I just cleaned my Dyson and followed your video. You explain the process very. I appreciate you and this video. You saved me over $300 to bring it in to a vacuum company to get it serviced & I learned something new! Thanks very much. 🙂
@@nathanielaranda8407 I agree. None of the air powered cleaner heads were ever nearly as good as the motorized power nozzles on these. I also like the long hose on this. Lots of Dyson canisters have short hoses and bulky wands, and they make for a cumbersome user experience.
I have one of these as a hand-me-down from my sister and found it quite inconvenient. The cord is too short to reach all the way up our stairs or across large rooms. I bought a Miele C3 pet vacuum which worked well and I continued to use the Dyson DC21 for really dirty jobs like our mudroom. I washed the pre-filter fairly frequently but had no idea it had a HEPA exhaust filter. My husband borrowed it to use in his workshop. Bad idea! I have thoroughly washed the housing in the past, but the vacuum has taken too much abuse and no longer sucks like it used to. Hence my search that lead to your video. THANK YOU for showing where the HEPA exhaust filter is and how to open the housing. Dyson no longer supports this model so I have ordered what I hope are compatible parts. With any luck, there will be a lot more life in this baby ;) And yes, my husband now has an appropriate Shop Vac in his workshop with venting to the exterior of the building.
Did you find that you get a performance boost after doing a deep clean? I'm not sure if my vacuum needs some love or if my dogs just sheds that much...
The cyclone assembly does separate further by removing the conical part at the bottom after unclipping it at three places from the surrounding shroud. It does accumulate a lot of dirt in there and it makes sense to disassemble it before washing it thoroughly.
Did you ever have to unclog that hose? I have the exact same model from 2005 and still works beautifully with 2 xlarge dogs (90 lbs and 125 lbs) with triple coats and 2 cats. I got something clogged and while it still sucks, the pressure is far less. I think it’s stuck by the handle where I can’t reach because of the slight bend. Do you know how to remove the handle from the hose? Could you do a video of that? From the comments there are a fair number of us with the same problem.
The handle can’t easily be removed from the hose, but the hose is removable at the machine end. At the machine end, the clip that holds the hose onto the canister at the bottom is also removable. From there you could run a long stick of some kind down the hose to free up the clog. I hope you can get it removed! It’s one of Dyson’s best canisters, cleans great, and worth saving if you can.
We have this same vacuum. It appears we have a clog. Do you have a quick video for fixing a clog. We’ve checked the hoses and the clog isn’t in there. When you turn the vacuum on, it sounds fine for 1/2 a second and then it changes sound and you can tell it’s a clog. I’d love to see a quick video for novices like me to be able to follow and fix. ☺️ thank you.
Did you remove the hose at the machine end, and verify that it still sounds clogged, with the hose/wand removed? That'll be an easy way to narrow down the location of the clog. If the hose is worn out (and the electrical cable inside the hose separates from the wall of the hose), it can clog easily in a couple spots. Mine clogged near the swivel joint, and where it connected to the machine. Have you washed the filter recently? Is the shroud (perforated screen) in the dirt cup clear? Hopefully it's a quick fix for ya!
This is an awesome video! Inspired me to tune up my old neglected Dyson that might be in no better shape than the one on the video. Thank you very very much! I have a problem with the motor-head brush that shuts way too often. I am thinking that might be resolved after replacing the filters. Will see. If not, I will write again to see if you could advise on a solution.
It might be electrical if its cutting out, and related to the power head, or the hose/wand (if it's also a DC21). Good luck, hopefully you're able to get it running well again!
@@VacTech1 fantastic video! Our dc21 is about 15 years old and the power to the head keeps cutting out. It's not that the beater needs cleaning. It happened a few years ago, too, and I brought it into a shop. They showed me the electrical connections in the wand and how it had come loose, and I watched him solder it. I will need to do that again today...I just forget how to access it!
