What are the most common reasons automatic floor scrubbers need service? This will be an overview. The first in a 5 part series of why these cleaning machines break down and require service. Let’s first take a look at a little history and what automatic scrubbers do and how they perform.
Automatic scrubbers have evolved quite drastically over the last 60 years or so. The first floor scrubbers were very simple in mechanical nature but very inventive for the time. (Here is a quick summary on Automatic Floor Scrubber History) They dispensed water from a clean water holding tank, scrubbed the floor with the clean water and added cleaning chemical, and then vacuumed the floor dry with a vacuum system and squeegee mechanism on the back. These 4 areas are where most of the service is needed. Putting down water, picking up water, scrubbing the floor, and operating forward and reverse. It was true 60 years ago and still true today. Although the earlier machines were much simpler in their mechanical design.
Combining the actions of a floor mop, scrub brush and wet/dry vacuum all into one machine. The first scrubbers ran on electric supplied by plugging the machine into a wall outlet, but soon they were using batteries to propel the machine. This made them much more maneuverable and easier to use.
Because these machines combined all the necessary aspects to cleaning a floor, this made the floor cleaning process much more hygienic. Operators were discovering they could use disinfectants, degreasers, and specialized chemicals to aid in creating a cleaner environment. They are great for use in hospitals, schools, government buildings and all places where large groups of people congregate on a hard floor surface. They were soon discovered to be of great use in cleaning factory floors and other large buildings. As the popularity of the automatic floor scrubber grew, so did the complexity of the machines. Constant improvements by manufacturers were made to make the machines more maneuverable, efficient, productive and easier to use for the operator.
Since the first automatic floor scrubbers were fairly simple, the required maintenance was necessary but easy to perform. Clean out the tanks. Clean the brushes. Clean the squeegee assembly and the squeegees and you were pretty much done. There were possibly a few grease fittings to lubricate on a routine basis but that was all.
The scrub brushes were raised and lowered mechanically, usually either with a hand lever or a foot pedal. The operator would let up on the foot pedal to lower the brushes to the floor and push down to raise the brushes from the floor. This was a really simple lever action mechanical system that required very little maintenance. The squeegee mechanism used the same principle. Move a lever to one side with your hand and the floor squeegee lowered, move the lever back and the floor squeegee raised. Once again very little maintenance required.
Solution was dispensed through a mechanical valve that was opened and closed by the operator. The solution valve lever was usually located conveniently next to the operator’s hand to slide forward or back as he needed more or less water. This lever operated a cable that was attached to the solution valve above the brushes. Outside of an occasional corrosion issue after 10 years or so this was very reliable.
The vacuum motor that was used to remove the dirty water from the floor was operated by one switch on the dashboard. On or Off, that was it.
The first machines used the weight and pressure of the brushes to propel the machine forward so very little maintenance was required. There was no drive motor to worry about. Â You can still find some brush driven scrubbers today but most are powered by drive motors forward and reverse.
So you can see, when I get a request for a service call today, the reasons why haven’t changed a whole lot. The scrubber isn’t putting down water, it’s not picking up water, it’s not cleaning the floor properly or it’s not moving forward or reverse. These are the issues we hear most often. As the machines continue to evolve mechanically and electronically they become more complicated to service. They are also much more ergonomic, easier to use and produce less stress on the operator.
When purchasing an automatic floor scrubber, please take these aspects into consideration. Scrubbers are made to pick up all the dirt on the floors most people want to avoid. This dirt has to go somewhere and that is the inside the machine. They must be cleaned out on a routine basis to perform well. The four areas we addressed here are the most commonly heard issues for maintenance. Take care of these and you’ll get longer life out of your new purchase.
A good preventative maintenance program will help you prevent these problems and have less down time. Effective preventative maintenance has two big components; scheduled maintenance calls by a trained professional (monthly, quarterly, or semiannually depending on your needs) and daily routine maintenance done by you and your team.
For more details about our preventative maintenance program and service department please visit this page. Also be sure to check back or subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss parts 2 through 5 of this mini blog series on common problems with automatic floor scrubbers!
