If you have one of the less pricey models, you might want to consider buying a new one before having someone repair it for you. The hourly fee for labor and the costs of parts may not warrant the repair price, unless of course you simply have to have the vacuum cleaner that you’ve grown accustomed to for a long time. An honest repair service will tell you that upon examination, which is usually free unless the problem is not easily diagnosed on the surface.

In most situations, when you find a repair shop and bring in your broken vacuum cleaner, they’ll ask you a few simple questions. Obviously, if you knew what was wrong, you’d fix it yourself. All most people know when they bring in their broken machine is that it’s broken. The repair shop will ask you what was happening when it stopped. He’ll ask how old it is and a few other pertinent questions so he can make a quick evaluation of the problem. Then he’ll give a quick examination to the obvious moving parts and if he sees something, he’ll be able to tell you immediately what’s going on and what it will take to fix it.

If he can’t diagnose the problem quickly, you’ll have to leave the unit in the shop, pay a small fee for him to determine the nature of the problem and discuss the matter over the phone before he makes the repairs. You can then decide if you want to go for the cost of repairing your vacuum cleaner or if you’d rather junk the old one and buy a new one.

At first, the size of the debris was a question to be dealt with. Then there were wet and dry items that needed to be dealt with simultaneously. Extremely hot or corrosive elements were added to the mix and then radioactive debris had to be taken into account. All of this debris, a bi-product of some sort of manufacturing or large-scale commercial operation, had to be dealt with by vacuum cleaner manufacturers. Often, the special requirements of a company were dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the same time as the new plant was being constructed.

Similarly, airborne debris, dust and microscopic particles of whatever was being produced in the shop had to be removed from the air, either to protect the workers or to gather and store the valuable materials to keep from losing them. Huge vacuum cleaners were mounted on rooftops, and behind the factories themselves, that resembled air-conditioning units more closely than vacuum cleaners. But they performed precisely the opposite function. Where air-conditioners cool and then pump air into the factory to keep temperatures comfortable and controlled, these huge vacuum cleaners are sucking the air out of the factories, either from the ceiling levels or from beneath the floor, filtering out the debris and keeping it accessible during cleaning.

Factories that produce fine particulate debris as part of their manufacturing process need to maintain a safe breathing environment for their workers and those companies that are refining a valuable metal need to collect the particulates for later re-use. Both functions are amply served by today’s industrial vacuum cleaners.

A bit later someone invented a small, tennis racket-looking device called a rug beater for precisely this purpose. Mr. Hess soon realized that there was probably an easier way to clean rugs without all the fuss and mess and he invented the Carpet Sweeper which had a rotating brush combined with a bellows system that created suction. His amazing invention also used two water chambers to trap the dust and fine dirt. The only problem with Mr. Hess’ machine is that there is no proof it was ever produced.

After Mr. Hess’ invention, there came a period of wilder and weirder inventions that sought to accomplish the same thing. In the late 1870’s, Melville Bissell (sound familiar?) marketed a carpet sweeper that picked up the dirt and dropped it into a pan behind the rotating brush. In 1899, John Thurman invented a gasoline-powered vacuum cleaner that is credited as being the first motorized version. In 1901 Hubert Booth of London invented the electric vacuum, a device so large that it was parked outside the house and a 100-foot long hose snaked its way inside and did the dirty work.

The device was so popular that housewives all over London held vacuum parties to enjoy the event. It wasn’t until 1908 when James Spangler, a janitor in Ohio, invented the first portable, suction cleaner — the precursor to today’s high tech machines. He sold his patent to his cousin’s husband, William Hoover (also familiar?) and the rest, as they say is history.

At first, the size of the debris was a question to be dealt with. Then there were wet and dry items that needed to be dealt with simultaneously. Extremely hot or corrosive elements were added to the mix and then radioactive debris had to be taken into account. All of this debris, a bi-product of some sort of manufacturing or large-scale commercial operation, had to be dealt with by vacuum cleaner manufacturers. Often, the special requirements of a company were dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the same time as the new plant was being constructed.

Similarly, airborne debris, dust and microscopic particles of whatever was being produced in the shop had to be removed from the air, either to protect the workers or to gather and store the valuable materials to keep from losing them. Huge vacuum cleaners were mounted on rooftops, and behind the factories themselves, that resembled air-conditioning units more closely than vacuum cleaners. But they performed precisely the opposite function. Where air-conditioners cool and then pump air into the factory to keep temperatures comfortable and controlled, these huge vacuum cleaners are sucking the air out of the factories, either from the ceiling levels or from beneath the floor, filtering out the debris and keeping it accessible during cleaning.

Factories that produce fine particulate debris as part of their manufacturing process need to maintain a safe breathing environment for their workers and those companies that are refining a valuable metal need to collect the particulates for later re-use. Both functions are amply served by today’s industrial vacuum cleaners.

A bit later someone invented a small, tennis racket-looking device called a rug beater for precisely this purpose. Mr. Hess soon realized that there was probably an easier way to clean rugs without all the fuss and mess and he invented the Carpet Sweeper which had a rotating brush combined with a bellows system that created suction. His amazing invention also used two water chambers to trap the dust and fine dirt. The only problem with Mr. Hess’ machine is that there is no proof it was ever produced.

After Mr. Hess’ invention, there came a period of wilder and weirder inventions that sought to accomplish the same thing. In the late 1870’s, Melville Bissell (sound familiar?) marketed a carpet sweeper that picked up the dirt and dropped it into a pan behind the rotating brush. In 1899, John Thurman invented a gasoline-powered vacuum cleaner that is credited as being the first motorized version. In 1901 Hubert Booth of London invented the electric vacuum, a device so large that it was parked outside the house and a 100-foot long hose snaked its way inside and did the dirty work.

The device was so popular that housewives all over London held vacuum parties to enjoy the event. It wasn’t until 1908 when James Spangler, a janitor in Ohio, invented the first portable, suction cleaner — the precursor to today’s high tech machines. He sold his patent to his cousin’s husband, William Hoover (also familiar?) and the rest, as they say is history.