Chris, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you've already guessed it. You need a new machine. Personally, if I were you, I'd check into the small shop vac's, type of vacuum. Craftsman has a good one that I've been using for, wow, more years than I can remember now. I had it a long time I know that. I actually picked up a spare one at a garage sale last summer and put it up on a shelf for one my old one finally bites the bullet, but so far, it's still going strong. The wet/dry vac's have a float system in them that actually plug the bottom of the air chamber where the vac draws it's air from, when the water gets too high in the tank. The motor starts to race faster than normal and that's the tipoff that it's full. Dump out the tank and go at it again. Better luck this time.