Skip to main content

Dustbuster Switch Repair

My Dustbuster vacuum - a CHV-1410, gets a lot of use.  We use it several times per day, every day.  It is a workhorse.

Sadly, it was becoming unreliable.  It would be fully charged, and I'd hit the switch and maybe it would begin to start and then stop, or it would lurch and stop - or maybe it would do nothing.
My CHV-1410 had a broken switch
At first I thought it was the battery, but then I found that by carefully wiggling the switch I was sometimes able to get the vacuum to work.  All that on-off action over the years made the switch unreliable.

Instead of throwing away an otherwise perfectly good vacuum, I decided to replace the worn switch.  It's an easy and worthwhile repair with the right part.

The one special part needed: A specific $5 Switch

There seems to be two types of switches used in these, based on the charging mechanism:
  • For the Lithium models (CHV-1410L and similar), I notice that there are only two conductors are attached to the switch: one for "common" and one for "normally open (NO).
  • For the non-Lithium model (CHV-1410 and similar), three conductors are used: one for "common", one for "normally open (NO), and one for "normally closed" (NC).  Evidently, this NC conductor is used to enable the "charging mode" feature on these models.
Here is a link to the switch that I considered to be a good match for both applications.  Just with the Lithium model, I wouldn't attach a wire to the NC terminal of the switch.   For the NiCad model, all three conductors are used.

The original 3 conductor switch in the NiCad version of my Dust Buster

The beauty of this part is that it fits perfectly inside all of my Dustbusters.  No modifications or cutting or any other weird changes were necessary to get it to work.

Tools Needed

The tools I needed to replace the switch were extremely basic.
Don't have these things?  Buy them.  They are essential repair tools, and should last for decades (mine are at least 40 years old). 

The Repair Procedure

WARNING: Before beginning, note that operating the vacuum with the housing off may make a huge and disgusting dust cloud.  Also, the battery may still have a charge, so is may be possible get hurt by the exposed fan or the battery voltage. 

This is what I did to repair my Dustbuster in about 30 minutes.  There are plenty of pictures below.
  1. Remove the vacuum bin from the Dustbuster.
  2. Remove all 6 screws from the Dustbuster shell (Yay, they're all the same size)
  3. Pry apart the dustbuster housing using fingers.  It takes some wiggling, but not much force.
  4. Temporarily unplug the battery pack to prevent accidentally starting vacuum.
  5. Slide the switch out of its socket
  6. On the Lithium version, I needed to cut the welded leads of the old switch.  On the non-Lithium version, it used regular spade connectors that required no soldering.  Yay!
  7. Solder the leads to the new switch, or push on the wires on using the pre-existing spade connectors.
  8. Slide the new switch back into the switch socket
  9. Plug the battery pack back in
  10. Test by tapping the microswitch button.  Beware of exposed motor and conductors... and dust!  Next time I will definitely take it outside so the remnant dust doesn't go everywhere.
  11. Reassemble shell.  This is a bit tricky.  Patience!  Make sure there are no trapped wires.  But if it is right, it will easily slide together without any bending or significant force. 
  12. Test again (outside).
  13. Throw old switch into electronics recycling bucket stored in basement.
CHV1410 Housing Screw Locations
There's the battery connector.  I'll need to disconnect the battery.
  There's a lot of fine dust inside.  Yuk.
The battery back has been temporarily unplugged and removed for easier and safer working
Here's the original switch, that has become unreliable with use.
My replacement switch (foreground) looks nearly identical to the original (background)

A "dry fit" of the new switch.  It fits perfectly!

The old switch has two red leads welded onto the switch.  I snipped them off and stripped them.
The red wires have been soldered to the terminals of the new switch.

The new switch is ready, and has been placed into its little socket.

Everything is back in place now, except for the white plastic switch control plate

The switch control plate is back in place.  Now it's just  a matter of putting on the shell and screwing it in place.

Results

It took me about 30 minutes to perform this repair.  The dustbuster now works great, and there was no need for an expensive battery pack or other parts.  Furthermore, there was no "hacking": The replacement switch is a perfect match, and the vacuum looks and operates the same as it did when new.  So far, the replacement switch that I bought on Amazon has lasted longer than the original switch that was delivered inside the Dustbuster.

