Spotting Contest and TM Blower Testing

[Larry Cobb]

Just finished graphing the blower performance data from our annual Nick's Bar B Q.

First up was the spotting contest after Jim Smith's spotting class in the morning.

The 1st & 2nd place winners received a full case of Chempec's Formula 90 powder,
which intensified the competition.

The carpet samples had a very difficult selection of spots and stains.

The stains were:

1. Dark Furniture Stain
2. Mustard
3. Fingernail Polish
4. Paint
5. Gum
6. Bar B Q Sauce (we spilled lots of it)

The first two were the most difficult and the winners both utilized the UV lights and UV lasers in their removal:

These two bottom samples were the winners (not quite dry):

Next we prepared the 4 truckmounts for the blower competition.

Each TM was operating direct-drive at the same 3600 RPM for you overdrive fans.

Sealed vacuum at each unit was set at the maximum stated by the blower manufacturer.

Results were determined by vacuum levels at the wand as indicated by new 1% four decimal vacuum guage:

Since the vac level was measured at the 14" Bentley wand inlet,
it is closely related to the actual CFM produced at the wand lips.

The TM's were:
1. #33 Blower driven by 16 HP
2. #36 Blower driven by 18 HP
3. #45 Blower driven by 22 HP
4. #47 blower driven by 30 HP

Here is the graph of the results with 100' of 2" Vac Hose w/ 14" Bentley wand & GG:

We normalized the #33 blower @ 100% for the comparison.
The #36 blower came in @ 124%.
The #47 blower came in @ 155%.
The #45 blower came in @ 173%.

We also tested some 12" wands with 1.5" tubes, which had these results:
We normalized the #33 blower @ 100 for the comparison.
The #47 blower came in @ 137%.
The #45 blower came in @ 140%.

After a full day of work in the sunny but cool day . . .

we were ready for the four-piece BlueGrass band:

Then the Smoked Bar B Q Ribs and Brisket began to create intense cravings for Krissy, Jim & the crowd:

The eating photos were too graphic . . .

with excess Bar B Q sauce all over the faces.

Larry

 

[Mikey P]

Tony Wheelright should take note.

Thanks Larry.

 

[ruff]

So how come the #45 blower with the 22 horse power engine perform better than the #47 with 30 hp?

Is that measurement the equivalent of airflow or water lift?

 

[Larry Cobb]

So how come the #45 blower with the 22 horse power engine perform better than the #47 with 30 hp?
Is that measurement the equivalent of airflow or water lift?

The measurement was "operating lift" while the wand was extracting the carpet.

That corresponds with actual CFM airflow thru the wand.

The #45 was able to generate more "operating lift" as the wand was extracting.

Larry

 

[dgardner]

After reading about the barbeque, I went out tonight and ordered ribs. And a long island iced tea. And a brownie for desert. See what you started?

 

[dgardner]

[quote="Ofer Kolton":3l3ow50g]So how come the #45 blower with the 22 horse power engine perform better than the #47 with 30 hp?
Is that measurement the equivalent of airflow or water lift?

The measurement was "operating lift" while the wand was extracting the carpet.

That corresponds with actual CFM airflow.

The #45 was able to generate more "operating lift" as the wand was extracting.

Larry[/quote:3l3ow50g]

Larry, to what do you attribute this? If both blowers were spun at 3600 rpm, the 47 should have had improved cfm and thus better lift at the wand inlet. Was there a difference in inlet or exhaust restriction between the two blowers?

 

[lance]

Gee Dan, go ahead and kill the messenger.......

And does anybody ever need an excuse to pig out on some really good BBQ?????

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Larry acknowleged that the blower that was set to a higher lift......had a higher lift.

To extrapolate CFM from that violates the first rule of physics lab "all other factors held equal".

The BBQ sounded like fun!

 

[Dolly Llama]

been sayin' for years the 45 is THE ideal single wand blower ..... 8)

a "possible" exception to that "might" be the direct drive units ...Butlers, HM, ect
Cause they typically under drive a blower due to the frailty of the driveline


..L.T.A.

 

[Dolly Llama]

the wild card in the blower thing is the hose and wand .

it doesn't matter if a blower can produce a million CFM
you can only suck so much air/water thru a straw at a given (EDIT) HG

put the wand on the floor and the dynamics change even more


..L.T.A.

 

[dgardner]

Ah, I assumed the lifts were set equal. Obviously since the 2" hose would tend to equalize total cfm available the higher initial lift would give the 45 an edge. OK, makes sense then.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Ah, I assumed the lifts were set equal..

blowers were all set to "manufactures " max spec for the blower


"each unit was set at the maximum stated by the blower manufacturer. "



45's rock, Bro
damn near bulletproof too



..L.T.A.

 

[dgardner]

Yup, I see it now, completely missed that part. I see in another of Larry's posts they set the 45 to 16" and the 47 to 14". My reference indicates the 47 max spec is 15". Would have helped narrow the gap a little. The 45 does seem like a nice all-around choice.

 

[Dolly Llama]

The 45 does seem like a nice all-around choice.

"all around"??
for single wand slide in...
"read my lips"...it's the BEST... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


..L.T.A.

 

[dgardner]

Ya sold me, I'm a believer! So what's the perfect engine combo? Spec says the blower needs about 15 hp, so add in a pump, and you need at least 20hp, or maybe a 24?

 

[Larry Cobb]

Yup, I see it now, completely missed that part. I see in another of Larry's posts they set the 45 to 16" and the 47 to 14". My reference indicates the 47 max spec is 15". Would have helped narrow the gap a little. The 45 does seem like a nice all-around choice.

Both the #45 and the #47 blower use the same 4" diameter gears with identical horsepower capability.

Since the #47 produces more CFM airflow,
the lift is required to be significantly lower.

Larry

 

[Lee Stockwell]

The lift will be what you set it. The gauge will merely confirm that.

In the real world the 3047 will eat the 2245 for lunch, especially with dual wands.

 

[Larry Cobb]

The lift will be what you set it. The gauge will merely confirm that.

In the real world the 3047 will eat the 2245 for lunch, especially with dual wands.

Lee;

With 2 wands the airflow required will increase dramatically.
The #47 will most likely then produce higher "working lift" at the wand.

With one 14" wand the #45 produces more CFM,
as indicated by the higher "working lift" right at the wand itself
(Lift thru a given sized orifice)

The #45 will always tolerate a higher lift at the truck than the #47.

Larry

 

[lance]

I'd rather have a 59 blower. Run it half-speed for single wand and full speed for dual wand.

Need a 400 foot run but only single wanding? A 59 does that too.

Want to run a Zipper wand at that 400 foot mark? A 59 does it all.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Lance;

A #56 or #59 blower will deliver more CFM, if you are using multiple wands.

The #56 will perform better @ 400 ft.

We have a couple of TM's with those blowers, in our showroom.

Our most popular TM right now is our 34 HP with #4MR blower (45).

Larry

P.S. One other item we tested was the effect of a 25' leader hose (1.5") on a 1.5" Wand.

It reduced the vacuum performance by 9.2% when added to 100' of 2" hose.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Better to use 6' or so when you have to use a whip.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Lee;

Since you are a past champion of a spotting contest . . . ,

I thought you appreciate the test carpet photo before spotting:

Jim sent me a photo of the test carpet before spotting:

Larry