Industrial Vacuum Cleaners Key Terms

Get acquainted with the terminology related to industrial vacuum cleaners

By Howard Robertson

The idea of a product that can pick up dirt or other particles dates back to the late 1800s. At that time, a vacuum cleaner was an amazing invention. Today, vacuum cleaners are standard pieces of machinery that are used for domestic or commercial purposes. Simply put, a vacuum cleaner picks up particles using an air pump that sucks up particles.

Industrial strength vacuum cleaners are much more powerful than commercial or domestic vacuum cleaners. They are made for both wet and dry applications.

There are many different types of vacuum cleaners available in the market for a wide variety of applications.

Wet/dry vacs

Today's vacuum cleaners can be useful in multiple applications. You can use the dry vac function for industrial floors while the wet vac function can be useful for floods and other liquid waste. You can either purchase a dry vac, a wet vac or a combination of the two.
Try: To learn more about wet/dry vacs, you can refer to an article at Popular Mechanics, an information resource that provides information on wet/dry vacs and how they work.

HEPA

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. It is a filtration system found in vacuum cleaners that traps elements that are as small as 0.3 microns. HEPA filters are mostly used when the required surrounding air must be clean.
Try: wiseGEEK, an information resource, defines HEPA and also provides a brief history of the filter.

ULPA

ULPA (Ultra-Low Penetration Air), like HEPA, is a filtration system that has an efficiency rating of 99.999% versus HEPA's 99.97%. You can use this kind of filtration system in laboratories, where the cleanest possible air is required.
Try: Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service offers a section called the ‘Facts about Vacs’ where you can find detailed information on HEPA and ULPA.

Amperage

The larger and more powerful the equipment, the more amperage or amps are required to make it work properly. Amperage is the power that is transferred to the product, once it is plugged in.
Try: NDT Resource Center, an online information resource provided a definition of amperage.

Central vacuum system

A central vacuum system is a stationary unit that is usually mounted elsewhere. An advantage of a central vacuum cleaner is its more powerful motor. Additionally, a central vacuum system is more convenient.
Try: You can read about the central vacuum system and its advantages over other models at vacuumsite.net.

Bagless vacuum cleaners

Today, many manufacturers supply vacuum cleaners that do not include a bag. The models now trap particles in a container that has to be emptied after each use.
Try: You can read about bagless vacuum cleaners at VacuumWizard, an online resource that provides information on vacuum cleaners.