Home & Heart Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze In response to my comments on washing machines, Maytags in particular, I have heard from Lance Linfoot. Lance lives in Dos Rios, CA and called me to see if I knew what the problem was with the Maytag on inverter power. He has a Trace 2012 and a Maytag that would not work right. Maytag Upgrade I did not know why they didn't work well, only that they didn't. He had a Maytag repairman come out and reported to me all that he did to the Maytag to make it work for Lance. It took four things: 1. The addition of a capacitor, Maytag part #2-6103. 2. Check to make sure the belt surface is not sticky. To fix this, replace belt. 3. Lubricate motor rollers with silicon, not oil and clean track. 4. Check pump belt for over tightness. You should be able to just pinch the belt together in the middle. I hope this helps the RE people out there having problems with their Maytag washers. This seems to be mostly for the newer Maytags. According to Jim Forgette (see Slaying a Watt-Guzzler, #22), the older Maytags already have a capacitor. Now the only machines to get a factory installed capacitor are those destined to be sold in Europe. Even with these checks and changes there is no guarantee that your Maytag will work without a hitch. I also heard from Billy Barr, Assistant Director/Business Manager of the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Crested Butte, CO. He has been running a heavy duty Maytag washer for years, on a Trace 2012, without a problem. He has a moderately small battery system, using six 100 amphour lead- acid batteries (rated for 3 years- now in their 11th year). His Maytag has performed excellently and has been as dependable as they advertise. This is good for Billy as the repairman and/or any parts would have to be skied in most times of the year. As an added bonus, Billy says Maytag is easily the most socially responsible of the appliance companies. Vacuum and Suction Lance also told me that he uses a Eureka Vibra Broom II to vacuum his New Zealand sheepskin carpets, with complete success. His mother still uses an old Kirby that she got when he was a child. This was interesting to me as I had just been sent an older Kirby vacuum by a fellow Sol Sister, Katcha Sanderson. Boy, is it cute! It has a red plaid cloth bag, red bumper strips and red attachments. Its polished aluminum body has a headlight that shines right on the area you are vacuuming at the time. It reminds me of old bulbous fendered Buicks. Yes, I like old things, but only if they work well. This is a Kirby 505 (3 amp) and it is amazing. After shuffling along with my PortaPower for a year I didn't realize how much dirt I was missing. After assembling the Kirby Bob-O and I had a heyday vacuuming every carpet and floor in the place. We removed pounds of dirt. I kid you not! We estimated that about 2 1/2 pounds of dirt came out of our house. I was horrified that we had been living with that much dirt and gratified that now I was removing it. Attachments & Options As we were trying out the plethora of attachments that complement the Kirby I had a thought. Kirby must have been Scottish, maybe that's his family tartan on the cloth bag. He was sitting around one day, playing his bagpipes, listening to his wife complain about her broomstraws falling out, when the vision struck him. A vacuum cleaner that not only vacuumed any type of floor but also performed a myriad of other tasks. The variety of attachments bear me out. There is the Spray & Suds-O-Gun, the Handi- Sharpener, the Power Polisher, the Massage Cup, the Suction Coupler, the Blower Coupler, the Crystalator and The Handi-Butler to which other tools attach for use. This is in addition to the usual mundane vacuum tools we are used to (crevice tool, extension tubes, duster brush, etc.). I just wish I had seen one of those old door-to-door salesman pitch this machine way back when. Recycled Value I'm going to let Katcha and Bill tell you why they've chosen the older Kirbys to recycle into mainstream use again. "For us Alternative living not only means independence energy-wise, but having a cottage industry which allows us a measure of economic independence too. Rebuilding and reselling vacuum cleaners has turned out to be our means to obtain this lifestyle. We are happier yet to be able to blend both elements of energy and economy by offering to sell quality "recycles" to very energy efficient minded users. The best vacuum we have found that meets both of these criteria is the Kirby, whose older models were made with 3, 4, and 5 amp motors in the smaller head style before they became larger, heavier and more "juice" hungry. Our house has wood floors with area rugs. In the course of "testing" out several other cleaners, I finally selected a 3 amp Kirby because it came closest to my ideal for these needs: 1) floor or carpet cleaning, 2) dependability, 3) lightweight and maneuverability, 4) easy canister/tool usage, and 5) options available for carpet or floor cleaning, painting, ETC.! One of the newest "small" canisters came our way and the Kirby's 3 amps out performed that Eureka's 8 amp "Mighty Mite" in side by side comparisons. One other thing I like is cost savings in not having to buy the replacement paper bags the other cleaners need. I even have the option to donate the dust to my compost pile (while watching for metal or plastic items to be removed). This machine has also solved the cobwebs-in-the- 15'-ceiling problem. Some extra light weight wands (tubes) reach up and still have suction to spare as I make homeless spiders. Availability Since the 3, 4, and 5 Amp Kirbys were manufactured some years ago, the availability of these machines are chancy at best. These fell out of favor due to "bigger is better" thinking. Many have been either junked or recycled for their aluminum. Most need plenty of TLC and work to restore them to to productive daily use, but they are up to it! We have been stockpiling the few we have come across, and in between other cleaner rebuilding have slowly and carefully got these ready for our "alternative friends". Our price for a 4 or 5 Amp machine is $150, the 3 Ampers will be "premium" priced at $175. We guarantee these machines for the first six months. All should be able to run on any 600 Watt or larger inverter. Tools It is very seldom that we get the original tool sets with these machines, so we offer them (used/serviceable) as available for an additional $25. The cost for a new replacement set of genuine Kirby tools is $75, but we are researching and soon hope to be able to offer a "generic" replacement set in the $25 range. Other options include converting the pocket-dump bag over to a cloth bag which uses standard disposable paper bags for people who want that emptying method. Eureka As a less expensive, but still serviceable option, we offer 3.35/3.5 Amp rebuilt Eureka uprights ($45). These have a 3 month guarantee and tool set option ($10). Shipping is extra on all items." Conclusion The upshot for me is that I bought the Kirby Katcha and Bill sent me to test. I was afraid to let it go. It works so well. I have one of those sculptured-shag carpets (who ever invented it should be beat with it) where all the dirt goes to the short places and all the long shag folds over on top of that. Since I have been using the Kirby it looks like a newer carpet. I tried to find Kirby in the encyclopedia, to see if I was right about his heritage, but no go. I'm still curious, though. Access For more information/ordering CALL (408) 628-3362 (7AM-9PM Mon-Fri, 7PM-9PM Sat & Sun) or write - Sanderson's, 20295 Panoche Rd., Paicines, CA 95043 Jim Forgette, POB 207, San Andreas, CA 95249 Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze, C/O Home Power, POB 130, Hornbrook, CA 96044 (916) 475-3401.