I don't understand the confusing marks on the detergent holder on the Spotbot. I understand to fill it to the "water" mark, and I understand to then fill it to the "Oxy Gen" mark. But, what is the "Formula" mark? Do they mean other regular carpet cleaning formula is used with the Oxy Gen? BJR

this video will help you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1sSVIu6arbY#!

Zupernoc... I was having the same exact problems with my Spotbot Pet that you were having. I ordered the duckbill gasket (1.39 from bissell.com) and so far, so good! Thanks so much for sharing!!! And just for the record...not only was there no duckbill gasket on the unit when I purchased it, it's not even listed in the owner's manual as being part of the unit. Yet if you search for replacement parts on Bissell parts, there it is. Strange! Again, thanks for sharing. Saved me from trashing the thing and purchasing something new.

it has a bad circut board it is a defect and bissell will replace it

Hi there SmartAlec from NelsonVacuums.com.au here. I have looked at literally hundreds of steamvacs over the years and you can use warm but not hot water in the tank. You cant use hot as it tends to slowly warp the plastic container and it stops sealing well. Also as far as i am aware you can NOT use any kind of detergent in a steam product. It will clog the steam jets very quickly and hey presto a broken steamer. Hope this helps.
Happy Vacuuming! :)

I filled a bowl with hot bleach water and sucked the water up. It cleaned the hose pretty well (along with the gunk that was stuck in the hand wand). Mine was filthy. It looked like it had mold growing in it. Then I ran several rounds of hot water through the hose. I alternated hot water & bleach. Did this about 8 times. It is not perfect, but it sure does look a lot better. 90% of the gunk is gone.

My hose was filled with black mold, nearly from end to end, because I didn't clean it properly a year ago, which was the last time I used it. Here's how I got every speck of grime and mold out of the hose, and brought it back to looking brand new!

1. I placed the Spotbot on the counter on one side of my deep utility sink.
2. I unwrapped the hose from the body of the machine and held the mouth of the hose low, close to the sink drain.
3. I ran the water until it was scalding hot, and put the hose mouth up to the stream, keeping it low. I filled it for 3 seconds.
4. Then I poured spashless bleach down the hose mouth for a 2-3 second pour. Add more water if needed.
5. With a portion of water in the hose, I swung it back and forth, moving the bleach water all over the affected areas.
6. I continued to fill the hose with water and bleach(2-3 times), until I had a 1.5 inch reservoir in the dirty water basin to act as a suction plug.
7. I plugged my utility sink, and filled it with 3 inches of hot water, which I used to continue to fill my hose and to push out the air bubbles.
8. When the hose was full from end to end with bleach water and no air bubbles, but the reservoir remained at 1.5 inches full, I filled a plastic jar with 3 inches of water (for stability), and pinched the mouth end of the hose together upright into the jar. I placed the jar directly across from the Spotbot on the counter, on the other side of the utility sink. This means each end of the hose is elevated, and the body of it is hanging in the utility sink.
9. I left it like this all day and overnight. 22 hours later, I returned and the hose was pristine! I backwashed the hose and the dirty water reservoir out 4 times and hung the hose over the faucet to dry.
10. Hope this helps you!

I had the same issue. After some research, I determined I was missing a black "duckbill" gasket on the bottom of the dirty water collection tank.

This caused reduced suction, and for the water to pool at the botom of the spotbot, thus leaking.

I purchased the gasket at Bissell for 1.39. The part number is 203-6646.

I purchased my SpotBot new from Target, and never remember seeing this black gasket, but the difference is night and day.

http://geeksquad.fixya.com/ThreadView.aspx?prdid=19810&thid=706295
Black marks on carpet
posted by carpetburner on Jun 25, 2008
While I was walking on the carpet, I noticed a couple of black marks. I figured it was on someone shoes. I was vacuum a couple of days later and stated noticing small black marks on the right side of the brush marks left in the carpet by the brushes. I tried to clean them and they don't come out. They are sort of like a scorched pinched place or something. I had the handyman take it apart and he found nothing stuck in it, belt was replaced not to long ago, and he said everything looked fine. The black marks are not on the belt side. Maybe a wheel is sticking? It all seems to roll, and turn ok.

Hello,
I would advise you to ALWAYS to FIRST UNPLUG YOUR VACUUM before beginning any service procedure. Oreck XL Ultra Bagged Upright Vacuum. After reading your question, there are only a few things that could be causing the problem. It is very possible that the brushroll could be dirty, or install wrong, on the ends of the brushroll the gray bearing holders will state NEW and OLD and both of the bearing holders needs to be identical – meaning the 2 should say NEW / NEW or OLD / OLD, not new / old of which could be causing the problem. The average belt change should be done every 4 to 6 months for the best cleaning, and the extra belts are stored in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. If the wheels are spinning properly then it is not the wheels unless they are dirty and the can be cleaned just by popping them out of the bottom plate holder with a screwdriver and then clean them under the sink. 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://www.oreck.com/ Customer Service 1-800-989-3535
Monday thru Friday Hours are: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm CST
Saturday and Sunday Hours Are; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm CST
Thanks, Don the Vac Man
Go Ahead. Use Us.

Some of that water must have gotten inside amd shorted something. If this is less then 1 year, it would be under warranty. It iwll have to be taken apart and checked.