Alright so this morning my crew yells the Minuteman ain't sucking up water again. Typical Monday nonsense. Figured I'd write down exactly how I kicked this thing back into shape. No fancy talk, just what worked.

Step One: The Dumb Stuff First

Checked the dang power first. Plug was kicked loose from the wall socket. Felt like an idiot. Plugged it back in, hit the switch. Lights came on, motor whined... but still no water moving. Great. Reset the breaker anyway just 'cause I was standing there. No difference. Pulled the plug, counted to ten like ya do with electronics, plugged it back. Still nada. Alright, not the easy stuff.

Step Two: Water's Acting Weird

Okay, machine sounded kinda weak. Maybe no water flow? Popped the recovery tank lid – way too full. Smelled awful. Dumped that nasty mess. Checked the hoses running inside the recovery tank. One felt mushy. Squeezed it – totally collapsed flat! Pulled it off real careful.
Found it: A big chunk of gum plastered right where the hose bends around the motor cover. Blocked solid. Yanked that gunk out. Flushed the hose with fresh water just in case.

Step Three: Nothing's Being Picked Up

Got the hoses clear, ran it again. Motor sounds stronger, finally getting suction noise! But floor's still just wet? Rookie Pete tells me the squeegee looks crooked. Got down on my knees – sure enough, the left blade corner was flipped way up. Pulled the whole squeegee assembly off. Those stupid plastic tabs that hold it in place? One side snapped clean off. Guess someone drove it into a doorway sideways again. Had a spare assembly back in the van. Bolted the new one on tight.

Step Four: Felt Dumb Again

New squeegee on. Still only wet floor? What now!? Checked the recovery tank filter – looked okay. Then saw the solution valve lever... turned halfway. Probably got bumped when I was wrestling hoses. Flipped it full open. Boom. Machine finally slurping up water like it should. Back to work.

• Moral of the story? Start simple, work up. Power, plugs, breaks.
• Check hoses & tanks first when suction's bad. Blockages hide.
• Look UNDER the machine before you panic. Squeegee's gotta seal.
• Those levers & switches? Someone bumps 'em constantly.

Machine's humming now. Took longer to write this down than fix the dang thing. Next time someone shouts 'it's broken!', I'm just pointing 'em to this post. Things never go smooth.