Ryobi VC120 User manual

SAVE THIS MANUAL FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
OPERATOR'S MANUAL
12 Volt Cordless Hand Vac
Model No. VC120
THANKYOU FORBUYINGARYOBIHANDVAC
Yournewhandvachasbeenengineeredandmanufactured toRyobi’shighstandard fordependability, easeofoperation,
and operator safety.Properly cared for, it will give you years of rugged, trouble-free performance.
CAUTION:Carefully readthroughthis entireoperator'smanualbeforeusing yournewhand vac.
Pay close attention to the Rules for Safe Operation, Warnings, and Cautions. If you use your hand vac properly and
only for what it is intended, you will enjoy years of safe, reliable service.
Thank you again for buying Ryobi products.

2
INTRODUCTION
■■
■■
■Table of Contents / Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
■■
■■
■Important Safety Instructions .........................................................................................................................2-4
■■
■■
■Symbols ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
■■
■■
■Features .........................................................................................................................................................6-7
■■
■■
■Operation........................................................................................................................................................7-9
■■
■■
■Accessories ....................................................................................................................................................10
■■
■■
■Maintenance ....................................................................................................................................................11
■■
■■
■Parts Ordering /Service ..................................................................................................................................11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WARNING:
Donotattempt tooperate this tooluntil youhaveread thoroughlyandunderstand completelyallinstructions,
safety rules, etc. contained in this manual. Failure to comply can result in accidents involving fire, electric
shock, or serious personal injury. Save operator's manual and review frequently for continuing safe
operation, and instructing others who may use this tool.
Look for this symbol to point out important safety
precautions. It means attention!!! Your safety is involved.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING! To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, or injury:
WHEN USING AN ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE, BASIC PRECAUTIONS SHOULD
ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
WARNING:
Read and understand all instructions before using.
Failure to follow all instructions listed below, may
resultinelectricshock,fireand/orseriouspersonal
injury.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
■Do not allow children to operate hand vac or play
with hand vac as a toy.Close attention is necessary
whenused nearchildren.
■This hand vac is intended for household useONLY.
■Use this hand vac ONLY for its intended use as de-
scribedin thismanual. Useonlytheattachmentsrec-
ommendedinthis manual.
■Do not use charger with damaged cord or plug. If
handvacisnot working properly, has beendropped,
damaged,left outdoors,or droppedintowater,return
toyour nearestRyobi AuthorizedServiceCenter.
WARNING:
Electric Shock could occur if charged outdoors or
on wet surfaces.
ThisVC120 hand vac is a 12-volt hand vacuum that allows for easy clean up.Your hand vac comes with a removable
battery pack and charging assembly to keep the hand vac charged and ready to use.