Why Isn’t My Auto Scrubber Cleaning My Floors?!?
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkThis the fourth part of a 5 part series on common problems with automatic floor scrubbers. In the past 3 I covered an overview of all problems to be discussed, a scrubber not putting water down, and when scrubbers aren’t picking water up.
My automatic floor scrubber is not cleaning the floor. We hear this too often. The brushes or pad drivers are working. The vacuum motor is working. The squeegee is down. But the floor is still dirty, streaked, dull, and sticky and just generally doesn’t look very good. So we run routine maintenance on the scrubber and we find the brushes are turning at the proper RPM and with the proper down pressure. The vacuum motor is working and has the proper CFM and Waterlift ratings. The hoses are in good shape. The gaskets are clean. The squeegee is level and we find nothing apparently wrong with the overall operation of the machine. Everything is within the manufacturer’s specifications and functioning well. So why aren’t the floors getting clean?
This is one of the most difficult problems to diagnose because the supplier of the chemical products wants to blame the equipment and the equipment supplier wants to blame the cleaning chemicals. Often times it is a combination of both. If you are purchasing an automatic scrubber for the first time you should also evaluate the type of cleaning chemicals you are using. You may need to change the chemical to get the best use out of the scrubber. This is where the knowledge and experience of your suppliers come into play. Make sure you are dealing with suppliers that can offer the education and training to achieve the results you want. Here are some things to consider.
PADS OR BRUSHES
Pad Pressure
Cleaning Chemicals
Machine maintenance
Finish and coatings
Squeegees
If you are not getting the results you want from your automatic floor scrubber it may not be the fault of the scrubber. There are a lot of other factors to consider. Chemicals, finishes, coatings, pads, brushes, type of soil on the floor, squeegee material and routine maintenance are just a few of the possibilities. An experienced supplier with the knowledge and training programs you need can ensure you get the cleaning results you wish to achieve.
Why Won’t My Automatic Scrubber Pick Up Water?
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkThis is part 3 of a 5 part series on common automatic floor scrubber problems. To recap, the first part is an overview of all the problems discussed and the second part is focused why your scrubber isn’t putting water down and if you’re reading this then you probably are either having issue with your scrubber not picking up water or are interested in learning some of the potential reasons for a scrubber leaving water behind.
Vacuuming up the dirty water on an automatic scrubber hasn’t changed a whole lot since the machines were first developed.  It is basically a vacuum motor pulling air and water through a hose attached to a squeegee on the rear of the scrubber.  The vacuum motor may be a 12, 24 or 36 volt motor, and it may be found in different places in the machine depending on the make and model, but the principle is the same. Some squeegees are lowered by hand and some lower automatically when the machine moves forward with the water control turned on.  Some vacuum motors are turned on with a switch and others turn on automatically when the squeegee is lowered.  Assuming that the vacuum motor is operating and the squeegee mechanism is down, let’s take a look at why you may not be picking up the dirty water.
Water pickup with your automatic scrubber is essentially an easy concept to understand and maintain. Â If you do not have good water pickup it is most likely because of worn or clogged hoses, worn squeegees or worn gaskets. Â Check for air leaks and obstructions and make sure you have a clean, level wiping surface on your squeegees.
For more information on how you can better maintain your automatic floor scrubber follow our blog and if there is anything else you need help with give us a call or contact us.
Water is Not Coming Out of my Auto Scrubber!?!
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkI’m not getting water out of my scrubber
This is part 2 of a 5 part series on common problems that can occur with your automatic floor scrubber. If you missed part 1 then you can access it here.
When automatic floor scrubbers were first invented some 60 years ago or so the dispensing of water was pretty simple. There was a hand operated lever near the dashboard of the machine that controlled a cable that opened and closed a solution ball valve near the top of the scrub brushes. The ball valve was gravity fed with water combined with cleaning chemicals from a tank that was positioned above the valve. Open the valve and water came out. Close the valve and the water stopped. Simple process to operate and fairly simple to repair or replace if it broke.
