How to Fix a Leak in Your Vacuum Hose?

Vacuum cleaners are probably by far the most used and loved appliance in any household. Like anything else, after a while, they start showing signs of wear and tear.

This should not be a surprise, as we drag them around from one room to the next, constantly tucking, and pulling on the vacuum cleaner hose. Over time, this causes the vacuum hose to crack or tear, leaving you with reduced suction power.

Often the damage is so small; you need to find the leak before you can fix it. That is where we come in.

In this article, you will learn how to find and fix vacuum leaks. This is done by performing a vacuum cleaner hose inspection, both on the inside and on the outside of the hose. For the solution to how to fix a leak in your vacuum hose, we include a choice from two options.

Tool and materials you need for the job

Your first step is to get together all the tools and materials that you will need to complete the job. Things like:

• Facemask to minimize the amount of dust you breathe in
• A piece of wire, for example, a coat hanger wire for clearing out blockages
• Broom handle to help you straighten and stretch the hose
• A utility knife to cut the hose you need to
• Duct tape for sealing cracks and tears in your hose
• Dish soap to clean the leak area
• Chalk or powder to get rid of adhesive

Hose inspection

Before you can begin your vacuum hose repair you will need to perform a hose inspection. This needs to be done for both inside and outside of the hose

Inside hose check

To be able to find the leak you need to clean the hose. This means to check that there is nothing causing a blockage on the inside of the hose.  

This is a job best for outside, as there could be a lot of dirt and debris lodged on the inside of the hose that you will need to get out. You do not want all that dirt landing upon the floors inside your home.

Take the hose, the wire coat hanger, and the broom handle, go outside, and follow the following steps:

• Wear a facemask to protect yourself from breathing in all the dust and dirt that will come out of the hose
• Lay the hose out 
• Straighten out your wire coat hanger into a straight line
• Feed the wire hanger into the hose and if there is a blockage, it will come to a stop.
• Push the dirt lose so that it will fall out when you lift one end of the hose up
• If the coat hanger is not working, use the broom handle and force the dirt out.

Outside hose check

Once the inside of the hose is clear, it is time to check the outside for obvious cracks or tears. 

• Make sure the vacuum hose is stretched out
• Use your eyes to see if you can see any obvious signs of where your vacuum hose cracked or split. 
• If not then use your fingers and feel along the entire hose for any gaps

If you have not found the reason for the leak in the hose 

Then check for a tiny hole:

• Fill a tub with some water
• Tape one end of the hose closed
• Fill the hose with some water
• Place the hose in the water, be sure to cover it completely
• Pull it out and hold it in the shape of the letter U. If it leaks you have a hole that needs fixing

Once you have found the vacuum hose split, cracks, or holes, it is time for you to mend the vacuum hose

Fixing the Leak

There are different ways of fixing a leak on a vacuum hose. It all depends on where the leak is on the hose, whether the leak is near the end of the hose or in the middle of the hose.

The leak is near the end of the hose

If you are lucky and the hose happens to have a tear or is cracked near, one of the ends of the hose. Your vacuum has a plastic connector that is removable. Then all you need to do to fix it is as follows:

• Remove the plastic connector
• With the utility knife cut off the damaged piece
• Then replace the plastic connector back again
• Re-attach the hose to your vacuum cleaner

The leak is in the middle of the hose

With a leak that is in the middle of the hose, don’t worry though, repairing is still possible, but it will only be temporarily.  

This is where the good old-fashioned duct tape we mentioned earlier becomes handy. Yes, it might not look great but hey, it is available in a variety of colors.

Many have expressed that duct tape does not only fix a hole in a hose perfectly; it has also lasted a long time if applied the right way as below:

• Take some dish soap and clean the broken spot thoroughly 
• Cut the duct tape in a large enough piece to cover the entire cracked area
• Remember the sticky side of the duct tape is exposed on the inside of the hose
• Sprinkle some of the powder or chalk on the floor a couple of times and vacuum it. This will help to coat the sticky side of the tape so that no other dirt will stick to it causing a blockage.

Once you have found and fixed the leak in your vacuum hose, remember the repair you did will not last forever. So, it may be a good idea to start researching vacuum hose replacements for your brand and type of vacuum cleaner, For example, a replacement hose for a Dyson vacuum.

To answer how to fix a leak in your vacuum hose, first find the leak by performing a vacuum cleaner hose inspection. Clear out any blockages that there may be and depend on where the leak is, pick between the two options to solve the problem.

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