How often should a belt on a vacuum cleaner need changed.?

Even normal flat belts shouldn't break every few months unless your picking up something. They will stretch some but thats should be it. You may have a bad brush roller or bearing on the brush roller. This could cause it. Bring it into a local vacuum store, they normally give free estimates. Good luck.

If you have shag carpet or are vacuuming every day 3 months might not be bad. I'd check where your belts are connecting to make sure the pulley isn't over tight and verify your using the right belt. Lastly I'd check how the belt is breaking. Some types may wear out faster. Is it breaking from heat (you can smell this), clean breaks or jagged breaks. Each might be a different reason.

Sounds like you have a vacuum like my Oreck. The minute I vacuum a long hair, it gets twisted around and the side mounted belt gets chewed up. It is the worst design ever. My old machine had a central belt. Hair would still get tangled, but because of the central location of the belt, I could simply remove the hair and the belt was fine.

You may have the setting too close to the surface you are vacuuming. If the brush has too much resistance, it will cause the belt to wear out prematurely. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the belt once a year.

Unless you use your vacuum a lot and under trying conditions, that's far too often. I didn't have to change my belt until I had my vacuum for nearly a year- and that was because something got sucked up in it that damaged the belt and caused it to wear.

When you change them, do you clean out the hair around the ends of the beater brush, and a few drops of oil every now and them, and make sure the brush turns freely, cause once the brush freezes up the drive spindle eats them belts for lunch.

When it breaks

see i suggest waiting in-tell you can start to smell it burning a little