Vacuum belts – how to replace them when they wear out

One of the common causes of breakdown in all vacuum cleaners is the wear out of the vacuum belt. It is widely believed that the vacuum belt is responsible for the spinning of the fan. But that is not true as it is only responsible for the spinning of the roller (with rolls of brushes). This article aims at addressing the causes of wear in vacuum belts and how to replace them.

Causes of Belt Wear

Setting the Height Too Low

When the brush roller is set too low for the rug surface, heat and friction will develop. This low setting is usually done when you have a thick rug and you really want to clean and make it look nice. Doing this will make the brush work hard against the rug and it will begin to spin more slowly. The result of this is that the shaft which is still spinning at full speed starts to heat up. This slow rise in temperature causes the belt to heat up and eventually stretches the belt.

Culprit Overloaded

When the vacuum cleaner is switched on, the motor rotates and this rotation brings about the spinning of the brush roller with the help of a shaft. The vacuum belt is usually looped around this brush roller. As a result of this, the vacuum belt will burn if the brush roller is overloaded.

Wrong Use of Belt

The wrong use of a vacuum belt for your vacuum can cause the vacuum belt to break. It is therefore very important that the right belt is purchased and used for replacement. This can be done by seeking professional advice before buying or by buying in a place where vacuum repair is carried out.

Damaged Brush Roller– Sometimes, the brush roller of your vacuum may have some issues (like if it has worn out or melted). In cases like this, the brush roller will not be spinning properly or freely and this situation can lead to the burning of the belt.

Now that some of the causes of vacuum belt wear have been discussed above, it is important to look out how to replace the belt so that our vacuum cleaner can continue to serve its purpose. There are so many different vacuums and models out there. The belt replacement for the different types and models might differ a little but they basically still share same basic replacement steps as highlighted below:

• Try to get access to the vacuum belt and brush roller area
• The next thing is to remove the bad vacuum belt and the brush roller
• Then, fix the new vacuum belt on the brush roller and motor shaft
• Now fix back the brush roller with the belt properly positioned on it
• Lastly, you should reassemble the vacuum cleaner

This article has treated the causes of vacuum belt wear and how to replace a vacuum belt. It is believed that after going through this article, the information gathered will help you to easily detect when there is a belt wear and it will guide you on reinstalling a new one.