Thanks for your reply. I don't have needle nose pliers. My vacuum authorized Dyson repairman 15 miles from my home closed shop due to the Corona so I am screwed there 👎. I did make a hook at the end of the coat hanger and I still can't get it out. No idea what the hell it could be up there this time. Always have been able to get the hose line free before with just a coat hanger prior. I do have a car vacuum though. Not sure how I could suck it out with my car vacuum, but I'll try to turn it on but I'm not sure I'll be able to get the car vac line up the thin Dyson hose. This is the challenge I could use advice on.
If you can remove the hose from the dyson (there's either a screw, a clip, or both, on the front of the vac where the hose is held down). you can run the dowel through the other side. And I understand regarding using a shop vac, if the size is too different it may be difficult to get it to seal to the Dyson hose and work. I hope you're able to get it working again!
My obstruction is about 2 1/2-3 feet up the wand and I tried an end of a thick wooden dowel and that won't work + the end of an old mop and that won't work neither. The obstruction won't move at all. Dyson needs to make a vacuum where the hose can unzip and rezip so obstructions can be removed a whole hell of a lot easier!!
The hose can be removed at the machine end. Something like a coat hanger (with a small hook on the end) can help. Some kind of rod or pole can be helpful. I often unclog one vacuum with another one, that's often the easiest way to unclog a hose (just suck it out with a vac that isn't clogged). Sometimes things like needle-nose pliers can be handy too. I hope you're able to get it! If all else fails, take it to a local vacuum shop, and they'll be able to take care of it for you.
@@marysquires4348 This won't work. It's not enough air force to blow it out. It's moot now because I put a wire hanger up the hose and it ripped my hose so I don't even have a hose to work with
Would anyone know why my motor head cuts out? Meaning I turn it on there is power and then I go to vacuum and the motor head keeps shutting off. So I’m thinking is it the motor head itself or is it the power connection when you connect the motor head to the hose? I bought another used same vacuum and the motor head is still doing the same thing…so I’m going to assume there is something going on with the motorhead itself. Any suggestions would be appreciated 😊and I wanted to say everything else works just not the motor head as I stated it powers up n the I vacuum and it shuts off but only the motorhead itself not the actual vacuum…ty and great video btw 😊😊
Check electrical connections at both ends of hose (clean? Not bent/broken?) Check electrical connection inside smooth plastic piece in middle of hose (remove 4 screws to access). I had to lift up contact tabs so they would touch metal circles better so circuit wouldnt be interrupted when I moved the hose around.
Great video. I have a DC23 which is similar. The brush bar was worn. When I replaced it, the new brushes turned in the air but once on the carpet, they stopped. I changed one brush and surprise, with one new and one old brush, the power head motor is able to turn the brush baa on the carpet. Now the motor is noisy and sparkles. I tried Dyson and they said the model has been discontinued and a replacement power head is not available. Questions: 1. Any idea why new brushes will not turn? 2. Where to get a replacement motor?
Any suggestions as to why the power nozzle will run and shut off constantly, have to keep pushing the power button on it and now i can't get it to turn on.
Hi, Bee! Sounds like an electrical issue on your old Dyson canister, either in the powerhead, or the hose/wand. I would seek out a replacement powerhead, as the parts for these machines are long discontinued. Good luck, and I hope you can keep yours going!
I had the same problem. I did a chat with dyson to troubleshoot it and he had me wipe off the connections between the power head and the hose. I did that, put it back together and it doesn’t shut off anymore.
