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DEFINITIONS
Understanding
these terms is helpful when trying to compare our machines
with our competitors.
Presented
in alphabetical order, except for a couple of very important
ones at the beginning.
VACUUM
(Water Lift)
Inches of water lift. (Usually given at 0" air
opening).
This
explains the secret of the bowling ball trick. Direct
all of a vacuum's power onto one surface area and you
can do amazing things. You have seen the commercials,
right?
A
vacuum's ability to lift is a valid measurement. In
fact, it is called vacuum, or waterlift. See how strong
a vacuum can be created by slowly swallowing the air
out of a plastic drink bottle. That is actually about
all it takes to lift a bowling ball! But it takes more
to vacuum a carpet.
If
material is stuck in a vacuum pipe, suction is what
jars objects loose. The suction capacity of a vacuum
is not the key to effective vacuuming. The real key
is how much air the vacuum is able to draw in (see CFM).
Waterlift becomes more important when the air opening
size is smaller - for example in air driven brushes.
CFM
(Air Flow)
Cubic Feet (of air) per Minute. (Usually give at
2" air opening).
Wonder
why that pebble won't vacuum up but stays rattling on
the end of your vacuum wand? Basically, without sufficient
air moving around it, it's going no where. Even a feather
won't budge without any air moving past it. Therefore,
CFM (air flow) is so important for deep carpet cleaning.
Some vacuums may be able to lift bowling balls, but
the cleanest homes have central vacuums with tons of
CFM. CFM becomes more important as the air opening size
gets larger.
AIR
FLOW CALCULATION:
CFM = 13.35 d2 (square root) VAC in H2O"
Need: d - Diameter of orifice plate
Vac - Inches of water lift
• Vacuum must be corrected
before being put into equation. To correct, temperature
and barometric pressure must be accounted for.
AIRFLOW
See CFM.
AIR
PRESSURE
The air around us constantly exerts a pressure of about
400 inches of water. That means that every exposed surface
has the equivalent of 400 inches of water pushing on
the surface. A vacuum cleaner doesn't actually create
a vacuum, but it does lower air pressure inside the
vacuum unit. Since the outside air is at normal pressure
it rushes inward in a controlled airflow which creates
the cleaning effect.
AIR
WATTS
"Cleanability Rating".
CFM
x VACUUM (water lift)
8.5
Note: Both the CFM and the water lift must be measured
at the
same air opening size.
AMPS
Current draw of the motor. Amperage current draw of
electricity required to operate the vacuum motor. A
motor that uses more electrical current does not always
mean the current is being used more efficiently.
ARMATURE
The centre part of the motor which rotates making the
transfer of electricity across the motor, enabling the
motor shaft to spin. A quality armature is mounted on
ball bearings, and protected from incoming vacuum air
that has been heated and dirtied.
BYPASS
COOLING
A separate stream of air that cools the motor, different
from the air that draws in dirt from the home. Air being
vacuumed does not actually flow through the electrical
components of the motor. Normally these motors have
a separate fan to provide cooling air to the motor.
CYCLONIC
ACTION
Cyclonic action describes the natural action found in
a tornado. In a vacuum with cyclonic filtration, the
air carrying the dust and debris moves through a tornado
action. The air swirls downward in a cone-shaped pattern.
At the bottom of the cone, it starts swirling upward
again, inside the downward cone. Thus this is sometimes
called a "reverse" tornado action or "dual
cyclonic action". The vast majority of the debris
separates from the air stream as air reaches the bottom
of the swirl, and is deposited in the dirt container.
A fraction of the debris remains in the air, to be removed
by the secondary filter, if there exists any secondary
filters.
FAN
(and fan stages)
The fan is the combination of blades that spin around
to create the airflow to produce the vacuuming action.
Fans are flat impellors, and are combined in a set of
two or three fans on each motor, depending on the model.
A motor with two fans is called "two-stage",
if it has three fans it's "three-stage". Each
fan - set of blades - increases the sealed vacuum, or
maximum air pressure drawn through the system. Additional
sets of fans will change the air flow dynamics, adding
fans will increase waterlift and decrease CFM. Air driven
power brushes work better with a motor with more fan
stages, whereas electric brushes operate better with
less fan stages.
