No suction from bottom, the suction is all coming from the hose at the top

There could be a few things that would cause your Dyson to have no suction. I will give you detailed step by step instructions along with pictures on how you can diagnose this.

Possible Problem #1. The first problem is extremely common. In fact, we probably see between 2-3 of these problems every week. It mostly happens after people take the bottom plate off the vacuum in order to clean the roller brush. What happens is when they reinstall the bottom plate, they put it on on incorrectly. It's actually very easy to do. When the bottom plate (soleplate) is installed wrong, there will be a gap between the bottom plate, and the agitator housing, or the purple tray the roller brush sits in. This will cause the soleplate to be a few inches higher off the ground then it should be, preventing the brushes from even hitting the carpet. This makes it seem to the user that vacuum has lost suction power because without the brushes hitting the carpet, the machine will not pick up very well on floors, but when they use the attachment hose there's plenty of suction power.

Here's a picture of the WRONG way to install the bottom plate. Notice the gap in between the two housings:



Here's another picture, that is the RIGHT way to install the soleplate:



I would say probably 6 times out of 10 this is the problem with the customers machine. If you checked the soleplate and it is installed correctly, move on to the second possible problem.

Possible Problem # 2. Turn the vacuum cleaner upside down so the brush roller is facing upwards. I found the easiest way to work on it is to put it on a counter top or work bench. On the left hand side behind the roller brush you should see a flexible transparent hose that goes from the motor to the agitator housing. This hose actually has a lot of strain on it when the vacuum cleaner is in the reclined position. When the first few series of Dyson DC07 models came out, they didn't make this hose long enough, so when the vacuum was in the reclined position, it would put too much stress on the hose, and cause the hose to actually crack, usually right where the end of the hose that goes into the agitator housing. Examine your hose and see if you have any visible cracks in this hose. If you need to you may just remove the entire hose assembly by pulling on it. It will easily come right out of the machine so you can inspect it better. Here's a picture of where the hose usually cracks:



This would also explain why the vacuum works fine when using the attachments, but not on the floors. The attachment hose uses a different suction channel, and when the machine is in the upright position, no suction goes through this hose. If you do find a crack in this hose, the this hose needs to be replaced. Here's a direct link to that hose on our GoVacuum website.
Dyson DC-07 & DC-14 Upright Replacement Internal Hose Part # 904219

Possible Problem #3. I would suspect that this may not be the problem, but if neither of the solutions above worked, then try this one. Dyson's in general are prone to clogging. There are a few clog ports throughout the vacuum cleaner that were added there due to Dyson prototypes becoming clogged at these points. Here are pictures of how and where to check for these clogs. Simply remove the suction port covers at both of these locations:





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Hello,

This is actually a very common problem that we see for repair on Dyson Vacuums. Usually what happens is that the vacuum doesn't loose suction like most people think. You can test this by feeling the suction power on the hose. If you have suction coming from here, then most likely the machine isn't clogged.

What happens is that the bottom soleplate on the vacuum cleaner can easily be re-installed the incorrect way. If this happens the brushes on the vacuum cleaner can not even hit the carpet, which makes the vacuum feel like it's not picking up, but when the suction is tested from the hose it has plenty.

We see a lot of Dysons come in for repair with this problem. The bottom plate is not flush with the rest of the vacuum cleaner. Here's a picture of what an improperly installed bottom soleplate looks like:



When the bottom plate is put back on the vacuum, you should make sure that the bottom plate (the purple colored part in the picture) is flush with the agitator housing tray (red part in the picture). If not, the brushes will not hit the carpeting, and the vacuum won't really pick up anything.

This is how a correctly installed bottom soleplate should look like:




This should be the first thing you should check on your vacuum cleaner as it's the easiest and most common solution. If this doesn't fix your Dyson, please just use the Clarification Request form, and let me know which exact Dyson model you have, and whether the vacuum has suction power from the hose, whether the brushes turn when set to the carpet setting, and how old the vacuum is. I'd be happy to try and further diagnosis the problem with you.

