CRB Maintenance

[Johnny]

Does the BrushEncap CRB require maintenance beyond removing and cleaning the brushes and wiping down the case? No mention of anything further in the instructions.

Are CRB Industries machines the Strong Dry Chinese knockoffs? They seem to look a lot like BrushEncap machines.

Much obliged.

 

[carpetcleaner]

BrushEncap CRB are Austrian made.

 

[dealtimeman]

No maintenance really just cleaning really.

Most strong dry are Chinese/ foreign made not Austrian.

 

[steve_64]

I think I was getting mine to wet. The water and detergents were getting into the bearing caps with hair and other crud.
Pull the bearing covers off and clean around the bearings and smear a little grease on them to protect them till you do it again
I've also put a little felt over my bearings. I used the black and red felt you use for car batteries. Get them anywhere and trimmed to fit. I put them over a thin layer of grease.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Just don't use your CRB for any salt-based cleaners like Procyon. The salt damages the guts and this is NOT covered by the warranty.

 

[steve_64]

Just don't use your CRB for any salt-based cleaners like Procyon. The salt damages the guts and this is NOT covered by the warranty.

I really don't think it's just the salts. I think we abused ours and didn't clean them properly. My bearings were packed with crud but I didn't know I needed to clean that area out.
I'm being more careful now that I know it's not the tank I was sold on. But it's a great piece of equipment to have.

 

[Nomad74]

Been going on almost 6 years with mine. It's fallen out the back of my van, and thrown itself down a flight of stairs. I had to rewire it when the cord wore out at the base and started throwing sparks and tripping breakers. Still working great though. The handle is a little wobbly and it likes to turn on by itself, but it still works. The plastic molded carry tray with the wheels gave out years ago. That tray is such a piece of crap. So now I just carry it everywhere I go. It's a Strong-Dry but I call it my Little Marty. It gets its nose down in the slop and ruts around. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to get out of it. I probably jinxed myself by posting this.

 

[Old Coastie]

Put an external switch on Little Marty. Trust me.

 

[hogjowl]

It’ll be a PITA forever

 

[encapman]

Keeping the machine clean is all that's recommended for daily maintenance. The brushes should be removed at the end of each work day for a good cleaning. Using a shop vac works well to suck the lint and fuzz from the brushes. Then wipe down the metal surface underneath the machine. Using some WD-40 on a rag to wipe down the surfaces helps too, to offset/displace moisture. Wiping the machine down with WD-40 also helps to keep the stainless steel looking good. But be careful to avoid squirting WD-40 into the bearings because it will wash the lube out of the bearings.

Also, keep an eye on the brush wear indicator. Replace brushes when they wear down. That's another benefit from removing the brushes each day, is that you'll most likely install them in a reverse order. By swapping/reversing the brushes it helps to extend the useful life of the brushes.

Regarding the CRB Industries machines - those are NOT the Austrian machines.

 

[Terry]

Hi Rick,
what should we do if some wd40 gets into the bearings? This happened yesterday when putting on new brushes and wiping clean.
The 10" crb I got from you works fantastic.

 

[encapman]

It may still be OK. But it could've also messed up the bearings. At this point I'd recommend just go ahead and run it like normal. And if the bearings fail, then they'll need to be replaced. It's not terribly difficult to replace them if that occurs, and we can walk you through it if they need replacing.

Glad to hear you're enjoying that 10" CRB!

 

[Mark Saiger]

 

[Acp]

they say change gears 10-14 months but we bought one of the first strong dry machines right when they came out, actually a demo model.. same gears over 5yrs now

so we went ahead and bought another from them just a few weeks ago since our first one has done so well

 

[carpetcleaner]

they say change gears 10-14 months but we bought one of the first strong dry machines right when they came out, actually a demo model.. same gears over 5yrs now

so we went ahead and bought another from them just a few weeks ago since our first one has done so well

Almost everything I hear about the Strong machines is negative, hope you have the same good luck with your second one.

 

[Old Coastie]

Why would lithium spray grease not help? I use it for my tools. The grease goes in as a liquid, the volatiles evaporate and the grease does not drip and run onto your work.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Liquid-Wrench-White-Lithium-Grease-10-25-oz/19866381

 

[Acp]

Almost everything I hear about the Strong machines is negative, hope you have the same good luck with your second one.

honestly I think these machines mostly all come from the same place but different people are putting their stickers on them. except the brush pro I know that one has sealed gear box/motor