WHAT TO DO BEFORE STORING TO USE IT ON A LATER DAY: Thank you very much for reading my lengthy reply. For several months after I repaired mine, every week- end I scrub my tile floor downstairs and upstairs. It works so well that mopping the floors does not feel like a chore. I enjoy using it. Only steam comes out and wets the floor just sufficient to remove the dirt. Then the floor dries up in a few minutes. When priming is needed, I know it is difficult to blow air into the inlet of the tank. I use my fingers around the tip of the reservoir inlet to close any gap while blowing with my mouth. I had to blow like that on 2 or 3 occasions. After that every time I used, it self primes and in less than 60 seconds the hissing sound begins, that is the heater gets filled with water and gets steamed up. My experience suggests to finish the water in the reservoir after finishing the mopping for the day before storing. Don't leave any water in the reservoir if you are not using the mop for days. WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS STILL SOME WATER LEFT IN RESERVOIR AND OR LOOKS MUDDY - Yes, I run the unit to finish the water. Before storing there should not be any water in the reservoir. If the water looks muddy, please fill some water into the reservoir and close the cap, shake the unit to rinse the reservoir and pour the muddy water into the sink. Then give a final rinse with DISTILLED WATER and empty the reservoir water. Please do not use any soap or detergent, just DISTILLED WATER. If still some water is left, run the unit until the hissing sound subsides indicating that the reservoir ran out of water, and time to turn off the unit. However, do not run for a long time after the hissing sound subsided or the reservoir is already empty, because the inlet to the pump may fill with air pockets, which may require priming when you use next time. NOTE: After finishing for the day, make sure to finish the water by emptying or running a bit longer to consume the water out of the reservoir. And fill DISTILLED WATER again when you want to use it the next time. However, if you feel like adding some water into the reservoir while still using it, you do not have to complete empty it to refill some more DISTILLED WATER. I am writing it in all CAPs because any other water clogs the intake nozzle of the heater unit.
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES (Watch PART-2 demonstrates these techniques in great detail)- Some updates: Very first thing to do is use Distilled water not regular water or mineral water or purified drinking water. It needs to be DISTILLED WATER available in grocery stores, Walmart, Walgreens, Target etc. It costs only $1.19 or less for 1 gallon bottle. In that one gallon, it can run 10 times or more depending on how much area you scrub in each run. This will save you from future clogging problem, which is a much bigger headache. NOTHING HAPPENS EVEN WHEN THE PUMP IS RUNNING - Now come to the real issue that you have - Nothing Happens when you turn on the mop. I assume that “Nothing happens” means 1) there is water in the reservoir, 2) you are able to hear the pump running as usual, 3) the mop feels warm when you turn on the pump (even if nothing happens), which is important, 4) also you do not see any water dripping or smearing on the floor. Are you so far with me (except for the Distilled water paragraph)? If all those 4 symptoms you have observed, I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I am thinking that you may be lucky. Here is the solution - the pump may not be priming. How to prime - Method-1 a) Run the pump for a minute or so with water in the reservoir. b)Then disconnect the power chord from the wall outlet. c) Take out the cap of the reservoir/water tank of the mop. d) Then blow air with your mouth like inflating a balloon or blowing a trumpet or a conch. Blowing air by a straw will not work. The purpose of pressurizing the water inside the reservoir is to prime the pump following the above method, that is to force the water of the reservoir to enter into the inlet tube of the pump thereby pushing any entrapped air within the pump inlet tube. Now connect the power chord to the wall outlet and turn on to run the mop as usual. Method-2: If it still does not produce steam, lower the mop while running to make it nearly horizontal as you would mop under a bed. This method alone or in combination with method-1 may prime the pump. I have used these two methods. Once it worked,and it did not require blowing air. The second time when I used the mop a week after resting, I just mopped holding it almost horizontal for a minute or so. Then it started producing hissing sound along with good flow of steam. Actually you may try this second method first even before attempting to blow air into the reservoir (to pressurize the water inside the reservoir, and not for supplying oxygen.) WATER DRIPS AND NO STEAM COMING OUT OF THE NOZZLE - After fixing the priming issue, if you do not get steam but you see water dripping accompanied by some fake steam coming out of the body of the mop and not from the bottom nozzle (you can observe it if you remove the mop head and use mop or scrub setting. Must remember to keep your hands away from the nozzle from which steam discharges into the mop head otherwise it will cook your hand due to latent heat of the steam), it is most likely the symptom of a clogged heater. When the heater is clogged, the pumped water from the reservoir is not able to pass through the heater, thus creates back pressure in the discharge tube of the pump (which is the inlet tube to the heater unit). In that line, there is a blow off valve as a safety mechanism, which opens up to release the back pressure by letting out the water from that tube (since it could not pass through the clogged heater). Thus you see water dripping from the mop when the pump is running and no steam is generated. In some cases, if the inlet tube to heater (which is the outlet tube of the pump supplying water to the heater unit) is loose at the blow off connection point or connection point to the heater or connection point to the pump outlet, water can drip. PART-2 of this Dismantling video (see the link below) demonstrates in the video in detail. I have uploaded videos in TH-cam under the title: 1) Dismantling PART-1, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601 Link: th-cam.com/video/Ym5_1EcMSXg/w-d-xo.html 2) Dismantling PART-2, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601. Link: th-cam.com/video/Rpe5LeGNxsE/w-d-xo.html Let me know how it goes.
