GE/Lux Question

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timborow

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
274
Location
Georgia
Most of you in here know that I am a fan of vintage vacuums. However, MY vintage vacuums are not suitable for everyday use. They are all in pretty bad shape. I have been cleaning my hardwoods and area rugs with an Oreck and a Miele upright. They are ok, but I am thinking I want to change to a canister style. I have two GE Swiveltops that are missing floor tools, and I have an Electrolux Super J that has a bad hose and plug. Would any of these be worth trying to restore? I would need to have hoses built for the GE's since they don't use standard attachments. I would like to have all of them look and work like they did when they were new, but I don't know where to take them or send them. Should I take all of these to a shop and trade them for a newer model, or try to have them fixed? I talked to my vaccum shop owner and he said the GEs were some of the best ever made. He said if I didn't want them, he did. That lets me know that maybe they are pretty good. Any advice is welcome. Tim
 
Vintage vacs

Tim,
Let me preface what I write by adding the disclaimer that this is only my opinion and I'm not an expert.

I don't know much about the GE swiveltops as I was never interested in them. Now, I do know a bit about the Super J lux.

That I think is DEFINATELY worth fixing up and using as a "daily driver". The motor in the Super J is one of the best lux ever built and almost everyone that is still around runs great with no bearing or motor issues.

If the vacuum is running, all you really need is a new hose and I would upgrade the power nozzle, (easily found through people here, a vac shop or ebay), to the PN-6 series with direct connect to the hose.

Even is you find a PN-6 with some wear, a new belt and brushroll, (the newest one made by Eureka is terrific!), are easily availabe.

Since you are near me, if you need any parts, I would gladly get them for you for a very discounted price that would be less than your local guy can get them for. In the VCCC, those of us that have commerical accounts with the wholesalers, help each other out all the time. Bags, belts and brushrolls have a huge markup through the retailers.

So, my vote would be to restore the Lux and with the right care it will still be around cleaning after you and I are gone!

If you want to purchase the best of the best of cannisters, (IMHO), then let me know as I just happen to be an Air-Way dealer!! We have 3 different models to fit every budget!
 
Tim, you know or should know full well that as soon as you get rid of your GE swivel tops a floor tool will show up within days almost magically. I'd keep them for now. If the hoses are ratty why not just have new vinyl installed..you could probably do it yourself... Also..have you visited any Aerus dealers and struck up a conversation to see what old machines they have stored in the backroom ready for the dumpster.
 
Thanks, buys

Charlie, My Super J has a powernozzle (4C) which was brown and I spray-painted it gold to match the machine. It works well. I have all of the original attachments, since it belonged to my wife's grandmother. The hose I have is a vinyl bojack hose. It's a piece of crap. The switch is very sensitive because the machine won't stay on. I replaced the plug on the powercord and it shocks me everytime I unplug it. That is mainly why I quit using it. It had great suction, but it seemed to be weakening with age. We used it this way about 3 years before I retired it to the attic last month. I am not very good at repairing things, so is there anyone who can rebuild the vacuum to "like new" condition? Will it cost a mint?

Petek, you are probably right about the GEs. Both motors run strong, but I am a little afraid to use them in the house as they are. One is yellow and was a gift from Art in the VCCC, the other is blue and I got it off ebay for a song. The yellow has a broken floor tool with it, the blue one has all of the other attachments. Is it possible to have them retrofitted with a 1.25" hose so that I could use generic attachments? Tim
 
i have to add my applause for Lux. just because they seemed to use the highest quality motors. btw, its unlikely the machine is loosing suction due to age. there must be a leak in the hose, or somewhere else. or the brushroll is worn out.
 
Rebuild........

Tim,

Tell me what you mean by rebuild as you said it was running okay. It sounds like some minor things are needed to make it once again a killer vacuum.

I'm in Charlotte, NC. Where are you in GA? I will be glad to help you with a restoration as much as possible. Many of the VCCC folk will vouch for me in that I do nice restorations.
 
love my lux

I picked up a late 50's electrolux a few months ago, to use as a daily cleaner. My mom had one that worked great, part of the reason that I wanted one. You can still get the bags. It has great suction and is so well built.
 
Charlie

I am in Rome GA (30165). The motor runs fine. There is a little noise when in winds down, but nothing major. I had new carbon brushes put on it about 5 years ago. Most of the work would be cosmetic. ( a new cord, repaint, cleaning the rubber bumper, repairing the flip-over floor tool, new cover for the 4-c power nozzle that would match the vacuum, and a genuine swivel grip Lux hose.)

Am I being too "picky" about it. My vac shop said he would buy the vacuum from me to resale. What should I ask for it if I decide to sell it to him? I don't plan to get rich from it, but I would like to have a fair price. Do vac-shops have good resale with old Luxes?

