How To Clean Bissell Little Green Hose

I bought my first Little Green Machine in 1994.  It was a offset-generation, ugly, night dark-green box with one purpose: to suck up pet accidents and spills.  It was the merely thing on the market at that time, and I badly needed something to assist in cleaning up after an crumbling canis familiaris with bladder control issues.  It worked well, and I got several years' utilise out of it for my $70.00 investment.  Eventually a plastic hose affront cracked inside the unit of measurement and I couldn't find a replacement so I trashed information technology.  Bissell has e'er had a policy of refusing to supply internal repair parts to customers, thanks to paranoia about consumer lawsuits.

I purchased a newly redesigned model at that time—ane that sort-of resembled an egg standing on its fat finish.  It was a poor redesign with some flaws (like solution heaters that constantly failed) that I made practice with for several years.  I must say here that Bissell was skillful about support.  After writing to complain twice about product failures, they replaced the unit both times at no charge.  The 2d substitution was for the first version of their 1400-series model (Effigy 1) , which at the time was brand-new.

Figure 1. The Bissell Little Greenish.

I've been through iii of these in the last vi years.  After the beginning unit of measurement of the new series died, I began studying their design to meet how I could service information technology myself (and extend its life a few years also).  These things accept gotten progressively more than expensive, and my terminal replacement was priced simply over $100.00.  For that amount of money I look something to last longer than a year!

Quirks and Design Flaws

The outset redesigned 1400-series model had a simple storage clip on its behind that you lot'd snap the hose'south sprayer wand into.  The wand was always popping out of the clip and hitting the floor, which would somewhen fissure the sprayer head and further decrease its already weak suction.  Other issues included: the solution heater would die, the sprayer would simply terminate working, or would brainstorm to clog later using the unit for six months or so.  The wand would baste cleaning solution after you finished using the unit of measurement and were putting the wand away.   Finally, the cleaner would develop a stench from the urine I'd be cleaning despite rinsing the unit's recovery tank after each use.  This is due to the style the recovery tank is designed.

Figure 2. Tank areas that collect waste matter.

You can see by looking at Figure 2 that there are a couple of problem areas (circled in red) near the recovery tank's top.  These seem to collect material that eventually begins to smell.  But swishing hot water effectually in the tank is not sufficient to clean the areas, and you lot cannot access the tank's insides to physically wipe the surfaces clean. The sprayer head and wand connection point was designed such that dirty water tends to collect in the nooks and crannies which also creates an unsightly, stinky mess.  This junction as well provides a interruption in the air stream and contributes to the unit of measurement's biggest problem– it simply doesn't have much suction power.  The area you lot clean will remain adequately damp.

Design Improvements in newer models

I kept that original 1400-series model going for three years, by my estimates about two times longer than I should've been able to.  The fixes were fairly simple for a geek to do.  The recovery tank sat on a very thin safe gasket that was glued to the main unit's base.  This was in addition to the rubber gasket on the tank itself.  The base unit'southward gasket began to wear abroad after a fourth dimension, and I managed to make a replacement from some sheet safety I purchased off of eBay.  I cracked the sprayer caput attachment apart and re-glued the pieces together with 5-infinitesimal epoxy.  I also glopped extra epoxy into the designed-in gaps and cracks while I was at it, which helped increase suction.  I finally had to retire the unit after trying to discover why its motor was whining so loudly.  After I took the unit apart to possibly oil the motor I learned more nearly the unit of measurement's Achilles' heel.

The currently-sold unit of measurement has several design revisions that seem to address some of the problems.  The wand clip on the unit's back has been redesigned and includes a hinge arm that locks the wand in place.  Hallelujah!  No more dropped sprayer wands!  The sprayer hose has been inverse from a solid green to a greenish-tinted clear hose.  This allows the user to encounter how much crap is in the hose (and tell how well the suction is working).  The recovery tank's base of operations gasket is gone (shown in Effigy 3 sans gasket), which besides eliminated a source of fluid leakage into the base.

Figure three. Redesigned recovery tank dock on base.

Finally, Bissell redesigned the sprayer head with meliorate welds and eliminated the actress gaps.  This helps to a caste, but the redesign introduced several new means for dingy solution to collect in the sprayer/wand connexion and stink up the works.  They did nil to redesign the collection tank tower, which nonetheless collects material that leads to 'Stinky Tank syndrome.'  My current unit had its hose replaced twice, once under warranty.  (This may have been due to my sucking upwards hot water in lodge to affluent and de-stink the unit of measurement.)  The original hose was a little too short and information technology was under stress when the wand was placed into the clip.  The stress also ended up breaking the prune subsequently the unit of measurement was no longer under warranty.  I performed a couple of simple fixes to increment its suction merely didn't implement annihilation major.  I performed the second hose replacement myself, as I finally constitute a source for internal parts.  I had to buy a 2d unit while waiting for the parts to arrive as they were backordered for a month-and-a-half.

