Jody Larson
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Poetry Sampler
  • Books and Publications
  • About Me
  • Contact

Fix Your Vacuum, Change the World?

12/1/2021

4 Comments

 
About a month ago, I came across an article about how repairing broken items not only supports sustainability, but also empowers people, providing a psychological boost in these troubled times. (You can read the article here if you’re interested. It seems mostly to be a promotional piece on Kyle Wiens, who has an online repair community called iFixit.)
​     The timing was interesting in that I had just completed a repair on our vacuum cleaner. The “vacuum handle release pedal” had broken and  needed replacement. 
     Our vacuum is a Kenmore canister vacuum that’s more than ten years old. Like most canister vacuums, it has an attachment that glides across the carpet sucking up the dirt. Kenmore calls this the “Power Mate,” and it’s attached to the canister by a metal tube (wand) and flexible hose. The Power Mate has a motorized roller brush to sweep the carpet, and a light on the front.
Picture
The new Vacuum Handle Release Pedal. Actual width is 1-5/8"
     The vacuum handle release pedal holds the tubular wand in an upright position when locked. To unlock the wand, you step on the release pedal, and you can then lower the wand at an angle for use. It’s useful in that when you stand the wand up, it doesn’t just flop to the floor.
       The locking part of our vacuum handle release pedal had broken off. That’s the tongue-like part in the middle.
Picture
The Power Mate with the broken release pedal in place. The gray housing is where the wand connects.
Picture
Here's the broken piece.
       It would seem to be a simple matter to replace this release pedal. You just get a new part and install it. Voila! Sustainable! Empowering!
      Because this is an old Kenmore, the best source for this part was Sears. I went to searspartsdirect.com and with some help from chat support, found the part. I decided just to get it from Sears because it was hard to find elsewhere and wasn’t significantly cheaper. The photo of the new part up at the top is from the Sears site, and you can find this same photo all over, complete with the dent in the paper to the left.
       I was told that this part came with instructions. It did not.
   Evidently this release pedal fits many different Kenmore vacuums, but replacing it is easier on some than on others. In my case, it was difficult. The broken part could not be removed easily. It was necessary to take apart the Power Mate to have enough space to lift the broken part off and put the new part on. 
      Kyle Wiens, the repair advocate, says, “Once you remove the first screw and you start, you’re gonna succeed.” I love optimists, don’t you? So cheery!
      I have dismantled the Power Mate in the past, fortunately​—but I soon found I had to boldly go beyond my experience. Let the photos begin! 
    The photos immediately below show the steps just to get inside the red housing of the Power Mate. The cover unscrews and unclips from the base. (Click each photo to see a caption.)
Once inside, I had to unscrew and unclip the wand connector and small motor to allow the wand connector to be raised enough to remove the broken part.
Finally! I could pry that broken pedal out and clip the new part in place.
Not done quite yet. Reassembly needed. Fortunately I had kept things organized and taken photos.
This turned out well in the end, but it wasn’t any ten-minute repair. I spent a lot of time, and I had gotten to the point where I began to feel the minutes of my only life slipping away . . . just to have a working vacuum . . . 
      My repair was cheaper than having a technician attempt it, and also cheaper than purchasing a new vacuum. Is that the point? I wonder. I don’t know that I changed the world, but who knows. I suppose it was a tiny victory in modern life.
4 Comments
Susana
12/2/2021 03:52:41 pm

BRAVA! Well done docudrama.
I hope the high is kicking in, the world is brighter, you are lighter!

I have a 20 + year old Kenmore, a little blue thing with some cute name I've forgotten. (It replaced a brown one that was even smaller but just took a little too long after 30 years. Goodwill got it.) My little blue just lasts and lasts because of a trick I have. No animals, no carpets, short hair, . For some this would be a dismal, sad and lonely life. However, I'm just thrilled when I can find bags that are compatible and can go on my winter lint patrols. Oh those wool socks! They act JUST like pets, leaving a trail of cast off hair. And all too soon summer brings dirt from garden shoes. Ah, the cycles of life with a vacuum that keep us from living in one.

Reply
Jody
12/3/2021 08:02:25 am

Kenmore is an old favorite, as brands go.

I'm picturing you chasing the "dust lambies" in winter. We left all our wool behind when we moved to Florida: (a) no need for it, (b) it gets eaten by moths here.

But does your little blue have a vacuum handle release pedal? Does it? Huh?

Reply
Deborah Robbins
12/10/2021 10:45:35 am

You're a brave, confident soul to attempt this at all, especially after the replacement arrived without instructions. Working methodically and without giving way to frustration is an achievement in self-mastery. I applaud you and your sturdy vacuum cleaner. It looks so spiffy and shiny that its very appearance must have given you confidence that it could be restored. Congratulations!

Reply
Jody
12/10/2021 06:13:31 pm

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, it is a nice vacuum.

I have recently bought a new computer. Today I was brought to my knees trying to get Outlook set up. Being online with Microsoft tech support did not help; we took a wrong turn and had to retrace. Self-mastery was out the window. I'd fix a vacuum any day compared to this! (It did get accomplished in the end.)

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    DIY
    Memoir
    Money
    Nature
    Spirituality And Buddhism

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021

    RSS Feed

    Click Here to Sign Up for Updates
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Poetry Sampler
  • Books and Publications
  • About Me
  • Contact