SEBO Air Channel Cover for AUTOMATIC X1, X2, X4 and X5 — Black

Air picked up at the nozzle does not travel in a straight line to the bag. It runs a molded channel through the body of the machine, and part 5173SW is the black cover that closes that channel along its length. The cover has no moving parts and no job beyond one thing done well: keeping the duct sealed between the floor head and the bag housing so the full pull of the motor arrives where the dirt is.

Covers fail in two ways. A crack lets air in partway along the run, and a warp — usually from heat, sometimes from over-tightened screws during a past repair — lifts the sealing face away from the channel. Either way the machine draws part of its air from inside its own body rather than from the carpet, so the head loses grip even with a fresh bag, clean filters and a motor turning normally. Fitting a sound cover reseals the duct and the difference is felt immediately at the head.

• Part number: 5173SW
• Colour: black
• Job: encloses the internal air channel between head and bag housing
• Fits: AUTOMATIC X1, X2, X4, X4 Boost and X5
• Sold as: one cover
• Related part number: 5093AM, the genuine filter bag pack for these machines

Note where each screw sits before lifting the old cover away — the lengths are not all the same, and a long screw in a short boss will split the housing behind it. Clear the channel itself before the new cover goes on, because a fresh molding cannot seal against a ridge of packed dust or a length of thread wound around the duct wall. Search terms that lead here include SEBO air channel cover, AUTOMATIC X duct cover and X4 suction loss repair, and 5173SW is the part number behind all of them.

Genuine SEBO component from an authorized dealer; ships in 2-5 business days.