AboutLisa Constant Expertise Please ask me any questions regarding the efficiency, durability, and value of 99.5% of today's vacuum cleaners, residential and commercial. I am able to help, also, with your residential carpet cleaners and vapor steamers. I cannot answer questions such as "how much should I pay for my vac?" "how often should I change the bag, belt, filter?" or "how often should I vacuum?" , etc. I also will not advise you how to use equipment for other than its original application; including any disassembly or modification not approved by the unit's manufacturer.
Experience I am the owner of a well-established (sixty-plus years), family-owned & operated vacuum retail and repair business. We are a full service/warranty center for 99.5% of vacuums manufactured.
I, personally, have extensive hands-on experience with today's most popular vacuum cleaners, I have not only used the vacs in my own home, I have repaired them. I have been in the floor care industry for over 25 years.
Education/Credentials I have attended many hours of certification seminars with the VDTA (Vacuum Dealers Trade Association). My education is, however, mostly hands-on, carrying on a sixty year old tradition in a brick and mortar 'mom & pop' location.
Question Hello Lisa,
Our names are Matthew and Jason and we are engineering students at Glencoe High School, in Hillsboro Oregon. We are in a yearlong class, in which we find a problem, and then find a solution. After a few weeks of brainstorming, the problem that we decided to tackle has to do with the power plugs to vacuum cleaners. When vacuuming large rooms it is common to accidentally pull the plug out of the wall. As a result, the pins to the power plug becomes bent, loosened, and broken. We seek to find a solution to this problem, in order to extend the longevity of the plug. We were wondering if you had any insight, being an expert, as to whether or not this is a significant problem, and if solutions to this problem already exist.
Thanks you for your time,
~Matthew and Jason
Answer Hi Jason & Matthew,
Wow. That's something I never thought I'd get: research questions. How cool is that?!
As to your question, it is a very common problem, not only with vacuums. We call them, "long distance disconnects." Most of the time, this problem is solved by individuals not being lazy or so careless. We see it mostly with commercial cleaning crews, usually in a hurry to finish a job.
The severity of the problem is slight. It's more of an annoyance. We remove the old plug, trim back the cord about an inch (or more if it's burned), and install a replacement. Pretty cheap fix. Replacement plugs are available at most hardware store/home centers.
I am not implying the solution shouldn't be improved! There's plenty of room there for two enterprising young engineers to develop some kind of lock-out gizmo to prevent the situation in the first place. That would be a wonderful boon for the end-user and for us, the repair techs. To my knowledge, there currently aren't any products that cover that aspect.
Thank you for your question. If I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to contact me again. And, please, let me know what you come up with, and how you do in this project. Good luck to you both!
