I have the bag unhooked and the hose connected to the motor which has engaged the safety switch but the Kirby will not turn on to blow air

There could be a few reasons. Try a different power outlet and check the cord and belt. Next there are two safety switches on the Kirby that need to be engaged for the vacuum to start. One is on the mini-emptor to make sure an outer bag is engaged, the second is on the front nozzle to make sure the nozzle or hose is attached. You can see pictures here.
GoodVac.com Technician
www.goodvac.com
1-800-755-6586

Hi There,

Here's a step by step guide explaining what you have to do to change your Kirby from a vacuum into a blower:


Step 1. Make Sure That Your Kirby is Unplugged from the wall. Remove the front nozzle of the machine by lifting the housing that contains the headlight upwards. Now rotate the belt lifter from the green "Belt On" setting to the red "Belt Off" position:


Step 2. With the belt lifter turned to the red "Belt Off" setting, Turn the knob at the top of the bell shaped agitator housing to release the brush housing from the vacuum:



Step 3. Locate the attachment called the saftey cup that attaches on the Kirby in the exact same place as the brush housing did. This part does two things; Activates the safety switch to the left of the fan, and secondly covers the opening to the fan chamber to prevent anything from getting inside the fan housing and damaging it.



Step 4. Once you install the safety cup it is a good idea to check if the vacuum is working. If it is not (assuming it did work with the nozzle) - check if safety cup switch actuator isn't broken (see picture).

If it works then but it does not when you install the hose (next step) you will know that you did not turn the hose far enough.


Step 5. Take the bag off the Kirby. On the bigger end of the hose there is a line that you have to match with a little bump on the kirby fan housing (marked with red dots). Push the end of the hose over the Kirby exhaust as far as it can go.



Step 6. Turn this hose end clockwise (you may have to apply considerable force).


Step 7. It has to be turned far enough to press another safety switch that is on the unit just behind the exhaust neck.



Step 7. You are done and ready to use it as a blower. We would recommend turning it on outside. Hose may have some dust accumulated on the inside and it may blow a lot of dust in the first few seconds of use. Also shake the hose well while outside to loosen any dust/dirt accumulations on the inside.

Be very careful when blowing dust out of computers or other electronics.
1. Dirt from inside of the hose may damage components.
2. Airflow is so strong that it may break circuit boards if they are not well mounted around the perimeter.
3. Using Kirby a lot of static electricity may be generated that may cause circuit failure due to electrostatic discharge (harmless to people - deadly to electronics).

NEVER operate blower with the nozzle on. There are 3 important reasons for that:
1. Kirby is designed to have much higher RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) with the hose or safety cup so it will push more air than with the nozzle.
2. If you use kirby as a blower with the nozzle - dust and dirt that is in the nozzle from vacuuming carpets and/or rugs will be blown into the air.
3. If there is nothing (no nozzle no safety cup) Kirby vacuum simply will not turn on.

I really hope that the above instructions were helpful to you in converting your Kirby into a blower. If you have a question on any of the steps, please feel free to use the comment field to ask them, I'm always more then happy to answer any follow up questions you may have.

If this was helpful to you, please be so kind and rate the repair helpful, or by leaving feedback for me. This is really appreciated by the Fixya community when a repair was able to solve your problem.

Thanks again,

Chris Jones
GoVacuum.com

There are two safety switches that must be engaged. One where the vacuum bag and shampooing tank are placed. And the other in the very front where hose, upright nozzle, and shampooing tray is attached. Make sure everything is properly engaging.

Make sure the bag assembly and either the power nozzle, or hose attachment are correctly attached. The kirby has safety swithes that are only engaged when these components are correctly installed. They look like small resessed buttons on the base unit. if they are not engaged the vacuum will not turn on. Keeps curious fingers from getting into the "spinny" parts ;o)

Could be the a/c cord, a problem with the noozle not pushing the saftey switch, the bag emptor(bottom of outer bag) isn't on the of the way and not engaging the other safety switch. The other is a problem with the motor.

PROBLEM: THE KIRBY WILL NOT TURN ON AT ALL
POSSIBLE CAUSES:


Please note......The Kirby has TWO safety switches that need to be engaged before it will operate. One is on the fan case in the front. It is activated by having an attachment attached to the front. (hose, power nozzle, etc.) The other switch is on the side of the Kirby where the cloth bag attaches and is engaged by the little tab that sticks out from the side of the hard plastic cloth bag "boot". The bag boot MUST be completely engaged to activate the safety switch and allow the Kirby to power on. If you are having trouble getting the bag to properly engage, (sometimes they are STUBBORN) simply lubricate the black gasket that the boot fits onto with gasket lubricator, VASELINE, or try a tiny drop of DISHWASHING DETERGENT or HAND CREAM. It doesn't take much, so use the smallest amount possible to get the desired effect. You should hear a slight "pop" when the bag completely engages.
If neither of these things are indicated, it is probably again, either the power cord, switch or the carbon brushes.

If your Kirby is sparking there are a few causes...

PROBABLE CAUSE (MOTOR): Worn out carbon brushes, bad armature or perhaps BOTH
PROBABLE CAUSE (CORD): The cord has a short in it. Replace the power cord
PROBABLE CAUSE (POWER NOZZLE): There is something metallic stuck in the fan or power nozzle

I think you have a problem with the carbon brushes and amature because of where you describe seeing the sparks. I would suggest taking it to an authorized dealer for repair if it is the motor that is going bad.

The Kirby air flow can be reversed to become a blower (not pump).
This is ideal for blowing up low pressure items such as air beds etc.
Take off the complete bag assembly by twisting at the bottom and unclip at the top.
Fit the flexible hose to where the bag attached, align the arrows and twist fully until located.
Remove the front brush assembly, lift the front head light flap, detach the belt by twisting the square knob to the red position (off). un-clip the front assembly.
Your kirby should be supplied with a box type attachment (air intake guard) that fits on the front covering the motor spindle and making the safety switch.
Once fitted your kirby should now blow.

If you want the Kirby to blow, take the bag off down at the motor, and hook the coupling on your hose onto where the bag went. There is a little black lever sticking out of the vacuum that you can push forward with your finger. That's the safety switch. When you have the hose on correctly, it should push the safety switch and engage it. Also, there is a tool in your attachments that fits on the front of the vacuum when you're using the blower. It's so that you can take off the head of the vacuum, and put this other device in its place so that you don't have the brushroll spinning in place on your floor. It will have two hooks on it and look alot like a cup with a screen on it. It's to go in place of the head so that it will be pushing in the forward part of the safety switch. Also, put it in neutral before you switch it on. Good luck!!

Try removing the nozzle and poking a screwdriver in the little slot for the safety switch and seeing if it runs. Maybe the nozzle's poker isn't pushing it in adequately?

There is a safety switch in the motor area that, if not engaged correctly, can result in your vacuum not running. The most common thing that's wrong is that at the bottom part of the motor, where the cord plugs in, the cord is in between the motor and the plastic holder for the bag and it's not letting the bag click on all the way and so it's not pushing in the safety switch enough for it to turn on. Also, you may want to remove the head and reattch it and make sure it's lined up properly. If none of this works, then you could have a cord problem or your safety switch might be out. These are very fixable problems. Find your nearest vacuum repair shop. A cord should cost no more than 30 dollars and a switch with labor will cost around 80 dollars. If you can't find anyone, contact us at 1-866-509-1952 and we can help.