Dyson Medic

The Dyson DC40 and the Dyson DC41 have a washable pre-motor filter. If your DC40 or DC41 isn’t picking up very well, chances are that the filter is blocked.

The photos below are from the Dyson DC41, but the DC40 is identical in this respect (also be aware if buying replacement filters, that the filters are not the same, the DC40 is a slightly smaller machine that has a slightly smaller filter).

The washable pre-motor filter is the most important component of your machine in many ways. If it is blocked, it is not covered by warranty because it is a user serviceable part. If it is blocked, your machine will be less effective and may even cut out if the motor overheats. If you run a Dyson with a blocked filter for an extensive period of time, it can even blow the motor up. Therefore, the pre-motor washable filter on your Dyson DC40 or DC41 is something you need to know where it is, how to access it, how to wash and dry it, and how to refit it.

Accessing it is a very simple process.

First, remove the cyclone unit using the button indicated by the arrow below.

Having done that, you need to open the top of the cyclone unit. To do that, you use the clip located here:

The cyclone opens up as you can see in the picture below. The arrow is pointing to the filter that you must remove:

You simply pull that filter out like so:

You can now see the long cylindrical filter. This is the one you need to wash.

Here is Dyson’s advice on washing filters:

• Soak both filters in cold water for at least 5 minutes. (Please do not use detergent, wash in a dishwasher or washing machine).
• After 5 minutes rinse both filters under cold running water and squeeze gently, repeating until the water runs clear.
• Leave the filters to dry in a warm place for at least 12 hours or until completely dry.
• Do not dry the filters in a tumble dryer, microwave, oven or near a naked flame.
• The filters should be washed at least once every 3-6 months.

That’s all very well, but in our experience, after doing that, the filter will still be dirty.

In our opinion,  it does them no harm at all to put them in the washing machine with some detergent on a low temperature short wash.

When it comes out, it will be properly clean and smell great! 

As Dyson suggest, it must then be put in a warm place to dry properly.

It is imperative that your filter is completely dry before refitting to the machine.

Refitting is simply a reverse of removal: Slide the filter back in narrow end first, close the cyclone lid and clip the cyclone back on the machine.

Your DC40 or DC41 should now run much better!

What is the difference between the Dyson DC40 and the Dyson DC41?

I was asked this question the other day, and although regarded by some as a bit of a Dyson guru, I didn’t have the foggiest idea. I knew they were both recently released “Ball” machines, but as to the difference between them? No idea at all. 

So today, whilst in a retail outlet that shall remain nameless, I grabbed a photo of them both side by side and started slightly dismantling them on the shop floor, much to the staffs consternation.

So here is the skinny: In basic terms, the DC41 is the bigger one and the DC40 is the smaller one. The DC40 is nowhere as near as small as the DC24. Think of them like a DC15 and a DC25 side by side. (If you know your Dysons, that will make sense.) It isn’t terribly obvious from the picture I took though.

The DC41 has a slightly wider cleaner head. It also looks like they share quite a few parts.

The Dyson blurb says this for the DC40:

Dyson DC40 Multi Floor is a lightweight Dyson Ball upright vacuum cleaner with the latest Radial Root Cyclone technology. It generates high suction power at the cleaner head, which automatically self-adjusts for different carpet types and hard floors.

And this for the DC41:

Dyson DC41 Animal is a full-size Dyson Ball upright vacuum cleaner with the latest Radial Root Cyclone technology and an extra tool for pet hair. It generates the strongest suction power at the cleaner head, and automatically self-adjusts for different carpet lengths and hard floors.

There is between £20 and £40 between them at retail price (depending if you choose the “Animal” or “Multifloor” DC40). The top DC41 model is currently £389 on Dysons website. It will be cheaper from independents.

The DC41 has 255 Air Watts of suction power against the DC40′s 200.

Bin capacity is 2.1 litres on the DC41 against 1.6 litres on the DC40.

Dimensions of the DC41 are 1071 x 394 x 340 mm (HxWxD) against 1070 x 350 x 310 mm (HxWxD) for the DC40.

Maximum ”reach” (however you define that) is claimed to be 14 meters on the DC41 against 11.95 meters on the DC40.

The length of the flex is 9.5 metres on the DC41 against 7.5 metres on the DC40.

The DC41 weighs 7.8 kilos compared to the DC40 which weighs in at 6.7 kilos.

By comparison, the DC15 weighed 12 kilos, the DC25 weighs 7.4 kilos and the DC24 weighs 5.4 kilos. In my opinion, these machines are both re-worked and re-designed DC25′s that have been designed to replace the DC24 and the DC25. The DC24 was simply too small for most homes (it should have been marketed at pensioners and single folks in small apartments) and suffered too many warranty issues when in day-to-day family use.

