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Dyson vacuum cleaner - Suction problems troubleshooting tips
Suction problems are mainly due to blockages or dirty filters. I have removed popcorn, 2p pieces, biros, bits of coathangers and peashooters. One thing causes the blockage and then dust and dirt builds up behind it.
Before you do anything else, replace or wash your pre-filter and let it thoroughly dry (I can't emphasise enough how it must be THOROUGHLY DRY if not you will be looking at a motor replacement)
If you have just washed your filters but you have been decorating sucking up plaster dust, paint dust etc then wash your filters again as this fine dust gets to your filters a lot easier than normal household dust and blocks them a lot quicker.
This suction checklist below is mainly for upright Dysons as suction problems on the cylinder models are very easily solved.
For cylinder Dyson vacuums troubleshooting suction problems is done by removing the hose at the main part of the machine and testing the suction, if it is poor clean or replace the filter, if it is good then the blockage is in the hose or handle. Disconnect the handles at each point to determine where the blockage is.
A quick note for Dyson DC07 owners: If after cleaning your filters and checking every orifice of your machine your suction is still poor, click here to troubleshoot your Dyson DC07 vacuum.
If you have a DC01, DC02, DC03, DC04 or DC05 remove your bin and look in the bin is there anything else in it? or is it just a plastic bin?
If your answer is "It's just a clear bin with nothing else inside it" you have solved your problem.
There should be a green, yellow, blue, pink or whatever colour inner bin part that should be there. The picture below is what it looks like on a DC01. DC02, DC03, DC04 and DC05 are not much different. Get the new bin inner part (if you still can as only used ones will be available now) and wash your filter, if you haven't killed your motor it should work as normal again.
Before you give the favourite answer of "I never had one" If you have owned the vacuum cleaner for 3 months or more with no problems which is more than likely, trust me you had one.
If you have a ball model a top tip for you is to only wash the pre filter on your Dyson, for most models this is the one in the top of the Cyclone (some ball models don't use pre filters such as the Cinetic model).
Dyson tell you to wash your HEPA filter as well which is usually the one in the ball....don't!!
If you wash your pre filter often enough then you should never need to wash your HEPA filter as it only collects carbon dust from the motor. On older models the HEPA filter NEVER needed to be washed so why start now?
Washing your HEPA filter causes more problems as eventually it will lead to a high pitched whistle when you turn on your Dyson and when you turn it off, the only way to solve it is to replace the HEPA filter. This applies to DC24, DC25, DC40, DC41, DC50, Dyson Light Ball UP22 and Dyson Ball 2 HEPA filters
If you are still having problems with the suction on your Dyson vacuum after cleaning the filters then make sure the bin is empty remove your filters and quickly test the suction from the handle it should take no more than 5 seconds of running to do this.
Removing the filters rules out any problems with the filters. Sometimes the washable filter becomes blocked and cannot be cleaned resulting in loss of suction across the whole machine.
The only course of action is to replace the entire filter if your suction is good when the filter is removed.
DO NOT use your Dyson with the filters removed other than for a quick test as you will damage your motor.
Removing the filters to test the suction does not always work! On the newer cylinder models and some handheld models removing the filter is enough to completely kill the suction
If the troubleshooting above did not solve your problem then click the links below to troubleshoot the base or the handle if you are still having problems:
POOR SUCTION FROM THE HANDLE/ HOSE