Why doesn't information technology suck (enough)?

The Bissell Little Light-green's designers had a claiming, I'm sure…how could they suck up a spill and easily separate the water from the air?  Nigh wet/dry vacs accept a foam filter that the suctioned air passes through, which keeps the water out of the exhaust.  I'm sure the designers didn't want their customers to deal with replacing a filter (liability lawsuits, you know!), given the tendency for most consumers to screw up the simplest of operations.  This probably led to the electric current blueprint.

Suction is provided by a motor with a squirrel cage fan zipper located in the base.  Air and water are pulled into the sprayer head, through the hose and into the recovery tank.  The tower-like structure you lot saw in Effigy two is divided in one-half.  The h2o falls into the tank since it's heavier than the air, and the air exits the hole in the opposite side of the tower.  The air stream then passes the fan/motor assembly and is blown out the unit of measurement'due south backside. Simple design, aye, only flawed.  The air has a high degree of moisture in it, and there is no filter of any kind to protect the metallic motor and blade associates.  If you have too much suction the air will have even more water in it; this will accelerate the disintegration of the motor and allow water to blow out of the exhaust port with the air.  You lot read that right—the motor will disintegrate faster.  This is the Achilles' heel I mentioned before.  When I disassembled my last unit of measurement to try and oil the motor, I discovered that the blades and motor casing were and then rusty that they practically savage autonomously in my easily.  That was what caused the motor to scream and whine.  This is a marketing textbook case of congenital-in obsolescence!  At the time I didn't know where I could get repair parts, but at present I know and will share the source with y'all.

Making Things Suck More

So, nosotros know that the unit will eventually stop working due to the disintegration of the motor.  Should that stop us from making the unit work a scrap better? NO!  If it's going to take a finite life before we have to repair it, let's modern it to perform its chore amend.

Figure 4. The Sprayer/Wand junction.

Wait at the sprayer/wand connection in Figure 4.  You tin can see a rubber O band that attempts to seal the wand/sprayer connection point.  In my concluding unit this O ring was so loose that no seal was taking place.  I went to the hardware shop with the old ring and found a new one that was a picayune thicker.  Its size is given as a "number 32."  I replaced this ring, which at present requires the user to jockey effectually a bit when removing/reattaching the sprayer caput.  The improvement is well worth the additional attempt that volition be required.

At present have a close await at the sprayer caput/wand.  If you lot'll notice, there's a button that yous have to press down on to remove the sprayer.  This is located on a molded plastic lever that flexes when the push is depressed.  This blueprint feature as well allows a good deal of suction to exit the hole around the lever.  Additionally, the end of the wand does not seal inside the sprayer head.  This is a second point that allows air to get out around the lever and allows dirty water to accumulate.  Sealing that leak volition require a bit more work; however, nosotros tin significantly increment the suction by installing a apartment rubber seal into the wand below the push/lever assembly.  How much additional suction does that give?  I don't have a scientific method to gauge it, simply by simply holding the sprayer head against my mitt with the unit running earlier and afterwards the modern, it feels as if I've approximately doubled the suction.

I took a piece of ane/16" thick canvas condom and cut a i.5-inch by 3.5-inch piece from it.  I and so applied rubber cement effectually the edges of the piece (Effigy 5) leaving the center dry.

Figure 5-a. Utilize cement to pad edges on ane side but.

Figure five-b. The finished pad.

This is important!  If the rubber adheres to the lever, information technology will be extremely hard to work the lever and remove the sprayer head.  Next, I folded a piece of paper from a magazine (Figure 6) and inserted it into the slot effectually the lever.

Figure vi. Protecting the lever from glue awarding.

This allows you lot to use contact cement around the lever without accidentally getting glue on the lever itself.  Utilise safe cement to the within of the wand in approximately the aforementioned area where the prophylactic will go as in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Apply gum into the wand.

After applying the cement into the wand, quickly pull the paper out of the slot.  At present wait about v minutes to allow the glue to become tacky.  After you lot've waited, flex the condom piece in an arc as shown in Figure 8 and carefully insert information technology into the end of the wand with the mucilage side facing the mucilage inside the wand.  Practise NOT Allow THE PIECE TO CONTACT THE Gum INSIDE THE WAND UNTIL IT'Southward IN POSITION.  If yous practise, it volition exist extremely difficult to remove.  You may want to employ forceps or tweezers to aid you lot in alignment.

Figure 8. Carefully placing the pad into the wand.

Once it's aligned, press the condom into identify, exerting pressure around the edges of the prophylactic.  You may have to use a tool to reach in and push the edges down.

