UNPLUG FIRST. Try removing the self-cleaning filter (looks like a cloth bag with a weight in the bottom of it) and then cleaning the screen filter that is up above that, just under the motor itself. Be sure to get the self-cleaning filter back into position correctly. You can check this by gently pulling downward on it after you have re-installed it. Be prepared to get really filthy dirty.
Ellen of Troy, September 2008
