Hoover Vacuum Won’t Turn On/Stay On/ Charge/Hold Charge

Hoover provides some of the best budget-friendly and durable vacuum cleaners on the market. They are easy to use and can serve you for years with proper use and maintenance. Learning how to troubleshoot your Hoover vacuum and fix the minor problems saves you lots of headaches.

A Hoover vacuum won’t turn on because of a faulty power cable, power switch, motor, or a failed thermal cutout. A vacuum keeps shutting off due to overheating or an electrical problem. Faulty chargers hinder charging, while older vacuums won’t hold a charge due to faulty batteries or chargers.

Here’s a simple guide detailing how to troubleshoot and fix minor problems with your Hoover vacuum cleaner. Most of the fixes are simple and don’t call for special tools or engineering knowledge.

Hoover Vacuum Won’t Turn On

If your Hoover vacuum cleaner doesn’t turn on, you could be dealing with four possible problems – a faulty power switch, cord, motor, or a failed thermal cutout.

That means you’d have to disassemble the vacuum to access these parts. The process varies between models. A word of caution, though, disassembling a vacuum might void your warranty.

Once you open the vacuum, you can see the power switch, the motor, and the power plug. Test each of these parts with a multimeter to determine if there’s continuity between the various components.

Faulty Power Cord

Here’s how to test the faulty power cord.

Test for continuity between each of the blades on the plug with the wire that goes inside the vacuum cleaner.
Set a continuity alarm on the multimeter and test the live wires.
If there’s continuity between the live wire and the power switch, an alarm will sound.
Repeat the process with the neutral wire. If the alarm sounds in each run, you can rule out the power cords as the source of the problem.

Faulty Power Switch

Here’s how to test the faulty power switch.

Connect one probe of the multimeter on one side of the button and the other probe to the opposite side. The switch can be either in an off or on position.
If the switch is OK, the alarm will sound.
If the alarm doesn’t ring, the switch it’s defective.
Replacing the faulty power switch will fix the problem.

Faulty Motor

If the motor isn’t making a connection with the brushes, the vacuum won’t turn on.

Pop the motor out of the housing by loosening the screw attachments.
Have the digital multimeter set to a resistance range instead of the continuity alarm setting.
Connect some alligator clips to each end of the probe.
Hook one end of an alligator clip to the wire connecting the winding with the brush holder.
Clip the other alligator clip to the brush holder.
Check the multimeter for a resistance reading. If there’s a reading, the motor connects to the armature.
Next, rotate the motor slowly with your finger to check if there’s resistance within the same range. The key here is to ensure that brushes are changing where they’re in contact with the commutator.
If there’s a reading all through, the commutator is in excellent working condition.
If there’s a dead spot where the resistance goes to infinity, there’s an open winding, which means the motor is faulty.
You’ll have to replace the engine to get the vacuum working again.

Failed Thermal Switch

If you’re not getting any resistance reading on the multimeter and your unit has a thermal switch, there’s a chance that it has failed.

Check the thermal switch for continuity with the multimeter.
Clip a probe to each of the wires in a thermal cutout.
If there’s no continuity, the thermal switch or cutoff is faulty and needs to be replaced.
Be sure to get a replacement thermal switch of the same rating.
Depending on the model, you might have to solder the thermal switch in place.

Hoover Vacuum Won’t Stay On or Keeps Shutting Off

If your Hoover vacuum clean keeps shutting off, it can be one of two problems – it’s overheating or has an electrical issue.

Overheating is the most common cause, but luckily, it’s easy to solve. Electrical faults are a bit complex and may require professional help.

Closely examining the shut-off times can help you differentiate between the two causes.

A clogged vacuum cleaner will turn off after running for two minutes to avoid overheating the motor, while one with an electrical problem shuts off randomly.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on January 11, 2021.

Overheating

Hoover vacuum cleaners come with overheating protection that shuts off the unit if the motor runs too hot. If the motor’s airflow is restricted, the in-built thermal shut-off kicks in and turns off the vacuum.

Most models have a performance indicator button that will turn red if something is clogging the vacuum.

