New Carpet with Vacuum Limits

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New Carpet with Vacuum Limits

I want to clarify my earlier post. It was just ONE Dyson upright that caused the damage and just my Hoover Windtunnel upright.
I stopped using the German made power nozzle too because I could see it was going to have the same result though at a slower rate.

I have noticed with many of the newer cleaners on You Tubes, what you see is carpet fluff. My old beater bar Hoovers, Electrolux and Rainbows get dirt and grit and very little carpet fluff.
Also mine were nylon pile rugs, not a natural wool.
It was very plain to see when we added lots of flagstone walks set in sand last year. You could clean till the cows came home with the new Hoover or Dyson and the Rainbow was clearly better at removing the fine grit and sand from the walks with very little carpet fuzz.

This has been an interesting thread and it seems it would depend on the types of carpet you have and how the machine was set would effect the results.
Do you want the quickest results or do you have a valuable carpet or rug that needs proper care.
I was told that the "fuzzing" I was seeing on the rug was the fibers being deformed over time by the heat build up of the plastic brush, roller and aggressive brush.
When you think of it, I have never seen modern carpets wear (become thread bare) as much as they just look matted and tired.
Thanks for all the input on this thread
 
New Carpet with Limits

I started reading about new carpet and carpet styles last night. There is a LOT of information out there and a LOT of complaints from buyers having trouble using their vacuums on some of these new styles.
It seems like for sure what does not work are the Dyson's, Hoovers, Orecks and Kirby's but I read complaints of about every make just not working.
It would seem it might be the placement and type of wheels on the machines and also the method of adjustment. Where the machine adjusts from the back or front of machine. I did seem like several were having success with the Simplicity/Ricarr line of vacuums.
Interesting note is that back in the early 1980's my grandmother built a new home and bought very high end Karastan carpeting for the house. It was thick and soft. Wonderful looking and great to walk on BUT she could not find ANY vacuum that would clean it or you could even PUSH through the carpet.
She tried the 4 level adjustment Hoover Convertibles, Hoover Power Drive, Kirby was NO WAY. She also tried an Electrolux power nozzle and the power nozzle for her Air-Way.
The problem seemed like the vacuums were either was too high off the rug or would snow plow and you could NOT push it through the pile. The Power drive Hoover would burn the belt up in just seconds.
It was terrible. NO ONE (including me)wanted to vacuum that house. She finally did end up using her Air-Way with just the straight suction carpet tool. The rug nozzle had wheels on the bottom plate and vents and groves that let the suction surge the nap. You never felt like the rug was very clean as the pile was so thick.
From what I have been reading, these new (called silk)thick carpets are very soft and the same problem-the vacuum's suction either sticks to the carpet or sinks into the carpet. The result is the same. You cannot push the machine over the carpet.
 
Should I use the "double-helix" brush or the green HPO brush roller on my TriStar EXL or Electrolux for vacing Karastan or "silk" carpets? Or will I need to use a different vacuum?
 
VACUUM ISSUES with SmartStrand silk carpet by Mohawk

We just purchased a carpet by Mohawk, Style: IV17 Awaited Bliss; Color: 504 Lush Suede; Pile 100% SmartStrand Silk BCF Triexta made with DuPont Sorona now and need to buy a new vacuum for it! My Royal of 20 ++ years (paid $600) won't work. Any suggestions as to what kind vacuum to buy? I really want a bagged vacuum. I'm saddened at what what I've read by Post# 254762 , Reply# 20; 10/31/2013 at 15:26 (245 days old) by vackid (Pennsylvania) but grateful for the info although a little to late I'm afraid. I can't afford to spend a lot on a new vacuum! Very grateful for any help ASAP.
 
Tests for the average carpet buyer... ideas

Considering the dilemma of certain vacuum cleaners not working optimally on certain brands of carpet (or carpet types), two things come to mind:
A) Should a person buy a swatch of carpet BEFORE buying a roomful and then take that carpet to various vacuum cleaner stores to audition a vacuum cleaner to ensure it works well without damage to carpet or cleaner?

and/or

B) Considering the fact that the current lifespan of a typical vacuum cleaner is less than the lifespan of the carpet - one should buy a roomful of carpet AND a test swatch that they roll up and store away. When the current vacuum cleaner has reached end-of-life, you have a test patch of carpet to test your replacement vacuum cleaner.

