Rotobrush, is getting old any other alternatives?

[joeynbgky]

we are getting sick and tired of lugging that big rotobrush around. I have seen some truckmounted air duct cleaning machines somewhere, that have big white things coming out the top of the truck with air. What are these? I do not want to get an attachment for our TM. I dont want to mess it up. Who makes Truckmounted air duct cleaning equipment. Whats the best?

 

[rhino1]

Those trucks are nice, and expensive- if you think a V is overpriced you won't buy one of those. You can catch one used on E-bay o
nce in a while. I know some guys on here have one, and they are really nice, but won't work for you if you are a coupon book lowballer like me.

This is what we use Daniel.... set up vacuum at the front door (any high-cfm shop dust collector system should work, we do use the truckmount but I'm buying a new vac system this month so I don't have to have the truck tied up for duct cleaning. Suck out all the vents.

Attach negative air machine to supply main. These you can get for about 2K to 3K used. You need at least 2000 cfm for a small home, at least 4000 cfm for a big one. Depending on how you isolate the sections, you can get by with an electric neg. air machine or 2, and these you can get for $1K or less. More cfm is better, just depending on what type of homes you do. Our base is mostly small tract homes with 10 to 12 vents. If I did much of the bigger homes I would consider an 8 to 10,000 cfm machine.

Spin out the vents, mains, etc. with a cable drive brush. Rotobrush makes one, a 25' one that works with all their brushes. You can get a setup from NIKRO as well that will go even longer. It is so much easier to feed a small, 1" cable down a vent than all 2" of that heavy Rotobrush setup. There are air-driven brushes as well that are kinda neat, but I don't want to invest in that setup right now.

Forget that spinning brush thing that you attach to your vac hose, it's a POS that you will hate.

I'm not saying this is the best system in the world, but it has cut down on our time and keeps us from lugging big machines into people,s homes. I think you absolutely have to have some kind of negative air machine there to suck all the dust out of the customers home and this gets it done.

 

[rotovacguy]

Forget that spinning brush thing that you attach to your vac hose, it's a POS that you will hate.

Very true, those spinning brushes for the end of the vac hose suck ass.




Joey, you'd be surprised how thorough of a job you can do with some nice MANUAL brushes to loosen the crap up, then use some compressed air to blow it towards your vacuum source. Your TM has plenty of power, if used properly. You won't be able to cut out one hole like with the huge machines, rather you'll cut several holes depending on how long your rods and vac hose can go. I've seen a lot of crap missed by those spinners. The whiskers have too much flex, and tend to skip over the hard stuff, usually anything that was crusted on from condensation. Those manual brushes are made of nylon, and are much stiffer. Put a T handle on the end, it works much better. Heck, on my last job, I pulled out a nice flat head screwdriver, a hammer, and some 2 X 4 with the brushes, no way would a spinner do that!!... ... Just make sure you get an assortment of rods and brushes. The flexible rods work great for the round ducts, or anywhere there are bends. The stiff ones work great for feeding your air line or brush through the long straights without kinking. You won't mess up your TM if you put a dust downer on your vac hose. I use one, and they work great, no different than cleaning nasty carpet. All of the particulate is liquidated, so it's no problem for your blower. You can pick one up for like $50.



My brother who helps me regularly, used to work for a HVAC company doing installs, air duct cleaning, etc, that had one of those big, expensive trucks. It had a 10" hose, pulled like 10,000 cfm, just a monster. Anyway, after seeing the job that machine did, versus the job mine does, he was pretty impressed. Does mine do the same job? No. There is no replacement for displacement. But, for us to do 90% as good at a tiny fraction of the cost of that machine, I'm happy with it, and so far the custy's are too, since without that huge operating cost of the monster machine, I can cut them a better deal, and that's all that matters.

 

[Desk Jockey]

AIR DUCT CLEANING MACHINES –
PORTA-VAC VACUUM
Air Duct Cleaning Vacuum – Porta-Vac's High Horsepower Gas Engine And Portability Delivers Hybrid Advantages
Profitability comes in a powerful and portable package with the 20 HP gasoline engine driven Porta-Vac. Get more power than an electric motor powered unit with more mobility than traditional truck and trailer-mounted units.

