On/Off/On/Off - Eureka Central Vacuum

[Westwind]

We have a 2012 Bighorn we bought new and I have been fighting with the Eureka Yellow Jacket central vac for the last two years. The first problem was when it would shut off and kept on running, we used the circuit switch until I took the unit out and hit the magic spot and it worked correctly for awhile, now we have been experiencing intermittent starting and stopping. I thought I could put a on/off switch on the step riser and that would fix it but now I realize that the electronic board inside is causing this problem also.
Does anyone know if I can disconnect or bypass the board and just use the on/off switch to run it, my wife has grown to like the ease of using it. We bought a new stick vaccum but she prefers the central vac. I never thought I would hear her say that but wrong again. Any help would be appreciated.

This is item 10 to the list of things that need attention or fixing when we return from 4 months of snow birding. It's strange how nothing seems to last.

 

[danemayer]

Re: On/Off/On/OFF etc.

Take a look at this thread.

 

[carl.swoyer]

Re: On/Off/On/OFF etc.

We had ours replaced and it intermittently acts up. We use the breaker. As of the last two years no issue.

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[wdk450]

I bought a Bissell 3-in-1 stick vac from Walmart for $19. It takes care of all of my RV vacuuming needs. I retired the clunky, maddening long-hose, built-in, Eureka Central Vacuum.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

I bought a Bissell 3-in-1 stick vac from Walmart for $19. It takes care of all of my RV vacuuming needs. I retired the clunky, maddening long-hose, built-in, Eureka Central Vacuum.

Wow... For $20 if it last one year you're fine.

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[wdk450]

Wow... For $20 if it last one year you're fine.

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https://www.walmart.com/ip/BISSELL-3-in-1-Stick-Vacuum/16481103

 

[Gizzy]

We had the same problem and used the switch on the breaker panel to turn ours on off for a couple years. Not long ago, for some reason (can't remember) I removed the connector where you plug the hose in and saw a wire had become disconnected. Connected the wire and it has been working great ever since. Might want to check it out, maybe you will get lucky like we did.

 

[Westwind]

Checked all the wires including the one that is plugged into the 110 outlet in the underbelly. I how have the vac 12Volt hard wired with a switch to turn it on and off and I've disconnected the wires using the hose outlet, but the vacuum still cycles on and off so my thoughts are the circuit board in the vacuum. It did two years ago go though the always on so I hit it in the magic spot and that seemed to help for a while but now we are on to MORE annoying.
What I would like to do it hard wire the vacuum to a 110 switch and bypass the circuit board which makes it 12 volt switch.
Has anyone done this?

 

[wdk450]

Checked all the wires including the one that is plugged into the 110 outlet in the underbelly. I how have the vac 12Volt hard wired with a switch to turn it on and off and I've disconnected the wires using the hose outlet, but the vacuum still cycles on and off so my thoughts are the circuit board in the vacuum. It did two years ago go though the always on so I hit it in the magic spot and that seemed to help for a while but now we are on to MORE annoying.
What I would like to do it hard wire the vacuum to a 110 switch and bypass the circuit board which makes it 12 volt switch.
Has anyone done this?

An electric component that uses 12 volt power to switch 110 volt power on and off would most commonly be a relay. Electrical relays have contacts that can corrode and pit through the normal actions and electrical arcs of switching on and off electrical power loads. Many relays are mounted in sockets to facilitate changing them out. Some relays can be opened up and the contacts dressed up with a thin, fine file and contact restorer spray. The part number of the relay may be printed somewhere on it, and an internet search can find you a source for a replacement.

 

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

We gave up on ours and now use a Shark.

"Happy Travels"
Chiefneon

 

[Westwind]

An electric component that uses 12 volt power to switch 110 volt power on and off would most commonly be a relay. Electrical relays have contacts that can corrode and pit through the normal actions and electrical arcs of switching on and off electrical power loads. Many relays are mounted in sockets to facilitate changing them out. Some relays can be opened up and the contacts dressed up with a thin, fine file and contact restorer spray. The part number of the relay may be printed somewhere on it, and an internet search can find you a source for a replacement.

Older posts on the forum show a circuit board that operates the 12 volt on/off switching of the vacuum once you insert the hose which closes the 12V circuit, I just want to simplify the operation and use a 110 circuit/switch to operate the vacuum. So I'm looking for someone who might have the knowledge on how to go about this. When we get back to the sticks and bricks I'm going to remove it from the bulkhead and see if I can figure out how it is wired up and see what I can do to change it. My wife likes the ease of storing just a hose and just taking that out to vacuum.

 

[porthole]

Older posts on the forum show a circuit board that operates the 12 volt on/off switching of the vacuum once you insert the hose which closes the 12V circuit, I just want to simplify the operation and use a 110 circuit/switch to operate the vacuum. So I'm looking for someone who might have the knowledge on how to go about this. When we get back to the sticks and bricks I'm going to remove it from the bulkhead and see if I can figure out how it is wired up and see what I can do to change it. My wife likes the ease of storing just a hose and just taking that out to vacuum.

