[Steven Taylor]

Well holy smoke, was working on h/s/l, when time was passing and I forgot to check the waste tank  : All of a suddon I heard pop and the smell of burning from my machine as it came to an abrupt stop!

My immediate thought was, how the hell was I going to get all the pre-spray off the carpet now!!

Emptied waste tank (full of foam), changed fuses in plugs, opened lid to dry out, took it outside etc etc. Yes, I didn't use de-foam on this occasion (stupid me), yes my vac outlets are in my waste tank so the foam had drawn through the vacs. Not good.

Rang me carpet cleaning mate, he was sitting in Doc's surgery, couldn't help for an hour at least! Ummm, changed plugs around, found new sockets and blow me down it started again. I left the lid open, gate valve closed and ran the vacs dry for 5 mins, phew, that did the trick.

It would appear all back to normal, but hey, lucky escape, don't know what damage done to vacs probably reduced their life span if anything, but just a note if your running these Alltec machines remember to keep checking waste tank.

Yes it has a shut off valve but because of the amount of foam in there it didn't work!

My lesson learned 

[Colin Day]

We've all done it mate :

Apart from the Porty Virgin TM boys of course

[clinton]

Thought you said potty then colin

[richy27]

i would have a spare vac motor in stock in cae one goes if you dont already so you can change to limit down time it will always get used at some point vacs nevr last forever.

[JandS]

Why didn't the shut off valve work?
Think in the 32 months I've been doing this only
had foam problem twice and both times shut off
worked fine.

John

[Colin Day]

Why didn't the shut off valve work?
Think in the 32 months I've been doing this only
had foam problem twice and both times shut off
worked fine.

John

I make periodic checks and have seen where the foam has got well above the shut of switch.

Perhaps grit and dirt prevented the switch from working to full capacity...

I would always suggest periodic checks and "Never" forget to use de-foamer, although I have seen it where even de-foam hasn't done it's job :

[JandS]

But then my shut off is a mechanical rather than electrical device.

John

[Dave_Lee]

The question staring at me is "Why was there so much foam?"
I worked porty's for 23 years and only very rarely put 'de foam' in the tank first.
I think a lot of foaming problems are down to the chems used and the cheaper ones are the worst.
Dave.

[Neil Williams]

The scorpian must have the worst 'shut offs' going.
Fantastic machine which I love but the configeration at the top is a right disaster.

[Steven Taylor]

I don't like any design where the vac pipes are in the waste tank, it's asking for trouble (eventually).

On this job I gather I had alot of foam because I was cleaning an off-white carpet, and she probably used a ton of household products trying to get this and that out.

The Advance shut off doesn't seem to work that very well, even noticed it with full water & no foam in tank, just carrys on going, until I remember to check the machine, then I can see fluffy white bubbly water bouncing up at the lid (those who have got these machines will know what I'm talking about).

Spare vac motor? It's got 3 and luckily only 2 shut down as seperate supply!!

All in all though, I've got to say the advance does do a brilliant job and the custy's love it too! (that's the look of it, that is - the machine I'm talking about here)

[Joe H]

I don't like any design where the vac pipes are in the waste tank, it's asking for trouble (eventually).

Where are the vac pipes on the Advance?

[Steven Taylor]

I'll post a pic if I can, but three pipes are at the very top of the recovery tank

[clinton]

They sure are steve and right at the top too..

[Steven Taylor]

Hope that works lol

[Steven Taylor]

The trouble is when the tank gets full the water starts bouncing off the lid & I would imagine some gets injested in the vacs. But it doesn't happen all the time only when I think I can get away with doing another 5 mins without emptying, my fault really, going to check it more often.

[Steven Taylor]

They sure are steve and right at the top too..

Hey clinton do you have one of these too?

Does your light switch work on the heater switch? It's supposed to light up when on (obviously) but mine never did  Contacted alltec but they just sort of fobbed me off  :

[robert meldrum]

Same as Dave Lee..............where's the foam coming from ?  I stopped creating foam when H/W/E ing many years ago only coming across it as the result of Vanish or similar.

[clinton]

Think the foam is form the many household products you can buy for stain removal from many shops now.

Yep steven it does come on mate,maybe sometimes in the light of day it wont show up..

[Steven Taylor]

Maybe it's a very feint light, but I don't like working in the dark 

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Red RX and to some extent Ultrapac can foam.

Rog