This mechanical system has been replaced on many current production scrubbers. On some models there is an electric pump that pumps water onto the floor or sprays the brushes with chemical solution that is used to wet the floor surface. Machines use filters to clean the water before it hits the floor. They use solenoids that control the water flow and chemical metering systems that pre-mix cleaning chemicals with water. These devices are all controlled through a computer board that regulates the process. This adds to service issues and things that might go wrong over time but these additions make the operator’s job easier and the scrubber more productive and efficient.
Since there are now more things to possibly go wrong this means there is a need for more routine maintenance and the possibility that the cleaning solution just isn’t hitting the floor.
Check these areas first:
You can see there are many possible elements that exist today on current production models that didn’t exist years ago. They all require routine maintenance. They make these newer automatic scrubbers more efficient and productive and more operator friendly but they also add to your daily routine maintenance checklist.
For more information on your auto scrubber please contact us at our service and PM page. We are here to answer your questions, address your concerns and solve your problems.
Thinking About Getting a Pool Heater?
/in Pool & Spa, Rhiel TalkHeaters are a great addition to your pool. No one enjoys swimming in chilly water and a heater can fix that for you. There are many types of heaters, such as natural gas, propane, electric, and solar heaters. So we compiled a list of information on each heater to help you decide what heater would be best for your pool.
Solar Heater – A solar heater is an inexpensive way to heat your pool. Besides purchasing the solar dome, there is no other cost associated with a solar heater. The draw back with solar heaters is that if you don’t have any sun, then your water will not be getting any heat. You also need to look at the size of your pool. If you have a 24 ft round pool, then you will need more than 1 solar heater for your pool. Depending on the amount of sun available that day, your pool might not be getting noticeably warmer.
Gas Heater – Gas heaters are the most common heaters customers chose to heat their pool. Gas heaters have a copper heat exchange, so maintaining your water chemistry is very important. If your water becomes unbalanced or too acidic, it will begin to eat away at your copper heat exchange very quickly. If you are not constantly monitoring your water chemistry with a gas heater and your copper heat exchange is ruined then you will need to have it repaired and it can be a very expensive thing to fix. Most customers who have their copper heat exchange eaten away end up having to purchase a new heater, because the repair cost is so high. Gas heaters may also involve landscaping, if you run gas lines straight to your pool.
Propane Heater – With propane heaters you will have to purchase or lease propane tanks. Propane heaters are what you will want to use if you can’t get a natural gas line run out to your pool. Propane heaters also have a copper heat exchange so they have the same risk as gas heaters if your water is not kept balanced. All-in-all propane heaters are very similar to gas heaters.
Electric Heater – Electric heaters, or heat pumps, have a titanium heat exchange. With titanium heat exchanges, great water chemistry is not as critical to your heat exchange life expectancy, but we still recommend you keep your water balanced. Unbalanced water can cause problems with your heater and your pool water itself. Electric heaters are more expensive to purchase, but they are less expensive to operate long term. Heat pumps do, however, require the ambient air temperature to be higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because a heat pump draws warmth from the surrounding air to heat the water. Most people do not use their pools if it is less than 40 degrees, but if you do you may want to consider something else.
Pool heaters are a great way to extend your swimming season and get more use out of your pool. They also help make your pool more comfortable during the season. If you are in the market for a pool heater make sure you take your time and find the right solution for your unique needs. I hope this brief overview can give you good start in your search for the perfect heater for your pool. If you have any questions or need help in the process please give us a call or stop into one of retail stores.
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Common Problems with Automatic Floor Scrubbers
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkWhat are the most common reasons automatic floor scrubbers need service? This will be an overview. The first in a 5 part series of why these cleaning machines break down and require service. Let’s first take a look at a little history and what automatic scrubbers do and how they perform.
Automatic scrubbers have evolved quite drastically over the last 60 years or so. The first floor scrubbers were very simple in mechanical nature but very inventive for the time. (Here is a quick summary on Automatic Floor Scrubber History) They dispensed water from a clean water holding tank, scrubbed the floor with the clean water and added cleaning chemical, and then vacuumed the floor dry with a vacuum system and squeegee mechanism on the back. These 4 areas are where most of the service is needed. Putting down water, picking up water, scrubbing the floor, and operating forward and reverse. It was true 60 years ago and still true today. Although the earlier machines were much simpler in their mechanical design.
