| Backpack Vacuum Cleaners
In today’s vacuum cleaner market there
are many types of vacuum cleaners that can be purchased. One of these
types of vacuums is the backpack vacuum cleaner. The true backpack vacuum
cleaner first came out in the late seventies and was a take off of the
canister vacuum cleaner that could be strapped to a person’s back and worn
while vacuuming. Early models of the backpack vacuum cleaner were large and
heavy and made vacuuming into an extensive workout. Since these older
models backpack vacuums have evolved into lightweight cleaning tools that
are indispensable to the commercial cleaner. Lately backpack vacuum
cleaners have become increasingly popular for residential cleaning due to
the increased size of homes and lower cost models that have become available
to consumers. When making a decision on what vacuum cleaner to purchase
there are a few variables to take into consideration. Some of these
variables include price, performance and the application you are using the
vacuum cleaner for.
Backpack vacuum cleaners vary in price
ranging from two hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. The price of a
backpack unit will vary because of three factors. The three major pricing
factors are power, filtration and vacuum cleaner weight. With backpack
units being used for a broader range of cleaning applications the cleaning
industry is calling for backpacks to be more powerful. It is more common to
see backpack vacuums with larger motors above the ten amp range making these
vacuums more expensive. For some facilities and residential homes,
filtration has become a large concern. HEPA filters have become more
prevalent in backpack units, driving up the cost. True HEPA vacuum cleaners
can remove up to 99.9% of particles from the air that are 1 micron or
larger. Green buildings and facilities require the use of HEPA filters to
cut down on air pollution and fulfill green requirements. For commercial
cleaners the weight of a backpack vacuum is a crucial factor. Some cleaners
vacuum for extended periods of time, sometimes over two hours without a
break. In this case the vacuum cleaner needs to be light weight to cut
down on worker fatigue and injury.
Performance of a vacuum is a crucial
consideration to keep in mind when purchasing a unit. When choosing a
backpack vacuum cleaner it is important to make sure the vacuum cleaner has
at least a seven amp motor with a minimum of seventy five inches of static
lift. Anything under these power recommendations will seriously undermine
the cleaning capability of the vacuum. Some backpack vacuum units will list
the airflow in cubic feet per minute. When looking at the cfm airflow take
into consideration hose length because most vacuums will loose lift with a
longer hose.
The last variable to consider when
looking at these types of vacuum cleaners is the environment that you are
cleaning. Make sure the backpack you are looking at comes with the correct
attachments for your cleaning needs, because adding on attachments latter on
can be costly and may only be available in a kit. If you are cleaning an
office building a long crevice tool is handy for baseboards and seat backs.
For residential cleaning a round brush tool is important and handy for
dusting ceiling fans, curtains and drapery. Other common kits to look for
are non-scratching wood floor kits, hard floor tool kits and high up
extendable tools.
With all the vacuum manufacturers in the
United States sometimes making a purchasing decision can be difficult. It
is important to take a look at how long a company has manufactured a certain
model and if they plan to continue to produce parts for that model. It is
very common for a vacuum cleaner manufacturer to release a model and
discontinue parts within one or two years leaving the vacuum cleaner owner
no other option other than to purchase new again.
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