Please note that Dismantling process begins in PART-1 of this title whose link is given below. To complete the dismantling process please watch both parts of this title. Videos in this series in my Channel: 1) Dismantling PART-1, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601 Link: th-cam.com/video/Ym5_1EcMSXg/w-d-xo.html 2) Dismantling PART-2, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601. Link: th-cam.com/video/Rpe5LeGNxsE/w-d-xo.html 3) LONGER Version PART-1 Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601. Link: th-cam.com/video/78CWsh8uMGo/w-d-xo.html 4) LONGER Version PART-2 Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601. Link: th-cam.com/video/O5mcbvX-a2w/w-d-xo.html 5) SHORTER Version Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601 Link: th-cam.com/video/mvAfkVxNTyQ/w-d-xo.html
You are AWESOME! Thank you for the detailed explanation!
Thank you for reading such a lengthy explanation.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE STORING TO USE IT ON A LATER DAY:
Thank you very much for reading my lengthy reply. For several months after I repaired mine, every week- end I scrub my tile floor downstairs and upstairs. It works so well that mopping the floors does not feel like a chore. I enjoy using it. Only steam comes out and wets the floor just sufficient to remove the dirt. Then the floor dries up in a few minutes.
When priming is needed, I know it is difficult to blow air into the inlet of the tank. I use my fingers around the tip of the reservoir inlet to close any gap while blowing with my mouth. I had to blow like that on 2 or 3 occasions. After that every time I used, it self primes and in less than 60 seconds the hissing sound begins, that is the heater gets filled with water and gets steamed up. My experience suggests to finish the water in the reservoir after finishing the mopping for the day before storing. Don't leave any water in the reservoir if you are not using the mop for days.
WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS STILL SOME WATER LEFT IN RESERVOIR AND OR LOOKS MUDDY -
Yes, I run the unit to finish the water. Before storing there should not be any water in the reservoir. If the water looks muddy, please fill some water into the reservoir and close the cap, shake the unit to rinse the reservoir and pour the muddy water into the sink. Then give a final rinse with DISTILLED WATER and empty the reservoir water. Please do not use any soap or detergent, just DISTILLED WATER. If still some water is left, run the unit until the hissing sound subsides indicating that the reservoir ran out of water, and time to turn off the unit. However, do not run for a long time after the hissing sound subsided or the reservoir is already empty, because the inlet to the pump may fill with air pockets, which may require priming when you use next time.
NOTE: After finishing for the day, make sure to finish the water by emptying or running a bit longer to consume the water out of the reservoir. And fill DISTILLED WATER again when you want to use it the next time. However, if you feel like adding some water into the reservoir while still using it, you do not have to complete empty it to refill some more DISTILLED WATER. I am writing it in all CAPs because any other water clogs the intake nozzle of the heater unit.
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES (Watch PART-2 demonstrates these techniques in great detail)-
Some updates: Very first thing to do is use Distilled water not regular water or mineral water or purified drinking water. It needs to be DISTILLED WATER available in grocery stores, Walmart, Walgreens, Target etc. It costs only $1.19 or less for 1 gallon bottle. In that one gallon, it can run 10 times or more depending on how much area you scrub in each run. This will save you from future clogging problem, which is a much bigger headache.
