Kenmore central vacuum system

The power head requires 120 Volts. Some hoses have a receptacle in the handle for the power head plug, and the hose has a cord at the wall inlet end that plugs into a receptacle. Some hoses have a plug at the wall inlet end that plugs into a 120Volt receptacle built into the inlet. The hose plugs into this receptacle when you push the hose into the inlet. The power for this built-in receptacle is wired with line voltage when the system is installed.

Take the hose to your local vac shop for assessment. I'm betting the hose has an electrical break or a bad handle switch.

I have an Oreck vacuum. My son used it just earlier today and it worked just fine, then just a little while ago a tried to turn it on to vacuum our bedroom and suddenly it won't turn on! I tried plugging it into other outlets but it was no use. My husband takes a look at it and first thinks that the switch is out in it. He takes the handle apart and quickly realizes that it is not the switch that is causing the problem. Then he took the base of the vacuum apart, removes the spin brush part and cleans it off, puts it back together, and suddenly it works! He said that when those brushes get real dirty the motor gets clogged, then it just won't turn on. I'm just happy I married someone who can figure these things out, because even if I knew the problem I'm still no good with a screwdriver, taking things apart and putting them back together again. Hope this works for your Oreck too and it's running again for you soon.

Try a ruling out a couple of things first before opening up the handle:

1) First lets make sure your outlet has power
a) can you plug anything else in and have it work?
b) is the vacuum plugged into a non-switched outlet?
c) will the vacuum work from a different outlet - in a different room?

2) Check the plug. Are the prongs loose? If so, you'll need to cut the
plug off, splice back the two wires (Black and White), then connect
to a new plug. You can get a new plug for $1-2.00 at any hardware
store.

3) Time to open up the handle:
a) sometimes the wires connected to the switch can become loose
and fall off. if that is the case just reconnect by plugging them
back onto the switch. You may also consider using pliers to
compress the connector onto the switch terminal.

Hope this helps!

These problems are nearly exclusively caused by a bad circut board and replacing it is the fix. Bad boards can cause many different effects so its nearly impossible to be sure. The 9v signal wire is not enough to short out an entire unit so it is unlikely the hose. If it is a direct connect system and you are pulling power from the 110 somehow that would cause main unit problems but that is unlikely at best. Sounds like a failed board to me.

Best of Luck

If the central vacuum tank will not turn OFF even with the switch in the “OFF” position, then the low-voltage wires should be disconnected from the tank. If the tank continues to run and still will not turn off, then most likely the relay inside is defective (but it could be a defective and/or shorted ON/OFF switch). If with the low-voltage wires disconnected the tank is able to then be turned off with the switch, then there is a short in the low-voltage wires or a hose is plugged into an inlet somewhere. ~ TTURAMBAR

If the hose is non-wired then you can fix this yourself. When you Plug the cuff into your wall inlet does the vacuum turn on automatically? If so then you should be able to trim the hose with no ill effects other than losing eight inches of cleaning area.

If the hose has a switch on it's handle that turns the vacuum on and off, you will probably need a technician to fix the hose. Some wired hoses even have High Voltage lines in them and should never be taken apart.

If the central vacuum tank will not turn OFF even with the switch in the “OFF” position, then the low-voltage wires should be disconnected from the tank. Once this is done, if the tank continues to run and cannot be turned off with the switch, then most likely the relay inside is defective and needs to be replaced (but it could be a defective and/or shorted ON/OFF switch). If with the low-voltage wires disconnected at the vacuum tank, it can be turned off with the internal switch, then either there is a short in the low-voltage wires, or else there is a hose still plugged into an inlet somewhere. ~ TTURAMBAR

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Generic problem for all Vacuums
I have a 3 year
posted by patfitz on May 03, 2008
I have a 3 year old NuTone CV 353W central vac system and recently the switch on the hose handle does not turn the system on from any outlet in the house. I have to plug the hose into the outlet and then turn the unit on from the switch on the canister. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hello,
I would advise you to ALWAYS to FIRST UNPLUG YOUR VACUUM before beginning any service procedure. There are a couple of things that come to mind, 1st. you may have a bad switch in the hose and in most cases that can be repaired – if not you would have to purchase a new vacuum hose. 2nd. You may have a bad inlet valve in your hose and most of them are low volt of which would only cost less than $10.00 and can be replaced yourself unless you have what they call a SuperValve of which has 2 low volt wires and then it is wired to your home electricity and that should be replaced by an licensed electrician. It is a low volt and high volt inlet.
#3. the last thing you may check id that you may have a bad relay in the canister itself. Because you should be able to turn on the Central Vac with the switch on the hose and everything should work just fine . feel free to contact your local vacuum cleaner dealer in your area of call the Nutone Factory cust serv line for further assistance. So if you need further assistance, please feel free to contact your local vacuum cleaner dealer in your area or in the yellow pages, or contact the factory phone number or website to further assist you with your questions.
http://nutone.com/ Customer Service
Nutone Inc.
9825 Kenwood Road
Suite #301
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Customer Service 1-888-336-3948
Technical Support 1-888-336-6151
Thanks, Don the Vac Man
Go Ahead. Use Us.

There should be a manual/auto switch. If it is in the manual mode, then it will run all the time. Other then that you probably have a stuck relay. But this will have a years warranty on it, so you should be able to have it serviced under warranty.