I have Rainbow Rep coming to my house

[crazykirbydude]

Rainbows are just too clunky for me. It's like pulling a Shop-Vac around the house. I also don't like the fact that I have to fill it with water every time I want to use it and empty the nasty dirty water with hair clumps after I'm done. You can't flush it, because it will clog your pipes. You can't dump it in the yard because you'll soon have hair clumps all over your yard. You cant dump it in the trash either, because in no time, you'll have a stinky, moldy, mosquito-infested garbage can. Also, I hate mold, and the risk of rust and mold buildup is much greater with a Rainbow. My aunt has the SE model, and it didn't blow my skirt up. The electric hose was especially annoying, because you had to hold down a trigger to turn on the PN. Also, I saw a near new E2 Black come into the Aerus dealer where I help out, and the carbon brushes were all jacked up in it! It's just too much hassle for me to deal with a Rainbow when I can just toss a bag and be done with it.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Empty the Rainbow

In the compost bin.  It's dirt, it's water, problems solved.


 


 

 

[n0oxy]

water vacs

If you want a water vacuum at a cheaper price I would suggest looking at the Sirena or the Quantum. They work just as well as the Rainbow and are much cheaper, don't get me wrong, Rainbows are good machines, I have one that I bought new but the Sirena and Quantum work just as well and in some ways are better because they get the dirt in to the water better. Then of course there is the Hyla, Vivenso, Ritello and Roboclean as well and these are also higher priced.
Mike

 

[crazykirbydude]

Well, I don't have a compost bin, and vacuum dirt doesn't biodegrade. I used to empty my bagless machines outside in the backyard, and I noticed that the hair clumps stayed for up to six months.

 

[electroluxxxx]

Adin

Must not have been an e2 black then because they do not use brushes. Seems like you have something against machines that aren't Aerus/Electrolux or Kirby.

 

[kirbylux77]

Nicholas

I would avoid Ocean Blue, that would not be a good choice. 60" waterlift isn't good for a canister vacuum, you would find motors that produce that strong of suction in upright vacuums, not a powerteam canister. Most canisters, regardless of whether it has a powerhead or what kind of dirt capture method they use, have a range of 85" waterlift for low end, entry level units, to 100" waterlift & even more for high end, TOL units. So to see 60" waterlift on a powerteam canister is really rather low.

I can also tell by looking at the pictures on their website that it is being run by Great Vacs. The pictures that Great Vacs use on their website to market the Ocean Blue are identical. My ex had a bad experience with them buying a refurbished Dyson DC07, & I have heard too many stories of other dissatisfied customers to recommend to others be dealing with them. You might also be interested to know that Ocean Blue themselves at one point appeared to have gone out of business - their products disappeared entirely - so in my mind this company still might be on shaky ground. Not good if you're making a investment in home cleaning equipment, if it breaks down & needs repairs later you may be out of luck for obtaining parts.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Compost,

Yes, but.  Vacuum dirt is  DIRT.  If you don't garden, use it for house plants. 


Hair will compost, it is just slower than other organic material; but it will break down. 


 


You can also do as others on this site have mentioned in the past.  Keep a strainer by the toilet.  Pour the water through the strainer, dump the solids in the waste can.  Honestly, there isn't any more moisture remaining than coffee grounds.  Spritz it with Lysol if you are afraid of mold.


 


 

 

[crazykirbydude]

Why would I go through all of that trouble when I can just toss a bag when it gets full?

 

[kirbysthebest]

Never Mind

Every machine will have it's pros and cons. 


I was offering a solution to using this particular type of machine with the objections voiced.


 


 


 


 

 

[mark40511]

I've always

dumped the rainbow water down my toilet. It's always just looked like mop water probably because I've always vacuumed almost every day.

I remember growing up and my grandma had a rainbow. We always dumped that outside because it was just straight up thick.

The past few months though, I've been using a HEPA bagged upright and sucking some activated charcoal granules in the bag and zero smell. So even with bagged vacuums, you can neutralize the odors. But I still would never give up my Rainbow.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I don't have anything against other vacuums. I am quite fond of SEBO and Riccar, but Aerus Electrolux and Kirby are my favorites. I was just stating my opinion about Rainbow. It's too much of a hassle for me. If it works for you, then cool. Regarding the Rainbow with the carbon brush issue, it was still pretty new, and a vacuum that expensive shouldn't be having major issues so soon.

 

[panasonicvac]

Regarding central vacs

There are lots of reasons of why I would take a central vacuum anyday over a Rainbow. Yes all the dirt goes out of the house and into the unit in the garage but they are also simpler to use, quieter, and they are usually more powerful. There are certain models that would have two suction motors instead of one that are over twice as powerful compare to Rainbow, you could even have two users vacuuming with it at once. There are also other cool features that a central vacuum has that the Rainbow doesn't such as the vacpan, the Wally flex, and the Vroom for example. Plus I don't need to maintain the vacuum everytime that I would use use it, I could just empty it like twice a year and call it good. And usually there are units that offer one of the best guarantee's in the industry, Vacuflo for example has a limited lifetime warranty.

 

[electroluxxxx]

If the rainbow had carbon brushes it would almost be 20 years old considering the last rainbow to have carbons was 2003. The e series single speed machine was prone to issues hence the 6 year run. Rexair used 2 styles of motor in that machine and to be honest one was definitely better than the other.

