Vacuums for multi cleaning solutions

A vacuum cleaner, the first cleaning machine invented, is still the most widely used, right from homes, apartments and airplanes to hospitals and large industries. The users depend on vacuum cleaners to maintain a dust free and healthy environment. Along with innovations, applications of these machines are also increasing….

Vacuum cleaners come in a variety of sizes and models – small battery-operated hand-held devices, back pack vacuums, domestic central vacuum cleaners, huge stationary industrial appliances that can handle several hundred litres of dust before being emptied, and self-propelled vacuum trucks for recovery of large spills or removal of contaminated soil.

Vacuum systems can be designed to cater to the needs of the end user depending on the actual application and the environment in which they are going to be used. Ideally, these machines can be used in any environment except that there is a need to be cautious before recommending or choosing a vacuum cleaner. A case in point being flame proof vacuum cleaners for explosion prone environments and collection of material prone to static discharge in industrial areas.

Choosing the right style of vacuum cleaner often depends upon personal preferences. People who have carpeted stairs prefer a canister style, since one doesn’t have to lug the upright vacuum up the stairs. Since the cleaner portion of the vacuum is relatively light, it may be easier to use by people who tire easily, or who have physical limitations. Because of their tool based focus, canister vacuum cleaners can be a great option for cleaning stairs and hard to reach areas.

The upright cleaner is much kinder on the back muscles as the need for bending or leaning over the hose is greatly reduced. The hard surface to carpet sensor makes changing floor surfaces happen in one smooth movement. There is no need to switch floor heads halfway through the room to accommodate the different levels or move to a carpeted area as this is all done automatically. Height adjustment, on/off brush roll, and tool options are making upright vacuum cleaners useful for cleaning hard surfaces. Many of the newer designs are proven to be acceptable for asthma and allergy sufferers because of the way the air circulates inside the unit instead of blowing back into the room. Some of the new upright vacuum cleaners are bagless and hygienically sealed. Therefore, there is no need to replace bags on regular basis which makes the emptying process easier. A few newer models have life time filters too.

In a hospital, you need to use noiseless and cordless vacuum cleaners. Besides this, high efficient filtration vacuums or industrial HEPA vacuums are required to protect patients from airborne contaminants in big hospitals. Critical electronic components are often assembled in clean rooms where HEPA vacuums are used to maintain clean conditions.

In aviation factories, paints and powders are as common as in the automotive industry, making their vacuum requirements identical. Clean rooms are not uncommon in avionics production and HEPA filtered vacuums are a must here. Once they are in service, airplanes must be cleaned regularly. Small canister vacuums and backpack vacuums are great for quickly cleaning airplane interiors between flights. Oil and chemical spills also require a high quality wet vacuum.

Industrial vacuums are used extensively in food plants of all kinds for spill and product recovery in the production and packaging operations. Baking plants look for units with multi stage filtration and external filter shakers to keep them off from clogging problems.

Industrial Vacuum Cleaners

An industrial vacuum cleaner is a machine that is used to clean commercial areas, such as offices, factories, and stores. They are similar to the vacuums used in homes, but are usually of better quality and are capable of cleaning much larger areas of space faster than smaller units.

There are various ranges of large industrial vacuum cleaners. The capacity for these ranges from 5kw to 90kw, with a vacuum ranging from 30 to 75Kpa and airflow ranging from 800 to 4000m3/hr. Power requirements depend on the size of the vacuum unit and the purpose for which it is used for. There are various industrial vacuum units available in single and three phases ranging from 3kw to 75kw. The requirement of vacuum depends on many factors such as density of the material, collection rate per hour, distance from the point of collection and discharge, physical and chemical properties of the material / product, size of the material etc.

Says Puneet Mishra, Head, Forbes- Pro Clean Technology Solutions, Eureka Forbes, “Industrial vacuum units are generally being used for recovery of material. In some cases, the material collected can be recycled in the production process which is not possible in a manual operation.”

 

 

Vacuum system can also be used for transfer of heavy material from one place to another without human intervention thereby providing clean and safe work environment. They can be customized as per the needs of the customer. Says Indrabanu GRT, Senior Manager – Projects, Roots Multiclean Ltd, “The large industrial vacuums are user friendly, they are just the same as any small commercial vacuum cleaner which runs in just plug in and use mode. It does not need any skilled labour. Proper selection of the hose size, tools and filter ensures its smooth functioning for longer period of time.”

“Industrial vacuum cleaners is a value for money product as it save time, reduces man power requirement, increases the efficiency and can be customised to suit the requirement of the individual customer,” he adds.

Some of the applications of Industrial Vacuum Cleaners are recovery of grain dust from silos, extraction of liquid spills in beverage plants, recovery of chip and coolant in machining operation. Industrial vacuums are also perfect for dust recovery as their high static lift also makes them capable of recovering various liquids used in mining facilities. In some power plants, coal dust and fly ash recovery are a never ending process. Without a high quality air powered or explosion proof industrial vacuum the collection of these by products can be extremely cumbersome. Lime dust recovery is another common application where industrial vacuum cleaners are necessary. In nuclear plants, HEPA vacuums are used exclusively for radiation waste recovery.

