[dunny19]

thinking about investing in a couple of air movers/blowers, im getting a mixed reaction to them, some say that there is no point, cause with a truckmount carpets dry quicker anyway so dont need them

others i know use them with their truckmount.

shall i buy or shall i not? that is the questio
n
what do you guys think

[Mark Betts]

yes buy one.

Cleaned a 3 bed "lodge" on a Country Club complex yesterday.

80/20 carpet, as i cleaned each room i moved the air mover in.

Most of the carpets dry when I left.

And that was with a portie.

Also a good selling point.


Tuesday a lady wanted whole house cleaning but wanted me to do it over 2 visits !!!!!

When i questioned her why???  It was because she was concerned about drying and having all of the carpets damp in one go thus not having a dry room for the day.

No problem. explained about air mover and job done.

Took half a day and when left she was hapy as a pig in poope that she could use her lounge straight away.

It also saved me an extra trip setting up etc

Mark

[Dynafoam]

Dunny,

Buy.

I don't care what TM you use, your carpets will not be drier than mine, and I always use an air mover.

Not only does it speed drying but it has a beneficial result on pile texture.

The only caution is to carefully check for things like insecure wall hangings, bowls of pot pouree and sooty hearths before switching on. (Oh, and things can get interesting at Christmas time as cards go into room-orbit   )

John.

[Dave Parry]

I have to disagree. I have one and find it a nuisance. It may as John says help with texture etc. but I find that even on the lowest setting, it blows everything around, pictures, cobwebs, bits of paper - the list is endless.
They also take up a lot of room on the van, so mine stays in the shed. Not saying it wont ever get used, its there if needed, but I would say other bits of kit are more essential.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Get 2 or 3, get a very dirty carpet and it needs a hell of a clean you can dry it and then inspect for may be a touch up  : or when cleaning upholstery you can get it drier it helps sell your services better and if you charge more than most it is a very good selling point ask Chemdry.

Shaun

[Len Gribble]

Don’t see the logistical befits of using an air mover on some jobs, I understand where Marks coming from, but as John mentioned if it ant nailed down it will fly; you take your chance and may pay.

I use both systems never been in customers and waited to see tm v port drying times, off to next job; air movers are beneficial on some jobs.

Shaun cd uses air movers?

Len

[Shaun_Ashmore]

They also use hwe 'velda' hot carbonate hwe machine and the only way they can get back to quick drying times id buff then turbo unless they use their patented rx20 style cleaning head which makes the carpets dry faster but also need turbos.

Shaun

[Len Gribble]

Shaun

Thanks now at total lost on there system of quick drying without turbo, perhaps the standard cc should charge extra for quick drying.

Len

[Phil Marlor]

I think an air mover is essential when cleaning a 3 peice suite.

Some suites can take up to 48 hours to dry in the winter, you have to get them dry quicker than that.

Phil

[dunny19]

cheers chaps

i think ill go and buy one, if it got mark a job then its a good thing, i certainly am not going to lose a job by having one, and if after using it, i find it annoying because it blows the house to peices then i can leave it in my garage for when it is needed.

thanks you helped make my mind up,

;Dhowever, the prices are varying between 195 and 295, whats the difference, do you use them to dry upholstery as well, or should i steer clear of that!

[Dynafoam]

Dunny,

I have found the Sahara Pro to be a very durable blower, but many of the cheaper ones could last as long.

Other than price, variations in design may include carpet grippers, prop stands, three speed settings, some have switches more conveniently located, some are stackable.

The sponsors of this site have one at £181 + VAT which is reasonably specified (click on Express Cleaning Supplies at top of this page). Alternatively, look in the buy & sell section of this forum for a used unit.

As to use on upholstery - definately.

John.

[dunny19]

cheers john

so you can use these on upholstery, i cant see how they work, because they sit on the floor..........maybe i will understand when i get one, can you shed some light on that for me, thanks for the express cleaning supplies......shall have allok now

thanks again

[Harry]

The older the customer the more they will apprecate it.
Number one fear of the elderly is falling down.  Here in much drier Canada, I require a fan be used on every job we do.  You can get dual speed blowers and use a lower speed if necessary. We use much smaller fans for drying furniture, which are always toweled off after cleaning, also to speed drying.  Most self respecting CC'ers in North America have at least 20 blowers, very profitable for flood jobs.

