^$#^*%^*^&(^% Brush Pro)*)(*&%*^&$&%(()

[Steve Lawrence]

Man, I bought 3 of these a year and a half ago thinking they were no-hassle units. Well my 20" doesn't even turn on now so I guess I may have to send it back like I did with the other 2-10"ers for out-of-warranty repairs. Maybe I'll get some help from Excellent Supply later today when their guy comes in that knows about these machines. Yes, I tried the reset switch a bunch of times but no luck. It just stopped mid-job for no apparent reason and we don't use this unit much. Plus I've got some big jobs I was hoping to use it on soon. Grrrrr!!!!!!!

 

[Nate The Great]

 

[encapman]

Hi Steve,

I'm truly sorry to hear that you're having a problem with your machine. Reg from Carpet Cleaner America contacted me already and mentioned that it's likely electrical/power related. Possibly a bad cord or connection. Some basic checking with an electrical tester should be help to track it down. Rod will be back in the office in 20 minutes and I'll have him call you right away. Sorry you're dealing with this Steve. It's always frustrating when a machine goes down. But I'm confident that we can find a way to help you get this sorted out.

 

[encapman]

It may also be a failed relay. That's a very simple fix if it is.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Pretty sure it's not the power cords. Unit just pooped out mid cleaning with no pulling or damage to cords. Tried other power cords, tried breaker lots. No luck. Cripes. Probably less than 25 hours on unit. Opened it up but problem is not obvious. Maybe Rodney can help but probably shipping it back as I need it pretty soon. Waiting on his call which I was told should be sometime after 4 pm when he gets in. It's 4:17 now.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

It may also be a failed relay. That's a very simple fix if it is.

What's the fix if it's a bad relay?

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Rodney called and was very concerned and helpful. We're looking into a couple possibilities. Should know more tomorrow. I really want to get this unit going because IT IS SO WONDERFUL!!!!!!

 

[encapman]

No matter how "wonderful" a machine is, it's a pain when the thing goes down. Unfortunately equipment fails sometimes, and it normally occurs at the most inopportune time too.

We'll work with you to get this resolved. Rodney is awesome on everything mechanical. He's gonna stay on it till you get it sorted out. It ain't over till Steve's smiling again.

 

[Mikey P]

Steve how rough are your monkeys on equipment?

it took us ten year to kill a relay.

Are you strapping the units down in the vans? Are the bouncing them down stairwells?

 

[Jim Martin]

mine did the exact same thing...for no reason it just stopped in the middle of a job...Talked with Reg..he thinks it's a bad reset..everytime I reset the thing I can go about 20 feet and for no reason it just pops...I have a new one on the way.......

 

[Jimmy L]

Fragile machines. Dense carpet piles do them in early. That why I save mine for short nap commercial only.

 

[Jim Martin]

short nylon or a berber...it did not make a difference..it still just popped for no reason...could be just a batch of weak overloads.......???????
won't know until the new one gets here and we try it again........

 

[Nomad74]

I killed mine and took it apart and rewired it. It was throwing sparks and tripping breakers. The cord had worn apart where it goes inside the unit. Been going for 5 years now with it. Try taking it apart and sticking things inside it. Worked for me.

 

[hogjowl]

I've heard of Jim Martin.

Weren't you the dude who hated Power Max because of the new smell?

 

[Mikey P]

naw, Jim is the guy who bought the Trinity with the bent handle...

 

[hogjowl]

There was a time that he'd answer my phone calls

 

[jcooper]

Fragile machines.

For 2k bucks it should be tuff as nails...

 

[Steve Lawrence]

It's being handled with care and professionalism. All mechanical things break. If nothing ever went wrong, we wouldn't learn as much.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Circuit breaker would be my 1st item to check.

Then the handle microswitch that auto turns the machine on.

Then caps on the motor.