Combining the actions of a floor mop, scrub brush and wet/dry vacuum all into one machine. The first scrubbers ran on electric supplied by plugging the machine into a wall outlet, but soon they were using batteries to propel the machine. This made them much more maneuverable and easier to use.
Because these machines combined all the necessary aspects to cleaning a floor, this made the floor cleaning process much more hygienic. Operators were discovering they could use disinfectants, degreasers, and specialized chemicals to aid in creating a cleaner environment. They are great for use in hospitals, schools, government buildings and all places where large groups of people congregate on a hard floor surface. They were soon discovered to be of great use in cleaning factory floors and other large buildings. As the popularity of the automatic floor scrubber grew, so did the complexity of the machines. Constant improvements by manufacturers were made to make the machines more maneuverable, efficient, productive and easier to use for the operator.
Since the first automatic floor scrubbers were fairly simple, the required maintenance was necessary but easy to perform. Clean out the tanks. Clean the brushes. Clean the squeegee assembly and the squeegees and you were pretty much done. There were possibly a few grease fittings to lubricate on a routine basis but that was all.
The scrub brushes were raised and lowered mechanically, usually either with a hand lever or a foot pedal. The operator would let up on the foot pedal to lower the brushes to the floor and push down to raise the brushes from the floor. This was a really simple lever action mechanical system that required very little maintenance. The squeegee mechanism used the same principle. Move a lever to one side with your hand and the floor squeegee lowered, move the lever back and the floor squeegee raised. Once again very little maintenance required.
Solution was dispensed through a mechanical valve that was opened and closed by the operator. The solution valve lever was usually located conveniently next to the operator’s hand to slide forward or back as he needed more or less water. This lever operated a cable that was attached to the solution valve above the brushes. Outside of an occasional corrosion issue after 10 years or so this was very reliable.
The vacuum motor that was used to remove the dirty water from the floor was operated by one switch on the dashboard. On or Off, that was it.
The first machines used the weight and pressure of the brushes to propel the machine forward so very little maintenance was required. There was no drive motor to worry about. Â You can still find some brush driven scrubbers today but most are powered by drive motors forward and reverse.
So you can see, when I get a request for a service call today, the reasons why haven’t changed a whole lot. The scrubber isn’t putting down water, it’s not picking up water, it’s not cleaning the floor properly or it’s not moving forward or reverse. These are the issues we hear most often. As the machines continue to evolve mechanically and electronically they become more complicated to service. They are also much more ergonomic, easier to use and produce less stress on the operator.
When purchasing an automatic floor scrubber, please take these aspects into consideration. Scrubbers are made to pick up all the dirt on the floors most people want to avoid. This dirt has to go somewhere and that is the inside the machine. They must be cleaned out on a routine basis to perform well. The four areas we addressed here are the most commonly heard issues for maintenance. Take care of these and you’ll get longer life out of your new purchase.
A good preventative maintenance program will help you prevent these problems and have less down time. Effective preventative maintenance has two big components; scheduled maintenance calls by a trained professional (monthly, quarterly, or semiannually depending on your needs) and daily routine maintenance done by you and your team.
For more details about our preventative maintenance program and service department please visit this page. Also be sure to check back or subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss parts 2 through 5 of this mini blog series on common problems with automatic floor scrubbers!
The Importance of Preventative Maintenance on Your Auto Scrubber
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkAutomatic Floor Scrubbers live in dirt. They are designed to suck up all the dirt and debris and contaminants that most other types of equipment are designed to avoid. This dirt gets everywhere. Most of it goes where it is designed to and ends up in the recovery water tank. However, because these machines work in water, the dirt also sticks to the inside of hoses, feed lines, filters, control valves, float assemblies, spray jets, squeegees, wheels, drive assemblies and a variety of other places.