He also took one of my GEs in on trade to "fix-up" the other one today. (new vinyl hose, clean up, adapter to use 1.25" attachments) I thought that was pretty fair. I hope I'm happy with it when I get it back. I typically have post-purchase regrets. LOL
Tim
 
Tim -

I agree with the group - the Super J is the best vac Electrolux ever built - my old one is still going strong for my cousin and her three kids at almost 30 years old. Parts are readily available.
 
Fix the Lux!

Its a great machine. Too many of them met their fate because the woven hose failed. I've reccommended to many Lux owners, the aftermarket vinyl hose that is available thru Hesco or Esco. Loal vac shops will have it too. They could not believe how much their machine picked up after installing it. So Tim, if Charlie can get you a new hose, go for it. It should be around $30 give or take 5 bucks. That would be for a non-swivel vinyl electric hose with a pistol grip. Gas pump style and swivel feature will cost more.

Just a FYI, I've attached a pic of the Super J's younger brother, an Olympia One that is a daily driver here. I've gotten the vinyl hose and it doesn't look all that bad on the machine. Plus this hose has an on/off switch for the power nozzle on the pistol grip.

By all means Tim, fix the Lux!

Joe
 
Nice pic, Joe

Thanks for the advice. I have that exact same hose on my Super J. This is the third vinyl hose I have had since the original braided hose failed. They all break at the handle. Since they are plastic,they can't be glued and expect them to last. The canister of my machine itself is in pretty good condition with the exception of a few scratches. These generic hoses are made as well as the original Lux hoses I'm sure. As I said in an earlier post, my vac guy is going to fix up the GE. I'll see how it performs. I just wish I had the original blue floor tool. I sure it would have performed much better if I had that. Anyway, I'll just wait and see how it works before I get rid of the Lux. It's tucked away safely in the attic. I'm sure I will be sorry if I sell it, so I may just keep it for a later "fix up" machine. I'll send some pictures of my little GE when I get it back. Tim
 
Hose

While an aftermarket hose is better than a leaky genuine hose, you might consider getting one that swivels at the handle. makes a difference under heavy use, and helps take the strain off the hose near the handle, avoiding wear.
 
The hoses tend to crack at the handle more often if you store the hose on the powenozzle and have it lean against the wall. I don't even store my braided lux hoses on the vacuum, they are all hung on a piece og big PVC pipe.
 
Electrolux Super J

Hi, Tim, Nathan Thomas here. I would definitely hang onto the Electrolux Super J--They are great machines. From the sound of it yours may need to just be taken apart and cleaned, with new bearings and motor brushes installed and it will work like new! My experience with older Electrolux machines like that is that's pretty much all they need, to be taken apart, clean the motors, replace the bearing and motor brushes and it'll run like a top! Hang onto the GE swivel tops as well. I'm sure you can fix the hose, simply cut off the old cloth part at each end and then any vac shop should have some replacement hose blanks that you could use. Anyway, Tim--If you need further assistance with any questions--please feel free to let me know--I'll be glad to help.

Sincerely,
Nathan L. Thomas
 
Well, it's back

I got the GE back yesterday. I am so disappointed. I thought when he said fix it up, it would look like a new one. Instead, the BLUE Swiveltop has a BLACK and WHITE vinyl hose with BLACK swivel connectors and a BROWN Rainbow floor brush. Can you believe it? He even riveted the hose to the wand, so it cant be taken off and replaced. And it leaks like a sieve because the hose cuff doesn't fit the wand. He did find a off-white GE floor brush he gave me, but it's taped together at the neck. The machine itself looks great. It runs like a top and is very quiet. I'll put a picture up for you all to see. It's really quite funny to look at.

By the way I am keeping the Lux. I will have it fixed later. Any suggestions on re-repairing my GE will be welcomed. Tim
 
Hey Tim:

That's an ebay vac as I remember seeing it on ebay several months back. I don't know if You joined the VCCC but You should because We have each other out on parts and even vacs it's well worth the 25.00 a year membership to join

Skip...
 
Repairing....

That's not restoring, Tim. I think your vac shop guy did pretty well. You now have a "daily driver" GE. It looks nice to me by the way. You see, you must have told him you wanted it repaired. If so, he did exactly that. You just can't find original replacement parts for GE vacuums. The hose he installed is just bulk replacement hose he cut to length and fit to your ends. Did you keep the original hose to display the vacuum? As far as I know, no one makes woven vacuum hoses any more. Electrolux might have been the last one, but even they have switched to vinyl hoses. In Europe, you can't even get vinyl anymore because it's made from PVC which the Europeans consider toxic. Their vacuum hoses are urethane.

If you wanted your GE restored to original condition, I doubt any vac shop would be able to do that. You would be on your own when it comes to restoration. While it can be done, it takes alot of time searching out good original parts. There simply isn't enough old GE's out there with good parts.