IMO, HWE does a better cleaning than Chem Dry method before they changed to HWE but in the eyes of many customers the job is not judged by how clean but by how fast the house is usable again and the "nest" can be put back in order.  Ask yourself why they have managed to be the largest carpet cleaning org in the world with a presumably inferior method.
Carpet may be beautiful when you leave but if it takes 16 hrs to dry, they won't complain but also won't want to repeat the exercise & ask for your service next year......

[Dynafoam]

Dunny,

Take a white woolen blanket with you, place on the floor to establish a drying area, then as each cushion is cleaned, form them into a tunnel ( /\ ) and with the blower on its' kick-stand to elevate the nose slightly, blow air through the tunnel.

The six cushions of a three-seater sofa will normaly be dry long before you finish the carcase. Transfer the blower to the carcase and by the time you finish the first armchair the sofa should be dry enough to re-assemble.

Aim to have the entire suite dry before you drive away.

This is my normal, but it may take a little practice and the right equipment before you reach this standard.

John.

[dunny19]

i get ya john

it makes sense for the carcus and the tunnel with the cusions.........i like this forum.......im learning loadsssss

how do you go about doing the armrests .

[Derek]

Hi

My two pennies worth..

The air mover (Turbo dryer) is invaluable for the many reasons already given PLUS it keeps me cool in the hot weather whilst cleaning the furniture in particular.

I have two on my van at all times and each has a triple speed adjustment.

It is the air movement that helps to speed up the drying time by removing the higher humidity caused by the cleaning process allowing more moisture to evaporate from the cleaned item.

Derek

[Len Gribble]

Derek

Thanks for the advice on keeping cool week after next 150 chairs too do, also out comes the porty; tm can go to blue water with wife

Len

[Ken Wainwright]

Air movers are invaluable. Believe it or not, the warm weather we have in sunny North Worcestershire the last few days hasn't been that great for drying. Sure it's been warm enough, but it's also been so humid and tiring. Air's been a bit still too. That's another occasion when an air mover excells. Dries the carpets/suite and keeps you cooler too. Just be careful how you place it though. Besides the perils mentioned above, if it's blowing your way, pre-spray will be caught in the wind and miss it's intended target.

Whilst talking to an Australian colleague earlier this year, he told me that drying times in Western Aus. were usually very low as they had high temperature and low humidity. However, along the East Coast, although they had similar temperatures, humidity tended to be high so prolonged drying times would be expected without an air mover. Liken the situation to washing drying on a line. If it's dull and overcast, the washing will take ages to dry. If the wind picks up, it's dry in no time.

Be safe and be  happy with your wind :
Ken

[paulchambers]

Just a thought instead of blowing air in the midle of the room would it be benefical to point it at a wall so thing dont get blown away the air would still circulate

[Ken Wainwright]

If it's the home of the Japanese Ambassador, you might blow the wall down

Thar she blows Captain

Ken

[Dynafoam]

Paul,

The main objective is to pass air over the the carpet/fabric being dried. This removes the damp air immediately adjacent to the fibre, replacing it with drier air, thereby accelerating evapouration.

A secondary objective will be to expell moisture-laden air from the room. Directing the airflow out of a window or door will do this - but except in the case of paper walls, the circulation would be in the wrong places.

John.

PS. Young Ken's a bit frisky tonight - must have found some pink fur-trimmed marigolds  

[paulchambers]

Its been 30 degees in cornwall today and no breeze washing has been on the line all day and is still wet so a air mover is a must down here due to humidity will need to get in out for job on wednesday

[jmj]

My main question is how long does it take for an air mover to be effective?? I would of thought it would need to be in place for maybe an hour or more. This is ok for cleaning a suite but maybe a little too long for carpets.They are quite large and can also get in the way espically when pre spraying, also customers tend to start getting the hump when asked for another power supply!

joe

[Phil Marlor]

Joe,

Even if the Turbo Dryer dosent get the carpet or suite completely dry it will at least be well on its way to being dry.

You turn them off if it effects pre-spraying!
Customers dont mind you using them!

A Turbo Dryer is a MUST when cleaning suites, especially in winter, believe me!

Phil

[Dynafoam]

Joe,

The effect begins immediately.

