Essential parts
You can use many places to find parts for a broken down vacuum, as long as you have someone around you who is handy enough with tools to help you fix it. The drive belt is the part most affected by the least expensive vacuum cleaners. This is the rubber belt that measures about 6 inches long, which, when stretched, turns the brushes at the bottom of the vacuum cleaner.
When vacuuming objects that do not belong to the vacuum cleaner, such as pieces of rope or a cat's tail and the unit stops suddenly, the burning smell that will soon fill the air is slowly blowing your transmission belt.
Fortunately, the drive belt is available in many places, there are so many that your local pharmacy can even have! They are inexpensive to purchase and easy to replace with a screwdriver and some common sense. For other types of problems that you may encounter, you have many resources in case you decide to tackle the problem yourself.
Never forget that when you purchase parts for your vacuum, most of the parts you will need will be specifically designed for your make and model. With the exception of basic items such as drive belts and most bags, most parts are not interchangeable between brands and between different models of the same brand.
The first thing to do when you need a room for your vacuum is the local Yellow Pages book. In the yellow pages, you will find many lists of parts and appliances. You will need to call each person individually to see if they are wearing parts that match your model and make. In the rare cases where they would not wear what you need, they can normally order it for you quickly and easily. If that fails, you can always call the company that manufactured your vacuum model and order the part that way.
Most of the time, you will have no problem getting your piece on your vacuum, unless it's a more complex piece that is not readily available. Parts such as the intake or exhaust port are very hard to replace, and you will probably want a professional to fix these problems.
Drive belts, vacuum bags and small problems of this type are easy to replace. With older models of vacuum cleaners, you do not have to be an expert to solve most problems. The most recent models, however, require a little skill and technique.
Fouling is one of the most common problems. If your vacuum cleaner stops picking up dirt and dust, it is likely to be clogged, which is not normally a problem of parts. All you need to do to fix it is to remove the assembly before, and then manually clean the agitators and the case where the dirt rises through the vacuum cleaner. It's very easy to do and it will only take a few minutes.
