Vacuum Configurations

Vacuum cleaners are devices that use an air pump to
create a partial vacuum to suck up dirt and dust,
normally from carpeted floors. Most homes that have
carpet floors have a vacuum for cleaning. The dirt
that is pulled up from the carpet is collected by
a filtering system or even a cyclone for later
disposal.

There are several type of configurations possible
for vacuum cleaners.

Upright
Upright vacuums have the pump mounted directly above
the suction intake, with the bag mounted directly on
the handle, which will rise to waist height or so.
The upright type designs normally employ mechanical
beaters which often rotate brushes, to help disturb
dust enough to be vacuumed up. These beaters are
normally driven by a belt that is attached to the
vacuum motor.

Canister
Also known as cylinder vacuums, the canister type
designs have the motor and bag in a seperate canister
unit that connects to the vacuum head by a flexible
hose. Even though upright units have been tested
as being more effective, the lighter and more
maneuverable heads of the canister models are quite
popular. Some models have power heads, which contain
the same type of mechanical beaters found it upright
units, although they are driven by a seperate electric
motor.

Wet vacs/dry vacs
These types a specialized form of the canister
vacuum and they can be used to clean up wet or liquid
spills as well. They will commonly accomodate both
wet and dry soilage, with some being equipped with
a switch or exhaust port that reverses the flow of
air. This is a very useful function for everything
from clearing clogged hoses to blowing dust into a
corner for easy collecting.

Back pack vac
These types of vacuums are commonly used for
commercial cleaning, as they allow you to move about
quickly and efficiently in a large area. They are
basically canister vacuum cleaners, except for the
fact that straps are used to carry the canister
on your back.

Built in or central
These types of vacuum cleaners will move the suction
motor and bag to a central location in the building
and provide vacuum inlets at strategic places
throughout the entire building. You only need to
carry the hose and pickup head from room to room,
while the hose is normally 25 foot long and allows
a large range of movement without changing vacuum
inlets.

The plastic piping will connect vacuum inlets to
the central unit. The vacuum can either be unpowered
or have beaters that are operated by an electric
motor or an air driven motor. The bag in the
central vacuum system is normally so big that
emptying it or changing needs to be done less as
often, sometimes only once a year.

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How Vacuum Cleaners Work

Even though it may appear to be a very complicated
machine, the conventional vacuum cleaner is actually
made up of six essential components: intake port,
exhaust port, electric motor, fan, porous bag, and
a housing that stores all of the other components.

When you plug the vacuum cleaner into the outlet and
turn it on, the following happens:
1. First of all, the electric current will
operate the motor, which is attached to the fan,
which resembles an airplane propeller.
2. As the blades begin to turn, they will
force the air upwards, towards the exhaust port.
3. When the air particles are driven forwards,
the density of the particles will increase in front
of the fan and therefore decrease behind it.

The pressure drop that occurs behind the fan is
similar to the pressure drop when you take a drink
through a straw. The pressure level in the area
that is behind the fan will drop below the pressure
level that is outside of the vacuum cleaner.

This will create a suction inside of the vacuum
cleaner. The ambient air will push itself into the
vacuum cleaner through the intake port because the
air pressure that is inside of the vacuum cleaner
is much lower than the pressure on the outside.

Picking the dirt up
The stream of air that the vacuum generates is just
like a stream of water. The air particles that move
will rub against any loose dust or debris and if
it is light enough, the friction will carry the
material around the inside of the vacuum cleaner.

As the dirt continues on to the exhaust port, it
will pass through the cleaner bag. They tiny holes
in the vacuum cleaner bag are large enough to let
the air pass through, although too small for the
dust particles to fit through. Therefore, when
the air current gets into the bag, the dirt and
debris will be collected there.

You can stick the bag anywhere along the path
between the intake tube and the exhaust port, just
as long as the air current passes through.

Suction
The power of a vacuum cleaner’s suction will depend
on several factors. The suction can be stronger
or weaker depending on:
1. Fan power – In order to generate a
strong suction, the motor needs to turn at a good
speed.
2. Air passageway – When a lot of debris
builds up in the bag, the air will face a greater
level of resistance on the way out. Each particle
of air will move slowly due to the increase in
drag. This is the reason why a vacuum cleaner
works much better once you’ve replaced the bag
than when you have been using it for a while.
3. Size of the intake port – With the
speed of the vacuum fan being constant, the amount
of air that passes through the vacuum cleaner per
second is also constant.

Technorati Tags: Air Current, Air Particles, Air Pressure, Airplane Propeller, Ambient Air, Debris, Density, Dirt, Dust Particles, Electric Current, Exhaust Port, Friction, Intake Tube, Loose Dust, Tiny Holes, Vacuum Bag, Vacuum Cleaner, Vacuum Cleaners