Oreck XL2 Unclog & Brushroll Repair - The Vacuum That Was The End Of An Era

Рет қаралды 14,808

Күн бұрын

There once was a day you could not watch television without seeing an infomercial feature David Oreck selling his ultra-light vacuums. Whether you loved them or hated them, they were a family-owned company that manufactured in the United States... that was the American success story. Then the founder's son lost the company and a company known for zombie brands took over. Let's repair this vacuum and ruminate about the end of an era for Oreck. Today we will do an Oreck XL2 unclog and brushroll repair.
** CORRECTION ** - David Oreck has not passed. He is retired and in his 90s. Apologies for the oversight.
House of Vacuums is Lynchburg's exclusive multi-line vacuum dealer. We sell the best vacuums in the world and fix the rest! We are conveniently located on Old Forest Road in beautiful Lynchburg, VA. If you have questions about vacuum needs for your home, drop us a message. We are always happy to help you find the right vac and the best price!
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Copyright 2021 House of Vacuums (Dark Water LLC), All Rights Reserved
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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Clog Found... and Other Issues
3:00 - Unclog
3:33 - Check Air Pathway
5:35 - Brushroll & Belt Tracking Issues
9:15 - Reposition Motor for Belt Alignment
11:23 - Check New Brushroll Fitment
13:22 - Ruminations on Oreck's Current State
16:45 - Testing & Determining It Is Unclogged
17:13 - Conclusion

Пікірлер: 94

@graysonsvacsandmowers5426 3 жыл бұрын

I love these Oreck's for their no BS simplicity, especially when it comes to changing the belt. They may not be the most powerful vacuum out there, but they do work pretty good for what they are.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Yup, they are simple and easy to work on!

@graysonsvacsandmowers5426 3 жыл бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums I at first thought a Hoover Elite was simple (it still is in a way), but try changing the belt on that compared to an Oreck.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Oh man, those are not fun to change the belt on. You are right on the money there!

@marilynbaziak532 Жыл бұрын

We couldn't kill our 2006 Oreck until my son said that the bag was not inflating but the motor was going strong. I took it apart for the first time (thanks for your great video!) and all went well as I took it apart and later reassembled it. I tried to loosen up the pole on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. When I disconnected the bag (that wasn't full) I found the jam. Gobbs and gobs of stuff. Packed as hard as a sausage! We had a "grabber" with a flexible long handle that got to the bottom of the problem. Without this helpful tool from the dollar store years ago, we would have bought the newer XL Oreck on Amazon. Thanks so much for your comments about the ITT company that bought up Oreck. NOW, I'll plan to find a recommended product for when the motor dies! PLEASE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. Thanks so much!

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

Hi Marilyn, I'm glad that the video was helpful for you! If you want to stay with the ultralight form factor, the best alternative to the Oreck is the Riccar Supralite. Assembled in the United States by a family owned company, they weight the same as the Oreck but have a larger fan and more air flow. Hope that helps!

@nonelost1 6 күн бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums dang, I wish I had kept my Riccar Supralite as I just recently found an Oreck XL. I would've loved to have done "battle of the vacuums" video between them. Oh well.

@sand0077 2 жыл бұрын

I've an Oreck XL2000RH Commercial that has functioned well for the past several years. It recently started giving off a burning rubber smell. Opening the inspection cover revealed a disintegrating belt and a motor shaft having difficulty turning. The motor was removed and found the bearing directly behind the fan, in front of the felt washer, was partially perished. I fabricated a new bearing from parts I had and now the fan rides higher on the shaft and not interfering with the motor body anymore. Cleaned the motor and area around it, tested and now functions as it should.

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Nice work! Thanks for watching and commenting.

