Hoover SteamVac Not Working? Here's the One-Minute Fix

I read a good portion of the more than 400 reviews Hoover SteamVac had on a major retailer's Web site. The five-star ratings outnumbered the single stars by 20 to 1. The recurring theme with the poor ratings centered on a sudden loss of suction power. More often than not, the solution was to take it back to the store or have it fixed under warranty. Others chose to throw it away and buy another since the old SteamVac had given such good results for several years.

The typical $150 price tag seemed like a bargain compared to the $130 it cost to have it done commercially on an annual or semi-annual basis. My wife said it made sense to buy one, so we plunked down the money and took a Hoover SteamVac Silver carpet cleaner model F5915-900 home. Assembling the SteamVac was easy, and I liked the idea of a separate tank for clean water solution and a recovery tank for dirty water.

The recovery tank has a mechanism for shutting off the suction, thereby keeping the recovery tank from overflowing. There is a distinct change of sound emanating from the machine when this happens. Removing the recovery tank from the SteamVac and emptying the cruddy water renders the tank ready for action again.

The Problem and the Solution

I brought out my SteamVac for the third time in eight months and cleaned my first 120 square feet of carpet using up the first tank of cleaning solution, then emptied the recovery tank. I reinstalled the tank, turned on power, and the dreaded Loss-of-Suction syndrome had manifested itself. Obviously, something had changed between the time I removed the tank and replaced it. The actual suction shut-off is accomplished with an orange plastic float that rises with the water level until reaching the top of the tank and restricting the vacuum flow. A quick inspection revealed that the float was still at the top of the tank and had not dropped down as it normally does when the dirty water is emptied. There is a very slight friction fit between the float and the cylinder it rides up in, so a firm tap on the top of the tank released the float with full suction restored.

The other potential problem area that could produce the same symptoms lies in the latches that retain the SteamVac recovery tank lid. Two latches in the front and the latch in the rear must all be securely latched. A latch that is not secure or broken will prevent the suction from being formed (similar to sucking on a straw that isn't immersed in any liquid). There are at least four places (including the Quick Assembly Guide) that remind you to make sure the recovery tank lid is on securely.

So before you label you Hoover SteamVac a piece of junk or worse, do a simple check for a stuck float or incorrectly fitting tank lid. It is a rare event when a product does more than you bargain for, and this is one of those times.