pick up. 6 cylinder. I climbed over fender and stood on the ground to change spark plugs. Sold it last year. WW

[Larry Blanchard]

I had a '51 and, as a skinny teenager, I could stand in the engine compartment and work on it :-).

And then there were those babbit bearings ...

[Dave in Houston]

And mine was a hand-me-down, non-running '50 Deluxe four-door, three speed on the column, cracked water jacket. But it saw me through my senior year in high school . . . once I finally got the replacement timing gear installed. I had to use a quilt for a back seat cover which, BTW, wasn't actually a bad thing. ~:o) Deluxe, BTW, meant it had a heater in it.

Dave in Houston

[Leon]

No, I absolutely do not want him to fail. Every one poked fun at Clinton, and Bush, just imagine the up roar that would be created if Obama changed his look to that of "Link" from the Mod Squad. I guarantee you the shiny head look would vanish.

[J. Clarke]

Then there was my Dad's F-100. It came with a heater, but to turn _off_ the heater required turning a valve under the hood. The valve was an extra-cost option. This was in Florida.

[Dave in Houston]

Yes, we have Michael Jordon to thank for that fashion milestone. Better shaved than regular male pattern baldness.

Dave in Houston

[Dave in Houston]

My best-friend in high school had a '60 or '61 [unsafe at any speed] Corvair with a gasoline heater! And, it had a slow drip over on the passenger side like where the heater core was located behind the glove box. It's a wonder we didn't torch ourselves, Marlboro men that we were.

Dave in Houston

[Brian n Garland]

I had the same problem about 6 months ago. I complained and was told that for liability reasons they did not sell the switch alone. They ask me how old the unit was and I told them about 2 years. The representative on the phone "decided" it was under warranty and sent a complete motor unit for no charge. Call them back because I suspect this is a common problem on this model and they are trying to keep customers happy. You can always talk to a supervisor and keep going up the chain until you get satisfaction.

Remember, " do not talk to anyone that does not have the authority to say yes to solving a problem".

Brian

[Bob Alexander]

Mine died last summer also. You can remove the handle and then the cap to access the switch. There are slide-on connectors fastening the wires to the switch. I cut mine and wire-nutted some 14ga. wire extensions and bored a hole off to the side for a Radio Shack switch that I had laying around. Works better than before.

Bob A.