@silverado5469 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Matt, I just visited your website and was very impressed by it. One of the things that impressed me the most was all of the nice compliments people wrote about you and your business who bought vacuums off of you and your family. I am very happy to see fine people like your entire family running a family business that is very successful. Good for you and your family. In the mean time I will continue my vacuum education from your great videos you produce. You keep making them and I will continue to watch them. Thanks for all of your hard work and talent. John in Ohio.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@PerformanceReviews 3 жыл бұрын

"before the days of his deadbeat son" fucking love it

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha... call 'em like I see 'em!

@rhosllwyd2863 3 жыл бұрын

Oreck is the best vacuum cleaner ever. Beats the Dyson, Shark etc. My last one has finally died after 18 years and I cannot replace it. Sad.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Time to get a Sebo! Thanks for watching.

@TheCrulZ2348 Ай бұрын

The only Oreck that even looks decent or seems worth buying these days is the commercial since it's pretty much still an old school Oreck with the iconic design

@NOM145 Жыл бұрын

I just started a new vacuum repair job and these have been the bane of my existence.

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

There are a lot of them out there. Welcome to the vac repair club!

@rileyglover2005 Жыл бұрын

David oreck has sadly passed away Rest in peace David oreck

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

Here's to you, David!

@vacuzman 2 жыл бұрын

I love my Oreck XL21 and it has never let me down for at least 15 years or more.. I love the 2 speed motor and the easy belt change. I had to replace the bottom plate last year as the rubber strip had worn completely down but other than that I have never had any issues. I take it apart twice a year for a complete cleaning and wipe down and I only use the Hepa Cloth Bags.. Hope it survives for another 15 years. Enjoy your videos.

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Glad your Oreck is working well for you. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@silverado5469 3 жыл бұрын

Another really well done video. Always a pleasure to watch your video's, especially listening to you . You are the expert for sure. Matt, your very easy to listen to and I always learn something from watching and listening to you. Thanks for another great video. John in Ohio.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

@Mainbusfail 2 жыл бұрын

I have a super weird geek for vacuums of all types. I have just about every industrial and commercial type in my inventory because of all the different types of surfaces / situation that I encounter. Oreck XL commercials are one of my gotos when I need carpet with fine debris vacuumed well and not having to throw out my back in the process. For the large jobs, I have 3 different varieties of Carpetriever XP28s that work wonders but are an absolute blast loading back up. I am very impressed with your website and your YT videos, I actually learned the proper belt alignment process because of you. I think I will just have to like and subscribe because you are probably the best source of knowledge out there. Thanks and Gratitude, Todd Kimbrell

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment and the sub, Todd! Also, thanks for sharing your experience using the Orecks commercially. I'm really trying to build a community and knowledge base here where we can all help each other out. BTW, I'm a super weird geek for vacuums as well (no secret there!). You're in good company!

@Mainbusfail 2 жыл бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums I know you are not a huge fan of Jr. But he launched his new David product line and i was curious if you have had any exposure to his line up and if so, your unbiased opinion would be most appreciated.

@MatthewDouglas805 2 жыл бұрын

@@Mainbusfail Hi Todd! So the David uprights are relabeled Riccar Supralite uprights. Tacony, Riccar's parent company, makes them for the Davids stores. Honestly, they are great machines and well proven in the marketplace. The only thing I would say is to be careful not to pay more for the David version than the Riccar version, as there is literally no difference between the two. Hope that helps!

@deanadams3099 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Thank you.

@VacMaster2020 3 жыл бұрын

David Oreck is still alive

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Ha, you're right! My bad. Double checked the rest of my story... the rest of it is accurate. Thanks for the correction!

@nonelost1 12 күн бұрын

Nope, according to Wikipedia, David Oreck died February 15, 2023, at 99.

@VacMaster2020 12 күн бұрын

@@nonelost1 that was at that time he may not be alive now, but he was when I made the comment

@PopleBackyardFarm 3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking of getting a Oreck sometime

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

They can be a fun little machine, especially if you get one used. Thanks for watching!

