Surface cleaning apparatus

1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;

an upper portion moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between a storage position and a floor cleaning position;

a portable surface cleaning unit comprising a suction motor and an air treatment member removably mounted to the upper portion;

an above floor cleaning wand removably mounted to the upper portion and comprising a lower end and an upper end;

a flexible air flow conduit forming at least part of an air flow path from the above floor cleaning wand to the surface cleaning unit; and,

a handle provided proximate the upper end of the wand and drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head when the wand is mounted to the upper portion, the handle comprising a bleed valve, wherein the bleed valve is positionable in a plurality of different open positions, and wherein differing amounts of bleed air are admitted when the bleed valve is in the different open positions.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a control member operable between a plurality of positions and the position of the bleed valve is adjusted by adjustment of the control member to a different operating position.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the control member comprises a manually operable member.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the control member is operatively connected to a brush drive motor that is provided in the surface cleaning head, the brush drive motor is operable in at least two operating modes comprising at least two of a high speed mode, a low speed mode and an off mode in which a brush driven by the brush motor does not rotate, and the control member is operable to adjust the mode of the brush drive motor wherein the position of the bleed valve is automatically adjusted when the control member adjusts the operating mode of the brush drive motor.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the amount of bleed air that is admitted is selected based on the operating mode of the brush drive motor.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the position of the bleed valve is pre-determined based on the position of the control member.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the bleed valve is automatically adjusted to admit less bleed air as the brush drive motor is adjusted to operate at a lower speed.

8. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a brush and a brush drive motor;

a handle drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head;

a bleed valve positioned proximate the handle and having a plurality of open positions; and,

a control member positioned proximate the handle and operable between a plurality of positions corresponding to the open positions of the bleed valve and the position of the bleed valve is adjusted by adjustment of the control member to a different operating position.

9. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control member is operable by a user when the user is using the handle to direct the surface cleaning head.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control member comprises a manually operable member that is positionable in a plurality of positions and the bleed valve is adjusted to one of the plurality of open positions to admit differing amounts of bleed air by adjustment of the control member to a different operating position.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the position of the bleed valve is pre-determined based on the position of the control member.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control member is operatively connected to the brush drive motor, the brush drive motor is operable in at least two operating modes comprising at least two of a high speed mode, a low speed mode and an off mode in which a brush driven by the brush motor does not rotate, and the control member is operable to adjust the mode of the brush drive motor wherein the position of the bleed valve is automatically adjusted when the control member adjusts the operating mode of the brush drive motor, whereby the amount of bleed air that is admitted is selected based on the operating mode of the brush drive motor.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control member is operatively connected to the brush drive motor and the bleed valve is automatically adjusted to admit less bleed air as the brush drive motor is adjusted to operate at a lower speed.

14. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a brush and a brush drive motor, the brush drive motor is operable in at least two operating modes comprising at least two of a high speed mode, a low speed mode and an off mode in which a brush driven by the brush motor does not rotate;

a handle assembly drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head;

a body housing a bleed valve that is positionable in a plurality of different positions; and,

a control member operatively connected to the brush drive motor and operable to adjust the mode of the brush drive motor wherein the position of the bleed valve is automatically adjusted when the control member adjusts the operating mode of the brush drive motor.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the position of the bleed valve is pre-determined based on the position of the control member.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the control member is operatively connected to the brush drive motor and the bleed valve is automatically adjusted to admit less bleed air as the brush drive motor is adjusted to operate at a lower speed.

17. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the control member is operable by a user when the user is using the handle assembly to direct the surface cleaning head.

18. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein the handle assembly comprises an above floor cleaning wand and removable with the wand for above floor cleaning.

19. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein the bleed valve is part of a handle of the handle assembly.