 

[tomdawg]

I bought one!

I vacuumed my floors 3 different times with my Miele before the rainbow rep came.
The Guy was really nice and respectful
He even Complimented the Miele saying its a high end vacuum.
I vacuumed my living room with the rainbow and i picked up so much sand out of my carpet.. I could not believe it. my carpet even looks and feels like new now!
thanks guys for the tips and talks about the vacuum

Tom

 

[vexorgtr]

CENTRAL VACUUM stuff.

I'm a Central vac user who sold my Rainbows in the conversion. I have a LOT of opinions on Central vacuums, and I'll share the things I think are most essential.

I prefer motor/power units that are ALL about the power/air watts, and have essentially one function... SUCK. Any power unit with fancy digital control panels, and "luxurious" electronic controls are NOT welcome here.

I insist on having a STANDARD style/size inlet, so I can use whatever kind of hose I want.... and I want a STANDARD style hose so I can fit whatever tools I want on it.

I'd vent it outside and skip the HEPA filtration.

I find the BOTTOM mounted dirt pails annoying. I had a bagged unit, and putting the dirt pail back on was a pain... Now that I switched to a top-loader, it's 100% easier.

I'd rather just throw out a full dirt bag than have to mess with any sort of bagless system.

It's my opinion that the air plumbing should be done much like water plumbing... with the "rolls down hill" mentality in play. This helps prevent clogs, and you aren't fighting against gravity, allowing you to suck up heavier debris. In our computer shop, there's lots of screws and stuff that get sucked up, and I want them to end up in the tank and not fluttering in the hose.

The tools for a CV are amazing, allowing you to clean high and low... and with the standard tool size, you have tons of options.

My favorite power units are the ones from Lindsay Mfg... showing up as brands like VacuMaid, Imperiium, & Valet. They meet all the things I like and don't like.. the power units are simple, powerful, and reliable.

Sorry if this is too much, but once someone said Central Vacuum, it flipped my mental switch.

 

[mark40511]

when my house was being built in 2004

I came SOOOOOO close to putting in a central vacuum....... but this was back when I knew next to nothing about vacuums. I was one of those people that just use them didn't think much about it. I regret not doing it. But with this 12-foot extension hose I can connect to practically ANY vacuum including rainbow.....I kind of feel like I'm using a central vacuum because I can get EVERYWHERE up and down in the house.

https://www.amazon.com/Maresh-Produ...laoCI&pd_rd_wg=OHiTV&pf_rd_p=5c5ea0d7-2437-4d

 

[vexorgtr]

I fell into Central Vacuum Ownership

The home I own was purchased because it's zoned on residential/commercial land, and there was a store built on site. I moved here because of the store. The place happened to have a 1970's era Nutone CV... No parts for it were here. One day I decided to see if I could make it work... The motor ran OK... Being broke from just buying the place, I sold some stuff to buy a hose and tools. Although it had no electric at the inlets, with Turbo tools it was more convenient than anything else I had....

After about 5-6 years, the motor's bearing started whining... so I bought the bigger CV300 Imperium power unit I have today... then I put electric in by the inlets and got power tools. Central vacuum can whup as much butt as Chuck Norris.

 

[rivstg1]

Kirbsythebest: great ideas, I agree completely.

Panasonicvac & vexorgtr: what would it cost( roughly) to install a quality central vac in a 3 story house that's already built( basement/1st level/2nd level)?
I would imagine that the combined pricing of the vac and extensive installation might be a sizable deterrent against a central vac unless one was in the building phase of a home?

Pus. I've never found dumping the dirty water basin a big deal... Sometimes down the toilet ( never a backup clogging in my 20 years with am E series, E2. Black, or D4 SEe.Or, is dump it outside and eventually hand gather the dried fuzz intomthe trash next time I ran across it . no big deal

 

[n0oxy]

rainbow water and central vacuum

Hope you enjoy your new rainbow. Actually though, no vacuum will remove everything out of a carpet each time, so this does not mean that the Rainbow is cleaning better than your Miele, had you vacuumed again with your Miele you probably would have gotten a similar result.
When I use my water vacs, I also just dump it down the toilet, I live in a second floor apartment and don't really want to carry the machine down two flights of stairs and outside. I've never had a problem.
Central vacuums are awesome. I have 8 central vacuum units around my apartment, I just connect the hose directly to them, no pipes, it's awesome. I actually use those more than anything else since in order to use a canister, I would have to dig the hose out, I have all of my hoses in a tote, much quicker to just pull out the central vacuum hose. I store all of my nonelectric attachments in another tote and have all of my electric power nozzles under my bed. Since all of my central vacuum units are next to an outlet, using an electric nozzle is never a problem, my central vacuum hose has a pigtail cord on it. I'm also not a fan of nonstandard hoses, I want to be able to use any attachment.
Mike

 

[vexorgtr]

There's some great information on retro-fitting a central vacuum on a few of the vendor's web sites. I have a good amount of practice working in closed walls from wiring computer networks (I'm a technician). For a retro-fit, install you inlets close to electric outlets for the easiest set up. If your basement is NOT finished, then you're in a good way to install the power unit there, and vent it outside.

Usually, everything you need for a CV300 based system would cost under $1500 in parts, unless your home is enormous.