Although we do use a dyson stick, I still like my central.

If you found my thread you may have also seen that I added a muffler and ran the exhaust to the outside of the trailer.

I like my central vac enough that If I start running into problems like you have, I will tap right into the motor and put an on off switch near the outlet, maybe even a two way since I have the outlet in the basement that I use.

 

[Westwind]

The only compaint I have with the little stick vac is that it is a noisy sucker! The central is quieter when it works and I can watch TV when someone is vacuuming up dirt that doesn't exist.

 

[Westwind]

Back at sticks and bricks and one of my first tasks to do on the Bighorn is to yank the Eureka central vac out of the underbelly and rewire it so that we have a on/off switch on the stair riser and do away with the 12V board that is nothing but trouble. It shouldn't be a difficult task, the hardest part should be determining what wire goes to what but everything is color coded so that shouldn't be a big problem.
My wife really likes the ease of using the central vac so I definitely need some brownie points so a fix should at least get me a thank you.

 

[porthole]

While you are at it, you could add a muffler and extend the exhaust outside. Really makes an improvement. Not so much with noise but in the interior environment - especially if you vacuum up a stink bug

 

[Westwind]

Well the soap opera continues - my wife has decided she wants me to repair the Eureka Yellow Jacket which wasn't functioning when we left Florida for home.
I went through testing both outlets to see if that was the cause but it wasn't and since we went through the constant run mode I determined it was the board inside.
I removed the unit and the board so that I could replace it and found that the vacuum has been discontinued by Eureka and I cannot find a Eureka part so in searching the wide web I found MD Central Vacuum, 1-800-997-2278, they have a part# 235S $49.45 which appears to be a similar replacement. I called and they felt that since it's a board that is used across brands that if the voltage and amps matched it should work (heard that before). I also found another company, switch is $43 approx. plus shipping but now that I've looked at each switch closer they are different physically from the original.
I would love to wire a switch on the step to the motor to use as an on and off switch for the motor. The only difficulty I have is connecting the wires from the current cord to the motor which has two red wires running to it which is a puzzle to me, I'm thinking it was to break the current to the motor via the 12 volt switch on the circuit board.

Not sure if connecting the two to a hot on the electrical cord which has a white/red/black. I don't want to burn out the motor so I'm hesitant. The goal is to have a switch in place of the 12V that I previous put in to take the place of the hose inlet switch (12V) thinking that would fix the problem. The new 110 switch would turn on/off a 110 outlet in the bulkhead that the vacuum would be plugged into.

If anyone can help chime in I would appreciate it.

Picture on the right shows the two red wires going to the motor.

 

[boatto5er]

IIRC, you can replace the blue relay on the circuit board to solve the problem. I found one on eNay once for less than $10.


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[porthole]

Westwind - did you look at the thread I posted on the vacuum?

Eureka Yellow Jacket problems

Eureka Yellow Jacket exhaust extension to the outside

 

[Westwind]

Porthole - I did, and in my usual fashion in taking out the circuit board I split it not that it mattered because the vac wasn't working at all, I went through the wacking the magic spot but after removing the wall twice it worked but just kept shutting off and on and totally frustrating my wife. I replaced the outlet on the stairs with a new one and that didn't help, so then I direct wired the 12 Volt wires to 12 V on/off switch that worked but the motor kept shutting on and off.

My goal is to wire a switched 110 outlet to plug it into in back of the storage wall with the switch located on the step next to the outlet, my only problem right now is to modify the vac's internal wiring so the vac turns on/off by plugging in/out the cord. I'm done dealing with 12 volt relays and boards. Eureka has done away with this model and doesn't support it anymore.

After buying a stick vacuum my wife still likes the central and wants me to get it running, she will fund a new board. I've found some online but physically they don't look like the old one and the two places I called can't assure me that they will fit and work. So I'm not willing to spend $40-$50 on a new board. I'd rather just direct wire it and be done with it. Now I'm looking for someone who has knowledge of small motors who can tell me that is't OK to join the two red wires together to either the white or black wire on the cord and where to connect the other wire. I don't want to burn out a working motor by being STUPID! I've blown up things before and spent a lot of time fixing and repairing my efforts. LOL

 

[Westwind]

Removed the Eureka central vac from our Bighorn and took it apart thinking I would bypass the 12 volt portion and direct wire it to the existing cord, then install a switched outlet to control it from inside the trailer, but I really gave up trying to figure out what wires would go to what after removing the 12 volt board.
So today I dropped it off at a vacuum repair gent and he is going to wire it for me. Worth the $$ to just be done with it, now to install the switched outlet, but that I can handle.
The vac power cord was a 4 wire, so to explain my puzzlement, what do I do with the 4th wire, the motor had two red wires, do I connect them? Then their was the other assorted colors??? That's why I took it to someone who knows, no a DIY guy (me) who wonders.