How to fix a vacuum cleaner
Here is a list of the most common problems you might have with your vacuum cleaner.
Suction problems
1 - The vacuum cleaner is full. You have to either change the bag or empty the canister.
2 - Something is stuck in the pipe, sometime when you pick up some debris that are almost as wide as the diameter of the pipe they could get stuck somewhere in the middle. And then as you pick up more dirt like hair it gets stuck on that piece of debris and you end up with a plugged pipe. The solution is to use a broomstick that you insert from either end of the pipe to loosen up the plug.
3 - If you don’t have any of these problems, then it might be a more serious thing like the motor losing his power for some reason like worn motor brushes or broken propellor. This required a little more work and some skill to fix?
4 - For the upright model. You should also look at the rotating brush. The strap that is activating it might be broke or worn.
The vacuum cleaner won't turn on
If all of a sudden the vacuum cleaner won't turn on that mean that you have an electrical problem. It could be one of five thing: A broken wire in the power cord, a broken wire or loose connection in the vacuum cleaner, a faulty switch, worn motor brushes, and less likely but not impossible a dead motor. If you are someone that as no electrical skill at all but would like to learn this is a good place to start. Apart from the standard set of screwdrivers and pliers. You've got to get yourself a multimeter. You don't have to buy an expensive one; I think you can get the most basic one for ten to fifteen dollars, and those are good enough for this kind of work.
The multimeter is a very practical tool to have at home. I won't get into too much detail, but know this, whit it you can check the continuity from one end to the other of an electrical wire. You can also test your battery to see if they are still usable. For those that own a multimeter and know how to use it. You have no excuse you've got to give it a try to see if you can fix it. Come on! You’ll probably end up saving some money and helping the nature at the same time by avoiding adding your still very good vacuum cleaner to the already too big pile of domestic garbage.
For those that don't own a multimeter and who are not interested to get one. You could at least try a couple of things before buying a new one.
Take a look at the power cord for any visible damage, leave the switch on and try twisting the cord in different way, if it turn on when you move the wire around it means that you have a broken wire inside the cord that still make contact when you bend the wire in a certain way. If you find that this is the case get a new one and replace the cord.
Be aware that this might not work you could have a broken wire even if you cant turn the vacuum on while you are twisting the wire.
You could also try to see if you have a faulty switch. Connect the vacuum cleaner to the power outlet and try switching it on and off a couple of time if it turns on once in a while that probably means that you have a faulty switch. Again, same advice as with the power cord. If it never turn on that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not a faulty switch. If you find that you have located the problem and you decide that you are not interested in to trying to fix it yourself you could bring it to any electrical repair shop with your new part and pay them to do it for you. Or even better you can ask your brother in law. You know the one that knows how to fix everything. Again the power cord and the switch are usually very easy to change and not expensive to buy. You just have to get the part from the dealer and that's it your vacuum cleaner works like new again.