Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Susan Dean (1stclean) on June 14, 2012, 05:05:36 pm

Title: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Susan Dean (1stclean) on June 14, 2012, 05:05:36 pm
cleaning out one of my barns today and i came across my very frist carpet cleaners an extracta model c

wow , single vac , swich on and off pump 80psi ???? no cover on the clear water , small little wheels alround and the best bit , no brass fit ments , its on them little silver covered brass things  ;D

and then to my extracta exle wow it was like a roller to the mobel c minds got 7, 000 hours on it lol looks well old now still fires up (bit buny smell) but it still works

what did you start with and could you use it still ???????
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Kinver_Clean on June 14, 2012, 05:19:48 pm
Stimvac Mini in 1980, along with Stapro powder and Solar Lemon for mingers- that was Ph14.5. Woolcarpeta faded before your eyes if you were not quick with the acid. ;D
It is still in use by my daughter's father in law with my old Duo using SPM. Single vac 60 psi, 9" wand. Does him a treat as he is retired and got all day for 1 room. Original pump but a new vac about 15 years ago.
Moved on to a stainless drum with twin vacs on the top, still got 2 of those. Use one in my carpentry workshop for dust extraction.
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Doug Holloway on June 14, 2012, 05:24:21 pm
Hi guys

Extracta CX, 1982 from Ashcombe.

Cheers

Doug
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: clinton on June 14, 2012, 05:29:25 pm
A host machine...ashcombe hot water extraction single vac.. ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Steve Chapman on June 14, 2012, 05:45:28 pm
Started dabbling with carpet cleaning around 1989 with a small stimvak i bought second hand.

On about the third job it caught fire and dumped all its water on the lounge carpet, needless to say i never saw those customers again  :o

I can still see the look on their faces now, they were elderly and didnt have a clue what i was doing.

Come to think of it neither did I  :'(

Funnily enough it didnt put me off  ;D

Later bought a second hand numatic ct570 and launched myself as a professional carpet cleaner  :P

Its amazing im still here really. ;D


Steve
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: derek west on June 14, 2012, 05:53:38 pm
arrrr yes those were the days, my good old boxxer 421 if a remember rightly, with a vintage RX20.  ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Paul Moss on June 14, 2012, 06:08:48 pm
arrrr yes those were the days, my good old boxxer 421 if a remember rightly, with a vintage RX20.  ;D

 ;D ;D

Yes Derek did not serve his apprentiship the old way and cut his teeth on a under powered porty, but went straight in with a truck  8)

Myself it was a single vac truvox, then a grace 50/20 then a Cleanrite monster porty :o :D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Kinver_Clean on June 14, 2012, 07:12:20 pm
Starting with an underpowered machine ( by todays standards)  made us learn how to clean carpets properly. Upgrading to a powerful machine makes life so much easier.

It used to take me 5 or 6 hours to clean a particular carpet about 22x28 ft refilling the water every 20 mins. Wouldn't take that long now with much better results.
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: MAX Carpets on June 14, 2012, 07:26:36 pm
Aschombe DL, with the scrubber great machine in its day (1988). I also brought the solvent machine which is pretty much the same as The Sahara today!
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Jamie Pearson on June 14, 2012, 07:44:25 pm
I started with a Hydromist 650 doing my mums mates carpets when I was 12.

When then started full time at our business we were using Prochem Steemeasy 400s and a Hydromist 600XTH plus our trusty Cimex CR61s which are still in use.
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on June 14, 2012, 08:56:00 pm
I had a janitex misty there wasn't a vac motor in it more like a little mouse with a straw and a 40 psi piston pump.

Shaun
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Billy Russell on June 14, 2012, 09:20:06 pm
Cleaned my first carpet when i was 13 on a weekend working with my dad, with a good old Numatic CTD570 used that for a few years, then got another, then a truvox little gem ( i think ), Prochem powermax, Then a scorpion, then down graded to my little blower TM, The Phoenix!!!    ;D ;D


All joking aside, there is no way you would get me back using a porty, I'm sorry but the TM wins hands down, This is just my opinion before anyone go's off on the TM v Porty debate!  ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: AshWhite on June 14, 2012, 09:20:31 pm
I had a janitex misty there wasn't a vac motor in it more like a little mouse with a straw and a 40 psi piston pump.