It takes no great planning effort to avoid the blower being an obstruction. The airstream directed over the first-cleaned section of carpet, then moved back as another section is cleaned, finishing at the doorway.

There it remains whilst starting the next  carpet or packing the van, as applicable. It is normally the last thing out of the building.

I have never had any adverse reaction to requiring another socket - customers are only too pleased to be getting another layer to the service provided at no extra cost.

John.

[gwrightson]

if air movers on the van why not utilise them, surly its both benificial to the customer"quick drying time" and benificial to your buisness , imagine the customer telling
her friends , you dried the carpets, got to be good for you!
ok not always feesable to to dry, if only one room to clean, but why not dry 1 if cleaning another, and the last room can be drying while putting equipment away.
i have even left driers if ive finished and not to far to collect, all good customer relationship i would say
as for more power supply, havnt come across that one yet  

[gwrightson]

were you reading my mind john

[Dynafoam]

Hi Phil,

A Turbo Dryer is a MUST when cleaning suites, especially in winter, believe me!

I certainly agree with you on the value of the blower, but I find that the reduced RH created by central heating leads to shorter drying times than experienced in summer, when (as recently) the RH is often between 65% and 85%.

I find that almost every suite is dry enough to use before I drive away - summer or winter.

John.

[Scots_cleaner]

Hi Chaps,
on the subject of movers can this one be used in in the uk as its from the usa

"DiamondBack Carpet Cleaning Air Mover,Fan"

Barry

[Glynn]

Cleaning suites with a TM and a CFR tool removes the need for a blower, especally with a sizeable Tm, the first chair cleaned is DRY by the time the suite is finished. With regard to drying carpets with a turbo dryer, using a portable, it would have to be in place of a considerable amount of time to make any difference, they are more suited to upholstery. A TM removes the need for the extra worry about drying times due to the power available.

[Dave Parry]

Well said Glynn, I thought I was the only one not to use a dryer. Was getting an inferiority complex

[Dynafoam]

Glynn,

Why be satisfied with just one chair dry - before I drive away, the entire suite is normally dry. This is not just me, Mike has said the same.

One other point, when using a TM I had to turn down the power to the same level as my Recoil 3HP (portable) and when using my own-build portable I had to switch off two of the motors for upholstery cleaning. You can only apply so much power to many upholstery fabrics without risking severe damage.

John.

[ojd]

have got 2 Dri Eaz sahara MINIs (£99+vat) they are tiny and although they are maybe not as powerful as the full size they do a good job and do not blow things off the wall etc.
I tell customers that although the carpet / uphol may not be completely dry by the time i leave it will dramatically bring down drying times. i charge a standard charge for these for the time i am there and have found majority of customers go for this and it paid for the 2 machines within in a fortnight.
i now have someone else who i do not have to keep an eye on and who will not phone in sick and does not fart in the van making me extra money everyday of the week.
buy one

[dunny19]

well.....,my first job with an air mover today, proved invaluble, 1st customer....carpets 95% dry by the tme i left...............and booked another 140 quid for more carpets & upholstery for next week, also got a commercial job, had to do it today or wouldnt get the job..............carpets dry......customer happy............,

bad side.........i did laugh to myself, loads of  dust staring flying round the room, when customer came pointed it out to him, ..."i said i find most customers that prefer their carpets dry by the time i leave, than worrying about a bit of dust"........he then proceeded to tell me that it was from behind the radiator........cant get the dyson down that!...........

used my sebo as well, for the 1st time, im impressed with it, although it does take up room in the van.......and the air movers are much larger than they look in the pictures...........just the look impresses the customer.


thanks for the advice everyone.............

regards

dunny

[Cloverleaf]

Buy one. Or two like me

Did a suite the other day, nearly dry before I left.
Lady said, last time took 3 days to dry with another company.

I dont always use unless on more than a few rooms.

I am also verry carefull of damaging articles such as china on windowsills blown off by moving curtains!

I tell customer, your living room is nearly dry while I'm finishing off the bedrooms. They are verry pleased and it looks verry proffesional. Also sets you aside from other cleaners!

Get two!

John

[Mike Halliday]

i use 3 airmovers when cleaning suites, one thing to watch is placing tilted airmovers on laminate floors, they slowly start turning so if you don't watch them the spin around and point at the coal fire or vase of fresh flowers.

Mike