Time will tell how good these two products are. If you own a DC40 or a DC41, tell us below what you think of it?

Looking for an original Dyson instruction and operating manual for your Dyson DC33? You have come to the right place.

When you buy a used or a reconditioned Dyson, unless you have acquired it from a meticulous old chap who had it from new, you are unlikely to have got the original user manual.

Many people are confused with Dysons when it comes to using the back hose, using the tools, taking the wand off, emptying the vacuum cleaner, and simple maintenance of the filters. However, these things are not very hard if you know how. To know how, you need an original manufacturers user manual.

Dyson UK will happily sell you one for two or three pounds, but you are an internet surfer; you want one free don’t you? C’mon, admit it! You know it’s true.

OK, we’ll put you out of your misery. Click the link below to go through to the Dyson Forums where there are links to download all the Dyson user/operating/instruction manuals in PDF format. Completely free of charge.

Here is the link: Free Dyson Instruction Operating User Manuals

Looking for a Dyson DC33 back hose?

Everyone likes to save a few pounds in these lean times, and very often when buying parts for your Dyson, that means buying good quality after-market parts.

As the Dyson DC33 is a relatively new model at the time of writing, not many places have the spares for them just yet. If you want a DC33 back hose, I have done the homework for you already – read on.

In case you wondered, the Dyson DC33 does not share a back hose with any other Dyson models; so no easy solution there.

Here is a photo of a new DC33 hose I saw today. It seemed superb quality; an after-market item claimed by the manufacturer to exceed the quality of the original Dyson ones.  To me, it looked like an OEM part, but I haven’t managed to confirm that yet.

So, where to get one from? Price comparison time!

Dyson UK sell them for £25.21 including UK delivery.

Espares charge an eye-watering £27.48 for one including delivery.

You can buy the one pictured above for just £23.50 including UK delivery from Manchester Vacs. If you want to order one, you can click here: Buy Dyson DC33 Back Hose.

Getting one from Manchester Vacs saves you almost £4 over Espares and alsmost £2 over Dyson. We like to save you money here at Dyson Medic. 

The Dyson DC01 YDK type motor (designated YV-940) has been unavailable for some time. The DC01 was Dyson’s first vacuum cleaner in the UK and they are now almost two decades old. We wrote about the fact that Dyson has abandoned all parts supply and support for its first born here: The Slow Demise of the DC01 and the DC02.

The fact that Dyson has abandoned the DC01 means all affiliated agents and parts suppliers must do the same. Further, it means that after-market and independent new parts suppliers will soon have supply problems (as we are seeing now). This is because often times, the factories that manufacture for Dyson, also manufacture for other suppliers using the same jigs and tools.

However, Dyson hasn’t had the last laugh just yet.

Until today, if you had an early model Dyson Dco1 fitted with the YDK YV940 motor, you were stuffed. If you needed a motor, the only solution was to hunt around for a good used one.

But what if you are a practical guy? You are maybe in a shed up in the Scottish Highlands (because that’s where anything and everything was invented – and where people still actually fix things) and you can strip a vacuum cleaner motor down with one hand in your sleep.

All you need is an armature and a set of carbon brushes, right?

Problem solved!

The Unofficial Dyson Forums have a topic today that tells us how they just got a batch of Dyson DC01 YDK Armatures in.  

Here is the topic: DC01 YDK YV-940 Motor Armatures Now Available! The DC01 Lives On…..

You can buy an armature for £18.99 including UK P&P, or you can also choose to get a set of carbon brushes with it (and save a quid) for just £23.98 including UK P&P. You can get that from here: Dyson DC01 Spare Parts.

If you are an overseas expat who took their Dyson DC01 with them to France, Australia or wherever, you can get the carbon brushes and motor armature from here: Dyson DC01 Spares International.

Despite Dyson’s best efforts, the DC01 isn’t dead just yet. People will continue to find innovative ways to keep the machines they love in working order. Blokes in warehouses will keep unearthing boxes of stuff, and Dyson dismantlers will continue to collect and strip down Dyson DC01′s for the spare parts for many years to come.

The same success story that was the Dyson DC01 for two decades – the same machine that made Mr Dyson a very rich man – will continue to be a success for a little while yet. Dyson UK stopping support and all parts supply will hinder a little; but it will take more than that (and a piddling discount off a new Ball) to kill off the DC01.

Why a Dyson DC07 Needs a Proper Service. An unusual article title you may think. Not so…..

When you have the “fly-by-night” cowboys in your home to do a twenty minute Dyson DC07 service, they will not do a proper job.

