Anatomy of a Multi-Cyclonic Separator

[vintagehoover]

What do you do when you're bored at 4am?

I dissect my cleaners. This is the cyclone system from my Vax Mach 7. Like Dyson, Vax claim 'No loss of suction' - I wanted to see exactly how it worked! Luckily for me, the cyclone unit is a lot more simply designed than Dyson's, and is held together with screws, not ultra-sonic welds!

First off, here's the cyclone system in it's outer bin.

 

[vintagehoover]

Here it is removed from the bin, and with the top section of outer-casing removed (4 screws):

 

[vintagehoover]

With the inner cyclone tube and debris baffle removed (3 tabs, twists off):

 

[vintagehoover]

Inner casing removed (3 screws):

 

[vintagehoover]

Shroud removed (3 screws):

 

[vintagehoover]

Inner cyclone duct removed (pulls off):

 

[vintagehoover]

Multi-cyclone molding removed (lifts off):

 

[vintagehoover]

Other side of upper internal casing (safety valve removed):

 

[vintagehoover]

Safety valve:

 

[vintagehoover]

Safety valve assembled:

 

[vintagehoover]

After the largest debris has been spun out of the airstream by the low-efficiency cyclone in the clear bin, the dirt passes through the shroud and heads upwards. It's then split between 7 high efficiency cyclone cones. The dirt is forced downwards, where it falls out of the bottom of the cones, through the cyclone duct and to the bottom of the inner chamber. The clean air goes up and out of the tops of the 7 little tubes in the upper internal molding, and through the pre-motor filter.

 

[vintagehoover]

Anyway...that's how I spent my evening. I hope you found it interesting!

 

[kenmore81]

I enjoyed it

we have the MACH 5 I belive. I have not seen the 7 here yet although I havn't been to any vacuum shops lately,just the department stores.I was wondering how well it filtered the dust and if the filters etc were easy to clean. Im not a big fan of bagless but i do try to keep one handy for quick pickups and for shedding season, I look for one that isn't too messy to clean and filters that dont clog every 2minutes of vacuuming.
I to disect vacuums at 4 am if im not at work Jack.:~)
Kenny

 

[vintagehoover]

Hi Kenny,

the Mach 7 is the Hoover Windtunnel + Cyclonic in the US (see link!). I have noticed that the shroud section of the US version is different in appearance - can anyone tell me if it differs significantly internally, and in terms of function?

Over here, it's the Vax flagship upright from their premium 'Mach' line. I got mine in early February, and I've used it almost daily since. As well as cleaning my own house with it, I've used it each week to clean 2 other people's homes as well.

This is the foam section of the pre-motor filter as it is right now. I haven't had to wash it so far, and the suction's still strong. As far as I'm concerned, it does a pretty good job, and doesn't let much fine dust through. In addition to dissecting the cyclone assembly, I took off both of the removeable sections of air-duct which run down to the motor, and wiped the insides with a black cloth. There was no fine dust on the inside of them at all, and nothing but a slight carbon deposit on the HEPA post-motor filter.

http://www.hoover.com/product.aspx?model=U5780900&ds=false

 

[beerad]

hmmm

the cones look like a bunch of filter queen cones stretched and then put in a cylinder...
very interesting...

 

[vintagehoover]

The Vax Mach7 Pets & Stairs

Currently the only vacuum on the UK market to offer Windtunnel Technology. I'm actually in the process of upgrading my Mach7 to US-spec; when Vax adapt US Hoover designs for sale in the UK, the brush-roll is replaced with a much softer one, which is gentler on Berber/looped pile carpets, wool carpets, etc. I'm being sent the more aggressive US brush-roll - I want to see how performance is affected.

 

[vintagehoover]

See what I mean about the difference between the US and UK designs? They look totally different!

I watched a shopping-channel demo of the Hoover version, and it looked as if the shroud had clogged really quickly with the pethair/fibres they were cleaning up. I've never had this problem at all with the Vax, the shroud's always totally clean...

 

[rolls_rapide]

That's because...

The US Hoover machine is a 'dual cyclone' copy. The UK Vax Mach-7 is a 'root cyclone' design.

 

[normvac]

Thanks Jack, I would have never had any idea of what the differences were.
Norm