3
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
■Do not abuse cord. Never carry charger or base by
the cord or yank to disconnect from electrical outlet.
Grasp charger, not the cord, and pull to unplug. Do
not allow cord to hang over edge of table or counter
or to touch hot surfaces.
■Do not useanextension cordunless absolutelynec-
essary.Plug charger directly into electrical outlet.
■Do not handle charger or hand vac with wet hands.
■Do not use for wet pick-up. hand vac is for dry pick-
up only.
■Do not use hand vac outdoors or on wet surfaces.
■Do not put any objects in ventilation openings. Do
notusewithanyopening blocked:keepopenings free
of dust, lint, hair, and anything that may reduce air
flow.
■Keephair,loose clothing,fingers, andallpartsof the
body away from openings and moving parts.
■Keep exhaust away from face, eyes, and hair during
use.
■NEVER vacuum materials such as hot coals, ciga-
rette butts, matches, etc.
■Do not use without dust bowl and filter in place.
■Turn offall controls before unpluggingfromor plug-
ging into an electrical outlet for charging.
■Use extra care when using on stairs.
■Do not use to pick up flammable or combustible liq-
uids such as gasoline or use in areas where such
liquids may be present.
■Do not use to pick up hard objects such as nails,
screws, coins, etc. Damage or injury could result.
■This hand vac does not have to be plugged into an
electrical outlet, therefore it is always in operating
condition.Beaware of possiblehazards when using
yourhandvac or when changingaccessories.
■USEONLYTHECHARGERPROVIDEDWITHYOUR
HANDVAC.Donot substituteanyothercharger.Use
of another charger could cause batteries to explode
causing possible serious injury.
■DO NOT PLACE HANDVAC NEAR FIRE OR HEAT.
The batteries inside the hand vac may explode.
■DONOT CHARGEHANDVACIN ADAMP ORWET
LOCATION.Do notuse chargeroutdoors.
■Yourhandvacshould bechargedin alocation where
thetemperatureismorethan50°Fbutlessthan100°F.
■Under extreme usage or temperature conditions,
battery leakagemayoccur.If liquidcomesin con-
tact with skin, wash immediately with soap and
water,then neutralize withlemon juiceor vinegar.
Ifliquid getsinto youreyes, flushthem with clean
water for at least 10 minutes, then seek immedi-
atemedical attention.Following thisrulewillreduce
the risk of serious personal injury.
■Donot abuse thecord.Never usethecord to carry
the charger. Keep cord away from heat, oil, sharp
edges, or moving parts. Replace damaged cords
immediately. Damaged cords may create a fire.
■Abattery operatedtool withintegralbatteries ora
separate battery pack must be recharged only with
thespecified charger for thebattery.Achargerthat
may be suitable for one type of battery may create a
risk of fire when used with another battery.Use bat-
tery only with charger listed.
BATTERY 1311148
CHARGINGASSEMBLY 1411141
■Use battery operated tool only with specifically
designatedbattery pack.Use ofany otherbatteries
may create a risk of fire. Use only with battery pack
listed.
Service
■■
■■
■Tool service must be performed only by qualified
repairpersonnel.Serviceormaintenanceperformed
by unqualified personnel could result in a risk of in-
jury.
■Whenservicing atool, useonly identicalreplace-
mentparts.Followinstructionsin the Maintenance
section of this manual. Use of unauthorized parts
orfailure tofollow MaintenanceInstructions maycre-
ate a risk of electric shock or injury.
WARNING:
Batteriesventhydrogengasandcanexplodeinthe
presenceofasourceofignition,suchasapilotlight.
Toreducethe riskof seriouspersonal injury,never
use any cordless product in the presence of open
flame. An exploded battery can propel debris and
chemical.Ifexposed,flushwithwaterimmediately.
WARNING:
To reduce the risk of electric shock, use indoors
only.