“Why not?” you may ask. Well, the reason is, that with a Dyson DC07, a professional service involves stripping the cyclone down and cleaning it – preferably with a power washer or a steam cleaner – to restore optimal performance.

You may not know this, because if you have read your Dyson instruction manual you won’t know what needs to be done. If you have read your Dyson DC07 Workshop Manual you will know what needs to be done.

I stripped a Dyson DC07 down a few days ago and it was blocked up in such a way that no “at home” service would be able to fix it. Look at this photo when I took off the cyclone top:

I spent thirty minutes cleaning and power-washing it so it looked like this:

Which is what it is supposed to look like if you expect it to work.

Today, I was reading over the old Dyson Medic site that was written a few years ago, and I was surprised that amongst the motor swap, belt change and filter service guides we wrote back then, that we didn’t discuss cyclone cleaning more.

It was covered very comprehensively in the Dyson DC07 Repair Manual, but not everyone has one of those. Some guys only like “free” download stuff and don’t want to pay for anything. Similarly, we at Dyson Medic sometimes hold a little something back that we will give you in one of our written books.

As the Dyson Medic sites are one of the biggest and most-trusted after-market Dyson information sources in the world, we hope you’ll buy something off us one day. If only to learn a few ‘trade secrets’  that we wont publish on our websites.

Anyway, the point of this short article was to implore you not to skimp on a Dyson DC07 service. Do NOT employ people who ‘do it in your home’ as they won’t have the facilities to clean your cyclone properly. Look at the photographs again – those cyclones block up and need cleaning properly!

A warning: Never accept anyone coming to your home to service or repair your Dyson who cold calls you. That is always a scam company who will rip you off! 

Read about the Dyson scammers who ‘service in your home’  on the Dyson forums here: Dyson ‘special offer’ telephone calls are a scam.

Dyson DC07 hose removal and replacement.

Remember to have the appliance unplugged before attempting this repair.

Tools needed:
You will need no tools to do this; only your fingers!

The back telescopic hose can become ripped and may need replacing at some point.

The connector can also pull away from the hose, as on the Dyson DC07 vacuum cleaner,  it is only glued in and not threaded onto the hose to any great degree. The hose can also become blocked, and removing it allows a brush handle to be pushed into it and hopefully this will unblock it.

Where to buy a replacement hose.

If you need to buy a replacement hose please >>Click Here<<

The first job is to unravel the mains cable.

Unclip the wand latch and pull the wand out of the hose as far as it will go.

The wand is now fully extended and needs to be unlocked from the hose. Press the unlock button on the hose cuff and remove the wand from the hose.

Remove the wand.

The hose is secured at the bottom of the Dyson with this button – arrowed below.

Simultaneously press the button and pull the hose lower cuff up (behind the button).

As you pull the lower cuff, it will slide up.

The hose is now removed for replacement or unblocking.

When refitting the hose, ensure that the locating lugs on the cuff is correctly aligned and it clicks home.

A few months ago, Dyson UK pulled all support for their first flagship models – the Dyson DC01 and the DC02.

The DC01 was the first model that Dyson produced in the UK. Launched in 1993, that makes early models now nineteen years old. That’s pretty old for a vacuum cleaner, but there are still untold thousands of them still in service today. The DC02 was Dyson’s first cylinder vacuum cleaner.

The DC01 was a particularly good seller in Scotland (no – I don’t know why either), perhaps it was the simplicity of the design and the no-nonsense engineering that appealed to canny Scots? The Scots love an invention: everything from penicillin to telephones to antiseptic was invented by a Scot.

Perusal of Dyson’s website tells us this about the DC01 and DC02:

Important Notice

Dyson machines are built to last. However, from the beginning of July 2011 we will no longer be able to supply spare parts, or carry out service or repairs for DC01 and DC02 machines.

As the owner of a DC01 or DC02, you can receive £100 off selected Dyson Ball™ vacuum cleaners, or £70 off selected other Dyson vacuums. We’ll also collect and recycle your old machine.

If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, or would like to discuss it further, please call 0800 954 0153.

So, where does this leave the owner of a DC01 or a DC02 today?

Well, much stuff is still available after-market. However, not everything is.

There are only a handful of large suppliers in the UK that control the after-market vacuum cleaner parts supply. Almost all parts sellers – unless they have stuff manufactured themselves or import – source from one or more of them. These same suppliers are also the conduit between Dyson and the after-market trade. Almost all of the after-market suppliers suddenly began to reduce supply on almost all of their after-market DC01 and DC02 parts too.

Industry watchers say this is because after-market parts are often made by the same factories overseas that make for Dyson. If Dyson cancel their orders, they demand the tooling be destroyed (because they paid for it and the factories still want to supply Dyson in the future so they comply) and the after-market cannot manufacture any more without making fresh tooling – which costs many thousands of pounds for each component.

