Cordless - V7 Animal Brush Head - Broken Wiring

Hey @Speedle5286 

Welcome to the community. It’s great to have another Dyson enthusiast. 

I am not entirely familiar with the internal components/operation of the Cordless cleaners. 

I am however familiar with electrical wiring, as a hobbies and in my career. Without a physical inspection, I must say that I am unsure if this is a true indication of the wiring being insufficient in length. As the break looks to be between the power outlet and the axel, overstretching would most likely result in a breakage at the receptacles/outlet.

The break, in my opinion, is consistent with an over extension, against the direction of mobility, through force, overtime. Most akin to bending the ‘knuckle’ past it’s point of tolerance, over a prolonged period. Other factors may have additionally degraded the wiring, weakening this point. Overheating, storage positioning, accidental damage, several impact. I sadly think you’d be hard pressed to prove this was a design flaw.

The electrical short caused by the vacuum going flat, is the result of the wires having insufficient insulation and conduction to circulate the electrical current. 

My assumption on the age, is that the vacuum is now outside of the warranty. A self repair or one carried out by a professional shouldn’t therefore impact any future Dyson servicing. I am even happy to share my own advice on this should you require it. 

You may consider purchasing a replacement from a recognised stockist or through a third part, like eBay. 

David. 

Thanks David, I definitely appreciate your thoughts on my finding upon taking a look inside.

I feel like the break occurred due to the constant bending at that point i.e. when the vacuum is (and wires leading to the brush head are) upright and “L” shaped and then when the entire assembly is flattened to reach beneath furniture. Over time, the insulation has worn and now the copper is nearly broken through as well resulting in the intermittent operation.

To your point, I would say that it’s possible that over-extension against the knuckle’s point of tolerance would be possible primarily when carrying the vacuum by the handle with one hand without supporting the brush head (as opposed to rolling it on the ground to the location of use); I could see that straining the wires.

If you have any advice on performing an effective repair please do feel free to message me. The breaks are in a tight spot so unless I create some slack or am somehow able to remove the plastic knuckle from around the wires I’m thinking butt connectors and shrink tubing won’t work, I was thinking perhaps solder and liquid electrical tape to add flex.

Would like to try a repair before I outright replace for fun :)

Thanks again,

KB

I concur with Speedle.
I had exactly the same issue with a Motorhead direct brush head for carpet. The brush started to rotate intermittently and then gave up completely. I took it apart carefully and found the red (positive) wire had broken at exactly the same place as the photos in Speedle’s case. It looked too difficult to fix due the tightness of the wire  and position of the break,  so I gave up and bought a new Motorhead. That cost me 14,000 yen here in Japan - 50% of the total cost of the V7 kit. Strangely the ‘Fluffy’ brushed for hard floors are a fraction of the price.

I was deliberately careful with the replacement’s use as it seemed to me to be a design weakness. The wire cable clearly has insufficient ‘play’ for the range provided by the joint. After less than 2 years the second replacement motor head died and this time it was the black (negative) wire that had broken. This is not a case of bad usage or carelessness. It is clearly a design issue. I am now faced with either replacing the motor head again (3rd motorhead in 4 years!) at Dyson’s price of 14,000 yen ($112 US, 104 Euro) or instead use my money to buy a Panasonic or Toshiiba. I would like a replacement for the direct motorhead, which has clearly been redesigned for the more recent models but won’t fit the connection. It feels very much like Dyson know of this problem and have quietly redesigned the thing. 

Thanks for your thoughts on this Carson, much appreciated. I figured other owners of this model might have experienced this (or may if they haven’t just yet) and saw some YouTube videos on brush head wiring repairs (albeit being done within the head itself closer to the motor) while researching before my original posting inquiring about the issue.

Due to the lack of excess wire to strip/solder at the knuckle I ended up not bothering attempting a repair either (at least not yet). I had been looking at the US Dyson site when I noted that the V7 heads were out of stock and then saw Fishtown’s reply above that they were still available on the UK Dyson site, but I didn’t end up buying a brand new one. I picked up an actual Dyson brand refurb via a third party repairer on eBay and unfortunately will be sending it back today due to it not functioning/possibly getting damaged in transit (smh).

I did end up getting a Dyson V10 refurb in the interim so my immediate primary vacuuming needs are met (I have a toddler and newborn so downtime is unacceptable around here!). I’ve thus relegated the V7 to basement duty so I have more time to mess around with it. I don’t know if the can has been kicked down the road, so to speak; we’ll see if the flaw was addressed and the V10 stands the test of time.

I must note that on eBay there are a plethora of aftermarket/knockoff brand heads that I would stringently avoid on the grounds of principle (hence why I at least tried to go with a Dyson brand third party repair). The whole thing does make me wonder, though: even if I do find a Dyson head that works, how long will it last? My overarching issue, though, is not contributing more to the “throwaway economy” of the world today. Everything else about the machine is still fully functional, so I don’t think that two small wires should be the determining factor in sending something to the landfill, though it’s possible I can at least recycle it if it comes to that.

Speedle - Agreed 100% !  

The choice currently is either relegate the main body with the small brush attachment for cleaning crevices or in the car, AND buy a new Dyson or other brand vacuum cleaner as a replacement, or spend around $100 every 18 -~24 months for replacement heads.  I wonder which of those resonates most with Dysons sustainability page on the company website. I would be interested to hear the opinion of Dyson’s engineers.