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Kitchen Dustbuster

Does what it says on the tin
mc2fool
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Kitchen Dustbuster

#431847

Postby mc2fool » August 1st, 2021, 1:16 pm

I like to have a dustbuster in the kitchen so I can quickly suck up any spills (flour, sugar, rice, liquids, whatever), without the faff and delay of getting out the vacuum cleaner. I always have them wall mounted and constantly on charge 'cos, obviously, I want it to be charged and working when needed, as the need is always immediate.

Of course, you know the story, after a few years the batteries give out, and that's what's now happened to my current one, which is six years old. That may not be bad in the grand scheme of things, or on a cost per year basis, but actually I'm not often a klutz and I suspect I've used it less than half a dozen times, so it's kinda annoying to buy a dustbuster, use it so little, and then have it give out on one of the rare occasions it's needed.

When I've got a few moments I'll probably crack it open and see how much faff it is to replace the batteries, hoping they're generic cells I can easily pick up online (bet they're soldered in...), but was wondering what thoughts/solutions folks here might have.

I was thinking maybe to replace the current one with a corded model but, unless I'm missing them, corded kitchen dustbusters don't seem to exist. There are some corded handheld vacs, like https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6229098, but they don't do liquids and don't have a wall mount and really seem to be mostly designed for cleaning sofas and the like....

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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431849

Postby kempiejon » August 1st, 2021, 1:28 pm


Redmires
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431853

Postby Redmires » August 1st, 2021, 1:59 pm

mc2fool wrote:When I've got a few moments I'll probably crack it open and see how much faff it is to replace the batteries, hoping they're generic cells I can easily pick up online (bet they're soldered in...), but was wondering what thoughts/solutions folks here might have.


Yeah, crack it open and see if you can replace them. I have 10 year old Ryobi screwdriver that's a great piece of kit. The batteries started to fail last year so I took it apart and ordered some replacement Ni-Cads and it's as good as new. It needed a bit of soldering but nothing too difficult. I'm all for 'the right to repair' movement.

9873210
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431860

Postby 9873210 » August 1st, 2021, 2:52 pm

Note that most places require special handling when disposing of rechargeable batteries; you should disassemble a broken Dustbuster even if not attempting repair.

Back when NiCads and NiMH was standard I replaced a lot of cells in small appliances. However once the various Li chemistries came along the data sheets started describing "energetic self disassembly". In any case Li cells were not available to the general public and I had to verify my employer and sign several releases to get my hands on them. Generally my employers encouraged tinkering and side projects, but made it clear in this case that HazMat rules applied.

I'm a little surprised that Li-ion batteries are available to the public. I assume that these are not bare cells, but also contain some protective electronics. In any case note that soldering batteries is not recommended. Professional assembly uses welds, which are much faster so there is less stray heat.

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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431864

Postby pje16 » August 1st, 2021, 2:58 pm


richlist
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431873

Postby richlist » August 1st, 2021, 3:31 pm

We bought a GTech Multi Rechargable.....It's great.
The battery is a clip in cartridge so easy to replace when needed.

mc2fool
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431899

Postby mc2fool » August 1st, 2021, 6:13 pm


Redmires wrote:Yeah, crack it open and see if you can replace them.

Well I think I'm stymied. Got it all open and apart -- nowhere near as easy or modular as those videos -- and there doesn't seem to be any feasible way of removing two of the four batteries, as the tags from them go through an internal support housing to be crimped onto metal buses that connect the batteries to the motor, switch and charging connectors, and for all my fiddling seem to be undetachable. I might have another go tomorrow but it doesn't look good.

I note from the spares list for a similar model that the battery-motor-fan unit is sold as a single item (5).

I think the best I could do is get a 4.8v power supply and a long wire and turn it into a corded dustbuster (which would be fine by me) ... wonder how much current the motor takes?

mc2fool
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431902

Postby mc2fool » August 1st, 2021, 6:24 pm


Errr ... aside from being 3.6V rather than 4.8V, that's exactly the same as my current one. They even use the same promo photos.

richlist wrote:We bought a GTech Multi Rechargable.....It's great.
The battery is a clip in cartridge so easy to replace when needed.

So your recommended solution to my having to spend £30ish every few years, when the batteries die, for a new kitchen dustbuster that I'll use very little, is to instead spend £170 for a non-kitchen (doesn't do liquids) handheld vacuum that I'll use very little, and then spend £70 every few years on the replaceable battery?!?

You wouldn't happen to be in sales, would you? :D

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Kitchen Dustbuster

#431929

Postby UncleEbenezer » August 2nd, 2021, 12:07 am

The thing about kitchen spills is, they're individually small.

I get by on either wiping them down with a regular cloth, or using a handheld dustpan and brush[1]. Usually but not always that's the worktop and floor respectively. The vacuum cleaner is only rarely needed, when I'm doing the whole of the downstairs.

In my last place I had a dustbuster, that lived under a small table in a corner of the dining room. It was so useless it hardly ever got used, even for its main purpose of doing the stairs.

[1] Or, because I'm a lazy bugger, ignoring them.


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