IS YOUR SKIRT RIPPED?

    Fielding questions from my customers is what I enjoy best and I certainly receive a lot of them. Some of the questions have simple answers and others require more of an explanation. Such a question was asked and I think it goes to the heart of all sweepers and how they perform. This is from an e-mail and here is what he wrote: “I have a Tennant Model #800 sweeper. It was not picking everything up and leaving streaks of dirt behind. I decided to install a new main broom. After installation I proceeded to sweep and it is doing the same thing and didn’t help at all. What’s wrong?”

    There is more to a sweeper than the main broom. The sweeper cleaning the floor is a process and only by me explaining this process will we get our answer. So let us examine this systematically and procedurally. When a sweeper is in operation this is how it works:

                                        The main broom sweeps in a counter clock-wise motion

                                        throwing the debris into a hopper. The large debris, such

                                        as woods chips, pop cans, etc. stay in the bottom of the

                                        hopper. The small and lighter items are sucked into the upper

                                        compartment where the hopper filter or commonly known as

                                        “panel filters” are placed. This is where most, if not all, light

                                        dirt particles also settle. This is why your hopper filter gets so

                                        dusty. All of this action takes place because it is drawn upward

                                        by the vac system. The vac system is comprised of a vacuum

                                        fan propelled by either a hydraulic or electric motor.

                                        Finally, this type of system lacks one thing and is absolutely

                                        useless without it and that’s the vacuum chamber. So, we have come

                                        full circle because the vac chamber is also designed around the

                                        main broom. Some engineers refer to this as the broom or main

                                        broom chamber. Without it the large items would be swept into the

                                        hopper only, not the fine particles.

                                        Knowing all that I have explained, let’s now look at this item-by-item.

1. The main broom needs to be examined thoroughly. A

typical main broom has 3” of bristle. Anything shorter

than ¾” long should be replaced. However, just as

important, measure the bristle at opposite ends to ensure

even wear.

 

2. Make sure the hopper is empty. People are often surprised when I ask them the last time the hopper was emptied. Especially with multiple operators there is always a guy that forgets to empty the hopper. Since we are discussing the Tennant Model #800, the hopper capacity is around 1800 to 2000 pounds when full. In this case I was told that there was only one operator, so I never brought this up.

 

3. Remove the hopper filter filter/panel filter and clean them. the Model #800 has two filters. To perform this task, raise the hopper lid and the filters are located there. Remove them and clean thoroughly. The filters, if paper must be cleaned with compressed air. There are washable filters on the market which can be washed in soapy water, then let air dry.

 

4. Next, if most debris is being picked up and some is not, the vacuum motor is working. So go to the next step.

5. Broom Chamber Skirts. In the beginning my customer said it was leaving streaks of dirt and, of course, this is the key word, “streaks.” Do you remember earlier I was telling you how important the broom chamber was. This chamber is made up of skirting material. Over time the skirts wear as squeegees do on a scrubber. They also get cut from debris such as glass or metal banding. When this occurs, your machine vacuum decreases. Those streaks of dirt on the floor, I’ll bet is where there are cuts or open cuts in your skirts. That’s the problem and the solution is to replace all the skirts.

    A week later, I received an e-mail and instantly knew who is was from. It said, simply, “Replaced skirts, sweeping like new. Thank you.”

    I appreciate the response in my e-mail (mikec98423@yahoo.com). Please feel free to e-mail or call at 1-800-346-2319.

                                                                    Michael R. Creamer