@crazygeorgelincoln 3 жыл бұрын

I found a orick XL next to a dumpster, wire has a split near the handle, otherwise a clean and it is ok. Also had some orick spare bags and a flexible pipe that I guess is for something completely different.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Nice! I definitely think the flexible hose probably came from another vac. Thanks for watching!

@aaronatwood9298 2 жыл бұрын

My mother has a Oreck Xl that has to be 30 years old by now. It was bought along with an Oreck portable canister *the one with the suction to pick up a bowling ball per the ad*. The canister died many many years ago but that old upright is still alive. I’m not sure how or why, but it is still alive. I definitely needs a service, it’s lived in a house of cats for 15 years. Now, TTI also makes tools under license for Ryobi, Ridgid *the name is Emerson, hand power tools made by TTI as a rebrand of TTI global brand that they already made*, and they own Milwaukee tools. Other than a tendency to exaggerate for marketing purposes, they have not hurt Milwaukee. Too bad Oreck and Hoover aren’t power tools.

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Yup, the old ones can last quite a long time. Thanks for the comment!

@coreykaminski3818 5 ай бұрын

thank you for showing how to take the oreck appart. i've had an orec k xl 21 for sixteen years and the thing has held up. unfortunately when we moved down south we have rodents that chewed thru my electrical chor my husband is going to try to fix it. we shall see

@ministryinmusic7851 2 жыл бұрын

I cleaned out the tube, but did not clean out the case of my plugged Oreck. My XL seems to be blowing air now, so I will clean out the case and check the alignment of the best like you showed us. It should work fine. Thank you...

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Double check the inlet from the brushroll to the motor, that is also a common area for clogs. If you don't see anything, it might be time to look up a local repair shop. Thanks for the comment!

@jgwalling Жыл бұрын

I bought an oreck XL 2 for $20 the other day the belt was broken replace the belt and now it runs like new

@Xanduur Жыл бұрын

We had an original Oreck. The one with a 20 year warranty. It had some problems in the last few years and Oreck did everything they could to avoid doing the repairs.

@CharlesHess 2 жыл бұрын

Held in tightLY!

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting!

@garrettdodson6110 3 жыл бұрын

David Oreck isn’t dead for starters. He is very much alive and in his 90’s. Second. David sold the company to black to diamond in the mid 2000’s. At this time Orecks CEO was Doug Cahill under black diamond. Doug tried several times to buy Oreck Corp from black diamond but was unsuccessful so he resigned from the company. Black diamond put the products in big box stores put the company in financial ruin. Doug Cahill moved on to other prospects. Tom was just the Vice President and partial owner of Oreck Corp back when his father owned it. he was never majority share holder. Black diamond went belly up and the company then went to auction where Tom and David pooled their money in attempt to buy Oreck Corp back. However TTI out bid them and ultimately got the company. David Oreck kept his candle company, and Tom kept the 49 retail stores in 11 states with his cow owner and managing partner Mike Eiermann. Tom and mike grew up together as kids. I managed two locations in Dallas/ Fort Worth for several years. So that’s an abridged version of what actually happened to Oreck over the last 15 years. Nowadays the stores Tom and mike own were called Oreck floor care centers, then switches to My Oreck Stores, then semi rebranded again to Vacuums Etc, and now in recent months have again changed names of all locations to David’s Vacuums. And the now retain the color scheme and fonts used from the golden days of Oreck Clean Home Centers. And the Vice President of David’s vacuums is Mike’s daughter Dawn Eiermann Karn’s.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Garrett, thanks for commenting! To David Oreck's status, yes I was incorrect in stating that he had passed. It is mentioned in other responses here. Totally wrong on that. As to my comments regarding Tom, I'm going to stick by my comments there. He was CEO from 1997 to 2007. Oreck was sold to private equity in 2003 during Tom's term. So while private equity was certainly the final nail in the coffin, the downfall started with Tom. He thought the family could cash out, stay at the helm of the company and everything would be smooth sailing. As we know, that wasn't the case. Both David and Tom have bemoaned the company being driven into the ground. However, they are the ones who sold to private equity. If they didn't have any inkling what American Securities and, later, Black Diamond would do to the company then it was either naivety or a lack of caring what the outcome was. Thanks again for the comment. Cheers!