These machines must be maintained if they are to continue functioning properly. I hear a lot of people say when they purchase a new machine that they don’t need a maintenance agreement. The new scrubber is under warranty and they can maintain it themselves in the meantime. The issue I’ve seen for over 30 years is that they never seem to have the time for the required periodic maintenance and they don’t realize the warranty coverage from almost all manufacturers does not cover routine maintenance. Warranties from manufacturers cover defects in material and workmanship. So, if the scrubber runs well when it is delivered, it becomes difficult to claim a defect after many hours of use when the machine is covered in dirt and debris and hasn’t been properly cleaned, inspected or maintained.
The average life of an automatic scrubber is approximately 7 years. With proper care they can last 10 years or more. It just makes sense when you consider the several thousand dollar investment, that the equipment be properly maintained.
A good periodic maintenance program will list many crucial areas to be inspected on a routine basis. A good rule to follow for preventative maintenance is every 100 hours or every 90 days. Perform the basic inspections to keep the machine in good running order. These include checking, repairing or replacing hoses, filters, linkages, grease fittings, drive motors, brush motors, vacuum motors, actuator motors, LCD displays, switches, solenoids, squeegees, and batteries are just some of the items that need routine inspection. Anything that moves or comes in contact with water or cleaning chemical needs to be cleaned.
Daily and weekly maintenance is something that needs constant attention. Check out this infograph for daily automatic scrubber maintenance. Batteries need to be checked, tested and filled at least on a weekly basis. Brooms, brushes, squeegees, solution and recovery tanks and debris trays need to be cleaned daily. At the end of every day wipe down the machine to remove any standing water that may promote corrosion or wear.
The importance of periodic maintenance on equipment that lives in dirt and water cannot be emphasized enough. The best place to start is by requesting a service inspection from your local expert cleaning equipment distributor. Most good local cleaning equipment distributors have the expertise and can inspect and maintain a variety of different brands, makes and models.
Contact us at the Rhiel Supply Company and we will be able to service your equipment on a timely and routine basis. We provide all the reports necessary for good record keeping. If you are outside our service area we can provide the name of a servicing distributor in your area.
Is an Automatic Floor Scrubber Right for You?
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkThinking about purchasing an automatic floor scrubber? There are a lot details to think about. Not just the construction and reliability but also maneuverability, coverage, the floor surface being scrubbed, type of debris being removed from the floor and budget requirements. A person can damp mop about 5,000 square feet of floor area in an hour. Automatic floor scrubbers can do 5 times that and more and be an essential part of your floor cleaning program.
Cleaning a floor is labor intensive. Automatic scrubbers can increase productivity, reduce labor hours, increase efficiency, and clean better than a mop. Up to 90% of the cost of cleaning is labor. Everything you can do to reduce this cost affects your budget. The one time cost of a floor scrubber can easily be justified by the savings in labor. The larger the facility, the larger the savings in labor.
If you’re not sure which machine may be right for your application, remember this, the machine with the lowest price tag is not necessarily the best machine for the job. Look at the Return on Investment (ROI). Even though it may be more expensive, a larger machine capable of cleaning much larger areas may be a better investment. The larger the coverage area, the greater the productivity and efficiency and the bigger the savings in labor.
To determine the ROI is a relatively simple process. Divide the Cost of the machine by the monthly labor savings. For example, if the equipment cost is $8,000.00 and the monthly labor savings is $1500.00, divide $8,000 by $1500. The result means you will have the machine paid for in a little over 5 months. The typical lifespan of an automatic scrubber is approximately 7 years. If well cared for the life span can reach 10 years. That means you will be saving $1500.00 per month in labor for the next 9.5 years. That’s a labor savings of $171,000.00 over 10 years on an $8,000.00 investment. Once you realize how much you can save in labor you may be able to justify an even larger scrubber, or you may be able to add additional equipment to do an even better job cleaning and add to the labor savings.
Make sure you are selecting the right machine for the job. This is a long term investment and selecting the wrong equipment may be something you have to live with for a long time.