So, I'm sorry you are disappointed, but you do have a nice daily driver GE that should run for quite a while. Keep searching for the original parts for it and you may eventually be able to "put it back" to the way it originally was.

Joe
 
Joe

You are right, but I do wish he had used ivory bulk hose like I asked. But he did it for free, so I can't complain too much.
 
Tommy

Speaking of helping each other out Nathan Will go a country mile to help anyone out, total strangers at that You can't get any better then that. Nathan How do You like this forum I love it, I can't wait till they upgrade our's on the VCCC.Nathan I'm on vacation this week so I will be calling You.

Skip...
 
Nathan

Hey Nathan speaking of electroluxes, I got my lux model F off ebay a few weeks ago for a mere 99 cents Thank You , the seller said that when he would vacuum with it, the bag door would always open up, Some collector wrote to him and said to set the dial on 6 and it should stop. Well When I got it I of course tried it out and for a couple of days the door wouldn't open but then it started, You couldn't keep it closed at all while the vac was running, so this morning I decided to see what the problem might be. i opened the door and unscrewed the back off took all the the tubes and clean them as well as the senors and put it back together and still it would still open up and I was puzzled, so I took the bag out and boy it was caked with black power of some sort, I put a new bag in and what do You know it runs perfect now and the bag door doesn't open anymore at all. Nathan I also got a sani magic priscilla off ebay and when I got it. It didn't have hardly any suction at all. I took it total apart and my god they had vacuumed tons of sheetrock dust up. I had to take the filter out and clean it and wipe all the the vacuum inside out to get all the dust out, put it all back together and still no suction, Guess What it was the bag, once I put in a new bag it had tons of suction. I really believe vacuuming all kinds of powder and dust from sheetrock just ruins a vacuum cleaner.I'm just Thankful that I know how to work on my vacuums because I'm sure I would have a pretty big repair bill with all of my vacs

Skip...
 
To Skip

Hey, Skip--I like this forum, It is my pleasure to try to help people out. Tim--I'll be on the lookout for a good GE swivel top hose, and if I find one you'll be the first to hear about it! And yes, Skip--It's amazing what people will vacuum up and then they wonder "Why is my vacuum not picking up"? I can remember someone called me up one time, they told me their vacuum wasn't picking up--it was as I recall, a plastic Hoover Elite. Anyway, I got to looking at it, and I thought I saw something metal sticking out of it, and sure enough, when I got the motor apart, somebody had picked up a nail, and it drove it right through the fan, and right through the plastic fan housing, and, of course, the belt was broken, I said "It's a wonder that this thing's not picking up!" Anyway, After repairing the motor with a new housing, and changing the belt--along with a thorough cleaning of the motor and roller brush--the vacuum worked like new! I have also seen where people have never emptied the bags, I remember picking up a Kirby one time that the bag was literally "PACKED" up to the top with dirt--Is it any wonder it isn't picking up? Anyway, Like I say, Tim--I'll be on the lookout for you for a hose.
 
Ge Swivel top

I have that exact same model as Tim but in yellow mine even has the cord rewinder that still works and all original even the hose. It does have some small rust pits on the canister. I have all attachments for it. except the floor brush I have the rug brush or the other way around. I don't think i will be keeping it as that model doesn't impress me. I found it at a neighbors house who was throwing it away and she said I could take it and I found a Vintage Apex upright along with it.

Skip...
 
You are all a great bunch........

I agree with you guys about Nathan. He is very kind and helpful. But, so are most of my vacuum friends. Thanks Tommy for keeping an eye out for the GE hose and floor tool. Skip, are you interested in selling your swivel top? What condition? Do you have any pictures of it and the rug tool you would post in here to compare it to mine? What color is your hose? I am thinking about taking this hose to another vacuum shop here in town to see if he will put an ivory colored hose on it. I'm just funny about matching stuff. That's one problem with the Electrolux Super J. The replacement hoses are grey. They don't look very good on a gold and ivory machine. I just finished using the little GE. You wouldn't believe the junk it sucked up. I am impressed with its performance even with the leaky hose. And that floor brush does work pretty well, even on low pile rugs.
 
Tim

Hey Tim I will get it out of my vac room and take pictures for you and post them here but I don't know why but lately my pics won't go thru. But I will give it a try. If not I can sent the pics thru kodak to your email. Tim if you want the vac I won't sell it I will give it to you but all you have to do is pay shipping. I'm another Nathan I love helping people out and I sure can't sell something that was free.

Skip...
 
Kindness

You guys are the best. I would love to see the pics, Skip. We can talk in private about the vac. Just e-mail me. If your camera is high in pixels, you'll have to resize your pictures. Just right-click on the picture, choose resize,choose the smallest choice. This always works for me. The computer will automatically save them in your folder. I hope this helps. Tim
 
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