NOTHING HAPPENS EVEN WHEN THE PUMP IS RUNNING -
Now come to the real issue that you have - Nothing Happens when you turn on the mop. I assume that “Nothing happens” means 1) there is water in the reservoir, 2) you are able to hear the pump running as usual, 3) the mop feels warm when you turn on the pump (even if nothing happens), which is important, 4) also you do not see any water dripping or smearing on the floor. Are you so far with me (except for the Distilled water paragraph)? If all those 4 symptoms you have observed, I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I am thinking that you may be lucky. Here is the solution - the pump may not be priming.
How to prime -
Method-1
a) Run the pump for a minute or so with water in the reservoir.
b)Then disconnect the power chord from the wall outlet.
c) Take out the cap of the reservoir/water tank of the mop.
d) Then blow air with your mouth like inflating a balloon or blowing a trumpet or a conch.
Blowing air by a straw will not work. The purpose of pressurizing the water inside the reservoir is to prime the pump following the above method, that is to force the water of the reservoir to enter into the inlet tube of the pump thereby pushing any entrapped air within the pump inlet tube. Now connect the power chord to the wall outlet and turn on to run the mop as usual.
Method-2: If it still does not produce steam, lower the mop while running to make it nearly horizontal as you would mop under a bed. This method alone or in combination with method-1 may prime the pump. I have used these two methods. Once it worked,and it did not require blowing air. The second time when I used the mop a week after resting, I just mopped holding it almost horizontal for a minute or so. Then it started producing hissing sound along with good flow of steam.
Actually you may try this second method first even before attempting to blow air into the reservoir (to pressurize the water inside the reservoir, and not for supplying oxygen.)
WATER DRIPS AND NO STEAM COMING OUT OF THE NOZZLE -
After fixing the priming issue, if you do not get steam but you see water dripping accompanied by some fake steam coming out of the body of the mop and not from the bottom nozzle (you can observe it if you remove the mop head and use mop or scrub setting. Must remember to keep your hands away from the nozzle from which steam discharges into the mop head otherwise it will cook your hand due to latent heat of the steam), it is most likely the symptom of a clogged heater. When the heater is clogged, the pumped water from the reservoir is not able to pass through the heater, thus creates back pressure in the discharge tube of the pump (which is the inlet tube to the heater unit). In that line, there is a blow off valve as a safety mechanism, which opens up to release the back pressure by letting out the water from that tube (since it could not pass through the clogged heater). Thus you see water dripping from the mop when the pump is running and no steam is generated.
In some cases, if the inlet tube to heater (which is the outlet tube of the pump supplying water to the heater unit) is loose at the blow off connection point or connection point to the heater or connection point to the pump outlet, water can drip. PART-2 of this Dismantling video (see the link below) demonstrates in the video in detail.
I have uploaded videos in TH-cam under the title:
1) Dismantling PART-1, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601 Link:
th-cam.com/video/Ym5_1EcMSXg/w-d-xo.html
2) Dismantling PART-2, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601. Link:
th-cam.com/video/Rpe5LeGNxsE/w-d-xo.html
Let me know how it goes.
Please note that Dismantling process begins in PART-1 of this title whose link is given below. To complete the dismantling process please watch both parts of this title.
Videos in this series in my Channel:
1) Dismantling PART-1, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601 Link:
th-cam.com/video/Ym5_1EcMSXg/w-d-xo.html
2) Dismantling PART-2, Learn Troubleshooting newer model Shark Professional Steam Mop S3601. Link: th-cam.com/video/Rpe5LeGNxsE/w-d-xo.html
3) LONGER Version PART-1 Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601. Link:
th-cam.com/video/78CWsh8uMGo/w-d-xo.html
4) LONGER Version PART-2 Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601. Link:
th-cam.com/video/O5mcbvX-a2w/w-d-xo.html
5) SHORTER Version Reassembly Newer Model Shark Professional Steam Mop, Model S3601 Link:
th-cam.com/video/mvAfkVxNTyQ/w-d-xo.html