eurekastar
Well-known member
I'm sure this has been discussed before. However, has anyone ever used the AquaMate 3? What are your thoughts? Is it worth the $200 price tag? Thanks!
Rainbow AquaMate 3
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kirbyvertibles
Well-known member
Great question and if I may i'd like to add a question with it. Can one be used on older models???
eurekastar
Well-known member
The AquaMate 3 can be used on earlier E Series models only if the original hose and wand is replaced with the newer triple insulated hose and wand. According to what I read, the later hose/wand setup was designed for wet pickup. I don't think it can be used with models earlier than the E Series for that reason.
williamr1248
Well-known member
Rainbow Aquamate3
Bil,
I don't want to be the only one writing about the Rainbow but here is what I like and dislike about my Aquamate System:
Price: I cannot say becaue mine came with my Rainbow. I bought from a club member who is a Rainbow dealer and he sells in a COMPLETE package.
I will say I had one with my old SE and never used it.
Good points:
(1) it has 3 settings(a) soap (b) rinse (c) vacuum only
(2) you can control and operate any setting with the brush on or off
(3) you use the quick release trigger on the hose handle so you have instant contol
(4) your regular electric wand direct connects to the Aquamate and has easy release
(5) it has a horizonal revolving brush, so if you are doing a delicate rug or carpet you can use all the different functions and the brush still raises the nap with the forward and backward motion of the Aquamate
(6) the new formulation of the Rainbow shampoo is almost sudsless and it DOES NOT require the use of hot water to clean.
(7) you have the full suction and air flow of the main Rainbow unit-so it pulls a lot more moisture out of the carpet.
(8) because the dirty water recovery tank is NOT on the wands or Aquamate itself you have much less weight to push and pull.
(9) With the new Electric hose that is designed for water pick up you can just sit the Rainbow in the middle of the room. I use the suction of the Rainbow to clean out the Aquamate tanks afterwards.
(10) because the cleaning solution is so concentrated it takes much less water to clean the carpet and it is desigend to work with the Rainbow. I only emptied the water basin 2 times when I cleaned my family room carpeting and almost NO suds.
I am only speaking for myself but I got rid of my regular carpet steam cleaner as it was so LOUD and heavy compared to the new Aquamate. I also much preferred the horizonal brush to my old system which had revolving brushes and much less suction to pull the moisture out of the carpet.
The Aquamate is a quick set up because it just slips on the the bottom Rainbow wand. All direct connect and quick clean up to dry the wands and Aquamate tanks with the regular Rainbow suction. The revolving brush also snapes down for cleaning under the brush roll.
I am not crazy about putting water into any carpet so I may not be the correct person to ask but I do like at least 5 times better than my old steam cleaner.
I hope this helps. I think the big difference is that you can do all the different fucntions with the brush on or off and you have a lot more suction to remove the moisture from the carpet.
The downside for me was that the unit is not as wide as my old steam cleaner.
The easy set up and clean up made it easier to use.
Bil,
I don't want to be the only one writing about the Rainbow but here is what I like and dislike about my Aquamate System:
Price: I cannot say becaue mine came with my Rainbow. I bought from a club member who is a Rainbow dealer and he sells in a COMPLETE package.
I will say I had one with my old SE and never used it.
Good points:
(1) it has 3 settings(a) soap (b) rinse (c) vacuum only
(2) you can control and operate any setting with the brush on or off
(3) you use the quick release trigger on the hose handle so you have instant contol
(4) your regular electric wand direct connects to the Aquamate and has easy release
(5) it has a horizonal revolving brush, so if you are doing a delicate rug or carpet you can use all the different functions and the brush still raises the nap with the forward and backward motion of the Aquamate
(6) the new formulation of the Rainbow shampoo is almost sudsless and it DOES NOT require the use of hot water to clean.
(7) you have the full suction and air flow of the main Rainbow unit-so it pulls a lot more moisture out of the carpet.
(8) because the dirty water recovery tank is NOT on the wands or Aquamate itself you have much less weight to push and pull.
(9) With the new Electric hose that is designed for water pick up you can just sit the Rainbow in the middle of the room. I use the suction of the Rainbow to clean out the Aquamate tanks afterwards.
