How to Fix Bissell Carpet Cleaner At Home

Don’t rush to the professional service, here is a comprehensive guide on how to fix Bissell carpet cleaner at home! Often, the problems causing malfunction aren’t systematic, and you can solve them simply by following the next few steps.

Your carpets will shine in almost no time!

In this article, I will teach you how to do basic Bissell carpet cleaner repairs. Even though there are different Bissell carpet cleaners, you can apply the process to most of them.

You will learn how to fix the most common problems – low suction and motionless brushes!

Next, you will learn how to replace the belt on the Bissell carpet cleaner and how to repair spraying issues.

Before we hop on to solving problems, let’s see more about Bissell carpet cleaner operation. That way, you can understand more about these devices and hence repair them easier.

How Does Bissell Carpet Cleaner Work?

You don’t have to have your carpets professionally cleaned, because you can do it at home without spending too much money. Using a home carpet cleaner regularly will kill bacteria and make your carpets look much prettier than if you have just used a vacuum cleaner for carpet.

Bissell carpet cleaner combines three effective cleaning aspects – cleaning formula, scrubbing, and powerful suction to remove all dirt from carpets.

The basic principle is simple. The device injects cleaning formula into the carpet, brushes scrub and lifts the sturdy dirt. Then, the device vacuums the dirt into the dirt container.

Bissell carpet cleaner removes not only dirt you can see, but also invisible dirt particles from carpet fibers such as pollen, tiny food particles, and skin cells.

Carpets can look clean for longer, but in fibers, there is so much dirt you cannot see. Eventually, the carpets will show signs of wear and tear. Professional carpet cleaning is expensive, and if you do it at home, you will save money. That will also reduce the wear and tear of your carpets.

Also, regular carpet cleaning is important if you have pets and children.

How to Disassemble Bissell Carpet Cleaner?

If your Bissell carpet cleaner doesn’t work properly or requires maintenance, the first thing to do to find out what is wrong is to take apart the device.

Disassembling carpet cleaner isn’t complex as it might seem. You don’t have to be a professional engineer to take apart a carpet cleaner. You can do it at home by following the correct procedure and doing step by step.

Once you set it apart, you can inspect parts for eventual issues and quickly fix whatever is wrong with your device.

What Do You Need to Disassemble Your Bissell Carpet Cleaner?

You don’t need fancy tools to take the Bissell device apart, only basic tools you probably have in your home.

Those are:

• Head screwdriver (Phillips head screw or Phillips screwdriver)
• Needle Pliers (optional)

You might don’t have to use the needle pliers, but this tool can be useful when you need an extra grip to disassemble parts easier.

First Step

Before you start taking apart Bissell carpet cleaner, turn it off and unplug the device. Don’t do any tasks with the device turned on because it can cause an electric shock and hurt you.

Empty the liquid containers to prevent spilling dirty liquids and waste cleaning solution.

Now, you are ready to disassemble the Bissell carpet cleaner.

Disassembling Bissell Carpet Cleaner – Step by Step

If you have never disassembled a vacuum or carpet cleaner, you might want to have this article bookmarked for the first couple of times you do it. It will get easier as you do it several times.

Here is a step-by-step guide.

• The first step is to remove the clean and dirt tank. You can pull off the top tank and push the latch to unlock the lower tank. Then, it is safe to remove the lower tank.
• Once you remove the tanks, take out the hose. To do so, you should unwrap it and press the latch to separate it from the device safely.
• Next, if you store any tools in the tool compartment on the back of the device, remove them. The same applies to the attached accessories.
• Now, prepare the screwdriver. First, you have to slide the hose rack and use a head-screw to loosen the screws and remove them. Then, you can safely pull the hose rack out.
• The next step is to remove the front nozzle using a screwdriver. Put the carpet cleaner on the floor. Make sure that the power cord is facing the carpet, to ensure easier access to other parts.
• Look for black screws on the device. Once you find them, use a screwdriver to separate them and lift the clear cap. Then you will notice the silver screw.
• The last steps are to lift the silver screw and pivoting arm.
• Now you have access to internal parts of the Bissell carpet cleaner and you can continue with maintenance. Clean every part of the device and analyze them for damage.

Let’s see this video to collect more understandings:

Most Common Problems with Bissell Carpet Cleaners

Bissell is a trustworthy company that produces useful household appliances. Bissell vacuum cleaners are quite popular because they offer great value for the money. But, they can stop working due to mild issues you can fix at home.

More severe problems are rare, and those should be fixed in professional services. The most common issues with Bissell carpet cleaners are suction loss and motionless brushes. Those are also the problems you can easily diagnose by just turning the device on and attempting to clean. Other than that, you should replace the belt on your carpet cleaner every six or 12 months.

Other issues are related to dispensing the cleaning formula, but you will learn how to fix it, too.

How to Fix Suction Loss on Bissell Carpet Cleaner?

If you noticed your Bissell carpet cleaner doesn’t have as powerful suction as it had when you first got it, there are a few things you can do.

Fixing suction doesn’t require you to take the device completely apart.

Tank Issues

The most common reason for the suction loss is tank displacement. You should remove the tank and empty it. Then, check if the tank is damaged.

