Fantom Twister Our Fantom Twister is not picking up dirt. There does not seem to be any blockage in the hoses and I replaced the hepa filter and the second filter that sits just below the canister where the dirt is collected. It is still not working. Any suggestions yuo have will be appreciated. William Moran

Hello! The umbrella tube is a stationary part, it does not rotate. The dirt that enters in the dirt cup spins around the umbrella tube. If no dirt is entering into the dirt cup this can mean there is a blockage either in your hoses and/or your filters. Try these quick trouble shooting steps below.

1. Remove the dirt cup canister from the vacuum. Twist off the dirt cup lid.
2. Remove the primary foam filter. Hold filter under running water until water runs clear. Allow 24 hours to air dry. If the filter is really dirty it may need to be replaced.
3. Slide the Hepa filter out. Tap the filter against the trash can until dirt stops falling. Replace the Hepa filter. (Do not wash)
4. Remove the hose from both ends. Use a broom stick to gently loosen and clear any clogs from hose.
5. Use a wooden spoon or something similar to loosen and remove any clogs from the lower hose. Hope this helps!

The type of bagless that has sharp turns in the hose and plastic parts are easy to become stopped up. You have to follow the path of the air flow to find the blockage.

Generally the Hepa filter is a bypass filter in which there is another filter on the unit. Check to ensure that the belt is allowing the rollers to turn the brush. Just suction on the line won't pick up deep dirt unless you allow to sit in place.

to me it sounds like a blockage?having worked on these machines for so long,when the motor runs high as you say then its under pressure im not convinced you have cleared the blockage take another look ,i use a old wire coathanger straightened out to push the rubbish out,if that fails,go out and buy yourself a new machine you derseve it and you will be surprised at what the new machine can do..adrian,,,,

There is a website that will sell it to you for 6.00 for one. I just googled Fantom Twister and just look for parts. They have the filters and belts. That is about all we can get for our fantom. Just wish someone would repair these vacums.

I have the same sweeper as you. I have had this sweeper over 10 years. I purchased it from HSN. Model fm741h. Ok here we go. I paid 299. for it 10 years ago. It worked perfectly. Picked up all sorts of things. It stopped working about 5 years ago. I kept it hoping I could get someone to go over it with a fine tooth comb in my area. No one worked on them. So I still kept it. Just today 09/4/2010 I was looking at it. I decided to start taking the whole unit apart. I come to find out all the filters are clogged. I have never replaced them or the belt. The belt was fine, the motor runs, but its just not picking up anything. So inside the canister was caked with dirt. I mean literally DIRT. Inside the part that spins is another filter. I checked the prices on those. Anywhere between 23.00 up to 50.00. So I took a toothbrush and ran it under hot water. Scaped off all the dirt, let it dry and presto....I have my TWISTER back. YIPPY!!! I can't see spending that much on a filter when all you have to do is scrape the dirt off of it. Works perfectly. Now that I know what to do....I'm a happy camper.

i would like to buy the wand of the vacuum. how much do you want for it with shipping?

email: [email protected]

Joan,

I had a similar problem with my upright and just resolved it today. Mine was also picking up with the beater bar, but not as good as it should and it had very little suction at the hose.

I did everything it said to do in my owners manual...
I looked into every entry to the dirt cup.
I checked for blockages into the bottom of the vacuum.
I cleaned the HEPA and regular filters and dirt cup - still no success.
I made sure the belt was working properly.

I finally sat and looked at how things should get into the clear dirt cup (bagless model).

I finally realized it had to be a blockage in the hose.

I completely detached the hose from the vacuum - this took some muscle.
Took the hose outside and used my high pressure nozzle on my garden hose to spray out the hose. It took a few seconds before a pretty large & stiff piece of paper (2"x2") and much more very dirty stuff finally blew out...
No wonder the vacuum had no suction!!!

The paper that was blocking the hose reminds me of a piece found under a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! YIKES, it was probably candy causing yet more problems besides the extra pounds!!!

Hope this helps - I'm not an expert, just a frustrated cleaning fanatic who hates it when mechanical things don't work right!

Good LUCK!
rtwospeed in Henderson, NV

the hose from brush go to the bag need to check for blockage you have to open there hose to clean

I had this problem once too. When the hose is inserted into the vacuum, the floor unit (where the spinning brushes are) becomes the head of the vacuum. In other words, the suction goes through the floor part and then up through the hose and into the vacuum. If the suction is good when the hose is out, the the problem is blockage at the bottom piece. Take the cover off of the rollers (it is one screw then it pops right off) and see if there is a bunch of lint/hair/gunk blocking the suction hole. You could also take the hose part out of the vacuum and look down the empty shaft with a flashlight and see if you see anything there. Hope this helps!