UP-DATE:
Wow, how to begin????
Here goes....
I have stalled on the mods of the Namco for a few reasons, the reasons came from some valuable knowledge I have been Blessed enough to gain from a few Vets in the Carpet Cleaning Industry ("Vets"= 20-30+ years non-stop Carpet Cleaning Industry Experience.).
1.) I guess I'll start with the word "Portable":
I own a PORTABLE Carpet Cleaning Machine that has very good lift capabilities (185"), but very low CFMs (88-cfm), but that's o.k. that the CFMs are low; it's the high lift I need to effectively clean carpets without leaving behind too much water/moisture. I'm not saying that CFMs are not important, as we all know you need both, but when using my machine the way it was intended to be used...as a Portable, I don't need high CFM numbers when using 25' and/or 50' of vacuum hose.
2.) "You can clean up to 200', or "you can clean from the van"!
I have a friend that owns a Everest TM from Prochem...though this machine is very powerful, he avoids long runs at all cost...I remember him "flipping-out" about being at 250 ft. of vacuum hose with the Everest and how he could not wait to start peeling off vacuum hose...even at 175 ft. he was still "trippin" about the hose length!
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that Manufacturers of Electric Carpet Cleaning Equipment should be talking about how little hose you can use, or how close you can get the wand to the machine....not how much or how far away."
3.) "Statements used to loosely":
It is my HUMBLE opinion that many Electric Manufacturers use certain statements "to loosely" in today's market, i.e., when telling the buying public that they "can clean EFFECTIVELY from the van or distances up to 100+ ft." with fast dry times and/or our machine's performance is that of a small gas powered TM". These statements are made without any hard data to back them up...in most cases "soft data" for that matter from actual testing against a small TM...nothing "scientific" mind you; maybe just a water recovery test using "like" circumstances would be great and or a moisture meter. I HATE IT for the Fella that has never used a gas powered TM and therefore has not a clue as to whether or not he really has the recovery performance of a gas powered TM, or if he is simply leaving too much moisture behind. Forget geography in this....regardless of where you are...gas powered TM performance is what it is and Electronic equipment performance is as well what it is.
4.) The "numbers":
O.h. yes...the numbers. Lol!
I had the opportunity to speak with a Vacuum motor manufacturer whose motors are in about 40% of the Portable market today and has over 30 years in the business over the past couple of weeks and have learned a lot, most in the last day or so. Anyway, we discussed numbers and their importance, here's what he had to say...'When I watch videos of folks posting the numbers showing a CFM gauge and/or a vacuum gauge from....let's say 100'-150' of 2' vacuum hose; It does not make a whole lot of sense to me, because the hose is not on the carpet pulling any load whatsoever and the hose is empty; no water in it. Do you clean from the end od a hose or from the end of a wand? People do not realize just how much they are reducing their cleaning ability or how much those numbers drastically reduce when coming from the end of a wand and water content flowing through it. I have also noticed that the number of choice to show id the CFM number, which I understand because they are advertising "long hose runs", but when the CFMs are high, we know that there is a trade off and that the lift number is low and from what I have noticed in most of these videos is no one wants to disclose just how low, or simply just don't know...("loosely used statements".)...without sufficient lift, there simply is not a sufficient amount of recovery.He said that the best way for anyone to achieve both high WL numbers and CFM numbers would be "to use (2) motors in series and (2) motors in a parallel configuration....period." "If people are to afraid to go to (3) or more cords, they are only hurting the buyer of their machine and leaving to much moisture behind...if they are using from the van or 100+' vacuum hose runs.!"
5.) "Personal Standards":
I guess a lot of this boils down to "personal standards" of service to the customer...I personally want to give the customer the best that I can and I am very cognoscente of the damage that leaving to much moisture behind can cause, which is why the Namco will always be close by, no more than 50' away from me or the wand, regardless of how much I want, it will not be from the van! Not until I could possibly know that it is recovering just as much or very, very close to a small gas powered TM. I ended up picking up (4) new vacuum motors...doesn't matter though, not until I would be able to test from where THE WAND MEETS THE CARPET, WHERE IT REALLY MATTERS/COUNTS and I could also perform a water recovery test against a small gas powered TM!!!! My Namco has been giving my Customers extremely fast dry times when used the way it was meant to be used....as a portable...not an Electric Truck Mount! Whether or not an Electric machine has mounting brackets and/or wheels, if the machine has PORTABLE LIKE PERFORMANCE and/or NUMBERS...chances are that you should probably use it as a portable unit and/or like a portable unit...no more than 50' of hose!
6.) "Electric Equipment Pricing":
I have said it before, "one of the greatest things about choosing Electric powered Carpet Cleaning Machines is affordability!" Don't think I'm correct? Price out building a small gas powered TM, then price out building a ETM...with aluminium and all or most parts available at your local True Value Hardware store, with only (2) motors. I have and I assure you that regardless of how rigid a standard you have for quality, the cost is NOWHERE CLOSE to that of a small gas powered TM!
7.) "When will someone introduce a TRUE ELECTRIC TRUCK MOUNT that can HONESTLY and EFFECTIVELY clean from at least 150 ft.????"
Why did I choose 150'? Because I really do not think that people realize just how much an Electric powered CC machines effectiveness is lost everytime 25' of hose is added, even a gas powered machine for that matter. This kind of goes back to the "statements being made to loosely part." I really feel that to many people are falling for these statements, they want them to be true so bad that they have lost all sense of logic...anyone using any of the Electric machines available in today's market without a sufficient amount of lift to match "ALL THAT CFM THEY SHOW OFF WITHOUT A LOAD AND NOT FROM WHERE THE WAND MEETS THE CARPET is leaving to much moisture behind and/or HAVING TO MAKE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY TO MANY DRY PASSES to even come close to matching the ability of a small gas powered TM!!!!
8.) "I LOVE ALL THINGS ELECTRIC"!:
WHEN IT COMES TO THE CC INDUSTRY, I TOO WANT "TO BELIEVE" ALL THE HOOPLA BEING THROWN AT US, AS I DO LOVE ALL THINGS ELECTRIC ABOUT IT, BUT I HAVE COME TO TERMS (Chris Sheldon will LOVE this.) THAT IT SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST YET....THERE IS NOT A ELECTRIC MACHINE THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY DO WHAT A SMALL GAS POWERED TM CAN!!!! (sorry that was written in all CAPS, to tired to change it!)
You may reply, "yeah, but my customer's are happy with what I deliver"!!!! Sure they are right when you finish, but I have a feeling that 4-5-7 hours after you have gone, that happiness starts to diminish as they realize the bottom of their socks are still getting wet! Chances are you will not know this until you have not heard from them again to come clean your carpets! (This does not count for the Fella using Electric machinery from the van that also does multiple dry passes and uses fans!)
I'm not writing any of this to bash anyone, only to share my thoughts and opinions in an effort to look out for those that may possibly be to darn clueless...I Hope that it will also help some of you who may possibly be delusional, as I once was about just how effective a ElectricCarpet Cleaning machine is from the van. I know that deep down, most of you agree, but cannot or will not accept the above opinions and or say that you do, either because you have already made a substantial investment in a Electric Carpet Cleaning machine and or you are somehow tied to one.
I look forward to the day that these capabilities are introduced to us in a bas-a_ _ looking Electric Piece of Machinery with Pricing that reflects the fact that it is Electric CC Equipment!
Respectfully to ALL,
ac.