We have one of these works great! About half the suck of the big truck, but because its portable you can move the unit closer to the house, around back or where ever you need, reducing the need for the extra suction.

I'd love to have a big truck but at $90,000.00 we need to build the duct business first. I think we paid $6,000.00 for the Porta Vac 10-years ago.

 

[rotovacguy]

That's a nice unit, Richard.



Yeah, $90,000 is a bit much, not sure I could swallow that pill!!


I think anything is better than using just compressed air. We did a job 2 weeks ago, and the lady told us she had Sears do it last year. We could tell all they used was compressed air, saw the 1" plugs every so often in the duct work, with NO PATCHES!! :shock:

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

http://www.truckmountdeals.com/consignm ... 08&imgID=3

 

[Desk Jockey]

That looks like a good one for the price.

I had friend in KC buy a 2- year old Pringle and after a couple of years he offered to me for $28,000.00 I should have bought it, but didn't think I needed it at the time.

I'd like a Caddyvac.

 

[John Buxton]

I found a $66,000 truckmount on a repo lot for 23K. The truck only had like 9,000 miles, buy used never new. Another alternative is a trailer mounted system like Atlantic Engineering sells. I would look at the Kleen King gas vac and compressor too pictured above.

I used to use that POS Rotojunk only when I had to. Had a bad experience with the company, wouild never buy from them or recommend them.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Atlantic engineering makes good equipment.

We nearly bought their unit, flew one of our guys out to look it over and nearly bought it. Their electric unit are so really nice.

 

[joeynbgky]

We have been cleaning air ducts for about 4 years. I always do about 1 a day, sometimes depending on how long it takes we might do 2. I usually charge between $600-850 a job depending. So i'm not new to air duct cleaning. I may have to invest 60 k but dont want to

 

[rhino1]

We have been cleaning air ducts for about 4 years. I always do about 1 a day, sometimes depending on how long it takes we might do 2. I usually charge between $600-850 a job depending. So i'm not new to air duct cleaning. I may have to invest 60 k but dont want to

If you are making that much then you should be able to afford decent equipment and a Rotobrush without a negative air machine to evacuate all the dust you stir up just isn/t that great.

 

[Mr.Positiveman]

Sometimes, to visit the website is help a lot!!

 

[Mark Saiger]

Contact my Brother Dave Saiger. He can get you set up probably on a nice trailer mounted PVT unit. Will cost some money, but a good unit. He also has some good connections on used ones as well or even good places to get your accessories. His number 218-444-DIRT (3478). That number should also transfer to his cell phone even when he is out of the office.

His web site also has a pic of his Butler unit and also his PVT duct cleaning unit hooked up to it. www.saigersteamclean.com

He can help you out.

Mark Saiger
www.saigers.com

 

[renegade_cowboy]

We have been cleaning air ducts for about 4 years. I always do about 1 a day, sometimes depending on how long it takes we might do 2. I usually charge between $600-850 a job depending. So i'm not new to air duct cleaning. I may have to invest 60 k but dont want to

WTF?

If you do one a day, 5 days a week thats $182,000 a year. So over the next five years thats $910,000...

And you dont want to invest into a $60,000 machine to make the job much easier? You gotta invest..

Before i retired from Coit, they started using a newer machine that is about the size of a small fridge that you brought in a hooked up to a vent and exhausted outside. You still went around with an air hose to all the vents and closed them off.. I dont know much about this equipment bt maybe someone here has some more info..

Good luck, I use to clean air ducts back in the day and was thinking of adding the service to my company but I think I am going to add hardwood floors instead.

 

[joeynbgky]

We no longer clean them... my statefarm insurance agents husband has a big resto and air duct business. I give him all my work in return for all his wdr extractions and cleanings. Win win.

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[joe harper]

151 hours.....$6k.....Put up or Shut up.... !gotcha!