4
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
b. Thatextension cordis properlywired andingood
electricalcondition;and
c. That wire size is large enough for AC ampere
ratingofchargeras specified below:
CordLength (Feet) 25' 50' 100'
CordSize(AWG) 16 16 16
Note:AWG=AmericanWireGage
■Do not operate charger with a damaged cord or
plug.If damaged,have replacedimmediately bya
qualified serviceman. Followingthis rulewill reduce
the risk of electric shock, fire, or serious personal
injury.
■Do not operate charger if it has received a sharp
blow,been dropped,orotherwise damagedin any
way; take it to a qualified serviceman. Following
this rule will reduce the risk of electric shock, fire, or
serious personalinjury.
■Do not disassemble charger; take it to a qualified
serviceman when service or repair is required.
Incorrect reassembly may result in a risk of elec-
tric shock or fire. Following this rule will reduce the
risk of electric shock, fire, or serious personal injury.
■To reduce the risk of electric shock, unplug
charger from outlet before attempting any main-
tenance or cleaning.Turning off controls will not
reduce this risk. Following this rule will reduce the
risk of electric shock, fire, or serious personal injury.
■Do not use charger outdoors. Following this rule
will reduce the risk of electric shock, fire, or serious
personalinjury.
■Disconnect charger from power supply when not
in use. Followingthisrule willreduce theriskof elec-
tric shock, fire, or serious personal injury.
■Save these instructions. Refer to them frequently
and use them to instruct others who may use
this tool. If you loan someone this tool, loan them
these instructions also. Following this rule will re-
duce the risk of electric shock, fire, or serious per-
sonal injury.
DANGER:
Risk of electric shock. Do not touch uninsulated
portion of output connector or uninsulated battery
terminal.
WARNING:
A damaged battery is subject to explosion. To
avoid serious personal injury, properly dispose of
a damaged battery.
■Savetheseinstructions.This manualcontains im-
portantsafety andoperating instructionsfor your
cordless hand vac and charger.Following thisrule
will reduce the risk of electric shock, fire, or serious
personalinjury.
■Beforeusingbattery charger,read allinstructions
and cautionary markings in this manual, on bat-
tery charger, and product using battery charger.
Followingthisrule willreducetheriskofelectricshock,
fire,or serious personalinjury.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING:
Toreduceriskofinjury,chargeonlynickel-cadmium
rechargeable batteries. Other types of batteries
may burst causing personal injury and damage.
Following this rule will reduce the risk of electric
shock, fire, or serious personal injury.
■Do not expose charger to rain or snow.Following
this rule will reduce the risk of electric shock, fire, or
serious personalinjury.
■Use of an attachment not recommended or sold
by the charger manufacturer may result in a risk
offire, electricshock, orinjuryto persons.Follow-
ingthisrule willreducethe riskofelectric shock,fire,
orserious personalinjury.
■To reduce risk of damage to charger body and
cord, pull by charger plug rather than cord when
disconnecting charger. Following this rule will re-
duce the risk of serious personal injury.
■Make sure cord is located so that it will not be
stepped on,tripped over,or otherwise subjected
to damage or stress. Followingthisrule willreduce
the risk of serious personal injury.
■An extension cord should not be used unless
absolutely necessary. Use of improper extension
cordcouldresult in arisk of fireandelectric shock.If
extension cord must be used, make sure:
a. Thatpinsonplugof extensioncord arethe same
number, size and shape as those of plug on
charger.

5
The purpose of safety symbols is to attract your attention to possible dangers. The safety symbols, and the
explanations with them, deserve your careful attention and understanding. The safety warnings do not by
themselves eliminate any danger. The instructions or warnings they give are not substitutes for proper accident
prevention measures.
DANGER:Failuretoobeyasafetywarningwillresultinseriousinjurytoyourselfortoothers.Always
follow the safety precautions to reduce the risk of fire, electric shock and personal injury.
WARNING: Failure to obey a safety warning can result in serious injury to yourself or to others.
Always follow the safety precautions to reduce the risk of fire, electric shock and personal injury.
CAUTION: Failure to obey a safety warning may result in property damage or personal injury to
yourselforto others.Alwaysfollowthesafetyprecautionsto reducetheriskoffire,electricshock and
personal injury.
NOTE: Advises you of information or instructions vital to the operation or maintenance of the equipment.
SYMBOL MEANING
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Important: Someof thefollowingsymbolsmaybe usedon yourtool.Pleasestudythem andlearn theirmeaning.
Proper interpretation of these symbols will allow you to operate the tool better and safer.
SYMBOL NAME EXPLANATION
V Volts Voltage
A Amperes Current
Hz Hertz Frequency (cyclespersecond)
W Watt Power
min Minutes Time
AlternatingCurrent Type or a characteristic of current
n0NoLoadSpeed Rotational speed, at no load
Class II Construction DesignatesDoubleInsulatedConstruc-
tion tools
.../min RevolutionsorReciprocationPerMinute Revolutions, strokes, surface speed,
orbits etc. per minute
Safety Alert Symbol Indicatesdanger,warningorcaution.It
means attention!!! Your safety is in-
volved.
Wet Conditions Alert Do not expose to rain or use in damp
locations.
SYMBOLS

