Late 80's Numatic

[rob_89]

Hi all,

quite new around here, so thought it was time for me to contribute something!

This Numatic vacuum has been owned by my nan as far back as I remember..it started life as a contract machine used in a hospital where she worked at the time, and has now been in regular use for at least 20 years. I offered to clean it up and decided it was a keeper, seeing as it's a little older than me, and swapped it for my newer Henry cleaner.

Pics follow- original condition and after a clean up!

 

[rob_89]

Under the hood..

Lots of fine dust! On closer inspection this seemed to be mostly building dust from house renovation. I suspect a fair amount of it could also be from its days of commercial use, where more fine dust would be picked up in greater quantities.

These cleaners have a large cloth filter over the bucket/drum, and can be used with or without paper bags- judging by the filter, its been used both bagged and bagless depending on the task. Despite the dirt, the motor still runs very smoothly and quietly.

 

[rob_89]

And clean again!

Treated the cleaner to a bath, and removed his second face! The plastic came up nicely after a buff with car wax, and he once again has a glossy hat.

Inside- early filters were made of a red, felt-like material. This has a more substantial feel to it than later filter designs- it has a metal band reinforcing the rubber seal, no doubt an influence from heavy use industrial cleaners Numatic also produce.

Fitted a 'Hepa-Flo' disposable bag- these have replaced the (decent) paper bags, and are a marked improvement. Made of fleece material a la Miele and others, the drum inside the cleaner stays spotless after several bags, and the suction remains strong until the bag is packed full.

 

[rob_89]

With tools..

The complete cleaner, with stainless steel tubes and original floortool.

Numatic cleaners are popular throughout the UK for being simple, tough, effective machines. The design of this model (identical to the most popular Henry model) has changed very little overall since its launch in the early 80's- a few features have been added for user convenience, such as a hi-lo switch, and a more stable wheelbase.

Mine is still missing the machine hose end connector! Any UK members know where I could find an original one of these? I believe this would have had a smooth non swivel fitting. I'd like to get it back to 'like new' condition- all the parts, including the hose and filter are original. Tubes and floor tool came with an early 90's Henry I had seperately.

Rob

 

[turbo500]

Very nice Rob
Is this the old style 800w motor? Amazing machines. Just goes to show how robust they are. Keep it up, dude!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Here is another machine by Numatic

Specifically made and certified for allergy sufferers, available to allery sufferers VAT free.

There used to be a battery operated 'dust sensor' attachment that you could insert between the hose end, and the tool. It seems to be no longer available.

http://www.allergybestbuys.com/ebut...lterandmedivaccompactwithtools-med001m.shtml#

 

[rob_89]

Hi guys,

thanks Chris! Yeah this is an 800w model, the most reliable motor they used in Henrys I believe. It has slightly less suction than my newer Henry (1200w motor)- still powerful. As you probably know, these cleaners pick up almost anything..have lost a duster before now cleaning it with the end of the hose!

I love the look of Medivac machines, so expensive though! I am surprised to see them still being sold through the website you linked Rolls. Their website vanished several months ago, and when i wrote to them requesting more information on their cleaners it was returned as undeliverable, which made me think they have gone out of business. Perhaps Numatic are still manufacturing a limited quantity for Allergy best buys?

 

[turbo500]

^Hoovering up a duster - classic comedy moment there, Rob!
I've got the new twin flo Henry with the eco motor but would love an older one. Keeping my eyes peeled. In it's short life, my Henry has handled plaster dust, chunks of brick, paper, bits of dry paint, wood shavings, stones and it handles absolutely everything with ease. Ever sucked plaster dust up a Dyson? Word of advice: don't.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Ever sucked plaster dust up a Dyson? Word of advice: d

No, but I've sucked up cold chimney soot: likewise - don't!

It created such a mess in the Dyson, and the soot got past the cyclones, past the pre-motor filter, through the motor and into the post-motor filter. I had to spend days disassembling and cleaning the bloody machine!

On the other hand, Dad once used the Hoover Sensotronic System 2, to suck up soot. That was a whole lot easier to clean: dispose of the bag, wash & dry the filter, wipe the bag chamber with a soapy cloth. "Simple", as Mr Meerkat might say.

 

[turbo500]

Calum...

My ex made the mistake of sucking plaster dust up his DC07 all floors and it ended up blowing it all over the room and clogging the motor up. It made more of a mess than was there in the first place.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Chris

You would think that Dyson as a responsible company, would have forseen the 'DIY / home improvement clean-up' scenario as being a logical use for a vacuum cleaner.

Clearly, there is still a major argument in the favour of bagged cleaners. As an aside, my parents had the boiler man visit, to service their boiler. He apparently had "a red and black hoover with a smiley face", according to my mother. I presumed she meant a Numatic 'Henry'. So, bagged is still the best for soot.

 

[turbo500]

Well, IMO, bagged is still the best for anything. I don't like the messy emptying process but that's just a personal dislike. If you look at what happens to a Dyson instantly when you suck up plaster dust or soot, imagine what is happening to it over time with all those very fine dust particles that get vacuumed up. And your average Dyson buying public won't want to take the thing to bits to clean it. At least with a bag, once you put a new one in, it completely removes the problem of clogging, unlike in a Dyson cyclone that just gets clogged full of fine dust particles over time and is never cleaned.

My Dad works for british gas and all they're engineers have Henry NV250's - my Dad's is from the late 70's/early 80's when he first started at BG.