My Numatic Charles wet and dry vac, which hasn't had much use, suddenly stopped working today and gave off a burning smell. Now when I operate the switch it'll run for about a quarter of a second.
I've ordered another, one but I wondered what might have caused it - I though they lasted for years, must be unlucky.
I'd find out before binning it. It may be something as simple as a switch - probably is.
NT
Is this the main vac part, or the pump for the wet part?
It might only need new carbon brushes.
Cannot remember if they have a cut out when they they get full, if it has is there any chance something is sticking so the machine "thinks" it is full and shuts off? Might pay to look around and see if anything has got stuck.
G.Harman
Well could be just brushes, or maybe the motor itsself is knackarered, like one winding shorted turns and then thermal cut out shuts it down. Could be repairable, but the question is, is it cost effective? Brian
suddenly stopped working today and gave off a burning smell. Now when I operate the switch it'll run for about a quarter of a second.
I though they lasted for years, must be unlucky.
My Wickes equivalent (Earlex) did the same. The motor is very powerful and needs a lot of cooling. The cooling fan on the Earlex (which may be the same bought-in motor that numatic use) is attached by a nut that comes loose so the cooling fan doesn't spin. The motor overheats and fries its internal wiring in an instant.
LUckily Earlex sell complete motor/top housing assemblies which cost me £30 (in 2011).
You can easily get Numatic spares too. Buying a new one seems a bit over the top (especially in a DIY group!)
I asked if it was that or the pump, because they have a habit of jamming but are easily freed up.
Night pay to empty the bag? ;)
Erm, not sure I understand the question. It's the big black circular heavy thing with a motor in it and a flex going to it that sits on the top of the body in which the bag sits.
To convert it from wet to dry you take out the bag and filter and put in another filter with a float valve.
As far as I can see the thing that does the sucking is the same whether it's in wet mode or dry mode - in wet mode it sucks water and in dry mode it sucks dirt!
Burning smell is probably the winding having overheated. If it melted, it won't be repairable, but you can get a replacement motor. Failed windings can result in motor speed varying in early stages of failure, as windings short intermitently, but the sorting generates much more heat and it will quickly wreck itself.
This is caused by insufficient air flow (air path blocked), or bearing having failed with lots of resistance. Failed bearings usually become very noisy before they die.
Some of them (maybe all) have a soft-start circuit board, but I don't recall seeing that fail in any I've looked at. Had one with a failed mains switch, but no burning smell in that case.
If there's a Restart Party or Repair Cafe anywhere near you, take it along and they'll help you diagnose it. We see lots of them.
Yes, but I was asking if it's the sucky bit that doesn't work, or the squirty bit.
It's wet or dry, not a carpet cleaner type - that one's George and has a pump.
Ah, sorry. Don't know how I made that mistake; George and Henry live together here, under the stairs!
George is basically a Charles with a pump - still does wet or dry.
Charles just sucks and isn't fussy what he sucks as long as you have prepared his innards first if you want him to suck water!
Or brushes. Seen things a bit like this with broken wiring for that matter.
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