6
FEATURES
KNOW YOUR HAND VAC
See Figure 1.
Beforeattemptingto useyourhand vac,familiarizeyour-
self with all operating features and safety requirements.
WARNING:
Carefullyreadthroughthisentireoperator’smanual
beforeusingyournewhandvac.Paycloseattention
totheImportantSafetyInstructions, Warningsand
Cautions.Ifyouuseyourhandvacproperlyandonly
for what it is intended, you will enjoy years of safe,
reliableservice.
Yourhandvachas been shippedcompletely assembled.
Inspectitcarefully tomakesure no breakageor damage
has occurred during shipping.If any parts are damaged
or missing, contact your nearest Ryobi Authorized Ser-
vice Center.Included with your hand vac should be one
batterypack,charger,crevicetool, brush attachment, fil-
ter,andthis operator’s manual.
SWITCH
Your hand vac is equipped with a conveniently located
ON/OFF switch on top of the handle.This enables you to
turnthehandvacon andoffwhilestillholding thehandle.
BRUSH ATTACHMENT
The brush attachment allows you to vacuum upholstery,
drapes, etc.
CREVICE TOOL
The crevice tool allows you to vacuum in tight places.
WARNING:
Donotallow familiarity withyourhand vac to make
youcareless.Rememberthatacarelessfractionof
a second is sufficient to inflict severe injury.
Fig. 1
ON/OFF SWITCH HANDLE
DUST BOWL RELEASE BUTTON
BRUSH
ATTACHMENT
CREVICE TOOL
BATTERY PACK
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 
   
  

  
      

 

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 

 

 
   
 

WARNING:
If any parts are missing, do not operate your hand
vacuntilthemissingpartsarereplaced.Failuretodo
so could result in possible serious personal injury.
CHARGING ASSEMBLY
DUST BOWL

7
FEATURES
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
HANDVAC VC120
Motor 12 Volt, DC
Switch On/Off
OPERATION
CHARGINGASSEMBLY Item No.1411141
BATTERY ItemNo. 1311148
ChargerRating 120V, 60 Hz, AC Only
ChargerVoltage 12Volt
ChargerRate 3-6Hours
CHARGING YOUR HAND VAC
The battery pack for your hand vac has been shipped in
a low charge condition to prevent possible problems.
Therefore,youshould charge itovernightprior to use.
NOTE: Batteries will not reach full charge the first time
they are charged. Allow several cycles (vacuuming fol-
lowed by recharging) for them to fully charge.
TO CHARGE
SeeFigure2 .
■Chargebatterypackonlywiththechargingassembly
provided.
■Make sure power supply is normal household
voltage, 120 volts, 60 Hz, AC only.
■Connectcharging assemblytopowersupply.
■Placebatterypackinchargingstand.Alignraisedrib
on battery pack with groove in charging assembly.
■Press down on battery pack to be sure contacts on
batterypackengageproperlywithcontactsincharg-
ingassembly.Whenproperlyconnected,redlighton
charging assembly will turn on.
WARNING:
If any parts are missing, do not operate unit until
the missing parts are replaced. Failure to do so
could result in possible serious personal injury.
Note: During the two year warranty period, if the
chargeindicatorlight(LED) fails to comeonor goes
out while charging battery pack, return charging as-
sembly and battery pack to your nearest authorized
servicecenter forrepairorreplacing.
■After normal usage, 3 hours or less of charging time
is required to fully recharge battery pack. Note: If
battery pack is completely discharged, 6 hours or
longer of charging time is required to fully recharge
battery pack.
■The battery pack will become slightly warm to the
touch while charging. This is normal and does not
indicateaproblem.
■DO NOT place charging assembly in an area of ex-
treme heat or cold. It will work best at normal room
temperature.
■When battery pack has been charged, disconnect
charging assembly from power supply and remove
the battery pack.This practice will increase battery
life.
CAUTION:
Topreventdamagetobatterypack,removebattery
packfromchargerimmediatelyifnoLEDcomeson.
Return battery pack and charger to your nearest
Ryobi Authorized Service Center for checking or
replacing. Also, if you are removing battery pack
from charger and no LED is on, return both battery
packandchargertoyournearest RyobiAuthorized
Service Center. Do not insert another battery pack
into charger. A defective charger may damage a
battery pack.
Fig. 2
CHARGING
ASSEMBLY
BATTERY PACK
CHARGE
INDICATOR
LIGHT (LED)