Comments welcome.
 
Just how far does the guarantee actually go?

Or just buy two rolls of carpet, keep one in storage and use it when the old carpet wears out?

Considering that companies go as far to state that other pieces of furniture can flatten and effectively destroy carpet as well as "different footwear," it seems to me that the marketing spin on advising buyers on types of suitable vacuums are about as handy as a fart in a bag.

Put simply, you can invalidate your carpet's so-called guarantee without even rolling any vacuum cleaner on it and endanger it simply by walking on it with footwear that can scuff a carpet.

Or have the manufacturers of carpets side tracked this issue? I know we don't all tread on carpet in our bare feet all of the time?
 
That list would not stand up to a court challenge unless those carpet manufacturers had an awful lot of test data to back their claims. Testing costs a lot of money, money that doesn't make your product better or sell more carpet, so my assumption is there are some payments being made in return for endorsements. That a Hayden head is not on the approved list makes me suspicious. It is the industry standard for home central vacuums in the US at least.

I don't have time right now to check if the recommended Panasonic models have a Kenmore equivalent but if they do, then you know the list is a bunch of bovine excrement.
 
I am afraid walking on carpet with shoes-esp dirty ones is going to cause MORE damage to a carpet than vacuuming it--Your feet exert MORE ground pressure per square in than a crawler tractor!!!You wouldn't drive a crawler tractor over your rug would you?--Well you are actually causing about the same damage as walking on it with dirty shoes!!!Somehow I think that rug makers vacuum claims should be taken with a grain of salt!!Guess he doesn't want you to clean the carpet with ANY vacuum?Leave it dirty so you will wear it out faster and have to buy NEW carpet!Then we have the pressure per square in question when a woman walks across the rug with high heel shoes!Even worse then the regular shoes or tractor!That is why crawler tractors are better than wheel tractors for soft dirt and such-they can "float" on the surface-beleive it or not!The small area a wheel tractor footprint is--then can sink.or other wheeled vehicles for that matter-guess back to shoes,vacuums,and carpets.
 
Carpet nightmare...

If you read some of the replies to this thread above, you will see a list of recommended upright bagged vacuums. Kirby is on that list. Therefore I would recommend a Kirby G series with Tech Drive which would alleviate the Hard to push problem. I would install the Gentle or soft bristle brushroll on that G series Kirby.


 


Keep in mind that the Kirby Sentria is on CRI's (Carpet and Rug Institute) Gold Seal of approval list which means it has been tested on a multitude of different carpet styles and makes for superior cleaning ability and gentleness to carpet fibers.
 
I was thinking about this again, the Airspeed has really stiff bristles on its roller. I'd think it would be bad, on the fibers of a particularly sensitive carpet. I wouldn't hesitate to use my Rainbow on it, but I'd shy away from something too aggressive. I'd even use an older Kirby than the Sentria.
 
Its a good point Stan has brought up if the Kirby has a Gold seal approval from the Carpet-Rug Institute-must be OK to use on any carpet.No problems when I have used Kirbys-just mostly find Dirt-dust in the bag when I have done Kirby disposable bag "autopsys"
 
Im aware of CRI but I don't believe half of it. They have awarded all of SEBOs uprights with a Bronze seal of approval, yet Silver seal of approval for the similarly known Windsor 370 series, which gets a Bronze seal with the SEBO label. They're both the same but for the badge.

Miele's S7 isn't even listed.
 
Nar, I'm just speculating here but I believe the reason CRI gave the SEBO uprights a bronze rating is because they have a brushroll that may be too soft and not aggressive enough for some types of carpet. The Windsor does not have the automatic carpet height adjustment which has proven to be a problem on some types of plush high pile carpet.
 
Stan - I don't mind what rating the SEBO gets. They've already been approved by other carpet brands such as Axminster carpets and I am aware that the brushrolls may well be softer and gentler since the X series are advertised as being gentle vacuums.

However CRI obviously have a discrepancy with SEBO - the Versamatic with manual adjustment is the SAME AS THE SEBO 370 models.

sebo_fan-2014070518040907489_1.png
 
I don't put too much stock in CRI ratings. They only rate what is submitted to them along with a fairly hefty payment and they are horribly inconsistent, as pointed out in the previous post by sebo_fan. They are also completely opaque on what the testing results were. For instance, a vacuum that removed 100% of dirt, but had dust containment of ≤ 100 µg/m<sup>3</sup> of dust particles would be rated at best as Silver.
 