Next, check if there is debris around the red duct and remove if you find anything.

Check the bottom cap and tighten it if it is loose. Once you completed that, put the tank back, but make sure you hear “click” as it fits into the right place.

Improper tank placement can be a reason for the suction loss, and luckily, it is the easiest issue to fix.

Clogged Front Nozzle

Dirt can clog the front nozzle and reduce the suction. You can use a cleaning tool to remove clogs on the front nozzle or rinse it under the sink for better results.

Brush Rolls

If the brush rolls require replacement, you will notice lower suction.

To remove the brushes, you should press the release buttons on the side and lift the rolls. Remove the hair and dirt with a cleaning tool and assemble back the brush rolls. Again, make sure the rolls click into the correct place.

Additionally, you can get a replacement for damaged rolls and snap them in the right place.

Hose Issues

Lastly, the simplest thing that can reduce the suction is the hose. Detach the hose and assemble it back. Make sure to hear the sound “click”, which will indicate that everything is in place. Additionally, check if the hose is folded and unfold it to test the device.

The next tip is something to keep in mind for all vacuum cleaners. If you were wondering how to clean the vacuum cleaner hose, the answer is simple. You use a stick rod or other things you have at home to keep the hose clean and suction intact. Strange objects and dirt can block the air intake, which manifests as suction issues with your device.

Watch this video to know more:

How to Fix Motionless Brushes?

If the brushes aren’t spinning, the cleaning solution cannot penetrate deeply into the carpet fibers and you would probably have to scrub manually to remove stains out of carpet.

Here are a couple of things you can do to fix the brushes.

The Switch and Placement

The pod needs to be properly seated on the cleaner to work. Next, check the switch. If the brush rolls are turned on, the switch will light up.

The brush rolls switch off automatically when the device is upright. So, brush rolls work only in a reclining position.

Reclining Bissell carpet cleaner is simple, you can put your foot on the cleaner and pull the handle back and push it down.

That should turn the brush roll on.

However, if it didn’t fix your problem, you can continue with troubleshooting.

Brush Roll Issues

To check the brush rolls, you have to disassemble the carpet cleaner using steps described in the section How to Disassemble Bissell Carpet Cleaner until you have access to the brush roll.

While the carpet cleaner is on the back and turned off, slide the belt and remove the brush roll. Try if it spins freely.

If any of the brush rolls won’t spin, replace it.

Small Belt Issues

The next thing you have to do is check the small belt around brush rolls. The company advises replacing the belt after a year. But if you use the device often, it can wear out sooner.

If it is damaged, you can easily replace it by yourself.

The brush roll has a small belt on one side and a cap on the other. The belt should be tightly wrapped around the end of the brush roll, and the cap should be secured on the other end. Then, make sure that the brushes are tightly secured and aligned before you put the cover back and assemble back the device.

Watch this video to know more:

How to Replace a Large Belt?

The large belt can snap sometimes and affect the spinning of the brush rolls. Replacing it with a new one is simple. All you have to do is lift the cover on the outer side of the wheels. Remove the broken belt and replace it with a new one.

Stretch the new belt between the red pulley on the backside and the metal axle on the front side of the machine. Put the cover again, secure all screws you unscrewed earlier, and you are ready to use the device.

Watch this video to know more:

How to Fix Spraying?

No matter which carpet cleaner model by Bissell you own, if it won’t spray the water and cleaning formula, the chances are that the nozzles are clogged.

Here is how you can fix it.

Cleaning the Nozzle

The first step to do is to remove the tank holding cleaning solution. Put it back and make sure it is tightly secured. Even if it is dislocated for a couple of millimeters, the spraying won’t work.

Next, check the siphon tube on the tank to see if it isn’t folded or tucked between the tank and other parts.

If everything seems satisfactory, continue with troubleshooting.

Place the carpet cleaner on the floor and check the bottom of the machine. If there are fibers or dirt, hairs, and other debris in the water nozzles, remove them.

Additionally, you can pull the spray tip and detach it from the machine to clean it.

You can wash it under the sink or soak it in water to clean all clogs in the nozzle holes.

Dry the nozzle tip and put it back on the cleaner when it is completely dry.

Then, put both tanks again and fill them with clean water. Once you assembled every piece back, turn on the machine and hold the water trigger for one minute to make the water go through the device and out through a spray tip.

To sum up, if the tank is in place, and the water nozzles are cleaned, and you still cannot get the machine to spray, you should contact the authorized Bissell service.

Watch this video to know more:

Assembling Bissell Carpet Cleaner Back

Once you completed maintenance and applied the tips to fix Bissell, it is time to assemble the device. Assembling back is simple, as you have to put everything back in place and secure the screws with a screwdriver.

Make sure everything has a snug fit – the tanks and the covers until you fill the tanks and test the device.

What to do Next?

If the device functions, congratulations – you’ve just fixed the carpet cleaner and you can save money on commercial carpet cleaning services! Remember the procedure and apply the tips next time your carpet cleaner misbehaves.

If you tried everything from my guide and assembled the device, fill in the tank with an appropriate cleaning solution, and the device won’t work, contact the manufacturer.

Hopefully, you can use your warranty!

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