8
OPERATION
Fig. 3
ON/OFF SWITCH
See Figure 4.
Follow these steps to turn the vacuum on and off.
■To turn the vacuum on:Slide switch toward the front
of the vacuum.
■To turn the vacuum off:Slide switch toward the back
of the vacuum.
ON/OFF SWITCH
Fig. 4
TO TURN ON
TO TURN
OFF
BATTERY PACK
LATCHES
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RE-
CHARGING HOT BATTERIES
When using your hand vac continuously, the batteries in
your battery pack will become hot.You should let a hot
batterypackcool downfor approximately30minutes be-
foreattemptingtorecharge.
NOTE:This situationonly occurswhen continuoususeof
your hand vac causes the batteries to become hot. It
does not occur under normal circumstances. Refer to
“ChargingYour HandVac”fornormal rechargingofbat-
teries.Ifthe charger/chargingassembly doesnotcharge
your battery pack under normal circumstances, return
boththe batterypackand charger/chargingassemblyto
yournearestRyobiAuthorized Service Center forelec-
trical check.
TO INSTALL BATTERY PACK
SeeFigure3 .
■Placethebatterypackinyourhandvac.Alignraised
ribonbattery pack withgroovein handvac’sbattery
port.
■Make sure the latches on each side of the battery
pack snap in place and that battery pack is secured
inhandvacbeforebeginningoperation.
TO REMOVE BATTERY PACK
SeeFigure3 .
■Locate latches on side of battery pack and depress
bothsidesto release thebatterypack fromthehand
Vac.
CAUTION:
Whenplacingbatterypackinyourhandvac,besure
raisedribonbatterypackalignswithgrooveinhand
vac'sbatteryportandlatchessnapinplaceproperly.
Improper assembly of battery pack can cause
damagetointernalcomponents.

9
OPERATION
The dust bowl should be checked, emptied and cleaned
periodically to obtain maximum dust collection.
TO REMOVE DUST BOWL
See Figure 5.
■Depress the release button located on top of hand
vac. Pull dust bowl down and out as shown to sepa-
ratefrommotor housing.
CLEANING YOUR HAND VAC
See Figures 5, 6 and 7.
WARNING:
Neveruseyourhandvacwithoutdustbowlandfilter
properlyin place.
■Removethe filterby simplypulling itout ofdust bowl.
SeeFigure6 .
■Shake or lightly brush any dust or dirt off filter.
■Empty dust bowl and wash if necessary. Make sure
dustbowliscompletelydry beforereattachingtohand
vac.
TO REATTACH DUST BOWL
See Figure 7.
■Position the two sections as shown. Align slots on
bottom of dust bowl with tabs on bottom of motor
housing then snap the two sections together.
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
SLOTS TABS
FILTER
DUST BOWL
HAND VAC
BATTERY PACK
PRESS RELEASE BUTTON
PULL DUST BOWL
DOWN AND OUT
TO REMOVE

10
ACCESSORIES
ADDING ATTACHMENTS
See Figures 8 and 9.
The brush attachment and crevice tool have been pro-
videdwithyourhandvac.Theseattachmentscanbeeasily
snappedintoplace on yourhandvac.
Follow these steps to add attachments.
■Turn off the vacuum.
■Insert attachment into front end of vacuum, snap-
ping it into place.
WARNING:
The use of attachments or accessories not listed
canbehazardous.
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
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  
 

   

