Kenmore is a very well known brand and makes all of the major appliances for homes, as well as, vacuums. Over time, or when you first get a Kenmore vacuum it can not turn on at all. If this happens here is what you should do to get your Kenmore vacuum to turn on.
In general, check the wall outlet has power by testing it with something else like a smartphone charger. After that clean the hoses, bin, and airflow pathways. Then give your Kenmore vacuum 1 hour to cool off, if it still won’t turn on give it another 24 hours to cool off then do the steps below.
Kenmore vacuums are a bit unique to other vacuums because the power cords run through the hose. Therefore, if the hose is slightly damaged, it can stop your Kenmore vacuum from turning on. But, there are a range of steps you should do before replacing the hose.
In the next section are step by step instructions for each of the troubleshooting steps you should do when your Kenmore vacuum won’t turn on. Go there and do each step.
Reasons Why Your Kenmore Vacuum Won’t Turn On
There are a range of different reasons why a vacuum won’t turn on. Below are the top 5 reasons your vacuum won’t turn on.
Overall, the wall outlet is not supplying power, the thermal fuse has triggered, the battery has failed and needs to be replaced, the battery contacts are dirty or corroded so it won’t charge, or an internal component has failed and needs to be repaired or replaced.
Each of the steps are explained below starting with step 1 which is to check the wall outlet is supplying power. Do each step one by one. Also, towards the end of this article, I have provided troubleshooting steps for selected vacuum brands, such as Kenmore, and Eufy.
1. The wall outlet is not supplying power
The circuit breaker for your home that connects to the wall outlet may have blown. When this happens the wall outlet won’t supply any power. To identify if this is why your vacuum won’t turn on, plug something else into the wall outlet such as a lamp, or a smartphone charger connected to a smartphone.
2. Thermal fuse has triggered because the engine has overheated
It’s common for vacuums to accumulate a jam slowly over time, or for something large or funny shaped to be accidentally sucked up. On top of that, the vacuum can be full, or the filters can be clogged with dust. Each of these will put extra strain on the motor and cause it to overheat.
There is a safety feature on vacuums – called a thermal fuse – that will disconnect the power to the engine when the engine gets too hot. It shuts off your vacuum, and prevents it from turning on until the engine cools down. When it triggers it can take an hour or sometimes as long as 24 hours to cool off where it will allow your vacuum to start again.
If you have a cooler part of your home, you should leave your vacuum there. After about 1 hour try turning it back on again. If it still won’t turn on then leave it for 24 hours and then try again.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on February 16, 2023.
While you wait inspect your vacuum for a clog, such as the hoses, and the main filter. Below is how to do that.
How to clear all hose filters and airflow pathways and rotating brush
There are a range of different vacuum designs. However, all vacuums collect dust and debris in a canister. Begin by ensuring this canister is empty, and then take off the hoses that you can remove.
For stand up vacuums often the hose can be pulled apart into 2 to 3 separate pieces. Look down each of the hoses to identify any blockages, and clear them using an old coat hanger, or a pipe cleaner. It’s very common for pet hair, regular hair, small plastic kids toys, other pieces of plastic, and items that are too big like half a cookie to get accidentally sucked up.
Many vacuums have a spinning brush. The spinning brush can get jammed with hair, or debris. And on some models it can cause a vacuum to not start when you press the power button.
If your vacuum has a spinning brush, inspect and clean it if necessary by pulling out anything stuck in it using an old fork, metal coat hanger, and/or pulling out hair and debris using your hand. Handheld vacuums, on the other hand, typically don’t have any hoses.
For these, you should take it apart, using the instructions in your owner’s manual. Refer to the manufacturers website to get an online version of your owners manual.
4. The battery has failed (battery powered vacuums)
This step only applies to vacuums that are battery operated. It’s possible the battery has failed, and won’t hold a charge. Therefore it won’t power your handheld vacuum at all. It’s generally not possible to know 100% whether this is the cause of the problem.
Therefore, you should only replace it after trying all of the other steps on this list. For the most part, it’s inexpensive to replace the battery on a vacuum cleaner. And runs somewhere in the range of $30.
You simply take the old battery off, and put the new battery in. But, it’s possibly covered under warranty.
So, you should get in touch with the manufacturer first. They can tell you if it’s covered by warranty, and the best way to get a replacement battery.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on February 16, 2023.
5. The battery contacts are dirty or corroded (battery powered vacuums)
The battery contacts where the battery connects to the rest of your vacuum can accumulate grime, or develop corrosion. Corrosion is fairly easy to identify because you will see light green residue or browny red rust where the battery connects to your vacuum. Or, the contacts on your battery.
Also, grime or dust can accumulate during normal use. Rubbing alcohol works very well to clean these connectors, and any type of vinegar works very well to clean corrosion.
6. The secondary power button has been switched off (robot vacuums only)
Robot vacuums almost always have another power switch located on the bottom. It’s common for brands such as Eufy, ionVac, and Wyze, and can get accidentally turned off when you are moving it or cleaning your robot vacuum. To see if this is what’s causing your robot vacuum to not turn on, flip it over and ensure the additional power button is on, if it has one.
Typically, it’s a big switch that you can turn on and off. If you can’t locate it right away, refer to the owners manual for your robot vacuum.
7. Internal component has failed
There are a few internal components on vacuums. They are connected to each other, and if one of them fails then it can prevent your vacuum from turning on. If you have a bit of experience working with electronics you will be aware of what a multimeter or voltmeter is.
Before testing the components, get in touch with the manufacturer to see if it’s covered under warranty. They can also let you know the best way to get it repaired or replaced.
Fixing Kenmore Vacuum That Won’t Turn On
Vacuums typically turn on and off instantly, but a few issues can develop with a vacuum where it won’t turn on at all. It can also shut off after only using it for a few minutes and then wont turn on again for a few hours.
In general, try plugging a different device into the same wall outlet like a smartphone and a charger to test the wall outlet is supplying power. Otherwise, give it an hour to cool down, because the thermal fuse has triggered. During that time clean and inspect all the hoses and airflow pathways.
The initial fixes to get a vacuum working are very easy to do yourself but there are also a few additional reasons why a vacuum won’t turn on. Refer to the section above for reasons a vacuum won’t turn on, as well as, the troubleshooting steps for each of them. The steps above apply to stand up vacuums, handheld vacuums, and robot vacuums (smart vacuums).
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on February 16, 2023.