Help me understand wet vacs....

[Bigpikle]

I need to understand wet vacs and extractors so I make sure I get the right thing.....

Which type of machine will pump a cleaning solution/water into the carpet and then suck it up again? I want to be able to either:

1. spray fabric cleaner on the carpet and work it in, then be able to use the vac to pump clean water through to rinse it all out and then suck it up

or

2. have cleaning solution in the machine and simply use that to pump it through the carpet and suck up all the dirty residue, so no further rinsing is needed.

I dont really understand the difference between these types of wet vac and an extractor Was looking at the Vax 020 and 6131 and of course the good old George, but what is the real difference and which machines do what?

thanks for the help...

[Gaz W]

An extractor is purely a vacuum that can suck wet and dry, a wet vac can spray both Detergent/Water, as well as suck wet and dry. There isn't a huge amount of difference between machines. I much prefer my little Vax to a George, I actually think its more powerful, not as big either, and the nozzle is smaller which is ideal for tight interiors.

I personally tend to use your option 1, purely because aggitating the Detergent tends to give better results, as the nozzle of wet vac's tend to be not too good at aggitating the product.

I have a Vax 020, and use this process:

- Shake the mat to remove excess dirt and debris
- Spray Fabric Cleaner (I really like ValetPro Interior Cleaner) onto the surface, aggitate with a stiff bristled brush, being sure to get the edge of the mat if cleaning mats.
- Fill the wet vac detergent compartment with Warm Water, give 2 passes in each direction with water being sprayed, then after 2 passes in each direction just purely extract the water/detergent without spraying water onto the area.
- You will know when you aren't going to get any more from the area, you'll see the nozzle won't be taking up any liquid.

HTH,

Gaz

[Bigpikle]

thanks Gaz - hoped you might chime in

much clearer now. Was looking at the Vax 020 and the 6131, so will keep an eye on ebay for a good deal. Right now, most of the 020's seem to go for the same price as I can get a 6131 for, by the time you include shipping...

[Pride & Performance]

i use the george and think it's great,

i use a very simalar method to GAZ,

again using valet pro interior cleaner or auto glym interior cleaner,
i fill the resevroir in the vac and start.

firstly i dry vac the whole car then i go back around with the wet vac doing 2-3 passes with the trigger pulled to spray and suck in one and then 2-3 passes with out the trigger pulled to dry the area,

if the area is badly stained i will lift the nozzle of the surface and spray the area with the trigger then aggitate followed by the first process to dry the area

hope this helps u a little,

[Schnorbitz]

Someone's posted a link to Vax 020s for £35 from Makro. If you can afford it, the Numatic is better built from what I've seen. I have a Vax 2000 which I think is similar to the 6131? Uses suction to draw the wash water through, it's not pumped or sprayed. Works well enough though, plenty of spares available. I just ordered a smaller wash head for car work.

[Bigpikle]

saw the link but no Makro within 50 miles of me.... Found the 6131 at £70 new so might invest in one fo those if a 020 doesnt come up on eBay at a decent price

[caledonia]

Vax 020 all the way.
Great wee machine. Agree with Gaz the small Upholstery tool is fantastic to get into all those tight areas.

I guess the only down side of the machine is you cant use it as a dry VAX. But if you do not require this. Its a smart buy as it does not take up that much room.
Gordon.

[Bigpikle]

thanks Gordon - small is good as we have too many gadgets already

[ads2k]

Good price for the 6131 Damon , I think that would work better for me. One machine that does wet & dry , or is it better to have one machine for each ?? therefore having a machine designed to do the best job - rather than one that has to compromise doing 2.

Which option is better ?

[Bigpikle]

Originally Posted by ads2k

Good price for the 6131 Damon , I think that would work better for me. One machine that does wet & dry , or is it better to have one machine for each ?? therefore having a machine designed to do the best job - rather than one that has to compromise doing 2.

Which option is better ?

Adam - looking at the description it appears the 6131 does the same as 020 with the added benefit, so probably not worth 2 machines...