It has been six months since Dyson withdrew support for the DC01 and DC02. We in the trade are now starting to see the effects. Stuff we are used to being able to source without difficulty is now going on backorder at the suppliers. Often, there are no due dates for fresh supplies. That usually means they are finished.

Up to now, the list is pretty short: DC01 fixed sole plates part number 900774-01 (not the one with the pivoting cradle - the other one) have already gone from the supply chain at the time of writing. I was told by the owner of Manchester Vacs – one of the the North’s largest independents - this week that they had sourced a few from around the trade and from overseas to meet demand and their waiting list and prices had doubled. They are down to their last handful. When they’re gone, they’re gone. They tell me their suppliers now all list this part as obsolete. They told me they will keep a waiting list from those who telephone them and serve them from used machines they get to dismantle as and when stock arrives. If you need one, get on that list!

New DC01 YDK motors (part number 911927-01) have also vanished in recent months. The Ametek ones (Part number 911928-01) are also unavailable and obsolete. As before, good used ones are starting to command a premium as that’s all that is available. The YDK ones are the lesser popular or the two types and are now commanding up to £30 for a good used one. Unthinkable a few short months ago!

DC02 white Antarctic Solo and De Stijl red handles are also obsolete; suppliers are still showing after-market grey ones (that will fit) in stock. Mint used ones in red or white are commanding a premium.

The DC02 motor 911929-01 is obsolete as well. However, a DC05 YDK motor can be shoehorned in there if you are determined enough.

Over the coming months, a lot of DC01 and DC02 parts will start to disappear. Manchester Vacs told me that they have spent thousands of pounds buying up almost every new DC01 and DC02 part they can find to ensure continuity of supply to their customers for as long as possible.

It is my prediction that in two years from now, the DC01 and the DC02 in good working order will be a rare thing. Grab one now if you want a piece of Britain’s domestic appliance history. Remember the Hoover Junior? Of course! We all do. Now, do you remember when you last actually saw one?

Comments and questions welcome as ever.

At last! After-market Dyson DC07 NEW cyclone tops are available.

For a while, there has been some consternation in the trade that Dyson wouldnt sell DC07 cyclone tops without selling a complete cyclone unit. That meant $82.94 in the US and £36.23 in the UK.

Accordingly, this made the price of used DC07 cyclone tops soar. We wrote about the supply problem of these tops in this article: Dyson DC07 Cyclone Components: Dyson -v- the Truth

One UK company has produced these DC07 cyclone handles. The new units that are available are all-silver handle that will compliment any colour combination of DC07 machine. The colored ones that came in yellow, red, pink, blue/turquoise and lavender/purple are unavailable as a new part without buying a complete replacement cyclone assembly.

So, here’s what the new ones look like:

This one landed on my desk today.

So where to get one from?

If you are in the UK, you can get one of these for £14.99 including delivery from the page here: DC07 Cyclone Top Handle – UK

If you are in the US or elsewhere, you can get one of these for US $34.99 including delivery from the page here: DC07 Cyclone Top Handle – USA

As ever, you heard it here on Dyson Medic first. 

So, you want to strip down your Dyson DC08?

There are many reasons why you may want to do this: to replace the motor, to access the power switch or to access the cable reel are the main ones. To do any of those jobs, you need to open up your Dyson DC08. So here’s how:

Take out the filters and the hose. I am sure you know how to do that already without me telling you (and if you don’t, don’t try this at home – what follows will be beyond your skill level).

Please, always make sure that you never work on a Dyson while it is plugged in. If you aren’t qualified and competent to work with electrical appliances then don’t even think about opening it. Take it to a vacuum cleaner repair shop.

So first, take off the wheels. They pull off with your fingers:

Next, undo this screw:

Now undo this screw:

There are two screws here:

And two more here:

The casing now comes apart like so:

You now have access to your switch (indicated below) and your cable reel and motor casing:

Here is an Angus Black top tip: When you come to reassemble your Dyson DC08 after having done the work you opened it to do, you may encounter a little difficulty putting it back together again. You will find that the case wont snap home properly.

This is because the motor housing slips down a little as you open the case and it must be realigned in order that the case is able to close again. To do this, insert a screwdriver through the hole indicated in the photograph below in order to manipulate the housing a little to allow the casing to snap shut to be screwed up again.

As ever, questions and comments welcome using the comment box below. 

If you need a motor for your DC08, be aware there are two types. One type is readily available, and one type isnt available any more (the UDS1554CNA Matsushita). But fear not! You can convert the obsolete type to the other YDK type with a simple conversion kit. Get a new motor from here: Buy Dyson DC08 Motor (link will open in a new window).