Determining the right scrubber for your application is only the first step in the process. Now you must determine where to purchase it. For most facilities finding an expert local distributor is the way to go. Local distributors typically have multiple lines of equipment from which to choose. They also have experts in the floor care industry and the local parts and service departments to back up the equipment after the purchase. Make sure to have a representative complete an in depth facility survey that takes into consideration all of your issues and concerns. Local distributors can then demonstrate the scrubbers that will do the best job and stay within your budget requirements.
For more information on the proper selection of an automatic floor scrubber contact us at the Rhiel Supply Company. We can help with expert knowledge, state of the art equipment, facility surveys and equipment demonstrations.
The Ultimate Scrubber Showdown: Pads vs. Brushes
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkBasic understanding:  As in choosing how to clean anything the same premise applies to pads and brushes.  What type of floor surface are you trying to clean and what type of dirt or debris are you trying to remove.  This is the basis for deciding whether to use pads or brushes and what type to use.  Floor pads are typically used with floor machines, burnishers, or automatic floor scrubbers.  Scrubbers operate at 175 to 300 rpm.  Burnishers operate at 1500 to 3000 rpm.  Cleaning pads are round and made to fit the diameter of the pad holder on the machine.  Hand pads are available, made with the same type of material if you have an application where a machine won’t fit.  If you are cleaning a resilient tile floor with multiple coats of finish that is already relatively clean you are going to use a light duty pad or soft fiber brush.  This will wash the floor, break away any loose dirt and not damage the finish.  If you are cleaning a pitted, uneven concrete floor imbedded with dirt, oil and grease an aggressive brush is going to be your choice.  Pads come in a variety of colors, and textures for a wide range of applications.  Brushes range from soft bristles to extremely aggressive bristles and are used for concrete, tile, carpet and other varying floor types.
Cleaning Pads:  These come in multiple colors to indicate the aggressiveness of the pad.  White for cleaning.  Red for scrubbing.  Green or Blue for deep scrubbing or top scrubbing.  Black for stripping.  The darker the color the more aggressive the pad.  White or red pads will not remove floor finish if used properly.  Green or Blue pads will remove the top layer of floor finish.  These are used for top scrubbing where you want to remove the top layer and any dirt that is imbedded in it.  You can then add another coat or two of finish to brighten the floor.  Black pads are used for completely stripping the finish from the floor.  Black pads come in regular and high productivity pads.  The high productivity pads are more expensive but they are much more productive and efficient and most often will save time and labor.  All colors of pads come in sizes to fit all floor machines or automatic scrubbers.  The standard sizes are 13â€, 17†and 20†but all sizes are available to fit any size machine you may have.
Polishing Pads:  Polishing pads come in lighter colors typically tan or light pink or light blue.  Polishing pads are also known as burnishing pads.   Burnishing machines are available in electric, battery or propane powered and come in walk-behind or riding units. Polishing or burnishing pads are designed to put a brilliant shine on the floor.  Assuming there is enough floor finish to do so.  As they shine the floor it also hardens the finish to better protect it.  I have seen customers try to use red or green or blue scrubbing pads on a burnisher only to find out that is not a good idea.  The dye in the pad can bleed out if you hit a high spot on the floor and leave a colored mark in the tile.  In addition, scrubbing pads are made to be used on lower speed scrubbing machines.  They don’t hold up as well and often times come apart at high speeds.
Brushes:  Brushes come in a variety of fiber or bristle types from soft nylon to aggressive bristles with carbide steel implants.  The soft bristles can be used on resilient tile and other types of coated floor surfaces while the aggressive bristle bushes, also known as Nylo-Grit or Strata-Grit are used for pitted concrete with dirt, oil and greasy buildup.  Brushes are also better a choice in other situations like grouted tile, carpet, and other uneven and textured surfaces.  The bristles will dig into the uneven surfaces where a pad will glide over the top.  If you are using a brush for carpet you will want to break in the brush before using it.  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions first on how to break in your particular brush.
