Central Vac

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I'll break the ice.

If I turn on the switch for our vac. it goes on weather you have a port with a hose in it or not. I have purchased to new hose ports and they have two brass tits in the opening and when you shove the metal end of the hose in it is only then that it should go on.

We have 2 ports for the hose 1 out and 1 in. I have tried every way to mess with the smaller wires that hook to them, to no avail. If the switch is on, it runs, hose plugged in or not.

The on/off switch is in the bay with the vac itself so if vacuuming inside it stinks. I am considering installing a 3-way switch and then there would be a switch inside at that hose port too. I would prefer for it to work as designed.

Anybody have any ideas?

[garyde]

Hi Joe. I have to think the two LV wires are shorting together. If you can turn off the system and do a continuity test on those two prongs and see what it reads.

[Petervs]

The two little buttons in the hose fitting are low voltage contacts that turn the motor on when the metal hose is inserted, this completes the circuit.

In your case the circuit is completed before you put the hose end in, so yes, there is a short in that set of wires somewhere. You need to remove the fittings where the hose goes in, ( all of them) and inspect for a crossed, damaged, or otherwise defective wire. When you find the one place it is damaged, it will work correctly all over.

Good luck. You might find it in 2 minutes, you might need a half day. You could always run new control wires to each location if you can not find the bad spot.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I pulled the 2 wires from the terminals on the outside of the unit. It still does not shut off, accept with the master switch.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Joe, there exists the possibility that some previous owner had trouble with the system switching and jumped the hose switches to be on at all times thereby requiring one to use the master switch to control the unit. Look in the main power unit to see if the hose switches are jumper wired out of the system.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I'm gonna pull it this weekend and open it up.

That and the booze pump too.
We've 5 choices and only 1 actually pumps. The other 4 just run with no results. Got to it once before but found that the unit is pop-riveted together. I'm gonna drill them out open it up and see if I can fix it. Maybe some o-rings or some stuck impellers I hope.

Won't this job be a fun one. I've been trying to figure out my 5 choices;

This is how they are currently labled:
Bourbon, Scotch, Whiskey, Vermouth, Gin.

This is what we will chang it to:
1st Gray Goose
2nd Jack Daniels
3rd Captain Morgan
4th I'm thinking Tequila but don't know whats good.
#5-Don't know Gin maybe (yuck) or maybe another whiskey Seagrams or Crown Royal.

Decisions decisions

[garylstevens]

This is what we will chang it to:
1st Gray Goose
2nd Jack Daniels
3rd Captain Morgan
4th I'm thinking Tequila but don't know whats good.
#5-Don't know Gin maybe (yuck) or maybe another whiskey Seagrams or Crown Royal.

Decisions decisions

Since you asked here are my choices:

4th Tequila Silver Patron
5th Gin Blue Sapphire Bombay Gin

[phorner]

Gary, I like the way you think.....

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Finally got around to looking at this vac closer.

Jim you nailed it. Someone moved some wires around inside the unit to get it to function as it currently does. I'm guessin cause something went bad.

All electrical guru's

I moved all the terminals back according to the schematic that was posted inside. Now when I turn the master on it does not go on however it also does not go on when you insert the hose either

There are two additional separate electrical items inside, aside from the motor, a small coil and a transformer. With the master switch on and hose inserted I can get the thing to go on by manually connecting contacts in that coil. There is nothing visibly burnt on either piece.

Question
What is bad the transformer or the coil?

I'm sure both items are not very much and can replace both but I thought I'd throw this out there anyway.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

One at a time, maybe? I'm typing as I am making up your answer.

The first question you did not ask. Are the wires from the main control unit to the new hose plugs (good), (continuous)? Make up a continuity tester with a battery and a lamp (bulb) and check each wire of the two wire pairs to be sure they are whole and will pass a voltage. Because of the jump wiring I will guess that the wires to the plugs are broken.

Check the coil with an ohm meter for continuity and to see what the resistance is. I do not know the function of the coil, but check it out to know where you are at. It sounds like to get it to run you are bypassing this coil. When you make it run by the manual connection of the coil contacts as you stated, will the unit shut off if you pull the hose from the socket?

Check the voltage from the secondary winding of the transformer, that is the voltage between the two leads that are not connected to the power source.

I can not tell you any more without knowing how the components are connected, but after some of these tests we might know better how to proceed?