Centralized Vacuum System

An important application of vacuum system is the Centralized Vacuum System. It is a very economical alternative for customers who are operating several individual vacuum pumps because it consumes significantly less energy than the operation of individual units. Additional advantages to the operator are increased dependability and maintenance without time consumption. Moreover, installing the vacuum pumps at a location away from the production floor removes a source of undesired heat and noise improving the working environment and thus production volume. Central vacuums can efficiently remove difficult dry substances, such as plaster dust, spilled flour, laser printer toner, metal knockout slugs and wire clippings from electrical work, or even small pieces and slivers of broken glass.

 

Commercial Vacuum Cleaners

A commercial vacuum cleaner can be relatively heavy and powerful; thus, the upright models are usually the easiest to use. People who plan to use the vacuum cleaner for a wide variety of applications need to consider the attachments that come with a vacuum or can be purchased to fit the vacuum. If one plans to clean drapes or there is a need to get into tight corners, more attachments will be required.

Talking about the latest commercial and professional vacuums available in the market, Vivek Mata, MD, Charnock Equipments Pvt Ltd, comments, “Common commercial vacuums are Dry Vacuums and Wet & Dry Vacuums.

Commercial Vacuums are available for clean rooms in pharmaceutical companies, where they require very high percentage of filtration. There are strong turbine based industrial vacuum cleaners available in the market. These machines are sold widely and are being promoted by all the manufacturers and suppliers today.”

Hospital vacuum cleaner has to be allergy proof. Apart from being a low decibel vacuum, this machine is equipped with 100 % filtration with micro filters and HEPA filters to ensure that there are no allergies while

cleaning is done in the hospital. Clean room vacuum cleaners used in hospitals are equipped with three stage filtration system which takes care of anti allergies. Three stage filtration consists of Micro filters, Tritex filters and HEPA filters to ensure 100% filtration. These machines cater to Hospitality, Pharma, Healthcare, Clean Rooms and Food Processing. Dry vacuum cleaner is therefore recommended for healthcare and clean rooms. More so as there are no chemicals used during dry vacuuming. It can vacuum dust and clean water but not dirty water. Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaners are used with post scrubbing applications. “There are certain vacuum cleaners for certain areas which are in need of continuous vacuuming because you have to suck water continuously,” Mata explains.

Talking about the new trend and launches, Mata informs that our company has introduced eco-friendly low decibel energy saving vacuums which are equipped with low and high suction and helps save 50% energy. These can be used in call centres. “Keeping in mind the mobility, public demand, safety and portability, we have launched battery operated back pack vacuum cleaners to cater to higher foot fall areas like banquet halls and areas within the aircraft. Backpack vacuums are used for aviation and multiplexes with capacities ranging from 6kgs backpacks cleaners to turbine based vacuums of more than 100kg.”

Today, flame proof vacuums are used in several industries to protect from sparks because it is hazardous. The motor can catch fire if there is a short circuit. These are also known as Aatix Flame Proof Vacuums. “Wet and dry vacuums are also available in the market which can suck and vacuum anything up. Some customers even ask for blowers in the vacuums which defeats all logic of cleanliness and hygiene. By using blowers in vacuum cleaners, one is disturbing the environment as the dust flies around and gets displaced,” Mata explains.

Vacuum Cleaners with HEPA Filtration Systems

Those who have allergies should consider a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filtration. Many cleaners now come standard with this feature. This helps to eliminate dust particles from being recirculated back into the air. HEPA filtrated vacuum cleaners are available in canister and upright styles.

Vacuums Cleaners with HEPA Filtration system finds great utility in healthcare, clean room and electronic manufacturing units. HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Filters. When using these machines, the consumer must ensure that systems are placed in such a way that no dust is allowed to come in. Says A Ganesh, Director-Marketing, Sealed Air India, “Though a HEPA filter is attached in upright vacuums, it cannot be attached in all vacuum cleaners. Upright vacuum that is not designed to take care of a HEPA filter brings down its capacity. In a tub vacuum one can put in a bigger HEPA filter so that it can take care of a larger area. For an operation theatre, the air conditioning systems needs to have a proper filtration system to keep it protected from dust and so also the air handling system has to be efficient.”

For an OT, the air conditioning systems needs to have a proper filtration system to keep it protected from dust and so also the air handling system has to be efficient.

 

 

“HEPA Filter attachment will vary as per the vacuum cleaner. Capacity of the vacuum again will depend on the size of Operation Theatre. The Filter by itself does not have any capacity per se. It is basically the filtration level to which it can be extended,” Ganesh explains. The filter needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly. “ Theoretically HEPA Filters can be used in any commercial and industrial vacuum, but practically it is not so. Therefore vacuum cleaner needs to be designed to take care of HEPA filtration attachment, as it is a customized solution.”