The Dyson DC05 is a nifty little vacuum cleaner that does a good job. Indeed, the concept of using a cyclone to remove particulates from a fluid stream has been around for many years and copying it into a domestic environment is clearly innovative. In conventional vacuum cleaners the bag is the main filter - here being replaced by a couple of cyclones to remove the larger particulates (right down to dust-size which it collects with frightening abundance). Like all vacuum cleaners, the only pressure losses are down to the pipework and the filters it uses - here, the pressure loss across the two cyclones is analogous to that across the bag filter in conventional vacuum cleaners. The lack of the bag filter makes redundant that trip to the supermarket to get special bags for some make of cleaner or other.
The problem with the Dyson - as I see it - is that it is made so that only the dealers can perform maintenance tasks (with the exception of washing the filters). I have heard that the Dyson is the type of vacuum cleaner most commonly found thrown away on rubbish tips. In the interests of both the planet and your pocket, it is probably better to repair the thing yourself (or if you can't, get it repaired) as these are good little machines.
Clearly, the things that are most likely to wear out are the bits that move: one of them being the motor and the other being the mains cable. So, without any warranty and trusting that you are able enough to carry out this procedure yourself and safely, here is how to save yourself a small packet on these repairs.
Before you start buying things and doing surgery on your machine, one suggestion is that you check that that the mains lead is all right close to the plug. This is where it is most likely to break - fatigue fracturing of the copper wires in the cable. If you take your Dyson apart to the point where you can see the ends of the blue and brown leads and there is no continuity (ie, there is a break somewhere between the plug contacts and the connectors inside), try chopping off the plug, roughly six inches (15cm) fom the plug and try that. If that doesn't work, cut off another six inches (15cm). If you get continuity, all you need to do is to replace the moulded plug with a new one and you have saved yourself the effort of buying and replacing the whole cable.
I suggest that you read through the page that is relevant to your situation before you embark on the repair and also, that you use only original parts (this isn't a sales plug - I have no connection with Dyson - it just makes sense). Also, if there are any bit you are doubtful about, you might be able to pick up on these if you read the other page.
There are a number of places that you can go to in order to get real parts. I use a local shop in Derby (Anderson electrical - I can visit the shop in person which is always more secure than using the Internet) but unless you have access to a local shop, you could use the Internet (you could get all of the details you need and then telephone them).
It is my opinion that one place that I would advise against using is Interspares: I fixed their broken website a few years ago and they still haven't paid their bill. I ask myself: if they can't afford to pay the people that mend their website then does this lead to questions about their finances such as 'are they in trouble?'. I don't know whether they are or not. I assume that my fee is a tiny fraction of their annual turnover. I do hope they are not in financial trouble because I would like to be paid for the work that I did for them - this fixed their broken site and it still works fine. This debt has been outstanding for a long time and if you have no alternative but to use them, I hope that you get your goods quicker than 'half way through the following year'.
So, here are the links:
Good luck - not that I suggest that you rely upon luck.
