Why is my vacuum belt stretching, shredding or breaking?

Here are a few things you will need to check before putting on a new belt. If any of the following is true in your case, a new belt may not take care of the problem.

OBJECT STUCK IN BRUSHROLL AREA:

If you are vacuuming and any object like a small rock - toy - cord - clothing - loose carpet etc. gets stuck in the brushroll area you may smell burnt rubber and see smoke coming out of your vacuum... TURN THE VACUUM OFF IMMEDIATELY AND UNPLUG IT FROM THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET! Turn the vacuum over and look at the brushroll area and then remove the object. Note the belt itself will be hot.

EXCESSIVE HEAT FRICTION:

Upon closer inspection you may notice that the old belt may be very loose and/or tacky. That's because the old belt has been stretched out of it's original shape by excessive heat friction. This happens normally in about 3 to 6 months of use, but it also can happen very quickly when an object gets stuck in the brushroll area and the vacuum is left on or when the brushroll height is too low.

When the belt is permanently stretched out of shape it will not turn the brushroll at the proper speed when it comes in contact with the carpet. You will hear the brushroll slow down or even stop spinning when it is lowered onto the carpet. You might even smell burnt rubber and see smoke coming out of your vacuum... TURN THE VACUUM OFF IMMEDIATELY AND UNPLUG IT FROM THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET.

BRUSHROLL HARD TO SPIN:

Check the spin on the brushroll. Make sure that the 2 bearings or bushings on each end of the brushroll are clean and lubricated. Without a belt on the brushroll it must be able to spin freely several times on it's own with the flip of your finger, otherwise you will burn up a newly installed belt fairly quickly. If after cleaning and lubricating the bearings/bushings on each end it still does not spin freely, the brushroll will need to be replaced with both a new brushroll and a new belt.

BRUSHROLL HEIGHT TOO LOW:

Your vacuum will operate best when the vacuum is turned on and the spinning brushroll is then lowered to a point where it just comes in contact with the carpet and no lower. Running the vacuum at a lower height setting than this will only wear the belt out faster and cause the vacuum's electric motor to run hotter.