 

[hogjowl]

I'd just bitch at Rick

 

[Old Coastie]

There was a time that he'd answer my phone calls

Apparently his learning curve isn't flat.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I'd tell the boys: "it's just a machine, not a woman. So you CAN figure it out."

 

[Desk Jockey]

Rutt Roh!!!

 

[encapman]

Rodney spoke with Steve this morning. Turns out it was the pigtail connector. Replacement part is on the way. Problem solved.

 

[Nate The Great]

@Steve Lawrence Your fired.....

When stuff breaks on the job with me, I try to figure it out right then and there..... I've bypassed my on/off switch on my 360i and used the pigtail on it to turn it off when I needed too... lol, I find a way to finish the job.... I hate when sh!t breaks... Speaking of which my Windsor CRB needs a new red off button.... I have to hold down the green button to keep it running...

 

[Lint Basket]

mine did the exact same thing...for no reason it just stopped in the middle of a job...Talked with Reg..he thinks it's a bad reset..everytime I reset the thing I can go about 20 feet and for no reason it just pops...I have a new one on the way.......

Mine did the exact same thing yesterday too. Thomas Meyer was making fun of my 10" so I broke out my 15" yesterday on a big job. I've only used my 15" a couple of times since I bought it about a year ago. I just love the 10".

Anyways, exact same thing as Jim Martin. I was getting excited and was gonna take a picture and send it to Thomas, but ended up back with my 10" yesterday.

 

[Reg Rogers]

Guys...to prevent this:

Try running your power cable like this:

This results in less binding and crimping of the cord where it enters the machine side plate.

As far as the breaker/thermorelay is concerned, these machines need good clean power to keep the components happy. Bad power = component failure.

The top reasons for breaker failure are:

1- Too light or too long a power cord is used to power machine. We spec a 12 gauge - 50' cord. Once you go beyond 50', it is downhill from there. Try to avoid that...

2- Brushes were not broken in well when machine was first started. New brushes act like super strong velcro on carpet so you must break them in before use on carpet by running machine on wet clean concrete for 3-5 minutes. Just knock the tips off...

3- Power source is weak. Did the lights dim when you started your machine? Situations where the outlet is loaded with household power eaters can starve the machine as well.

While these steps can help avoid tripping the breaker, sometimes it could be the carpet itself that puts up a fight.

Keep in mind - Breakers get weaker as they trip so seek healthy power sources and only use a 50' 12 gauge cord to make your CRB smile.

 

[dealtimeman]

We have yet to have a mechanical failure on our units and some of the guys are real tough on the crbs.

Good to know what to look for if one ever goes down.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

thanks Reg and Rick for the solution. Should be up and running in a couple days.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Guys...to prevent this:

View attachment 71953

Try running your power cable like this:

View attachment 71955 View attachment 71956
View attachment 71957 View attachment 71958 View attachment 71959


This results in less binding and crimping of the cord where it enters the machine side plate.

As far as the breaker/thermorelay is concerned, these machines need good clean power to keep the components happy. Bad power = component failure.

The top reasons for breaker failure are:

1- Too light or too long a power cord is used to power machine. We spec a 12 gauge - 50' cord. Once you go beyond 50', it is downhill from there. Try to avoid that...

2- Brushes were not broken in well when machine was first started. New brushes act like super strong velcro on carpet so you must break them in before use on carpet by running machine on wet clean concrete for 3-5 minutes. Just knock the tips off...

3- Power source is weak. Did the lights dim when you started your machine? Situations where the outlet is loaded with household power eaters can starve the machine as well.

While these steps can help avoid tripping the breaker, sometimes it could be the carpet itself that puts up a fight.

Keep in mind - Breakers get weaker as they trip so seek healthy power sources and only use a 50' 12 gauge cord to make your CRB smile.

Yeah, I had my pigtail in that plastic clamp so I will string the cords as you suggest, Reg. I didn't really think that cord was broken because no amount of playing with it would get the unit to turn back on--this has never been my experience with electrical stuff so I guess I learned something new.