Vacuum cleaners…most of us think of the electric-powered devices that we clean our carpets at home with. The idea of utilizing vacuum in cleaning applications, however, predates the widespread introduction of electric power by a couple of decades. The original idea was to marry a manual vacuum generating device to a carpet sweeper. These had been around for some time, and they’re still seen today: the beater brush turns as the sweeper is pushed across the floor; it picks up dirt in the brush bristles, and deposits it in an internal receptacle. You’ve probably seen them used in restaurants to tidy up small messes on the floor, in lieu of dragging out the noisy vacuum cleaner while folks are eating.
Anyway, these first vacuum cleaners relied on a bellows, piston cylinder, or other such device that was operated by hand, foot – or, according to one source, a rocking chair – to generate a vacuum. Since it took one person to operate the vacuum generating part, and another to push the sweeper, they weren’t very popular at a time when folks were generally looking for labor SAVING products.
The proliferation of electric power around the turn of the 19th/20th century brought about electric vacuum cleaners. Most homes have one…including the ‘shop vac’ in my garage, my home actually has three. These are great for home use; many have long cords that allow you to clean the floors in adjacent rooms without unplugging & re-plugging, and most come with a convenient set of tools for baseboards, furniture, HVAC vents, etc. For carpet & upholstery, they can’t be beat.
In industrial settings, though, the electric-powered models can find themselves at a disadvantage. The impellers can clog or break, and the electric motors will, in time, burn out. If used in wet environments, great care must be used (as with any electric products) or there can be a very real shock hazard.
EXAIR Industrial Housekeeping Products offer a solution to all of these issues. With no moving parts or electric motors, they are extremely reliable. If you supply them with clean air, they can run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free. And no electric power means no shock hazard.
We have a variety of products to meet most any need. Our Chip Vacs and Heavy Duty Dry Vacs are made for dry material cleanup. They install (in minutes) on an open top drum, and are available with a variety of accessories…tools, drum dollies, tool holders…even the drum itself if you need one. The Chip Vac is specified for most ‘general purpose’ jobs; the Heavy Duty Dry Vac is more powerful, and abrasion resistant, for more aggressive needs. Both exhaust the vacuum air flow through a Filter Bag to contain the particulate in the drum.
The Heavy Duty HEPA Vac features the same high power and rugged construction as the Heavy Duty Dry Vac, but replaces the Filter Bag with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Filter for maximum dust containment. These are used where critical dust removal, mold & allergen containment, or trapping airborne irritants are called for.
The Reversible Drum Vac is a two-way liquid pumping system, also made for mounting on standard steel drums…closed top drums, in this case. They can fill or empty a 55 gallon drum in 90 seconds. Options include 5, 30, and 110 gallon drum sizes, and a High Lift model – increased suction head for deep wells, underground tanks, or higher viscosity liquids, up to 1,400 cP.
The Reversible Drum Vac is also at the heart of our popular and award-winning coolant filtration system: the EXAIR Chip Trapper. A Filter Bag in the “fill” line traps chips, swarf, and shavings. The liquid passes through, and is able to be immediately pumped back out. Not only is coolant life extended, regular cleaning of the coolant sump prevents loss of coolant flow due to clogging of the supply lines. The Chip Trapper is available in 30, 55, and 110 gallon sizes, and also in the High Lift version.
Speaking of two-way operation, the EXAIR Vac-u-Gun is both a vacuum AND blow gun…simply reverse the orientation of the nozzle insert to reverse the operation:
The Vac-u-Gun is an efficient, quiet, and versatile tool with numerous applications, from vacuuming sawdust or shavings, to conveying small parts or pellets, to blowing off chips, water, coolant, or scrap. And, just in time for Spring Cleaning season, we’re letting you find out just how handy it is, for free – by including one with any qualifying Industrial Vacuum purchase, now through April 30, 2019.
If you’d like to discuss a cleanup application, and how an EXAIR Industrial Housekeeping Product can suit your needs, give me a call.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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