@kippaseo8027 Жыл бұрын

The old school oreck XL Uprights were like the Volkswagen Beatles of vacuum's. They were never known as being very powerful but but they were easy to fix And they tended to be very cost effective to keep going and going and going. Modern manufacturers especially Chinese ones don't want their products to last because they make more money on replacements rather than repairs.

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

The VW Beatle of vacuums... I like that analogy!

@steventrosiek2623 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for a great video. My XL was made here in the United States. What year did they deteriorate? Pity. Wonderful vacuum cleaner. Love to buy another one to keep on hand.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! Oreck started it's decline around the time that the Oreck family sold the business to private equity in 2003. The final nail in the coffin occurred in 2013 when TTI won the Oreck company at bankruptcy auction. There are a lot of other good vacuums on the market like Riccar, Sebo, Miele, Lindhaus, etc. that still make quality vacs. So while it is sad to see an old brand die, there are plenty of other options when it comes time to replace your Oreck.

@VacMaster2020 3 жыл бұрын

I had that happen to me when I was repairing an Orick I had to replace the whole brush roll not fun for me the bench vac I use is my central vacuum

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Fortunately the CWP brushrolls are cheap!

@kippaseo8027 3 жыл бұрын

Who took over the Kenmore vacuum division? Since Panasonic got out of the vacuum business and they used to make most of kin more vacuums I wondered who's behind the brand now?

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Kip! The Kenmore floorcare line was taken over by a Chinese company called Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Company... they refer to themselves as Cleva. They still make some of the older Panasonic sourced designs, but most of their new in-house designs are more in line with what you would find from Shark. There are, in fact, a lot of build similarities between Sharks and the new Kenmore Intuition BU series.

@kippaseo8027 3 жыл бұрын

While thanks for the info! I Have a weird little "vacuum thing" But I grew up as a Sears brat Meaning my mom worked for Sears for over 25 years when I was growing Up in the late 1980s and early 1990s And since I was much cuter then I was behaved my parents had great difficulty keeping baby sitters so she was forced to bring me to work with her. Series with a much more happening place back then and Being the little con artist that I was whenever I was able to escape from Either my mom's office or Whatever Other section of the store that I would get banished to I would always make my way to the vacuum And sewing machine department So that the board teenagers Could sit on the phone with their girlfriends or wander off somewhere else into the mall. They worked on commission back then so I always got a cut And I also got a little Marketable gossip and dirt since I was pretty good at ease dripping on their conversations which was also a very lucrative and marketable skill of mine at the time . After I made my money I'd head over to the electronic's department AKA "brand central" and change all the stations on the TV's which was actually pretty cool considering I Was severely 80HD. I just wasn't allowed to play with the keyboards or do anything obscene in front of the camcorder set up. I also used to get the sideeye Any time I even thought about walking by the Craftsman Powertool. I felt like a celebrity as I wandered from department to department with all the other employees shouting "code Kip code Kip!" From one end of the store to the other.

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Great story! Those were good times to grown up in...

@joshuaryanferguson3702 3 жыл бұрын

i do have one like that but it the original one from idk what year but its grey and the head light is flat front and works great but dose it matter that it wobble side to side or dose it not because i noticed it a few weeks ago

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! Is the fan housing wobbling side-to-side?

@joshuaryanferguson3702 3 жыл бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums yeah it like moves side to side even though its on there good its the metal peace that lets it move for some reason idk if its a good thing but all i know is it works amazingly well even though the whole handle an tubes move including the housing

@mattheviewer 2 жыл бұрын

hmmmmm...had always wondered about Oreck. A tiny little direct air fan? simple flat belt? How long can these go between services?