I hope that this was helpful to you. If it helped you, please be sure to rate the repair as helpful by clicking the thumbs up icons in the top right hand corner.

Thank you very much,

Chris J.
GoVacuum

Hi its Darran at Dyson.

It sounds as though the wand handle is blocked. To check this, remove the wand/hose from the machine as if you were going to use it to vacuum the stairs. Switch the machine on and test the suction at the top of the wand handle with your hand. If the suction from the wand is poor, remove the wand from the hose and test the suction again from the top of the hose. If the suction here is good, then you know the wand handle is blocked. If the suction is poor at the hose, you can remove the hose from the machine and clear any blockages here.

For the full blockage procedure please visit the support section on our website at www.dyson.com.

Kind regards

Darran
Dyson customer Service

disconnect the hose where it goes into the clear tube on top of the base.there will be a little flapper door there when yo take it off.open the door and take a coat hanger with the end bent over like a hook and pull the dirt clog out of there.but first take the dirt cup off and remove the filter,if its clogged with dirt you won't have any suction.try using the vacuum without the filter in the dirt cup.if you have suction then then thats your problem ,a cloggeds filter

You have a blockage in the wand. Stand behind the machine and:
1) Remove the u-bend which is located NEXT to the right-hand side wheel, NOT above it. It connects from the bottom of the long gray hose to next to the right-hand side wheel. It is attached to the machine with a rectangular-shaped clip - push the clip and pull the pipe down.
2) Look through the wand if you can (DC07 wand is bent) - if you can't see the ground you have a blockage in either the hose or the wand
3) Remove the hose and separate it from the wand - hold the wand up into the air and look through it - if you can't see light coming through the other end, there is a blockage in the wand. Use a long object like a stick or a metal hanger to remove the blockage.
4) If the wand is clear, stretch the hose out and look for dark spots - those are the blockages. Again use a long object to remove the blockage - be careful not to damage the hose, you don't want to buy a new one.

There is most likely a clog in the hose. If the hose has poor suction the foot probably has poor suction as well seeing that the hose is what gives the foot assy suction.

Make sure you have a good bag installed in the vacuum and the door is properly in place. Remove the attachment hose from the bag chamber and turn the machine on. You should have good suction coming from the hose inlet. If you don't you have a problem in the bag chamber. Bad bag, door is not on correct, door is defective, dirty secondary filter.

Connect the hose back to the machine and pull the other end out from the bottom, and turn the machine on. You should have good suction there. If you don't you have a clog or hole in the attachment hose and it needs to be unclogged or relplaced.

Reconnect the to the bottom. Flip the mahine upside down. Take the screws out of the bottom plate and remove. Remove the brushroller and belt. Turn the machine on and you should have suction at the inlet coming off the brushhousing. It you don't, then you have a clog in the nozzle hose and it needs to be removed. It will probably be more accessable from the bottom side since that is the way that it entered.

Sometimes a suction problem can be confused with an brush problem. The belts on that machine should be replaced every 6 to 8 months because they will strentch and wear. This is an inexpensive maitainance that will dramatically improve its function. Part Numbers are 38528-035 and 38528-034

check the belt or the inside tube between the bag and the brush

Sounds like there is a clog somwhere. Check the hose - you can undo the hose with a screwdriver but because of that bend use a pipe cleaner or a long wire to see if there is anything blocking the tube. Next check the dirt channels from the bottom of the hose on the Dirt Devil Vibe once the hose has been taken off. Check that the bottom part is clear and then tip the machine over, remove the bottom sole plate (4 screws, 2 at the front and 2 at the back near the rear wheels) to check the roller brush - sometimes if there is an obstruction in the dirt channel from the roller brush suction will not get through.

Dont forget however that there are two filters on the Dirt Devil Vibe. The top filter has to be unscrewed and then unlocked. Tap it a couple of times to dislodge any dirt and then lift out the second part filter at the top of the bin.

Dont forget to rate if this advice works. Thanks.

Did you drop something down the hose to see if it would come out the other end? The dirt inlet down by the brush roll may have a clog in it. From what you say, there has to be a clog.