If what Mary above spoke about to the Dyson Tech, doesn’t work, on the hose, above the handle, there is a plastic cover (2 piece), with 4 torx (T8) screws. Unplug the vacuum. It is nice to have an extra set of hands for this as the “flexible” hose makes it very awkward to handle. Removing the screws, the two pieces will split apart. The bottom plastic side will have 3 of the power head wires brown, black, and blue and the other will have exposed the hose with 3 metal rings. This allows the hose and the handle to rotate. On the side opposite the wire and connectors there are three metal contact “wipes”. Be gentle and examine them. They will likely have flat spots from wearing as the hose in the handle rotates. Check to make sure they haven’t arced or have been deformed. If you gently clean (remove oxide) it may work. But make sure the three contact wipes are at the same height. After cleaning and/or gently adjusting them, reassemble the plastic covers, plugin and hopefully you have solved your intermittent power head shut down problems. Hope it works as my DC21 is an awesome vacuum!!!!
Now I remember! The brushroll motor has a small belt and drive gear, and the belt is inside the small black plastic housing, which is located two about two thirds across the width of the power nozzle. I tend to fumble over my own words.
@@VacTech1 i just got a dc23 motor head was used for diy so its trashed plus it reaked of dog and its missing the left wheel on the canister but some tape and felt its glides just fine and works well
I just cleaned my Dyson and followed your video. You explain the process very. I appreciate you and this video. You saved me over $300 to bring it in to a vacuum company to get it serviced & I learned something new! Thanks very much. 🙂
@@DJKART1212 That’s great! Thank you, I’m glad I could help! These are great older Dysons, and worth keeping running.
as far as Dyson canister vacuums this is easily the best set up they have done despite the flaws
@@nathanielaranda8407 I agree. None of the air powered cleaner heads were ever nearly as good as the motorized power nozzles on these. I also like the long hose on this. Lots of Dyson canisters have short hoses and bulky wands, and they make for a cumbersome user experience.
I use the DC21 for cleaning apartment buildings and I can confirm that the hardfloor tool is the right one for this model.
I have one of these as a hand-me-down from my sister and found it quite inconvenient. The cord is too short to reach all the way up our stairs or across large rooms. I bought a Miele C3 pet vacuum which worked well and I continued to use the Dyson DC21 for really dirty jobs like our mudroom. I washed the pre-filter fairly frequently but had no idea it had a HEPA exhaust filter. My husband borrowed it to use in his workshop. Bad idea! I have thoroughly washed the housing in the past, but the vacuum has taken too much abuse and no longer sucks like it used to. Hence my search that lead to your video. THANK YOU for showing where the HEPA exhaust filter is and how to open the housing. Dyson no longer supports this model so I have ordered what I hope are compatible parts. With any luck, there will be a lot more life in this baby ;) And yes, my husband now has an appropriate Shop Vac in his workshop with venting to the exterior of the building.
I have the very same unit - almost 15 years old and still runs. Very solid machine in terms of performance compared to the newer Dyson’s
I got a new hose for this one after I filmed this. Runs perfect still after 15 years!
Did you find that you get a performance boost after doing a deep clean? I'm not sure if my vacuum needs some love or if my dogs just sheds that much...
The cyclone assembly does separate further by removing the conical part at the bottom after unclipping it at three places from the surrounding shroud. It does accumulate a lot of dirt in there and it makes sense to disassemble it before washing it thoroughly.
I agree, these canisters were the best. I have the DC23 Turbinehead Animal from about 2015. It's amazing. No regrets, well worth the money.
The design of the dust bin reminds me of the Fantom Lightning (Dyson DC02).
Btw. Awesome refurbish cleaning and recovey video!!!! Keep it up!
Thank you! More to come for sure!
Did you ever have to unclog that hose? I have the exact same model from 2005 and still works beautifully with 2 xlarge dogs (90 lbs and 125 lbs) with triple coats and 2 cats. I got something clogged and while it still sucks, the pressure is far less. I think it’s stuck by the handle where I can’t reach because of the slight bend. Do you know how to remove the handle from the hose? Could you do a video of that? From the comments there are a fair number of us with the same problem.
The handle can’t easily be removed from the hose, but the hose is removable at the machine end. At the machine end, the clip that holds the hose onto the canister at the bottom is also removable. From there you could run a long stick of some kind down the hose to free up the clog.
