My Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner is pulsing/switching on and off/has a blockage light. What does this mean? | Dyson Community
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Why is my Dyson cordless vacuum making a pulsing noise?

 

Your Dyson cordless vacuum is engineered to pulse on and off rapidly to alert you if something is preventing airflow from passing through the machine. This could be due to a filter overdue for a wash, and/or a blockage or obstruction within the floor tool, wand or bin inlet.

After the pulsing alert, your machine will shut down for protection to prevent damage to the motor.

 

Filter maintenance

Your Dyson cordless vacuum’s filter(s) should be washed at least once a month. Fine dust particles within the filter material may not always be easily visible, so it’s important to maintain your filter regularly even if it doesn’t look dirty.

Instructions on filter maintenance, including a step-by-step guide, can be found here:


Airway blockage/obstruction

 

Debris that’s too large for your Dyson cordless vacuum may become trapped within the airways. Check for and remove any blockages by carefully inspecting the following areas:

  1. The cleaner head/accessory
  2. The Wand
  3. The Cyclone inlet

Important: Be careful not to pull the power trigger while looking for blockages. Make sure all blockages are removed and all parts are refitted before using your machine.

Your machine may differ slightly to the examples shown in our video guides below, but the process will remain very similar:

 

 

 

I’ve followed these steps, but I still need support

 

If you’ve ensured your Dyson cordless vacuum’s filter(s) have been thoroughly washed and air dried, and you’ve checked there are no blockages, but your machine continues to pulse, our Customer Care experts will need to provide additional support.

When you have your machine easily to hand, they’ll be able to walk you through some further diagnostic checks to make sure everything is working correctly.

If a replacement part or repair is needed they’ll be able to arrange this for you, and to confirm whether this is covered under your Dyson guarantee.

To get in touch, please visit Dyson.com and click Support.

Solved. Dried macaroni pieces blocking the inlet. 

I have checked for blockages , nothing found but still have a V11 pulsing (sounds a bit like a toy machine gun)and unable to use. What else could be the problem?

Well, when your vacuum cleaner is pulsing/switching On or Off, there could be 3-4 reasons to it. 

 

  1. When your vacuum cleaner hasn’t been charged properly. Many users commonly place the battery of their vacuum cleaner improperly, preventing a steady charge, resulting in the vacuum cleaner frequently turning on and off. 
  2. This goes hand-in-hand with the charge of your vacuum. If you’re using the ‘Max Mode’ on your vacuum cleaner on insufficient charge, it may pulsate frequently. 
  3. Check for possible blockages within the vacuum cleaner’s dust compartment and other internals. Also, use a flashlight to inspect darker areas of the vacuum cleaner. 
  4. Regularly clean your vacuum cleaner’s bin compartment. Again, this goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. If a vacuum cleaner isn't maintained at regular intervals, there are possible chances of hair entanglement or blockages--causing the vacuum cleaner to pulsate /turn on and off. 

Blocked airway for me. In my case, the motorized brush head was blocked at the exit. I found the problem by removing the narrow strip on the bottom of the head, behind the brush roller (there’s a rotating release latch). Someone vacuumed up an “S” hook, which stuck there and started catching other debris. Over time enough built up that the airway was completely blocked.

Removed all that stuff, and now it’s working normally again.

I have gone through all the trouble shooting steps, thorough clean of the V8, washed, wiped, vacuumed it … still pulsing. I don’t have enough years left in my life to endure the time spent trying to get customer service on line or on phone! Will probably trash the machine and buy a different brand.

 

In my case a clogged pre-motor filter caused my dyson to pulse.

Pull out the pre-motor filter (rod shaped one). Now turn on your dyson vacuum again and if the pulsing stopped, a clogged pre-motor filter could be the problem. Dust piles up inside the filter and just rinsing with tap water doesn't clean it. 

Take apart the pre-motor filter to remove the dust inside it as following: Click and remove the cloth part from the plastic inner part. Now wash out all dust on the inside of the cloth part using tap water and a small screwdriver for example to gently remove dust stuck on the bottom. Put the filter parts back together and let dry for 24+ hours. I hope it helps. 

My V7 Animal is pulsing, but only when in contact with surfaces. It happens regardless of the attachment being used and I've checked them all and removed any blockages. Bin has been emptied and the (new) battery is fully charged. If I hold the vacuum away from surfaces and hold the trigger, the machine works fine - the pulsing only starts when the machine is used on a surface. Any suggestions?

Hi @Chloe3902,

Has your machine’s filter been thoroughly washed recently? If not, this would be something we’d recommend - a filter overdue for a wash can cause your machine to pulse.

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