[stuart_clark]

I was looking to purchase a couple of Airflex Turbo's tripple vac machines , but was talking to a carpet cleaner today that i know, who has had no end of trouble with his!
I wont mention his name cos i havent had his permission but he has been trading like myself over twenty years! and has had enough experience with most hwe machines
I need feedback from other owners of these machines if possible ? probably cleaners that have had these machines for a year or more! then i can just say this guy i know has just had rotten luck with his ! Best regards Stuart Clark

[Carpet Dawg]

what problems has he been having?

I've had mine for 18 months and not one problem. Apart from 2 vacs and a pump head but thats cos i have put over 900 hours on it in that time.

Tony

[stuart_clark]

he has had a couple of vac motors and a pump motor go i think but that was in about twelve months i think but dont quote me! but wouldnt think he would of put anyware near the amount of hours that you have done! mind you thats hardly not one problem is it ? if you have had to replace the pump and two of the vacs  ? basicaly most of the internal components of the machine

stu clark

[Simon@arenaclean]

Well over 18 months and not a problem here. I would recommend if you use powders to dilute fully in hot water before putting it in the machine, if you use detergent put defoamer in the tank. Pump should last up to 500 hrs before it needs a service according to manufacturer. I had the machine checked over at 250 hrs just make sure all was well and it's fine.

[Jamie Pearson]

The above seems in line with most of the machines that we see in our workshop at this spec from various manufacturers.

That said we have a Kleenrite Edge/Chemspec Hydrovantage that has never had a vac motor in 8 years. The heaters ain't to efficient anymore tho. I know of others that are the same. It's a shame it isn't as powerful/portable as newer machines. We use it now to collect all the dust in the workshop.

[Colin Day]

You could also look at the Scorpion or the Altec Advance.

I have the Altec Triple Vac 600 psi and I particularly like the way the machine is designed internally. The motors are situated at the back which sees the Centre Of Gravity (COG) right over the axle which is ideal for loading/unloading from the van.

The Scorpion has plenty of followers and a proven track record too. A lot of users make it so it is van mounted with extra tanks for water, auto-dump/fill. So there is no bucket emptying/filling scenarios which are the bug bear for a lot of carpet cleaners.

I couldn't possibly comment on the Airflex as I've never used one. But certainly do your research and you will get the right machine in the end

[stuart_clark]

Thanks for replys guys! I already have two Scorpians, got the 1st new three years ago and the second, second hand, they are a light and powerful machine, but ive had quite a few problems with them and the build quality isn't brilliant and they are a bugger to work on

[charles911]

Oh no! like what? Ive just purchased one.. do you use a inline heater, if so which one?? Someone posted a link for a mytee??

[simon wilson]

Had ours for about a year, had one problem with the pump head and one vac motor blew both replaced under warranty and only took about 20 mins to change over its that easy to do!

Simon

[stuart_clark]

Tony my scorpians do more hours than that in a year yet i havent changed the vacume motors for over two years! Ive had some problems with the pump head but that may have had somthing to do with the powdered chemical i have been using! it worries me that a few of you are changing vacume motors within a year of having them, saying all that they still look like a very good machine and although i haven't purchased anything from cleansmart, Matt seems like a good guy ! and has a lot of respect from a lot of people!
I think the jury is still out for me on this one for the time being!
I wont rule it out altogether as it still looks like a very good machine! will see what Nicks new machine is like before i make my mind up
Regards Stu Clark

[carpet_care]

2 vac motors and a pump head is nothing out the ordinary for 900 hrs 18 months use on any make or model of portable.

On my origional prochem steameasy  i would go through a vac motor every 8 to 12 months and the same with the 70 psi flojet pump. Then bought 2 ninjas and pretty much the same if your busy this type of wear is only too be expected although i do think they should be made to last longer.



 Regards Andy Locke.

[stuart_clark]

well if thats the general oppinion with regard to vacume motor life expectencey i think i will stick to my scorpian , obviousley it must be a far superior machine as the vacume motors last many thousands of hours

[Carpet Dawg]

Stuart

Does the scorpian come with an hours clock on it?

[Paul Redden Countryfresh]

Don't these machines have all the same vacs ie lamb motors? A strong factor on them going IMO is lack of ventilation and foam being sucked through them and brushes not changed before they wear down.

[Joe H]

Paul
Machines can have the same vac motors in, so why do they last different lenghts of time.
You state a couple of reasons which are probably true.
but what about how the machine is engineered - designed and put together.

i am horrified when I here some stories on here on how little time some vac motors last, and it is put up with.
My Scorpion is perhaps 6 years old now (I am the 2nd owner) and as far as I know it has had 2 vac motors and 1 pump/motor complete.

[John Kelly]

Also worth bearing in mind some cleaners do twice or three time the work of others.

[Joe H]

You are correct their John, I dont use my machine as much as others but its former owner used it a lot for the first 2.5 years. But 2 motors and 1 pump in 6 years is still good going.

On the design/engineering side, the Scorpion has a lot of access to free air around its vac motors helping to cool - just wonder if that helps.
And also 3 vac motors - 3 stacks in the vacuum tank of the Scorpion, as opposed to one very large stack in the Airflex (think it may be 4" diameter). Could that be sucking some moist air through and into the motors ??

[from edge2edge]

Joe there is alot to be said for simple maintenance too.Just drying it out after rinsing it at the end of the day and running the vacs for 3mins before storing the machine with the lid off helps.Regards Alan(swindon)

[Simon@arenaclean]

Vacs used in both machines are sealed so water or moisture can pass through the motor and be vented, this is why you must run the vacs for 5 - 10 mins to clear moisture from all machines. The problem with both machines is foam. Not using defoamer or allowing foam build up will damage both machines because of turbulance. I've never had a problem, 18 months on and I have not changed a vac or pump, but if you don't run the vacs at the end of the working day they will fail on any machine. The pump motor has a large vent and there is large fan drawing heat and there is more than enough room for circulation because all the motors are not laying in a tray but mounted on a flip panel allowing a larger cooling area, as all the switches and pump controller are mounted on the top leaving a less uncluttered environment.

[Mike_Roper]

My previous machine was the speedster ran it 3-4 yrs FULL time - one pump head and replaced one vac twice , the other is still original and runnin fine.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason for how long they last.
Previous machines ie extracta and prochem - the originals seem to last then nce you start replacing they dont seem to last as long.
Mike