Hello everyone,
I've spent some time reading the topics in this forum and it helped me diagnose the problem so I just wanted to share here how I fixed a 2nd hand CTL26E vacuum cleaner (sold as defective).
When i got it, it worked for a few minutes, then it would start and stop immediately after half a second just as in this post : Vacuumcleaner malfunctioning CTM 36 E AC HD with movie
Here is the list of what I tried with no luck :
In the end it really looked like a sensor issue so I kept poking around the thermal and water sensor. What surprised me was that the water sensor input was electrically floating : there was no consistent reading of resistance between the two pins nor between the input and what I identified as +5V on the board - check pictures, the resistance was around 20k but not stable.
So what did the trick was to attach a 10k resistor between the input pin and the +5V pin. I ended up crimping a new connector for the water sensor to be able to attach it and have a clean repair. I haven't checked if the water sensor still works though.
Obviously, only attempt this if you are comfortable with electronics but I figured it could help someone, in the end it saved some electronics from the landfill and I got a cheap vacuum cleaner
I've spent some time reading the topics in this forum and it helped me diagnose the problem so I just wanted to share here how I fixed a 2nd hand CTL26E vacuum cleaner (sold as defective).
When i got it, it worked for a few minutes, then it would start and stop immediately after half a second just as in this post : Vacuumcleaner malfunctioning CTM 36 E AC HD with movie
Here is the list of what I tried with no luck :
- changed the power cord
- checked the motor brushes
- checked the motor connection to the electronics board (it seemed a bit loose)
- bypassed the main switch
- tried to connect the motor directly to mains to make sure the motor was OK (it was)
- checked the thermal sensor (it was ~80ohms at 15°C and resistance decreased when heated up so it looked reasonable)
- checked the water full sensor (disconnected from the board and checked that there was no resistance between both "legs")
In the end it really looked like a sensor issue so I kept poking around the thermal and water sensor. What surprised me was that the water sensor input was electrically floating : there was no consistent reading of resistance between the two pins nor between the input and what I identified as +5V on the board - check pictures, the resistance was around 20k but not stable.
So what did the trick was to attach a 10k resistor between the input pin and the +5V pin. I ended up crimping a new connector for the water sensor to be able to attach it and have a clean repair. I haven't checked if the water sensor still works though.
Obviously, only attempt this if you are comfortable with electronics but I figured it could help someone, in the end it saved some electronics from the landfill and I got a cheap vacuum cleaner
