NSS "Pig"

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I have never seen or used one. Would like to give one a try.

If it had a power head, I bet it would be a great cleaner.

Morgan
 
All of the schools here had them as well until the government mandated HEPA filtration. I think the new models have it, but we switched over to Pro-Team (backpack) and Numatic canisters (the ones with the faces).

The pigs are incredibly durable vacuums. I don't know much else about them because there really aren't any around here any more. I've been trying to get one.
 
NSS PIGS!!

I have three in my collection-and yes they get used-a very powerful and durable vacuum.With the new "Black" outer bag-its made from a similar material that Kirby outer bags are made of-and multilayer disposable bags inside the outer one-the machine gives nice filtration.better than the "blue" outer "Horse" emblem bags.Yes a pwernozzle version of this machine is available from NSS-it has a "pigtail" connector on the back for the nozzle cord.The powernozzle is a pain to use though-unless NSS has upgraded it-you have and external cord on the hose and wand to the powernozzle.The powernozzle was really designed to be used with the NSS "Designer Dry" vacuum.The Designer vacuum has higher suction than the "Pig"The Pig has very High CFM.Higher than other machines.The NSS Pigs can outlast other vacuums out there-that its main point and its METAL body is much more durable.You can service the motor and fan in this machine in just minutes.Replacing motor brushes only takes five minutes-when they need replacing-they can last 2500Hrs Vs 500 hrs on standard vacuums.I have a Pig that is over 30 yrs old and going strong.For awhile was using these vacuums for radio station transmitter maintenance-vacuuming out the dust and dirt that gets into the transmitters.At one TV stations transmitter I serviced--showed the managwer and cheif engineer how much dirt and dust was in their rig-it filled the 2.5 bushel cap paper bag!!Surprized the Tx would work.For most canister jobs the pig is great-for carpets though I would recommend the upright.NSS has a huge selection of carpet tools for this machine and the Designer Dry series vacuums.The old Circuit City store out my way had a NSS Designer Dry vacuum and powernozzle-wanted it for my collection-Asked about it after the store had its final closing sale-they said the only vacuums they used-were a few beat up commercial Panasonics.They didn't know what happened to the NSS vacuum.All in all I LOVE my "PIGS"!They cost about the same as a new Kirby-you buy the hose,wands and tools seperate.Now only one type of outer bag is available-Earlier NSS pigs were yellow with a blue "Horse" logo bag.Now they are black with a black "Circle" logo "universal bag-you can use it with or without inner paper bags.Use the paper bags in mine-also 5Gal Shop Vac bags fit.I use the Yellow Shop Vac bags for max filtration.And make sure the bag connector is properly fastened to the discharge on the top of the canister unit.
 
We had one here at work for about a week on trial. I liked it no one else really did.It was pretty powerful.
Do you have any pics of yours Rex? Im curious to see what the PN looks like. We didnt get that when we had our demo.
 
I don't have a camera.I would think the powernozzle would be shown on their website-anyway think its the same one used with the NSS Designer Dry canister vacuum-it may be shown under the acceries for the that vacuum.The other nice thing of the Pig is the hose is very long-you could vacuum from a ladder and the machine still stays on the ground.Right now I have modified my PN cords so they can plug into an outlet instead of the connector on the pig.This way I can try the PN on any other vacuum that uses the 1.5In hose.The connector for the PN on the pig is an EIA 120V.
 
The pigs I've seen had the old yellow bag. I never saw the vacuums until about 2003, and the school opened in 2000, so I bet they got them when it opened. (They also had a commercial Hoover SteamVac, which I wanted so bad!) My sisters go to a different school in the same district and they have the same vacs too. Once while no one looking I pushed around the nossle, but other than that I've never used one, so thats why I asked about them.
 
"Are they loud?"

Yes, they are quite loud. Noise wise, it is louder than a G-series Kirby in tool mode...

I have two, a late-model yellow version (in previous post) and a 20+ year old machine. The newer one uses 12 amps, whereas the older machine uses 10. The newer machine runs faster and louder.

Unfortunately, I am without a camera that is capable of taking video at the moment.
 
