U6439-900 will not turn off by the level in the handle.

Did you drop the handle on the floor? or against the wall. If the turn on switch is in the handle, it can dislocate the power source. best to take it in to a repair shop, but sometimes it's an easy fix if you are mechanically inclined.

on the ergonomic handle design the vibration will sometimes cause one of the switch leads to come loose. Remove the handle tube. Lay the handle tube flat on a bench or table and remove all the handle screws. Work handle haves apart and you will be able to see if the switch leads are loose. If not, the wires inside the power plug may have become separated by somebody yanking on the cord, rather than pulling the plug. With a meter or test light, you can check continuity between the plug and handle wiring. The only thing left is the motor, but let your local repair guy do this, because it can be a bear to get out and re-installed.

First I would be sure the handle was properly installed. Remove the two screws holding the upper handle in place and tap it bacwards to remove it. Set the switch inside to the OFF position. Next set both buttons on the handle to the OFF position and re-install the upper handle. If the switch still does not turn the vacuum on and off, the switch will need replacement.

- Please check the water level in the tank. It is imperative that the water level be at the full line when beginning your cleaning. Because this machine is gravity fed; if the water level drops too low, there will not be enough pressure to release the fluid.

- Please make sure that the siphon tube for the autoload insert (on the water tank) is perfectly aligned with the front and back of the tank. If the tube is turned to the right side or the left side of the tank the unit will not spray.

- Please check the vent hole on the tank. This hole is clearly marked and the water level must not be above this hole. The vent hole must also be clear.

- Please check the spray bar on your machine. The spray bar is removable so you may take this off if desired and inspect the spray holes to ensure that they are clear.

-Try removing and reinstalling the handle/screw assembly. The trigger mechanism is contained inside the handle. Occasionally it is possible for this part to become misaligned. To check for proper handle installation, try turning the handle from side to side and try to pull the metal part of the handle up or down....if properly installed neither of the previous actions should be possible.

Try the following suggestions to get your machine working properly.

- Please check the water level in the tank. It is imperative that the water level be at the full line when beginning your cleaning. Because this machine is gravity fed; if the water level drops too low, there will not be enough pressure to release the fluid.
- Please make sure that the siphon tube for the autoload insert (on the water tank) is perfectly aligned with the front and back of the tank. If the tube is turned to the right side or the left side of the tank the unit will not spray.
- Please check the vent hole on the tank. This hole is clearly marked and the water level must not be above this hole. The vent hole must also be clear.
- Please check the spray bar on your machine. The spray bar is removable so you may take this off if desired and inspect the spray holes to ensure that they are clear.
-Try removing and reinstalling the handle/screw assembly. The trigger mechanism is contained inside the handle. Occasionally it is possible for this part to become misaligned. To check for proper handle installation, try turning the handle from side to side and try to pull the metal part of the handle up or down....if properly installed neither of the previous actions should be possible.

Hello,

This is a clear indication that your on/off switch is probably gone bad. What happened is probably the handle latch was not properly installed when you replaced it. No worries though, I have written a clear, easy to follow guide on how to replace the on/off switch on your Hoover Windtunnel Self-Propelled upright.

What you'll need to do this repair:
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Hoover Windtunnel Switch For All Upright Models

Step 1. Turn the vacuum cleaner around so that the back is facing you. Remove the two screws at the top of the vacuum that are holding the handle on the machine. Please see the picture below of the two highlighted screws that need to be removed;


Step 2. After these two screws have been removed, simply slide the handle backwards, and remove it completely from the vacuum and set it aside. You now can see the on/off switch, but you can't easily change it from here, you'll need to complete several other steps before you can remove the switch. Here's what the vacuum should look like after removing the handle:



Step 3. After removing the handle from the vacuum, turn the machine around so the front of it is facing you. Open the vacuum bag door and set the door aside. Also remove any attachments that are on-board in the tool storage bin, this model has a hand-held turbo brush stored here. After removing both of these parts, you'll need to unscrew 3 screws that holds the tool caddy onto the vacuum cleaner. I have circled the area where these 3 screws are located:



Step 4. After removing these three screws, pull the tool caddy off of the vacuum by pulling straight forward by using the tool caddy lid. You'll now have access to both the front and the back sides of the switch. Use your needle nose pliers to remove the two wires that are attached to the switch. Be careful when pulling these wires off because if you pull too hard, then it will break the switch terminal off inside of the wire. Most models have the wire that has a plastic covering over the end of it on the top, and the metal terminal is connected on the bottom. The two lead wires that need to be removed are highlighted:




Step 5. After the wires have been removed from the switch, turn the vacuum back around so that the back of the machine is facing you. Simply use your flat head screwdriver to pry the switch off. You may push on the back side of the switch where the wires connect to it in order to give a space so that you can get a screw driver behind it. Here's how it should look:



Step 6. Once the old switch has been removed, simply push the new switch into the open hole. Important: Make sure that the Off setting of the switch is at the bottom, and the part of the switch that says on is on the top, otherwise the switch will be reversed. Re-attach the wires to the switch, with the wire that has the plastic covering on top, and the metal wire terminal on the bottom. The only tricky part of reassembling is when you put the handle assembly back on the vacuum. As you can see, there is a metal cable below the switch. This metal cable controls the self-propelled mechanism. If you look at the handle assembly, you'll see where the self propelled cable sits inside. The easiest way to line these up is to pull the cable up to the top, and then line up the rod inside of the handle that the cable goes in, and slide the handle back on the vacuum.

I hope this was helpful.

Chris Jones
GoVacuum.com

The dyson should work with or with out the hose wand (handle), so I think its more like the mains lead or the switch is faulty, do you know how to do a continuity test, with a tester? if not you may have to seek an approved engineer to test it.
Does it switch on when its not been used for along time? if it does - could be a blockage

Two ways to go about this:

Easy Way
1) Go to Bissell.com and order the replacement handle for about $25 bucks. Follow installation instructions and viola! You're up and running again.

More Complicated (you're on your own)
2) I'm no expect by any measure. I just tinkered around and here is what I got.

• Remove the handle (If you remember when you purchased the vacuum, you had to install the upper handle by connecting it midway and tightening it with a Philips screw).
• I shouldn't have to say disconnect the power, but yeah, that's probably a good idea too.
• Remove all screws in the handle. Keep note of which screws came from what area, mine were different sizes.
• Split the casing open and remove the red plastic cover. You will find a small switch underneath
• I just fiddled around with the small switch until it worked again; you can also go online and buy a new switch Click here for the switch only
• Once you have the switch working, or purchased and installed a new one, put the handle back together and install again to the vacuum. You may want to test the switch before completely installing the handle. You can do this by connecting it without tightening the Philips screw in the middle.

Hope that helps a little. I know my wife was disappointed until I got ours up and running again.

Cheers

Take the handle off, then remove the tool holder, then you can get to the switch. Just has tabs on each side of switch, depress them and push it out. These switches will do this after awhile, replacing them is usually the way to correct the problem.

What has worked for me on this vacuum is once the handle is off and the on-off switch is visible, work it back and forth manually.  Mine was very stiff and it did not get any better.   I went to radio shack and bought a spray can of Control/Contact Cleaner and Lubricant. It comes with a small piece of tubing.  I put the tube into the top edge of the switch and pushed the button FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND and then did the bottom edge of the switch.   I worked the switch manually a couple of times.   I repeated the spraying one more time and the rocking.   I put it all back together and has been working fine for me.   This stuff is made for electrical contacts...  HOWEVER, use it very very sparingly!!!  ALSO, a new can has a bit of pressure so watch out that you don't blow some back at you.   JOE