Which cost more: Brushes can outlast a pad 100 to 1 in usage rate.  But they are much more expensive and require more cleaning when you are done scrubbing.  Say you are spending $3.00 each for a floor pad.  A brush used in a similar situation could cost $150.00.  At 100 to 1 you could spend $300.00 on pads versus $150.00 on a single brush.  But that isn’t the whole story.  Both pads and brushes should be cleaned out before the next use.  If you are stripping a floor, the floor finish and stripper will build up inside the pad or brush.  You should always use both sides of a pad but it can still be thrown away after using it.  Because of the investment, a brush will have to be cleaned.  The labor cost to clean out pads could far exceed the cost of the pad itself so throwing away the pad could be the least expensive option.   The labor cost to clean out a pad can become greater than the cost of the pad.  So even though brushes could be a better option long term, in some applications pads become cheaper to use because of labor costs.
Specialty Brushes: Â Â Specialty grinding Brushes are available to put a brilliant shine on terrazzo or concrete floors using only water. Â These diamond based brushes come in a series of grits from aggressive to fine and are used in a process to gain a brilliant shine on concrete or terrazzo without using a finish or coating. After using these special tools, regular brushes can be used to maintain the floors and the shine. Â There are also other specialty brushes designed for use with tile and grout and other textured, uneven, or synthetic surfaces.
Specialty Pads: Â Specialty pads are also being used to clean a variety of new floor surface types. Â Newer, textured, uneven synthetic surfaces create a problem for floor care but newer pads are helping to maintain these surfaces. Â Pads are available now to remove scuff marks and combat the buildup that occurs in grout lines on tile floors.
Stripping pads are also a newer product. Â When used with the right floor scrubbing equipment these pads can remove floor finish using only water. Â These pads can cover about 5,000 square feet per pad and not use any chemical stripper.
Chemicals:  The chemicals used with the pads can be as crucial to the cleaning process as the pads or brushes you use. The pads and brushes are designed to agitate but the right cleaning chemical will help emulsify the dirt and lift it from the floor.   Always use the right chemicals to remove the dirt or debris and always use it according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
As with most products, the pad and brush manufacturers are constantly making innovative designs and using newer materials to make the cleaning process easier and more cost effective. Â To make sure you are using the most efficient products for your particular facility, contact us and we can assist in designing a cost effective program to maintain your facility.
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The Dawn of The Automatic Floor Scrubber
/in Equipment, Rhiel TalkThe Advance Machine Company began manufacturing terrazzo floor grinding machines in 1924. In 1928 they started making the first Automatic floor scrubbers that put down water, scrubbed the floor, and vacuumed the floor dry in the same operation. Advance made their first Convertamatic floor scrubber in 1958. These models came in 26B, 32B, 38B, 260BHD, 320BHD & 380BHD.
Clarke started the manufacture of bar sanders in 1916. In the 1920’s they put a stick on the sander to do floors. In the 1950’s they introduced floor machines and in 1958 they introduced their first automatic floor scrubber. In 1963 Clarke started manufacturing their best yet, TB28 and TB32 series of floor scrubbers. In my opinion these 2 scrubbers are two of the best automatic floor scrubbers ever made. I’ve been selling and servicing automatic floor scrubbers since 1983. I hope I have established some credibility in this field over the last 33 years.
These companies are not the only ones to pioneer this industry but in my opinion the Advance Convertamatic and the Clarke TB series scrubbers were 2 of the best. They worked well, they were heavy, durable, relatively easy to operate, and built to last a lifetime.
Both companies have since been purchased by other companies. Acquired a couple of times actually. But they are both still in the market selling their current version of a machine that scrubs and dries floors.
These machines were the beast of the era. They performed well with minimum downtime. What else can you ask? Since then there have been a number of improvements made by companies that weren’t even around when Clarke and Advance were founded.
Once again, this is only my 33 years of experience influencing me, but I believe one of the best alternatives if you are looking for a scrubber to do it all, meet all your expectations and provide clean, dry floors, in any situation, the answer is Factory Cat/Tomcat.
