My corner-friendly hose invention....

[B&BGaryC]

Feel free to steal this idea and make this invention...

Okay, it would be just like a regular 50 foot vac hose, but it would have a sleeve on it. This sleeve would be really soft non marking rubber that would kinda grip things, so it wouldn't slide on carpet or on walls, it would just stay there. The sleeves it had on it would be slightly less than ten feet, and there would be two of them. As you set up the hose, you would make sure the sleeves were at the contact points with the wall. Your vac hose would slide freely inside this sleeve, past the corner that it would normally chew up. This is a product for those that just don't quite trust their techs... (I have seen people yank on hose that is on a corner guard, it rides up over the top and chews the wall in a more visible spot.)

But that might not stay put, so maybe you would have to have it in a seventy five foot length, or a one hundred foot length, and just make one sleeve that is twenty five feet long.

I already see tons of problems with this idea, but maybe somebody has the mental mojo to improve this wet fart of a brainchild into something more solid. :shock:

 

[breathe72]

no thats a good idea gary.

picture one thats 40 ft in length.

but is made out of like tent nylon or acrylic.

like a long sleeve of a windbreaker, a little thicker material, but smooth on the inside as well, so the hose can slide freely within.

open on each end of course.

you slide it on when u are setting up at the custy's house.

BUT there would have to be tie-downs on each end. draw-strings or something to keep the sleeve from sliding or bunching up.

it could even have your company name along the sleeve.

you could call it "GreenSleeve" (greenie heres your free idea)

no more clumsy corner-guards.

when youre done, slide it off, and compress it back into the 8" carrying bag.

Damn Gary it is a good idea.

If Greenie will make it, I will buy the 1st one.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Arghhh!!! For gosh sake change your hose handling strategy. No amount of corner protectors will protect every lampstand, corner, or worse that could be damaged or destroyed by pulling on hoses.

If a tech can't "get it" ....then good bye.

Never pull a hose unless you have clear line of sight. Taking up slack in a vacuum hose is best without pulling it. Pick up a section of slack vacuum hose about chest high, slightly twisting it to form a loop. Roll this loop of about 10-12' toward the truck as you finish an area. Practice until you get it...the hose is never "dragged" inside a house. This technique is smooth and effective.

 

[breathe72]

Arghhh!!! For gosh sake change your hose handling strategy. No amount of corner protectors will protect every lampstand, corner, or worse that could be damaged or destroyed by pulling on hoses.

If a tech can't "get it" ....then good bye.

Never pull a hose unless you have clear line of sight. Taking up slack in a vacuum hose is best without pulling it. Pick up a section of slack vacuum hose about chest high, slightly twisting it to form a loop. Roll this loop of about 10-12' toward the truck as you finish an area. Practice until you get it...the hose is never "dragged" inside a house. This technique is smooth and effective.

Sounds good in theory Lee.

Now how many techs, chimps or whatever are going to do the pick-up/twist method, or just start pullin when they think the coast is clear?

Also, what about staircases that turn and the railing at the top, where you have to make ANOTHER turn to go back down a hall and into a bedroom. The corner guards never stay on stairs. Plus once you bring the TM up to full throttle, your vac line is gonna tighten right up around all those bends.
Gary's Greensleeve would cover all that.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Chris I've been doing this a long time. My sons each have over twenty years experience and my daughter 15 years.

The situation you noted actually shows the vulnerability for damage by relying on any device to do it for you.

When we arrive on a jobsite we first go to the far point with the wand, spraymaster, and a hand-held hose reel that holds 100' of solution hose.

Carefully roll out the solution hose back toward the truck. Usually one 100' section will suffice, or occasionally a second section is partially reeled out. Each solution hose has a colored stripe marking the 50' point to help estimate how much vacuum hose is needed (after reeling out solution line you know exactly how much vacuum hose you need).

The vacuum hose is reeled off the reel over your shoulder, not onto the ground, and carried into the home. At the fifty foot mark on the solution hose carefully start reeling it off onto the floor until you get to the far point. Subsequent 50' sections are handled likewise, not "dragged off the truck".

Never stretch either the solution or vacuum line so tight that it would be forced to rub against any corner or item either inside or outside the house. There must be enough slack to eliminate undue contraction from vacuum (usually not a problem with good hose).

more...

Thanks,
Lee

 

[Rambo]

Another good post with good information from Lee. I used to own a Vacuum store and we sold alot of hose socks for the 30/35' central vac hoses to keep the customer from damaging the corners as she vac-ed. Why not short hose socks with velcro about 3' long to put over your hose at selected points?

 

[steve r]

im fairly new at this but i carry in one 50 ft sec of vac hose to the furthest point and work back to the van so its right each time.

i do like the idea you have gary but i would make it with velcro so you can lay it under the hose where you want it then fasten it with the velcro.

 

[DavidB]

Hey Lee can I see a picture of that reel? I had been thinking of the same concept just never really looked for the reel.

 

[breathe72]

Lee,

Is there any other way to take vac hose into the home other than carrying it over your shoulder, into the back of the home, then unroll/walk it back to the machine???

Its the only way you can do it, imo.

You mention it like there is another way others are doing it?

Anyway, I like the thing you said you do with the high-pressure solution line, with the hand-held reel.

What does it look like?

 

[joey895]

Where do we get this hand held reel?

 

[ScottM]

Chris,

Professionals always carry vac hose in.

Only HACKS drag vac hose into the house.

I could carry 100 ft of 2" vac hose over my shoulder into an empty, but only 50ft into an occupied.

Scott

 

[Lee Stockwell]

The cord reel is exactly like the orange extension cord reel with the black center handle. Those will work fine, although we prefer the black ones that are a little better quality, but not as easy to find.

The hose we use is 1/4" ID, but a little smaller OD than neptune. If you use neptune only about 60' will fit on the reel.

 

[breathe72]

Chris,

Professionals always carry vac hose in.

Only HACKS drag vac hose into the house.

I could carry 100 ft of 2" vac hose over my shoulder into an empty, but only 50ft into an occupied.

Scott

Lol Scott, go back and re-read what I wrote. Everyone knows you're supposed to carry the hose in. (hopefully)

I was being sarcastic in my reply to Lee, since he seemed to feel he had to explain to us all how to properly carry a vac hose in a house.

Which is why I asked Lee, 'what other way IS there?'

My point was: WHO the hell 'drags' hose into a home?

Scott, thanks for pointing out the difference between professionals and hacks.

I will do my best to try and keep up with the professionals pictured on your website that is under construction.

Anyway, the point of the post (before you veteran hose pulling gurus decided to assume we drag hose into homes) was simply kicking around the idea of inventing a sleeve that might fit your 1st 50 ft section of vac hose, JUST IN CASE....

 

[MarkCermak]

We've trained a lot of techs over the years.
More than you think drag hoses.

Just like there is no stupid question, I think "pointing out the obvious" is extremely important. Many people fail to see what some may call obvious and need it pointed out.

Hose management is second nature to some, while others struggle with it and require training and practice.

 

[Kevin B]

Why not just get a corner guard with a "top" on it. A lip higher up, or how about this. Rubber coated corner guards, that were pliable. Like the material that the snakelites are made out of? That way you could bend them some for custom corners

 

[glenboy]

dragging anything

dragging hoses causes problems solution don't drag hoses

 

[Kevin B]

I don't drag hoses either, but they still need to be pulled around in large houses.

 

[KevinL]

Instead of trying to attach a canvas sock to your vac hose, why not just bunch up a drop cloth around the corners. It might look a little sloppy but the homeowner might appreciate the concern.