I hope you can get it removed! It’s one of Dyson’s best canisters, cleans great, and worth saving if you can.
We have this same vacuum. It appears we have a clog. Do you have a quick video for fixing a clog. We’ve checked the hoses and the clog isn’t in there. When you turn the vacuum on, it sounds fine for 1/2 a second and then it changes sound and you can tell it’s a clog. I’d love to see a quick video for novices like me to be able to follow and fix. ☺️ thank you.
Did you remove the hose at the machine end, and verify that it still sounds clogged, with the hose/wand removed? That'll be an easy way to narrow down the location of the clog. If the hose is worn out (and the electrical cable inside the hose separates from the wall of the hose), it can clog easily in a couple spots. Mine clogged near the swivel joint, and where it connected to the machine.
Have you washed the filter recently? Is the shroud (perforated screen) in the dirt cup clear? Hopefully it's a quick fix for ya!
This is an awesome video! Inspired me to tune up my old neglected Dyson that might be in no better shape than the one on the video. Thank you very very much! I have a problem with the motor-head brush that shuts way too often. I am thinking that might be resolved after replacing the filters. Will see. If not, I will write again to see if you could advise on a solution.
It might be electrical if its cutting out, and related to the power head, or the hose/wand (if it's also a DC21). Good luck, hopefully you're able to get it running well again!
@@VacTech1 Yes, it’s DC21. I will tune it up this coming weekend and report back to you! :)
i m having this same problem with mine too , just curious how did u fix yours?
@@VacTech1 fantastic video! Our dc21 is about 15 years old and the power to the head keeps cutting out. It's not that the beater needs cleaning. It happened a few years ago, too, and I brought it into a shop. They showed me the electrical connections in the wand and how it had come loose, and I watched him solder it.
I will need to do that again today...I just forget how to access it!
My vacuum head is no longer workin. It starts running but than stops. How can I fix it?
Thanks for your reply. I don't have needle nose pliers. My vacuum authorized Dyson repairman 15 miles from my home closed shop due to the Corona so I am screwed there 👎. I did make a hook at the end of the coat hanger and I still can't get it out. No idea what the hell it could be up there this time. Always have been able to get the hose line free before with just a coat hanger prior. I do have a car vacuum though. Not sure how I could suck it out with my car vacuum, but I'll try to turn it on but I'm not sure I'll be able to get the car vac line up the thin Dyson hose. This is the challenge I could use advice on.
If you can remove the hose from the dyson (there's either a screw, a clip, or both, on the front of the vac where the hose is held down). you can run the dowel through the other side. And I understand regarding using a shop vac, if the size is too different it may be difficult to get it to seal to the Dyson hose and work. I hope you're able to get it working again!
Awesome video! Thumbs up.
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it.
I didnt bother to take apart that whole top. I just rinsed it with water till it ran clear
My obstruction is about 2 1/2-3 feet up the wand and I tried an end of a thick wooden dowel and that won't work + the end of an old mop and that won't work neither. The obstruction won't move at all. Dyson needs to make a vacuum where the hose can unzip and rezip so obstructions can be removed a whole hell of a lot easier!!
I have a clog up my DC21 hose. Any suggestions on how I can get it unclogged? I put a coat hanger up there but it's not freeing up the hose line
The hose can be removed at the machine end. Something like a coat hanger (with a small hook on the end) can help. Some kind of rod or pole can be helpful. I often unclog one vacuum with another one, that's often the easiest way to unclog a hose (just suck it out with a vac that isn't clogged). Sometimes things like needle-nose pliers can be handy too. I hope you're able to get it! If all else fails, take it to a local vacuum shop, and they'll be able to take care of it for you.
Could you maybe attach the hose to the part of the vac that the air blows out of? Kind of blow it out?
