i have a canister vacuum cleaner that has been working on and off. When it works, it works well, but sometimes when you try to turn it on it won't. But then when you try again later, it works. And it hasn't worked when it wasn't even used shortly before so it can't be overheated. The vacuum is at least a decade old. I'm suspecting that the motor i nearing the end of its life..but my dad refuses acknowledge the possibility of that and citing that it just needs to be cleaned. I know when the vacuum needs to be cleaned considering that I'm like the only one who uses it!
Alyssa, 10 years is a decent amount of time with a vacuum. However, I would recommend taking it into Sears (or just call them to save you a trip) and find out what they can do for you. Kenmore is sold exclusively by Sears, and sometimes they are great about fixing/replacing things like this. That's what I would do first. If they can't do anything for you (or if it costs you more than $40 to replace the motor) then it's probably time for a new vacuum. Just be careful - the vacuum industry seems to build vacuums that last about 4-5 years now, unless you want to pay for something like a Miele and possibly a Dyson (I'm still not sure a Dyson will last longer than 5-7 years personally). There are some good deals though for less than $150 if you don't want to spend the money - the Shark Navigator and the Eureka Airspeed Bagless are two great machines you may want to look at. I'll put a resource below that gives some great reviews you can read if you do end up looking for a new vacuum. Hope this helps!
Your vacuum needs replacement. Ten year old vacuum would not be worth repairing and more efficeint machines are available cheaply today. (Not everyone needs or can afford a Dyson.)
we had one about 12 years ago. It lasted us 12 years. I only got ride of it because all the attachments were cracked and the poor thing just looked pathetic. We have since then gone through a vac every 4 to 6 years before it needed major fixes at the shop.
