How to fix Bissel Little Green water leaks at the trigger

If your Bissell Little Green is leaking water and cleaning solution over your hand the common problem is a broken coupling. This is the part that the tool attaches too so that water can pass to the tool.



To check for this, all you need to do is remove the two screws from around the trigger and remove the panel. You can then see if the end has broken off the coupling. It may not be obvious if only partially broken but you can run the unit with that cover off and see where the water comes out when you press the trigger.

I don't know if this part can be bought from Bissell or how much they cost but I could not find any way of buying one online, so I assume they are not available.

I did find a 3D model that can be 3D printed if you have access to one. The creator of this part called it a flow re-director. I also found these available for sale on Etsy for about 30 British Pounds! No thanks.

I saw posts where people have tried to fix their broken coupling with glue but that it didn't work or last long.

As a cheaper alternative, I fitted a metal barbed fitting that I purchased from Aliexpress for less than A$5. The part I chose has an M3 thread and a 5.14mm barb.

The hole where the original piece broke off is about 2.5mm in diameter and I ran an M3 x 0.5 tap through it which produced a very loose thread that did not seal well. I also filed the surface flat where the piece had broken off. I did have to seal the thread with epoxy and this has worked well.

In hindsight an M4 thread and fitting might have been a better option.

The fitting I used was a pneumatic hose fitting with M3 thread but is also available with M4 thread. I chose this type as they include a rubber seal but there were other options including brass fittings which would also be a good choice as they have a wider channel.



The other important measurements are the inner diameter of the pipe that needs to connected to the barb which is 5mm, and there is a limit on how long the non-threaded section can be - the original extends only 10mm - so it can't be too much longer than that.

So the process will be to first file the surface flat (for better sealing), tap a new thread (could probably be done with a screw or the fitting if you don't have a tap and die set), screw in the new fitting, cut the existing pipe a little shorter (as the fitting has the hex part for the spanner so will protrude further) and reattach everything.

Here are some pictures from working on my unit that may help you repair yours.


Getting the broken part out using a thin screw.