(10) because the cleaning solution is so concentrated it takes much less water to clean the carpet and it is desigend to work with the Rainbow. I only emptied the water basin 2 times when I cleaned my family room carpeting and almost NO suds.
I am only speaking for myself but I got rid of my regular carpet steam cleaner as it was so LOUD and heavy compared to the new Aquamate. I also much preferred the horizonal brush to my old system which had revolving brushes and much less suction to pull the moisture out of the carpet.
The Aquamate is a quick set up because it just slips on the the bottom Rainbow wand. All direct connect and quick clean up to dry the wands and Aquamate tanks with the regular Rainbow suction. The revolving brush also snapes down for cleaning under the brush roll.
I am not crazy about putting water into any carpet so I may not be the correct person to ask but I do like at least 5 times better than my old steam cleaner.
I hope this helps. I think the big difference is that you can do all the different fucntions with the brush on or off and you have a lot more suction to remove the moisture from the carpet.
The downside for me was that the unit is not as wide as my old steam cleaner.
The easy set up and clean up made it easier to use.
Williamr1248,
Would you be able to provide pics of the aquamate? How often do you have to empty the water pan when cleaning an average size carpet?
Thanks,
Gary
Would you be able to provide pics of the aquamate? How often do you have to empty the water pan when cleaning an average size carpet?
Thanks,
Gary
williamr1248
Well-known member
Rainbow Aquamate 3
Gary,
check under Rainbow Cleaning System.com,then hit accessories and then Aquamate.
They have an updated web site for the new machine.
Because the system was designed from the ground up and uses a new shampoo,it all works together much better. The water and shampoo go in separate tanks that snap onto the Aquamate itself but the regular Rainbow basin is used for the recovery tank.
I filled the Aquamate 2 times and emptied the basin 2 times for my family room. It would depend on how dirty your carpets are at the start. I was advised to use my Rainbow for a few months before using the Aquamate to make sure the sand and dirt are removed first.
What was very different with the Aquamate was not only was the water dirty in the recovery basin BUT the Rainbow basin had a layer of very fine sand in the bottom. This is something that NEVER happened with my old carpet steamer. I only got dirty water before. Not sure if the Aquamate brush is better or the suction and the air flow from the Rainbow is so much more powerful than on my previous steam cleaner.
You will get grit,grit and more grit for a long time when you start using the Rainbow for dry cleaning. You stop seeing so much fluff and more sand and grit.
I knew something was much better when I just had so much less dust in the house.
It makes me feel like I was just re-distributing the dirt over and over again before I used the Rainbow exclusivley.
Gary,
check under Rainbow Cleaning System.com,then hit accessories and then Aquamate.
They have an updated web site for the new machine.
Because the system was designed from the ground up and uses a new shampoo,it all works together much better. The water and shampoo go in separate tanks that snap onto the Aquamate itself but the regular Rainbow basin is used for the recovery tank.
I filled the Aquamate 2 times and emptied the basin 2 times for my family room. It would depend on how dirty your carpets are at the start. I was advised to use my Rainbow for a few months before using the Aquamate to make sure the sand and dirt are removed first.
What was very different with the Aquamate was not only was the water dirty in the recovery basin BUT the Rainbow basin had a layer of very fine sand in the bottom. This is something that NEVER happened with my old carpet steamer. I only got dirty water before. Not sure if the Aquamate brush is better or the suction and the air flow from the Rainbow is so much more powerful than on my previous steam cleaner.
You will get grit,grit and more grit for a long time when you start using the Rainbow for dry cleaning. You stop seeing so much fluff and more sand and grit.
I knew something was much better when I just had so much less dust in the house.
It makes me feel like I was just re-distributing the dirt over and over again before I used the Rainbow exclusivley.
eurekastar
Well-known member
Rob, thanks for the evaluation! It's very thorough. I always felt like my Hoover extractor left a lot behind because of the weak suction.
mark40511
Well-known member
I have the Aquamate 3 and I like it but I have one issue with it.
When the spray comes out, it's not as wide as the aquamate. Here is a pic I sketched of what I'm talking about. Other than that, it's great
When the spray comes out, it's not as wide as the aquamate. Here is a pic I sketched of what I'm talking about. Other than that, it's great
floor-a-matic
Well-known member
What I did is use the 1st generation AquaMate (connects to faucet) w/Kenmore SprayMate power brush & so far it did GREAT on shag carpets. The ONLY problem is the belt slips off the brush pulley once the brush gets wet.