@@marysquires4348 This won't work. It's not enough air force to blow it out. It's moot now because I put a wire hanger up the hose and it ripped my hose so I don't even have a hose to work with
Would anyone know why my motor head cuts out? Meaning I turn it on there is power and then I go to vacuum and the motor head keeps shutting off. So I’m thinking is it the motor head itself or is it the power connection when you connect the motor head to the hose? I bought another used same vacuum and the motor head is still doing the same thing…so I’m going to assume there is something going on with the motorhead itself. Any suggestions would be appreciated 😊and I wanted to say everything else works just not the motor head as I stated it powers up n the I vacuum and it shuts off but only the motorhead itself not the actual vacuum…ty and great video btw 😊😊
Check electrical connections at both ends of hose (clean? Not bent/broken?)
Check electrical connection inside smooth plastic piece in middle of hose (remove 4 screws to access).
I had to lift up contact tabs so they would touch metal circles better so circuit wouldnt be interrupted when I moved the hose around.
Great video. I have a DC23 which is similar. The brush bar was worn. When I replaced it, the new brushes turned in the air but once on the carpet, they stopped. I changed one brush and surprise, with one new and one old brush, the power head motor is able to turn the brush baa on the carpet. Now the motor is noisy and sparkles. I tried Dyson and they said the model has been discontinued and a replacement power head is not available. Questions: 1. Any idea why new brushes will not turn? 2. Where to get a replacement motor?
You may have worn out carbon brushes on the motor. Have a look at them and the spring that pushes then against rotating part of the motor
Any suggestions as to why the power nozzle will run and shut off constantly, have to keep pushing the power button on it and now i can't get it to turn on.
Hi, Bee! Sounds like an electrical issue on your old Dyson canister, either in the powerhead, or the hose/wand. I would seek out a replacement powerhead, as the parts for these machines are long discontinued. Good luck, and I hope you can keep yours going!
@@VacTech1 Thank You so much !! I will try and find a replacement part.
I had the same problem. I did a chat with dyson to troubleshoot it and he had me wipe off the connections between the power head and the hose. I did that, put it back together and it doesn’t shut off anymore.
@@marysquires4348 Thank You Mary !! I will give that a try! I love my Dyson and cant a fford a new one.
My DC21 motorized head keeps shutting off. There are no blockages. What other reason?
Could be an electrical issue. Is the whole machine shutting off, or just the powerhead?
If what Mary above spoke about to the Dyson Tech, doesn’t work, on the hose, above the handle, there is a plastic cover (2 piece), with 4 torx (T8) screws. Unplug the vacuum.
It is nice to have an extra set of hands for this as the “flexible” hose makes it very awkward to handle.
Removing the screws, the two pieces will split apart. The bottom plastic side will have 3 of the power head wires brown, black, and blue and the other will have exposed the hose with 3 metal rings. This allows the hose and the handle to rotate. On the side opposite the wire and connectors there are three metal contact “wipes”. Be gentle and examine them. They will likely have flat spots from wearing as the hose in the handle rotates. Check to make sure they haven’t arced or have been deformed. If you gently clean (remove oxide) it may work. But make sure the three contact wipes are at the same height. After cleaning and/or gently adjusting them, reassemble the plastic covers, plugin and hopefully you have solved your intermittent power head shut down problems.
Hope it works as my DC21 is an awesome vacuum!!!!
"So the power head must have a small belt two thirds in for the little housing??"
Now I remember! The brushroll motor has a small belt and drive gear, and the belt is inside the small black plastic housing, which is located two about two thirds across the width of the power nozzle. I tend to fumble over my own words.
I have the exact dyson and my brush is not spinning
Try the Dyson dc23 motorhead
Hoping to find one someday! Stay tuned for more uncommon Dysons!
@@VacTech1 i just got a dc23 motor head was used for diy so its trashed plus it reaked of dog and its missing the left wheel on the canister but some tape and felt its glides just fine and works well
Hej. I vant to Bay filter dc20 dyson
I don’t really like the turbo brush because it’s not too good
They've come a long way for sure. This early one is too big imo.