My advice to Black + Decker engineering: Rethink the switch!  These switches should be good for 100,000+ cycles, but mine very likely didn't exceed 2000 cycles.  Either your design is putting too much stress on the switch, or the switch that you're buying doesn't meet the duty of the application.  Happily, the switch failure appears to be "fail-safe" - my switch failed in the open (off) position.  That's likely a lot better than the switch failing in the closed (running) position.

Popular posts from this blog

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...
Read more

Sodastream Carbonator Leakage, Usage, and Weight

SodaStream 60L "Carbonator" CO2 cylinders have a specific weight when empty, plus about 410 or so grams for the CO2 they should have when they're "full".  A little while ago I went to buy a replacement Carbonator from my local hardware store. The dealer pulled a new Carbonator out of the box and sensed it was lighter than usual.  He put the "light" Carbonator in the "empty" pile and sold me a different one.  At that moment I concluded that it would be smart of me to weigh both new and empty SodaStream carbonators.  Here are the results. Weighing a SodaStream Carbonator - for both Science and Consumer Protection.       The dealer told me that sometimes the carbonators leak after they leave the SodaStream filling facility.  That means there could be an opportunity for customers like me to get ripped off! The SodaStream cylinders I buy claim to have a net product weight of 410 grams - and that means that a full Soda Stream Carbonator shou...
Read more

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...
Read more

Fixing my Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer

Not everyone would bother repairing a $25 beard trimmer, but why not fix something for under $5 instead of spending another $25? My  Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer  has admirably performed its beauty duty for many years, but the time came when the battery just wasn't holding a charge any more.  Most people would just put the trimmer in the trash and buy a new one, but I figured I could repair my otherwise excellent Wahl and save some money. In fact, even high priced trimmer and rotary shaver brands, like Norelco and Remington, can be easily repaired using a process similar to the one I used to fix my Wahl.  Read on to find out how. I opened up the Wahl by popping off the black plastic faceplate with a tiny flathead screwdriver, which revealed two screws.  By removing the two screws I was able to easily open up the unit, revealing the guts of the device. Backplate off, Revealing the screws The internals are rather simple: a motor, a...
Read more

Robust Installation of an HDHomeRun Networked TV Tuner. 64 OTA channels!

I added an HDHomerun (HDHR) over-the-air (OTA) streaming box to my home network, bringing over-the-air broadcast TV to my computers, phones and tablets.  The HDHR is a big upgrade from my previous setup: using a simple "window mount" antenna directly connected to my TV. A TV-attached antenna is good for watching some TV for free, but the HDHR offers so much more flexibility. Figure 0: HDHomeRun on my basement wall   My original OTA TV setup was haphazard at best. It was finicky, ugly, and hard for other people at home to use. I would actually tape my antenna to a window whenever I wanted to watch OTA TV. Plus, it only worked on my TV and not with my other devices. I wanted a cleaner and more modern OTA setup. After looking at possibilities, I developed two goals: (1) bring my OTA TV into the modern Internet-connected era, and (2) set it up in a reliable and pretty way so that other family members wouldn't have to fool around with the antenna or anything else.  With that,...
Read more

Verizon FiOS Electricity Use

My house has Verizon FiOS. Part of the FiOS installation included the mounting of a Verizon network backup battery unit in the basement. I asked myself "how much electricity does this box use?" Verizon FiOS: How much electricity does this cost me? So I plugged in my awesome Kill-A-Watt electricity usage meter to find out. My Kill-o-Watt watt meter reported that there was a 16 watt load on the circuit. And since Verizon's box is powered and plugged in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 16 watts would quickly add up to roughly 140 kilowatt hours per year: calculation: 16 watts x 8760 hours per year ÷ 1000 = 140.16 KWH/Year How much does 140 Kilowatt-hours cost in dollars and cents? Here's a table that shows how much that would cost per year based on recent residential electricity rates (source: DOE. State Electricity Profiles , 2006 Edition): State ¢/KWH ) $/Year Alabama 7.07 $9.91 Alaska 12.84 18.00 Arizona 8.24 11.55 ...
Read more

Other Posts

Show more