However, when I connected the AquaMate & SprayMate together, it pulled NASTY stuff from the carpet, even more than when I had used the regular AquaMate head (no rotating brush) including the most BIZARRE stuff deeply embedded that the SE couldn't get out in dry vacing mode.
Are belts & brush rolls still available for the SprayMate Power Brush?
Can I use the new AquaMate on a SE or chrome dome Rainbow? I hope it works on older Rainbows?
However, when I connected the AquaMate & SprayMate together, it pulled NASTY stuff from the carpet, even more than when I had used the regular AquaMate head (no rotating brush) including the most BIZARRE stuff deeply embedded that the SE couldn't get out in dry vacing mode.
Are belts & brush rolls still available for the SprayMate Power Brush?
Can I use the new AquaMate on a SE or chrome dome Rainbow? I hope it works on older Rainbows?
floor-a-matic
Well-known member
Here's a pic of the SprayMate & AquaMate connected together.
Saves my back & arms!
Saves my back & arms!
floor-a-matic
Well-known member
The Rainbow & SprayMate together are MUCH QUIETER & MORE POWERFUL than either a Hoover Steam Vac or XXX SteamMaster.
Now I can clean carpets for a living; as long as I can still get parts for the SprayMate brush.
You should try this combination if you've got a SprayMate & AquaMate (1st generation w/50 ft water hose)
Now I can clean carpets for a living; as long as I can still get parts for the SprayMate brush.
You should try this combination if you've got a SprayMate & AquaMate (1st generation w/50 ft water hose)
mark40511
Well-known member
I've had my Aquamate 3 for a few months but only used it once. As of now, it's all I have for a carpet cleaner because I sold my other Hoover to a friend. I really needed to clean my carpets so I spent a few hours last night doing it. The first time I used it I didn't spend that much time with it. For me it's one of those slight learning curves. When I do carpets I tend to really get them wet before extracting... That Aquamate soap is strong! I only used about 4 cap fulls for the entire house. It smells good.
With the type of low pile carpet I have, the Hoover would only extract decently if I put some sort of hand weight on top of it to push it down into the carpet because of the low pile. This aquamate 3 extracted the water much better. I like how you can also flip the pedal to rinse. Carpets were dry in about 5 hours. It's really easy to stop, park the unit, pull out the reservoir, fill, put back in.
With the type of low pile carpet I have, the Hoover would only extract decently if I put some sort of hand weight on top of it to push it down into the carpet because of the low pile. This aquamate 3 extracted the water much better. I like how you can also flip the pedal to rinse. Carpets were dry in about 5 hours. It's really easy to stop, park the unit, pull out the reservoir, fill, put back in.
eurekastar
Well-known member
That looks really good. I seriously plan to get one of those when I need to clean the carpets. That won't be for a while since I just got new carpeting last month. Did you ever have problems with streaking when you had the Hoover? I had low pile carpeting in my last house and the Hoover was really bad about streaking.
mark40511
Well-known member
I've never had any problem with streaking. The type of carpet I have doesn't show anything as far as vacuum paths or foot steps.
The cleanup is easy as well. All you really have to do is snap the front plastic plate off the front of the aquamate, get a cup of water and let it get sucked through the intake and that cleans that and the hose at the same time & you can also just use the suction hose to clean any remaining water out of the tank, then leave running a bit to dry the hose, and dump/ and clean basin and put away as usual. The brush roll pop forward so you can get under that and clean it. There wasn't much on mine because I vacuumed really well before I washed the carpets.