Figure 9. The pad in information technology's proper place.

Let the piece sit overnight to dry out; so reattach the sprayer caput and turn the unit of measurement on.  Yous tin hear a little chip of air still exiting the hole effectually the button.  Concord the sprayer against 1 hand and cover that hole with your contrary thumb.  If y'all tried the suction earlier the mod, you should notice a considerable difference in the amount of suction after the modernistic.  If y'all wish to comprehend the hole with a piece of electrical tape you tin easily seal the leak, and remove the tape when you wish to make clean the unit of measurement.  Alternatively, just comprehend the hole with your thumb as I do while using the Lilliputian Dark-green.  I am because milling a second channel around the finish of the wand with my Dremel tool, then using a second O-band to completely seal the connexion.  This would allow for more comfy use of the sprayer wand.

Some tips on using the Greenish Machine

1)  Clean the unit of measurement after each use by holding the sprayer head under warm (non hot! I learned my lesson…) running water.  I volition sometimes mix some pino-scented cleaner with water in a saucepan and pull that through the hose. Note that you lot tin only suck so much fluid into the recovery tank; there's a white line on the tank showing the maximum level.  When you've finished flushing the sprayer caput and hose in this manner, hold the sprayer caput higher up the unit pointing upward for a moment or two to allow all the remaining water in the hose to exist sucked into the recovery tank.

2)  Stopping the dribbles. When you've finished cleaning a spot and you've turned the power off, hold the sprayer head to a higher place the unit pointing upwardly and depress the trigger. Hold the trigger in for a count of five before releasing it. Brand Sure THE Power IS OFF BEFORE DOING THIS OR YOU'LL SPRAY HOT CLEANING SOLUTION ON YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. Performing this maneuver allows whatever cleaning fluid still in the hose/sprayer head to drain back into the unit of measurement, and prevents leakage when you're moving the sprayer caput around to clip information technology onto the unit.

iii) Clean the recovery tank later on each use. Practice not permit material to stay in the recovery tank!  This allows the material to soil the plastic and contributes to 'Stinky Tank syndrome.'  Dump the recovered material into the toilet and flush information technology. Use the toilet because whatsoever pet hair in the water may clog your sink drain.  Run hot water into the tank from the top pigsty, and then turn and twist the tank to thoroughly swish the h2o around before emptying the tank again into the toilet.  Remove the rubber gasket from the bottom of the tank and make clean it with soap and water or pine-scented cleaner too.  Material tends to collect on the backside of that gasket and too creates a odor.  If you have a saucepan that's big plenty, you can dump the unabridged tank into a water/pino cleaner mix and go things smelling a bit better.

4)  Use only distilled water in the unit of measurement. I cannot stress this plenty.  The minerals in tap water can build up later awhile and collect in the heater assembly.  This tin clog the sprayer when $.25 of the accumulated minerals fracture off and mix with the cleaning solution. When the sprayer wand gets clogged you'll come across that fluid has entered the head but null exits when you lot press the trigger.   To remove the clog you can normally insert a cotton wool swab into the aqueduct inside the sprayer caput, and gently move it around to grab and remove the clog.  Occasionally the clog gets wedged into the sprayer pigsty; this requires pushing a slightly-aptitude straight pin into the hole from the outside to push button the clog out. You can then use the cotton fiber swab to remove information technology.

The heater itself can be cleaned by kickoff disassembling the unit and and then removing the embrace on the heater but it'south a major hassle.  The heater box sits atop some plumbing bits and has a sparse hose entering and exiting on its sides. To go inside information technology you lot remove the screws that concur the top cover on.  You'll see maze-similar channels inside the heater, and should see whitish fabric inside those channels.  Those are the mineral deposits, and you remove them past scraping them out.  You'll and so supervene upon the top encompass and reassemble the base.  This can take up to an hr the get-go time you practice it.

Getting Repair Parts

I don't know why it took and so long for me to find a parts dealer (despite Google), but Hesco Sales (www.hescoinc.com) will sell you any part they can get from Bissell. There's a section on their website where you enter your unit's model number and can pull up exploded diagrams of the unit to assist identify your office. In my case the part data wasn't bachelor on their site. Several emails subsequently they had the office information and made the part orderable. Notation that they accept a $25.00 minimum order, so my advice is to become a couple of the hose clips I mentioned before. They're inexpensive and make practiced filler fabric for your social club. Besides, you'll somewhen demand them.

Hopefully you institute this information useful, and maybe you volition exist able to salvage your unit from the trash heap (or have gotten the courage to rescue 1 from the thrift store).  If one person tin can keep their unit of measurement running longer I've washed my job.

Source: https://virtualvenesect.com/2011/03/30/hacking-modding-the-bissell-little-green-cleaner/

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