Really "Loud" pigs -could be the motor bearings are worn.they are pretty easy to replace.I replaced them in one of my older machines.Took only an hour or so if that long.I really like how easy the "pig" is to service-so much easier than other vacuums.I did need to borrow the arbor press at work to remove and install the new bearings on the motor rotor.
Noise wise the pig can be quieter then some "plasticville" vacuums-the Pig sort of make a sofdter sound-yes like a Kirby with the hose-but somewhat louder-not a "screech" like othjer vacs-the motor in the Pig is designed to run at lower speeds than most-It has a much larger fan so it can generate more CFM at the lower speeds.What I want is a Really older model Pig and bag.They date back to the 40's.And some that old ARE STILL IN USE!!The new parts fit them.
My PN and wand looks just like the one shown in "Piano God's" picture.I also have a blue bag just like on his machine-I also have two yellow Pigs that are similar.The newest ones are all black.I like the "Horse" logo over the circle one.Another strange observation of these machines-it actually gets QUIETER when the bag fills!As it gets queiter-good time to check the bag.Yes its correct the older models used 10A and the new ones used 12A.My oldest one is marked 10A.I replaced the brushes and bearings in it.Runs like a champ!!Love these machines!!And the dealer I bought them from say that many folks buy Pigs to use at home.I did enjoy vacuuming a freinds large house with the PN-it didn't take long!And it was surprizing the amount of dirt the machine picked up-and they had NO pets.At some point was going to try the NSS powernozzle with my ProTeam back pack vacuum-the wand should fit.
 
PIG

You can't tear one of theose up with a sledge hammer,great airflow fair sealed suction,the front part is a trap for hard objects like nuts bolts and coins,so they dont break the fan, fantastic commercial cleaner.
 
Yes the "snout"of the "pig" is for nuts and bolts,coins and such.Used mine to clean up a remodling job in freinds(worked far better than his Craftsman shop vac) basement-was amazing what the "pig" digested-hence its name-conduit box knockouts,scraps of wire,nails and cable staples-all of these went thru that huge fan-and the blades on it are close to quarter in thick-I recovered from the dump bag(used the dump bag on this becuase of the quantity of debris)bent nails and box slugs that went thru that fan-and not a ding on the fan!And another thing the fan housing is steel lined-has a steel liner-so the housing won't get punctured by such things.Imagine these things going thru that Kirby fan!Probably the Kirby fan would shatter from the first nail or staple.Kirby vacuums when used with the hose should have a scrap trap like the pig.And note from the picture how EASY it would be to remove the NSS fan for replacement-the big "acorn" nut holding the fan to the motor shaft-after that its easy to get the motor apart.
 
wicked machines...

Curious how the old ones stack up vs. the newer ones...are they made any better or worse?

Also I know it's 10A vs 12A, but is there any real difference in cleaning ability/power?
 
Don't think there is a whole lot of difference between the old and New model pigs.The NSS folks still maintain the quality of these machines.I think NSS is right that these NSS "Pigs" will outlast ANY vacuum out there.Which makes it good for collectors you should be able to find them!Take a magnet to the outside of the fan case you will find it sticks to the fan case.I will have to see if the liner is used in my newest "Black" Pig.Truely fine and tough machines.
 
Ok, I found/bought a pig in my area today... got it for very cheap...
Looks just like the yellow one above, but does need some stuff...

1. The cord is beat up and will need to be replaced. Easy or hard to do?

2. No tools - can these be found cheap?

3. The Bag Rod is bent and coming out of the lower slot.

4. The on-off switch works, but seems a bit loose...

5. Doesn't seem to be operating at full power... suction is decent, but not as good as my Hoover Windtunnel imo... so something must be wrong...

Any ideas, suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve
 
nss warhorse

When I worked in the Nichols dept. store as a custodian back in 88" we had all nss machines including a autoscrubber called the "warhorse". I was the one who usually ran this machine. I can remember liking the blach horse they used as their sybol. Thanks
 
My newest "Pig" I bought last year the bag material is diffrent and has an extra feltlike layer inside.It can be used without the paper bag if desired.I use the liner bags.Want to keep the bag clean.The wheels have plastic hubs-but still appear very sturdy.Otherwise its the same as others.
 
If it wasn't for the storage space...

I would love to have one. Many years ago, I worked as a custodian at a rural school. Unpaved playground, and carpet throughout. The pig was the only vacuum I used that could effectively clean all the low-pile carpet and hold up to the grit and gravel. I loved it.
 

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