The cleanup is easy as well. All you really have to do is snap the front plastic plate off the front of the aquamate, get a cup of water and let it get sucked through the intake and that cleans that and the hose at the same time & you can also just use the suction hose to clean any remaining water out of the tank, then leave running a bit to dry the hose, and dump/ and clean basin and put away as usual. The brush roll pop forward so you can get under that and clean it. There wasn't much on mine because I vacuumed really well before I washed the carpets.
floor-a-matic
Well-known member
Has anyone used the new AquaMate on bare floors? How good of results does it bring vs. the regular Squeegee? It looks like there is a squeegee adaptor for the AquaMate 3.
http://rainbowsystem.com/uploads/manuals/AQM_2008_English.pdf
http://rainbowsystem.com/uploads/manuals/AQM_2008_English.pdf
mark40511
Well-known member
There is an a squeegee to that can be put on the Aquamate 3 for bare floors, but I don't think it would work nearly as well as the regular Rainbow squeegee or the Rainjet. Then again, I've never tried it so I'm not sure.
pr-21
Well-known member
Aquamate 3 I tried it....
When they first came out I asked if I could use it with my E Series and they said yes, but you have to buy a new electric hose and use the wands that some with the Aqua Mate 3. I bought it and that was before this concentrate shampoo. I hope it has been improved. The steering was terrible. Too much play when trying to move the base unit. Also my E Series had 60 inches of water lift compared to the SE PE Edition which had closer to 68 or so, don't exactly remember. Anyway, my carpet was soaking wet and I finally gave up and just used the suction to pick up what I could. I let it dry overnight and then used my Electrolux Shampoer and fixed the mess....Just my experience...
Bud Mattingly
PR-21
When they first came out I asked if I could use it with my E Series and they said yes, but you have to buy a new electric hose and use the wands that some with the Aqua Mate 3. I bought it and that was before this concentrate shampoo. I hope it has been improved. The steering was terrible. Too much play when trying to move the base unit. Also my E Series had 60 inches of water lift compared to the SE PE Edition which had closer to 68 or so, don't exactly remember. Anyway, my carpet was soaking wet and I finally gave up and just used the suction to pick up what I could. I let it dry overnight and then used my Electrolux Shampoer and fixed the mess....Just my experience...
Bud Mattingly
PR-21
mark40511
Well-known member
Bud
I was concerned about that because that sounds kind of like my experience with the Hoover (at least for my low pile carpet) The carpet always felt soaking wet until I taped a hand weight to the Hoover and give it more weight at the front so it would push down in the carpet more and that helped a lot. Before I did that, It would take 24 hrs for the carpet to dry. After I taped the hand weight to the front, about five hours. I knew (at least) my 2 speed gold Rainbow way more suction than a Hoover steam vac so it stood to reason in my mind that it would extract more water (even from the low pile) and it does! I don't have to put a weight on it either. I'm not sure what you mean by the "steering"
I soaked the carpets pretty good and then extracted, then rinsed, then extracted. After an hour, to touch them they felt slightly wet, but I could walk on them with socks and there wasn't enough moisture to make my feet feel wet through the socks, in about five hours they were totally dry. I just went over in extraction mode only a few times to get as much water as I could and it seemed to work. I didn't think my Gold 2 speed has that much more lift than the one speed. I could be wrong. I know the motor in the 2 speed vs 1 speed are completely different.
I was concerned about that because that sounds kind of like my experience with the Hoover (at least for my low pile carpet) The carpet always felt soaking wet until I taped a hand weight to the Hoover and give it more weight at the front so it would push down in the carpet more and that helped a lot. Before I did that, It would take 24 hrs for the carpet to dry. After I taped the hand weight to the front, about five hours. I knew (at least) my 2 speed gold Rainbow way more suction than a Hoover steam vac so it stood to reason in my mind that it would extract more water (even from the low pile) and it does! I don't have to put a weight on it either. I'm not sure what you mean by the "steering"
I soaked the carpets pretty good and then extracted, then rinsed, then extracted. After an hour, to touch them they felt slightly wet, but I could walk on them with socks and there wasn't enough moisture to make my feet feel wet through the socks, in about five hours they were totally dry. I just went over in extraction mode only a few times to get as much water as I could and it seemed to work. I didn't think my Gold 2 speed has that much more lift than the one speed. I could be wrong. I know the motor in the 2 speed vs 1 speed are completely different.
rainbowjoel
Well-known member
I love my aquamate 3. easy to clean up. When I about to rinse the carpet I clean the soap tank area and put clean water to clean soapy lines and pump, So there be any no dry soap can clog. Like Mark said cleaning wands and hose from remaining clean water from aquamate tank its a breeze to use it