HEPA
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particle Arrestor, used
to reduce the number of contaminants in indoor air.
A HEPA filter will arrest or stop 99.97% of all particles
.3 microns or larger. HEPA filters - used in "clean
rooms" - are essential in medicine and in the manufacture
of computer components. However, they have limitations
in vacuums. They tend to leak in vacuums, because they
were never intended to be used as small, portable filters.
They are expensive and must be discarded because they
cannot be cleaned. They clog quickly and strangle airflow.
And even when working perfectly, up to half the respirable
particles in indoor air are small enough to go right
through a HEPA filter. Very, very few vacuums are truly
"HEPA" certified but many only use filter
material which is "HEPA" level. Kiwivac offers
bags for their systems that meet this filter material
specifications.
HORSEPOWER
a) Peak Horsepower (PHP):
Maximum instantaneous horsepower capabilities of a motor
(most
Frequently used but very deceptive).
b) Input HP:
Maximum watts divided by 746.
c) Operating HP:
Watts at operating point divided by 746.
MAXIMUM
AIR WATTS
This is recognised by the American Society of Testing
and Materials (ASTM) as the best way to measure the
actual cleaning power of a vacuum system. Most manufacturers
provide statistics for the maximum air watts that may
not be the actual amount produced under the conditions
most often used. Make sure you know the opening size
of the attachment most often used and then find the
vacuum's air watts at that exact opening size.
MOTOR
SPEED
Measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). Higher RPM
motors may not last as long.
OVERALL
EFFICIENCY
"Measure of Fan Efficiency"
AIR WATTS
INPUT WATTS
ORIFICE
(Air Opening)
Simulation of restrictions (impedance) in a cleaner
system.
OPERATING
ORIFICE
Restriction typical of operating conditions.
PAPER
BAG
A collection device for dust and debris used by some
vacuum cleaner manufacturers. Paper bags are definitely
the cleaner home owner's choice.
TURBO
BRUSH NOZZLE
These are designed to loosen stubborn dirt in carpets,
and make it available for removal by the air flow.
PVC
(Poly Vinyl Chloride)
A common plastic polymer that provides excellent appearance
and longevity with good flame retardance at an attainable
price. All of Kiwivac central vacuum fittings are made
from heavy duty PVC.
RESTRICTIONS
Hose, wands, filters, carpet, water, foam, voltage fluctuation
(anything which impedes airflow).
SEALED
BEARINGS
Often used in high quality motors to prevent dust and
debris from entering the motor bearing area. All Kiwivac
motors have sealed bearings.
SEALED
VACUUM GAUGE
A device to measure maximum vacuum or water lift by
sealing off the vacuum intake port. It measures in "Inches
of Waterlift". This is not for picking up water
but a means of comparing lifting abilities of a solid
column of water.
SOFT
START
An electronic means of slowly starting vacuum motors
to reduce initial inrush voltage spikes. It starts the
motor at a lower voltage, slowly ramping up to operation
voltage. No tests by Ametek or any other agency have
ever produced any quantifiable measurement of this extending
any motor's life. It does however, allow the manufacturer
to utilise a smaller capacity of relay which is less
expensive.
STANDARD
CONDITIONS
24 volts, 60Hz, corrected to standard conditions of
29.92 barometric pressure and 68°F.
STAGES
See Fan Stages.
THRU-FLOW
MOTOR
In some less-expensive motors, the air drawn from the
home flows right through the motor to cool it. Unfortunately
this air is laden with the dust from the home which
dirties and contaminates the motor. This air is also
warmed by friction as it moves through hoses and piping,
and is substantially warmer so it is less able to cool
the motor. Thru-flow motors will overheat if they are
run for long periods of time without adequate air flowing
through the system.
VOLTAGE
(Volts)
A measure of the electrical potential employed by a
vacuum motor. Typically, motors require common household
current; 240 volts. Voltage is to electricity as pressure
is to water, a measure of potential or driving force.
WATTS
Electrical power consumption of the motor.
WATERLIFT
See Vacuum (first definition).
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