Commercial HWE equipment purchase

[hogjowl]

I am about to make a purchase on SOME TYPE of hot water extraction machine for the commercial environment. Most of my commercial contract accounts are at the end of their encapsulation cycle, and their ain't no way (Southern expression) that I'm TM rinsing all that sq. footage.

I am seriously looking at the Steamin Demon (want to see the Tsunami too ... where do I look to see it?), but would really like to ask, for one final time, if there are any walk behind commercial extractors that I need to know about before I make my decision?

Are any of you guys using, with success, any portable extraction equipment in commercial accounts, and if so, what do you suggest for me?

 

[Jimmy L]

Marty I too am getting closer to that rinse cycle also.
And the steamon semen is not one of my options.
It would be too far from a slop sink and the hoses would get in the way.

So I'm considering a nice walk behind to just rinse with plain water.
Its very easy to fill and walk some distance to dump it.
I used to use one on a daily basis in a large school district.

 

[Derek]

http://www.pacificsteamex.com/arch_whatsnew/whatsnew12_01.html#block1

any other portable and you'll be on bucket brigade, at least for filling. on comm that gets old.

thanx --- Derek.

 

[Greenie]

Ain't no way you are gonna "rinse" with a walk behind, maybe mist and suck, but not rinse.
Hoses or not the demon will work better.
I would think dealing with the umbilical cord isn't much different than tossing a Cimex cord, you just deal with it and work in long passes.

 

[Jimmy L]

Was a piece of cake to push it to a slop sink , open the dump valve and put the water hose in the solution tank and be on your way within 5 minutes.

A part of the equation left out is....what is the problem with commercial carpet?

Wick backs!

High flow 3 to 4 GPM and you really expect a one vac extractor to suck all that water ?

I tried a steamon Semen and I thought it was a an overpriced joke.

But for gawds sake see if you can borrow one for a day and see for yourself all of the downsides. :shock:

 

[Larry Cobb]

Marty;

I've used a direct hook-up machine in a commercial environment and it was a pain. The biggest problem was running the hoses long distances and minimizing the trip hazard.

1. You hook up to cold water (Green Seal building requirement) & run a couple of hundred feet of hose.
2. Place Caution signs every 25 ft. along the run to prevent trip accidents.
3. Hope the jet pressure is above 50 PSI after losing pressure from the long hose run and solenoid valve.
4. Check the drain every 15 minutes to make sure it is not backing up.

Doesn't sound like a good rinsing system to me.

I would look at walk-behind with a brush for less hassles and more agitation.

Larry Cobb
Mikey Board Supporting Member

 

[Guest]

I'm not stating anything.. but what makes you think you are at the end of your encap cycle?
Do the carpets look like crap?


If so.. why would you want to spend ungodly amounts of money on a junky walk behind. Those things arent worth anything, IMO.. andyes.. I have ran one.
Salesman and manufacturers are the only ones that make money on those.
Personally for me.. in all honesty, I'd rather spend my time.. if i had to.. in taking more time.. and steam cleaning.. knowing I was atleast saving my money..

If its that large of a commercial arena.. not all would have to be steamcleaned I would venture to guess. Rather.. just certain areas.. and encap the other areas.

My suggestion if you feel you need some type of extraction.. I'd forego all the 'wicking' possibilities (not that they aren't easily fixable).. but I'd merely bring in the mop buckets.. bonnet clean them.. true 'old school' style.. not merely padcapping.. and absorb as much out.

So bonnet clean the worse areas.. or steam clean them. Its part of the biz.. straight up.

a steamin deamon wouldn't be an option.. nor would a walk behind. As soon as you spend all that money (unless you can rent one.. but still NO).. you'll be cursing yourself when done.. as that pos.. merely turns into a coat rack.

Hingsight will be 20/20 with that machine.

So I say again.. how do you know you are at the end of your cycle?
I trust your thought that you are.. just curious..

Dobs

 

[BradFenstermaker]

Marty the best cleaning you can do is contract us Georgia boys to come over and help ya out. Three trucks outta get it done in a few days?

Brad

 

[Scott Rogers]

Geeeze Brad, I was hoping to borrow his Demon, now you go and volunteer me to help with my Tm.

 

[The Preacher]

i can get you a good deal on a demon classic (actually it's a Tsunami) if you wanna save a few $$$???

 

[Jimmy L]

Dobs has been reading too many comic books.....sheeesh


Larry is right about those hose runs.
Steamon Semen POS.

 

[Bob Foster]

Sub the job to a Vortex or AT owner. LOL

 

[Guest]

Marty I have solutions

But, we need to talk. 1 877 WANDS IT.

 

[steve frasier]

Didn't Marty demo a steamin demon demo in a church and didn't have any wick back on some previously wicking stains?

 

[hogjowl]

Yes, I did demo a Demon at my large church account. In fact, I chose this particular account to do the demo in for precisely the reason that it ALWAYS wicks! In the daycare, the apple juice stains on the cgd carpet in a bear to deal with. The Demon came through in flying colors. No wicking.

The problem is, it needed a come-along to pull it across the carpet! Without a glide, it's worthless.

Brad and Scott:
You two are ALWAYS welcome to come visit any time. You can even help.

For free.

 

[tcul]

If you use the SD/TS on CGD it is quite a bit harder pulling the thing. I glide would be a good thing if you're doing a lot of commercial.

As for the hoses, you're suppose to walk away from the hoses as much as possible, not walking forward the length of the hose and then working backwards! You'll be tripping on the hoses.

I've been using the machine for about a month and have only gotten two complaints about the carpet drying too slowly. And one was a berber I should have post-padded anyway. The other was a job I did Saturday which was a very plush carpet on a humid rainy day. Custy said the carpet was still damp the Sunday morning which DID concern me.

I'm going to start making day after calls to make sure people have no complaints. Many people are afraid to call and complain.

TC

 

[Desk Jockey]

What about CleanMasters RX Express?

I hear it rinses well (not high flow) and the head provides good agitation?

I thought about getting one but have not demo'ed one yet.

 

[Greenie]

Not like you didn't already realize this, but the glide totally makes this piece of equipment doable, if for nothing else to be able to push it forward, and kill the "chatter" on glue down.

I'm willing to bet it will leave CGD drier with the 3+ gpm flow than a spray and suck walk behind, and it will actually RINSE the carpet.

I do0don't honestly know how anyone could get a walk behind to actually work, cause they don't pick up much, and don't put down much, might as well bonnet clean, now maybe if you opened up the jetting, and slapped a glide on it, you might have a "not so poor man's" demon.

I think one of the big "secrets" of using a demon on commercial, is NOT running 200' of umbilical cord, so it's possible some jobs just aren't set up with janitor closets in close enough proximity to make this easy.

Depending on how much of this work you have contracted, at some point I would seriously consider a riding extractor, they are battery powered and have the super brush speed, high capacity tanks, lots of avail. amperage to power pumps and vacuums, and will yield high production with operator ease. You just have to weigh cost and logistics. In fact you might even solicit more of this work once you have the plan to purchase one.
We have one truck mounted customer who does just this, says it's one of the best purchases he's ever made.