With the vacuum switched off, detach the vacuum hose from both ends.
Push a broom handle or a long stick through the hose to knock off anything that’s stuck inside it.
Remove the hood to access the lower nozzle and check for a clog.
If both measures don’t work, the filter could be clogged.
Remove the dirt cup and lift the lid to access the filter.
Dust off the filter and rinse it for a minute or two under warm water.
Let the filter dry out for a day before reattaching it to the dirt cup.

Electrical Faults

If you don’t find any clogs in the vacuum cleaner, you might be dealing with an electrical problem. You could be looking at a faulty power switch or electric motor. See below to determine the possible cause and how to fix a defective power switch.

Hoover Vacuum On Off Switch Not Working

If the power switch of your Hoover vacuum cleaner is faulty, the unit won’t power on. The best option is to replace the switch, but you can also choose to repair it.

To establish that the power switch is faulty, you need to disassemble the vacuum to access the switch and test for connectivity.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on January 11, 2021.

Connect one probe of the multimeter on one side of the switch and the other probe to the opposite side.
The switch can be either in an off or on position.
If the switch is OK, the alarm will sound.
If the alarm doesn’t go off, it’s faulty.

Repairing a Faulty Power Switch

Here’s how to repair a faulty power switch.

Pull off the blade connector by pushing in the spring-loaded connector on the male blade while pulling the switch outwards to release it.
Repeat the process on the female connector, and the power switch will pop free.
Pop off the red button on the power switch by prying it loose with a screwdriver’s flat blade. Apply gentle pressure so you don’t ruin the plastic locking mechanism.
Remove the metal plate, the spring, and the pin inside the switch to reveal a brass or copper-colored contact. The contact is likely to have a thick layer of carbon buildup on it.
Scrape off the carbon buildup gently while ensuring no damage comes to the contact. Use a sharp razor blade or edge to scrape off the carbon buildup, then clean it up with a pencil eraser. Place the pencil eraser on the contact point and spin it around until the contact point is clean and shiny.
Replace the metal place. Ensure the two contact points align and the notches on either side of the metal plate line up with the two points jutting out of the terminal.
Clean the metal plate’s back with an erase to remove all the black crud on the contact until it looks brand new.
Insert the spring and the pin into the red cap and insert the lid into the power switch. When inserted correctly, the cap should pop into place and move between on and off positions.
Test the power switch with the multimeter again. You should hear the multimeter beep to signal the switch has been fixed.
Pop it back into place and re-assemble the Hoover vacuum cleaner. It should power on since the problem is fixed.

Hoover Vacuum Not Charging

It’s frustrating when your Hoover vacuum won’t charge, but there’s an easy solution to help you solve this problem.

There are four main reasons why a Hoover vacuum won’t charge:

A faulty power outlet. Sometimes it’s the outlet that has a problem. Plug the charger into a different socket. If it charges just fine, the power socket is the problem. If the vacuum doesn’t charge, you can rule out the power outlet.
Dead batteries. The batteries on Hoover vacuums lose their ability to hold and store charge after a usage period of a year or more. If your unit is older than a year, consider getting a replacement pack.
Dirty charger. Dirt and grime accumulating on the charger’s terminal prevent a proper connection between the battery and the charger. Unplug the charger and clean it with a microfiber cleaning cloth. Clean the terminals on the battery as well. Plug the charger in and place the battery; if the light comes on, dirt buildup was the problem. If not, the charger might have a malfunction.
Faulty charger. If the charger doesn’t work on different power outlets, it’s defective and needs to be replaced. Consider getting a replacement from a reliable Hoover dealer near you.

Hoover Vacuum Not Holding Charge

According to Hoover’s service page, vacuum batteries lose their capacity to store charge after a year or so of heavy usage. If your vacuum cleaner is older than a year, the batteries might be dead.

Consider getting a replacement battery pack from a reliable Hoover dealer near you.

Final Thoughts

A Hoover vacuum cleaner won’t power on because of four main reasons:

A faulty power switch
Faulty power cord
A Failed thermal switch
A faulty motor

While these are minor problems that you quickly fix at home, they entail disassembling the vacuum cleaner, which might void your warranty. If the unit is under warranty, it’s best to have the company repair it for you.