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

If you don't have an issue with hair wrapping around the brushroll they can go quite a while between services. In households with long hair, usually less because the belt side bearing of the brushroll is not serviceable on most of them. If it gets in there, it can cause some major issues. Mostly we see them in for clogging. Small passageways and a small fan always equals blockages!

@LuxAudio389 2 жыл бұрын

9:51 those are huge electric brushes. To any one who may know. Are most AC electric vacuum motors brushed, something else, or are they starting to use Brushless motors? Now I'm interested to know what my Riccar R40p used? Thanks 🤔 Buy the way, doesn't Matt kind of look like Bill Burr.

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha, I'm about to shave my head... so the Bill Burr resemblance might get stronger! I'm not sure why the brushes on these Orecks were so big, but you are right they are huge. Pretty much all mains powered vacs still use brushed motors, including your Riccar R40. The only one that I am aware of currently using brushless is the Rainbow SRX and E-Series... and those were absolute nightmares, mostly due to the PCB necessary to control a 4 phase brushless motor in a humid environment (water vac). On the cordless side, all Dyson cordless vacs use DC brushless motors... there may be others. But they are much more suitable to that particular application. On the same token, still very, very complex electronics to control pulse-width modulation (PWM) across the motor. Hope that helps!

@MaryhelenKarageorge 2 жыл бұрын

How do you fix the brushes at the back? They popped off and I can’t get them to stay????

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Brushes at the back? Are you talking about the sealing strip right behind the brushroll?

@MaryhelenKarageorge 2 жыл бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums no, I’m sorry. I meant the little wheels at the back..?

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Those are friction fit into the housing. You may not be getting them fully seated. Put them in place, then take a flathead screwdriver and place it on the little bit of visible axle. Then tap with a hammer until it is seating. You'll need to do that for all 4 spots where the axle comes in contact with the base plate. Hope that helps!

@VousEtre Жыл бұрын

I took off the metal plate and rubber dam and washed them. Can’t get it back on now.

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

Yeah, on the metal plate.... those are crimped on from the factory, so if you take it off is VERY tough to get back on right. The only option that I have sometimes had work is glue it on with industrial rubber cement.

@joshuaryanferguson3702 3 жыл бұрын

i have the xl1 with the lights

@HouseOfVacuums 3 жыл бұрын

An oldie but a goodie!

@owentimo 2 жыл бұрын

I have rebuilt a few of my inlaws old XL's, super easy to fix. Are the new Oreck Hepa Bagged uprights OK to buy? My Mother inlaw is looking for another. Do You sell refurbished units? Thanks for the history lesson!!!!!

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked the video! I don't deal with used vacs unless they are super cherry Miele, Sebo or Riccar units. But you should be able to find used Orecks no problem. If you find one, make sure it is an XL2 style or an Elevate. Do not buy a Magnesium or any other similar model... those were early TTI designs and were terrible. All newer Orecks with the Type CC and later bags have the ability to run the HEPA bags. Thanks for watching and the question!

@owentimo 2 жыл бұрын

@@HouseOfVacuums Thank you! Just bought an old XL 21 750 model series made in New Orleans, LA on ebay, mint.

@brandonnelson5021 2 жыл бұрын

So sad how someone puts their blood, sweat and tears into a business and another person who doesn’t have the vision, aptitude or drive to carry on the torch ruins everything.

@HouseOfVacuums 2 жыл бұрын

That's the truth!

@bfrancioso Жыл бұрын

Orecks downfall started when the Oreck family sold the company in 2003. Tom Oreck screwed the workers at the New Orleans plant by moving the plant to Cookeville Tennessee in 2007. If I understand correctly, 2007 was the year he was forced to step down as CEO. TTI buying Oreck certainly was the worst think that happened to Oreck! I

@HouseOfVacuums Жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more. Except maybe the worst thing to happen to Oreck was Tom, ha!