Shaun

This must've been stripped for parts for Billys TM?
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Andrew Briscoe on June 14, 2012, 09:44:03 pm
Started with a TM4 and an Ashcombe machine, which was also for solvent dry clean,
then another single vac Ashcome similar to Alltec machine.
Then a Alltec twin vac, cfr 500 perfect heat, then a Recoil. Steamway sidekick 6100.
Finally have a HM 470TD Dual operator and a DFusion

Andrew
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on June 14, 2012, 09:51:18 pm
Stripped and billy shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

Shaun
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Paul Moss on June 14, 2012, 09:57:27 pm
Ok i lied.
I started when i was 3 ( shaun was 9) my machine was made from cardboard boxs and elastic bands and had a wind mill as a blower. It took me 6 hours to clean a carpet. :D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Jamie Pearson on June 14, 2012, 09:58:55 pm
What sort of drying times did you achieve Paul?
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Billy Russell on June 14, 2012, 10:00:07 pm
Ok i lied.
I started when i was 3 ( shaun was 9) my machine was made from cardboard boxs and elastic bands and had a wind mill as a blower. It took me 6 hours to clean a carpet. :D

Sounds like the machine you use now!  :-*

 ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Paul Moss on June 14, 2012, 10:07:29 pm
Still more powerfull the one you have small blower  ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: derek west on June 14, 2012, 10:21:44 pm
Ok i lied.
I started when i was 3 ( shaun was 9) my machine was made from cardboard boxs and elastic bands and had a wind mill as a blower. It took me 6 hours to clean a carpet. :D

thats nothing, i started with a straw and spit. worked 25 hours a day and if it wasn't clean the customer beat me to death and i was grateful of the beating. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Paul Moss on June 14, 2012, 10:26:40 pm
Derek, your now starting to sound like Billy  :D :D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Billy Russell on June 14, 2012, 10:28:02 pm
Derek, your now starting to sound like Billy  :D :D

Better than sounding like you, pea brain!

 ;D ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Susan Dean (1stclean) on June 15, 2012, 04:45:53 pm
wow some great old cleaners there , i am  thinking i may try and fire up the model c and clean my mother shed carpet with it , just to see her face  ;D she will be so happy ,

she doesnt get truck mounts , every time i pull up in one of ours its " your dad never used anything like that" lololol times have changed chems have got weaker and customs have all become experts
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Neil Williams on June 15, 2012, 05:53:15 pm
Woodbridge Powermate.2001
75 psi on the pump, 2 x 2 stage suction motors, single jet wand, 25 foot of 1.5 inch hose. Ah those were the days when I had to take that machine up the stairs! And as already mentioned filling up every 20 minutes.
On the plus side at least it had a heater unlike the scorpian I upgraded to :o.
As an alternative to that method I then bought the Texatherm system to use when needed.
And now it TM time but I'm sure that it was starting with such delights as single jet and 75 psi that made me ensure that I spent enough time getting it right..... sometimes a long time getting it right..... infact sometimes an eternity getting it right ;D
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Mark_Jubb on June 15, 2012, 07:21:13 pm
Back in 1985 the company I joined used  Holloway Aquarius twin tanks and a drag wand.
The solution tank stood about 3 1/2 feet tall, was square and made of stainless steel. It had a Stuart pump if I remember correctly, and had a kettle element for a heater. The waste tank was similar in size, round and again stainless steel with a single 2 stage vac sitting in a housing on the top (looked like a glorified oil-drum on wheels). The drag wand had a roller at the back and a ruddy great lump of brass on the front to weigh it down. The tanks used to lie on their backs side by side, with the wand in between them in the back of an escort van, there wasn't a lot of room then for anything else except a Gloria pre-spray and a few spotters.
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: jon barnes on June 15, 2012, 10:52:27 pm
when i first started in 1974 we used Stimvac senior, two very heavy stainless steel units. the water pump was a stuart tuner 60 psi [same as they used in the pub trade to pump beer] alway breaking down. We had it modified with a hydro piston pump  [very noisey] The vac unit broke into 2 parts [waste tank and vac motor] also we only used drag wands. can remember our first wand [ a scrub wand from 'Cleancare International'  - it had a roller on the back - their hand tools were the best on the market Still rember my 1st Job - Playboy club in Portsmouth  shame there were no bunnies around

Terry
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Mike_Roper on June 16, 2012, 11:21:39 am
It was the CX for me with a scrubba back in 89
Mike
Title: Re: retro cleaning what did u start with
Post by: Carpet Dawg on June 16, 2012, 07:56:28 pm
The first machine i used was an extracta (not 100% sure which one) and a Numatic ct570 back when I used to work for someone when i was 15 - 17ish. First machine I bought was the Numactic CT570. That was 12 years ago!  :o

With the right chems, technique and dwell time it did a good job!