Commercial Vacuums – Information

A Commercial Vacuum is a very important tool for the maintenance of the interior of a commercial facility. The commercial vacuum should clean as efficiently as possible Efficient cleaning is largely the result of better design – not necessarily a bigger motor(s).

The commercial vacuum should clean as fast as possible. Improved performance is a result of better engineering. Balance & the “feel” of the vacuum contributes to easy usage Increased cleaning efficiencies through better design enable faster cleaning.

The commercial vacuum should filter effectively A good filter provides micron or HEPA filtration. Without a proper filtering mechanism the tiny pollutants being removed in large quantities from the facility are being exhausted back into the environment where they will be breathed into the deep lung passageways. A good filter alone is not the key to proper filtration A sealed system must by in place to ensure that no particle leakage occurs along the dirt passageways. Many vacuums – even those with micron filters – leak prodigious quantities of pollutants from the dirt passageways and motor areas.

The commercial vacuum should last as long as possible The longer a vacuum lasts the better the ROI. Generally speaking, the cheaper vacuums do not last as long as the better vacuums. It costs more to continually buy cheaper vacuums than to purchase good equipment that lasts considerably longer. If a $400 vacuum lasts five years it is more cost effective to buy it than $150 vacuums that last nine months.

The commercial vacuum should require as little maintenance as possible. While all vacuums require periodic maintenance of some sort – e.g., clean revolving brushes, change belts, empty bags, etc. – the need is to avoid premature breakage Better vacuums are simply better constructed. Better vacuums are better engineered to resist breakage.

Types of Commercial Vacuums:

• Upright Vacuums
  • Single motor uprights
    • Single fan “dirty air” uprights
    • Twin fan “dirty air” uprights
    • Single fan “clean air” bypass uprights
    • Twin fan “clean air” bypass uprights
  • Twin motor uprights
    • One motor – usually twin fan – provides suction & airflow
    • One motor spins the revolving brush
    • Good “division of labor” – each motor does its appointed task.
    • Filtration usually from micron size to HEPA
  • Large area vacs
    • Usually up to 28 inch Usually very poor to average filtration.
    • Uprights are usually limited to carpeted areas
• Canister Vacuums
  • Dry only
  • Wet/Dry
    • 1 gal US to 55 gal US with drumhead 1 gal US to about 20 gal US.
    • Plastic “unbreakable” construction
    • Cold-rolled-steel construction
    • Stainless steel construction
    • Filtration from very poor to HEPA
    • Cleaning apertures from 1.25 inch to 3 inch
    • Increased flexibility with most canister vacuums vs. uprights
    • Longer hoses & wands
    • A broad spectrum of cleaning accessories available
    • Generally speaking, an increased efficiency vs. uprights
    • Larger, more powerful vacuum motor
• Backpack Vacuums
  • Shoulder type
  • Hip type
    • Cleaning accessories from 1.25 inch to 1.5 inch
    • Electric power nozzles available
    • Filtration from micron to HEPA
    • Fast, flexible cleaning abilities
    • Canister-type abilities but without the “pull-around” of a canister
• Pile Groomers
  • Heavy, massively-built upright type vacuums expressly for thorough grooming & agitation of commercial-grade carpeting.
  • Not designed for easy, continuous vacuuming. Specialty usage.
  • Groom a carpet to open the fibers before carpet extraction cleaning, etc.