[Mike Halliday]

Had a spare couple of hours free yesterday so decided to build something i’ve Had my mind on for a while,  a petrol vacuum system that I could use for gutter  cleaning or attaching to the FSC and vaccing as I powerwash, (I still need to buy a FSC  with a vacuum port but at well over a grand i’m Looking for a second hand one)

I’ve got to say it worked out really well, the length of the vacuum hose is adjustable so I could leave the machine in the van and just move the dirt container (which is on frame with wheels so I can easily move it about)

It has about 4 times the power of the biggest 3 motor electric vacuum

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJjAizanlg

[Kev Martin]

Had a spare couple of hours free yesterday so decided to build something i’ve Had my mind on for a while,  a petrol vacuum system that I could use for gutter  cleaning or attaching to the FSC and vaccing as I powerwash, (I still need to buy a FSC  with a vacuum port but at well over a grand i’m Looking for a second hand one)

I’ve got to say it worked out really well, the length of the vacuum hose is adjustable so I could leave the machine in the van and just move the dirt container (which is on frame with wheels so I can easily move it about)

It has about 4 times the power of the biggest 3 motor electric vacuum

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJjAizanlg

Wow!  How did you measure that?  What were the actual results?  Do you have the figures? Which 3 Motor vacuum did you compare it against?

[Mike Halliday]

Kev I compared it to this machine which is my normal gutter vac and is   3.3kw  which is over the limit of a 13amp plug.

I’m guessing your other question are rhetorical as you probably know I don’t have the instrument to measure the actual vacuum so have to go figures on the  manufactures  website of the PDB , & the power output of a 13hp engine compared to a domestic household supply. There probably  is a little leaway in the suggested power

[Smudger]

interesting machine there mike but surely with all that hose your losing/wasting much of the suction ?

Darran

[Mike Halliday]

Thats the beauty of positive displacement blowers they are not like electric motors they keeps pulling, they will handle 300ft of hose with no real loss of suction, without a vac relief they will calapse the tank or stall the engine

[Smudger]

cool - look forward to seeing it in action

Darran

[Mike Halliday]

And on really long runs I can just wheel it around the job and put it next to the gutter poles with a couple 5ft section of suction hose it doesn’t need such lengths of hose as shown in the video

[Kev Martin]

Kev I compared it to this machine which is my normal gutter vac and is   3.3kw  which is over the limit of a 13amp plug.

I’m guessing your other question are rhetorical as you probably know I don’t have the instrument to measure the actual vacuum so have to go figures on the  manufactures  website of the PDB , & the power output of a 13hp engine compared to a domestic household supply. There probably  is a little leaway in the suggested power

Actually it was a genuine question because lately we have been doing a lot of work on vacuums and pre sep filters and ultimately the lift per CBM they produce.  We have been comparing both electric and propane.  When you said it was 4 times the power of the largest electric vacuum, you had me worried as the vac to me below is a large electric vacuum and by no means the biggest.  Now I realise you were only comparing it to your gutter vacuum

[Mike Halliday]

  3 phase & engine driven

we need to use a bit of common sense really,  obviously I did’nt refer to 3 phase or bigger  as these are not used in domestic situations  if you have a bigger 240v vacuum than that the one I pictured I would be interested in seeing it

[Kev Martin]

  3 phase & engine driven

we need to use a bit of common sense really,  obviously I did’nt refer to 3 phase or bigger  as these are not used in domestic situations  if you have a bigger 240v vacuum than that the one I pictured I would be interested in seeing it

No I was being much fairer and using common sense by comparing Propane Vs Electric!  You can only compare eggs with eggs a Petrol or Propane has to be compared against 3 Phase electric.  However we do have the following vacs which are brilliant if you only want 240 Volt

[rb4no]

Very cool setup / idea look forward to seeing it working again... i used to have a Nematic NT 3 motor adapted for water, i had a sump pump installed and hooked it up to my FSC , that worked quite well it would suck the 18inch mosmatic to the floor!! i had to fit different castors to allow the unit to be closer to the ground etc.  I sold it a while back,  now back doing pw wish I kept it as they are handy on uneven ground where water pools behind you .... I had also thought of making a self contained wash / filter loop system but couldn't justify time and money at the time....

[Mike Halliday]

Used it today. pity it was only a bungalow

Works really well and can be used for any vacuuming needs.... gutters, pressure washing, carpet cleaning etc..etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXcXO40VnRA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY9-sNi6ZPc

[Smudger]

I like the  second video - good job

Darran

[Kev Martin]

Nice job and a great second video

[DaveyboyC]

Great piece of kit that, i was thinking about making one of these from a petrol leaf collector but never got around to it thankfully, now that I've seen this, what would it cost roughly for the pd blower etc Mike

[Mike Halliday]

Great piece of kit that, i was thinking about making one of these from a petrol leaf collector but never got around to it thankfully, now that I've seen this, what would it cost roughly for the pd blower etc Mike

I’ve tried converting a leaf vacuum put they have great airflow but not Hg (lift) so they pull a lot of air with the huge fan they use but when they have to pull that air through a 2 inch vac hose it drops massively

I used this machine, i took off the front vacuum head and fitted a reducer so i could fit a vacuum hose..... it didn’t work


A PDB new cost £1000s ( the smallest is about £1200) best to find a second hand one

[dan paton]

Brilliant Mike. Let us know how it goes.

[DaveyboyC]

Great piece of kit that, i was thinking about making one of these from a petrol leaf collector but never got around to it thankfully, now that I've seen this, what would it cost roughly for the pd blower etc Mike

I’ve tried converting a leaf vacuum put they have great airflow but not Hg (lift) so they pull a lot of air with the huge fan they use but when they have to pull that air through a 2 inch vac hose it drops massively

I used this machine, i took off the front vacuum head and fitted a reducer so i could fit a vacuum hose..... it didn’t work


A PDB new cost £1000s ( the smallest is about £1200) best to find a second hand one

Our 3 vac has stopped working, strangely something was tripping the genny last week when clearing gutters, though it was the the genny itself, had a look and low and behold the 240v  socket live wire had melted the plastic casing of the socket, so Ive ordered new sockets etc,

anyways, went to use the vac this morning on a domestic energy supply and its tripping the RCD 

Needs some investigation but i'd be loath to by a new vacuum now I've seen this !!

Just in case It's un salvageable, what are people using for the gutters these days ? Mine was a cheap £150 one of Ebay, wanted something with more air flow really ?

Edit.... It's working fine on my own domestic supply, must be the customer has an  RCD issue.

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

I did same last year used my prowler going through a 220ltr drum but suction wasn't best being a small blower and larger drum but it did work. This is the future though  good job Mike

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

What blower is it running and is it honda 390 also what have you made lid from and have you used a 2" filter inside.