Tom

I agree. Manufacturers pay the CRI big money so they get on their list. Aerus was on it a number of years back but the guy who owned my local aerus franchise, told me aerus no longer wanted to pay the annual fee

An endorsement from the CRI and a quarter will do nothing more than buy you a cup of coffee if that
 
CRI testing proceedure

Luxman107:

I don't know where you get your infolrmation, but CRI is an independant and impartial testing facility as shown by a portion of their testing agreement and application form below:

(c) Vacuum Cleaner Testing and Test Protocols - The product performance tests will be conducted in a
uniform and impartial manner by a testing facility which is independent of CRI, and is under contract with CRI for
performance of Program testing. The Company’s product unit type(s) shall be tested using consensus-based test
standards to determine product performance. The company time frame for completion of said testing Said standards
are attached hereto as Exhibit A.

The entire document can be viewed at the link below.


http://www.carpet-rug.org/Documents/SOA/CRI_SOA_Vacuum_packet.pdf
 
It may be an independent company but it isn't an official body that recognises every brand, - your link provides the answers.

CRI are an independent company but they are also providing a voluntary service which doesn't require every brand to sign up to. It may be a very clear contract but the only bonus that brands stand to win is the unnecessary promotion of that model or brand, if the machine passes the tests that CRI performs. If it doesn't then, the brand and model has already been recorded on CRI's books for future public viewing.

However, what about GHI? How many awards are necessary for buyers to believe in a particular vacuum cleaner model if the standard marketing by sellers or commercial media companies aren't enough? And when does a buyer stand back and get a chance to put forward their own viewpoint?

No wonder buyers are confused all the time. It isn't just the variety of vacuums that buyers face, or the different prices, but also the marketing spin, claims and sometimes, even the awards that come with them.

Witness the "British Allergy Foundation," Seal of Approval. Totally unbelievable if its a bagless vacuum that the seal comes with. Yet buyers believe in it....

sebo_fan++7-9-2014-02-59-13.jpg.png
 
So, Sebo_fan, what's your point???


No testing corporation can force a vacuum manufacturer to have it's vacuums tested. But it IS to the vacuum manufacture's advantage to have their products tested unless, of course, a particular manufacturer knows it's vacuum cleaners are inferior to their competitors products. As a prospective vacuum buyer, it would be to my advantage to check CRI's vacuum ratings before I buy.
 
That assumes that test results are honest and that vacuum companies are not simply buying an endorsement with some testing thrown in to make it look objective. Not sure it works that way, but I'm not sure it doesn't either.

Again, who is paying for these tests?
 
Well, therein lies my point concerning the Windsor and the identical SEBO upright. The Windsor gets the Silver award and the identical SEBO model gets a bronze award. I wouldn't say the testing in this case is accurate but then honesty and accuracy are not the same.

Is it really to the vacuum cleaner brand's advantage that something like CRI necessarily has its seal of approval stamped on the machine? CRI only seems to exist for buyers who believe wholeheartedly in it.
 
And since the manufactures pay a fee to CRI for the testing the results are somewhat suspect, especially when virtually identical machines get different ratings and the testing methodology is only partially transparent. And to assume that a given manufacturer believes that their product is inferior and therefore doesn't pay to be tested is a bit of a stretch since the vast majority of vacuums are never submitted for testing and most work at least reasonably well. Few are complete failures at cleaning at least a large percentage of dirt of visible size.
 
Exactly Tom

So I don't care what links you put out there SPTYKS, a manufacturer will only get endorsed by CRI if it pays for it
 
Are the Sebo and Windsor REALLY identical?

Although the Sebo and Windsor may look the same, are they equipped with the exact same brush roll? I would assume that the Windsor is set up for cleaning commercial low pile carpeting whereas the Sebo is set up for residential carpeting. Any comments?
 
Also, the SEBO 370 Comfort isn't listed as a "household" vacuum, either on SEBO's UK site or SEBO's US or German site. Where CRI have got this idea it is a household vacuum is beyond me - it is a commercial vacuum

The only domestic line up from SEBO are the X series, G series and Felix.
 

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