These machines have taken floor cleaning to a whole new level. These are state of the art, computer controlled, productive, efficient, and built to last. These machines cannot only scrub the floor; they can sweep up debris like a sweeper at the same time. They have filters that filter the clean water before it touches the floor, filters that filter the dirty water to prevent clogs and variable solenoids that control water flow. They have state of the art on-board computer systems that monitor all functions of the machine and draw amps off the batteries in the smallest amount required to operate the machine productively. It monitors the brush motors, vacuum motors, drive motors so as to provide the power needed at any one time while providing maximum efficiency and providing longer running time. This reduces wear on the batteries and provides maximum run time. If the owner of the machine does not like the factory settings for speed control, water control, brush speed, down pressure, Â or many other variables, the on board computer may be adjusted by simply plugging in a laptop to the on-board computer and making the necessary adjustments. All this means is that you will get the cleanest floors possible, with the least amount of amp draw, and providing the longest run time and battery life attainable. It also means you no longer need a big guy running the scrubber. Because of the smooth computer controls, anyone can operate this equipment and not suffer fatigue from running the machine.
Tomcat/Factory Cat Scrubbers are available in Models that range from 17″ to 46″ Scrub Paths in Walk-Behind and Riding machines. They carry a 3 year warranty, and if you purchase our scrubber approved chemical from us to clean your floors there are many items that we will cover for the life of the machine.
All this makes Factory Cat/Tomcat one of the best options available on the market today if you are in the market to find the most productive, efficient way to clean your floors with a minimum amount of downtime.
Give us a call. We’ll demonstrate a machine in your facility at your convenience.
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GenEon TRIO RX and U.S. EPA Registration
/in Maintenance, Rhiel TalkGenEon Technologies (San Antonio, TX) has just announced that their TRIO RX On-Site Generation system is now capable of producing a U.S. EPA Registered Disinfectant. This is a huge step forward for on-site generation (OSG) technology and infection prevention as a whole. Being registered by the EPA now allows GenEon to more effectively combat the spread of infection in schools, healthcare facilities and food service and food prep facilities. It is important to note that solution generated by the GenEon system is chemical-free. The registration number now puts this OSG chemical-free solution at the same level as chemical disinfectants manufactured in factories. Chemical-free cleaning and sustainable maintenance practices have come a long way since they first arrived in the industry and this is perhaps one of the greatest advancements to date.
Who is GenEon?
This quote from the GenEon announcement of their registration number–found here–sums up the big picture view of who GenEon is and what they are trying to accomplish. The company provides several different units that generate the chemical-free solutions. On-site generation is simply the process of generating your cleaning or disinfecting solution at your facility as opposed to buying a chemical or product that is manufactured elsewhere. Currently their systems can produce a glass cleaner/general purpose cleaner, a heavy-duty degreaser, a cleaner/sanitizer and a cleaner/disinfectant. This replaces virtually all of the cleaning chemicals used on a daily basis for facility maintenance. They have a wide range of systems from low volume units for small facilities to high volume units for larger facilities. GenEon is currently at the forefront of the shift toward a sustainable, smarter approach to cleaning/disinfecting. To learn more about GenEon check out their about us page.
What is Chemical-Free Cleaning
Chemical-free cleaning in the the context in which we are using it is a sustainable alternative to using traditional chemical cleaners. There are many names for this technology such as smart water, engineered water, activated water, electrochemical activation (eca), electrolyzed water. For more information on these types of technologies checkout this Sanitary Maintenance article. In recent years this technology has made great strides, the headline of this article being one of them, that are beginning to reshape and reinvent the way the world sees cleaning. Chemical-free cleaning allows front line workers to not be exposed to hazardous chemicals everyday which will be a great benefit to their health, it allows facility occupants to not be exposed to any left over residue and it is a positive benefit to the environment. Facilities of the future will all utilize this technology and pair it with other sustainable practices which will create a better, brighter future for all of us.
The sanitary supplies industry is rapidly moving into the future and changing the way the world views cleaning. Follow our blog to keep current on more
Discover more information about GenEon Technologies by visiting their website www.geneontechnologies.com