CREVICE TOOL
BRUSH ATTACHMENT
TO INSTALL
TO REMOVE
TO INSTALL
TO REMOVE

11
MAINTENANCE
BATTERIES
Thebatterypackforyourhandvacisequippedwithnickel-
cadmiumrechargeablebatteries. Length ofservice from
each charging will depend on the type of work you are
doing.
The batteries in this tool have been designed to provide
maximumtroublefree life.However,likeall batteries,they
willeventually wearout.Donotdisassemble batterypack
and attempt to replace the batteries. Handling of these
batteries,especiallywhenwearingringsandjewelry, could
result in a serious burn.
Toobtain thelongestpossiblebatterylife,we suggestthe
following:
■Store and charge your batteries in a location where
the temperature is above 50°F but less than 100°F.
■Never store batteries in a discharged condition. Re-
chargethemimmediately after theyare discharged.
■All batteries gradually lose their charge.The higher
thetemperaturethe quickertheylose theircharge.If
you store your vacuum for long periods of time with-
outusing it,recharge itevery monthor two.Thisprac-
tice will prolong battery life.
Avoid using solvents when cleaning plastic parts. Most
plastics are susceptible to damage from various types
of commercial solvents and may be damaged by their
use. Use clean cloths to remove dirt, dust, oil, grease,
etc.
WARNING:
Do not at any time let brake fluids, gasoline,
petroleum-based products, penetrating oils, etc.
come in contact with plastic parts. They contain
chemicals that can damage, weaken or destroy
plastic.
WARNING:
Do not attempt to modify this tool or create
accessories not recommended for use with this
tool. Any such alteration or modification is misuse
and could result in a hazardous condition leading
to possible serious personal injury.
WARNING:
Upon removal, cover the battery pack’s terminals
with heavy duty adhesive tape. Do not attempt to
destroyordisassemblebatterypackor removeany
ofitscomponents.Also,nevertouchbothterminals
withmetalobjectsand/orbodypartsasshortcircuit
may result. Keep away from children. Failure to
complywiththese warnings couldresultin fire and/
or serious injury.
DISPOSAL OF THE EXHAUSTED BATTERY
Topreservenaturalresources,please
recycle or dispose of properly. This
product contains a nickel-cadmium
battery. Must be disposed of prop-
erly.Local,state,orfederallawsmay
prohibitdisposalofNickel-Cadmium
batteriesinordinary trash.
Consultyourlocalwasteauthorityforinformationregard-
ingavailablerecyclingand/ordisposaloptions.Formore
informationonbatteryrecyclingcall1-800-8BATTERY.
R
E
C
Y
C
L
E
1
.
8
0
0
.
8
2
2
.
8
8
3
7
RBRC
Ni Cd
BATTERY PACK PREPARATION FOR RECY-
CLING
WARNING:
WhenservicinguseonlyidenticalRyobireplacement
parts.Useofanyotherpartsmaycreateahazardor
causeproductdamage.
WARNING:
Any repairs requiring disassembly should only be
performedbyaRyobiAuthorizedServiceCenter.For
therepaircenternearestyou,call1-800-525-2579.

OPERATOR'S MANUAL
12 Volt Cordless Hand Vac
Model No. VC120
RYOBI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
1428 Pearman Dairy Road Anderson, SC 29625
Post Office Box 1207 Anderson, SC 29622
www.ryobitools.com
Phone [phone]
973000-076
6-02
• SERVICE
Now that you have purchased your tool, should a need ever exist for repair parts or
service, simply contact your nearest Ryobi Authorized Service Center. Be sure to
provide all pertinent facts when you call or visit. Please call 1-800-525-2579 for your
nearest Ryobi Authorized Service Center. You can also check our web site at
www.ryobitools.com for a complete list of Authorized Service Centers.
• MODEL NO. AND SERIAL NO.
The model number of this tool will be found on a plate attached to the motor housing.
Please record the model number and serial number in the space provided below.
• HOW TO ORDER REPAIR PARTS
WHEN ORDERING REPAIR PARTS,
ALWAYS GIVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
• MODEL NUMBER
• SERIAL NUMBER
VC120