Rainbow E2 Platinum Airflow Losses
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blackheart
Well-known member
Sorry for digging this thread up!
Ever since Bill's testing i've been wondering if there was something wrong with my Rainbow I've off and on been looking for information on it and I found out a few things.
1. My E2 black is rated for 9.5 amps when it's only the machine according to the ratings on it.
2. The fans are SUPER narrow. I'm not sure i've ever seen a fan this narrow before. I can see why this unit has such a low showing in terms of airflow. I thought I should try cleaning out the fans since I knew they had build up in them to see if my airflow would reach 4.5 like it has in youtube videos i've seen. I placed a popsicle stick over part of it to show it's size.
Another collector told me the fans were revised at some point but I appear to have gotten the "bad" ones
3. This Amazon listing https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Model-Complete-Cleaning-System/dp/B005R4AB1W
The power nozzle was improved but it seems as though the main unit was a step backwards at least initially, if and when they revised the fans it may have surpassed the previous unit. It's VERY strange to me that a company like rainbow might take a step backwards.
Ever since Bill's testing i've been wondering if there was something wrong with my Rainbow I've off and on been looking for information on it and I found out a few things.
1. My E2 black is rated for 9.5 amps when it's only the machine according to the ratings on it.
2. The fans are SUPER narrow. I'm not sure i've ever seen a fan this narrow before. I can see why this unit has such a low showing in terms of airflow. I thought I should try cleaning out the fans since I knew they had build up in them to see if my airflow would reach 4.5 like it has in youtube videos i've seen. I placed a popsicle stick over part of it to show it's size.
Another collector told me the fans were revised at some point but I appear to have gotten the "bad" ones
3. This Amazon listing https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Model-Complete-Cleaning-System/dp/B005R4AB1W
The power nozzle was improved but it seems as though the main unit was a step backwards at least initially, if and when they revised the fans it may have surpassed the previous unit. It's VERY strange to me that a company like rainbow might take a step backwards.
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rivstg1
Well-known member
wow! look at that wide 'head'
thats surprising news....
thats surprising news....
tekjunkie28
Well-known member
Yall got me thinking so I pulled out my rainbow this morning instead of the Kirby.. ALso because I think I'm getting some allergies going (its become the mid july norm the last few years)
I hooked it up to my Kill-a-watt meter and tested.
20ish watts in air cleaner mode
865watts with everything hooked up and PN off
1020-1060 watts with PN on and vacuuming. WTH?
just looked and its 9.5A rated 10.5A with PN... this is a E2 black bought brand new in January 2017
So whats the verdict here? was there some design change or something? Also is my machine the same machine that the Carpet and Rug Institute tested and game the silver seal? Is that seal even worth noting on machines?
I hooked it up to my Kill-a-watt meter and tested.
20ish watts in air cleaner mode
865watts with everything hooked up and PN off
1020-1060 watts with PN on and vacuuming. WTH?
just looked and its 9.5A rated 10.5A with PN... this is a E2 black bought brand new in January 2017
So whats the verdict here? was there some design change or something? Also is my machine the same machine that the Carpet and Rug Institute tested and game the silver seal? Is that seal even worth noting on machines?
vaclab
Well-known member
Try Performing The Power Calculation Manually
Some machines, due to inductive reactance and possibly other factors can skew power calculations considerably.
Remember, easy as "PIE". Power (P) equals Current (I) times Voltage (E). Yeah, don't get me started on why current is "I" and Voltage is "E", but the most important thing here is recognizing we're doing an "AC" rather than "DC" reading.
Run your Rainbow and write down what your loaded line voltage and current draw are then multiply both together. My E2 Gold and Platinum Blue specifically state 120V @ 12 Amps and bumps to 12.5 Amps with the matching power nozzle. This would mean 1440 Watts with a hose and 1500 Watts using the PN.
I wasn't aware of the newer Rainbows significantly decreasing their rated power. This may mean lower performance, but who knows without proper testing.
So 9.5A x 120V = 1140W for hose mode and 10.5A x 120V = 1260W for PN mode. If you're running in the 800W-900W range for the canister/hose, something is amiss.
Bill
Some machines, due to inductive reactance and possibly other factors can skew power calculations considerably.
Remember, easy as "PIE". Power (P) equals Current (I) times Voltage (E). Yeah, don't get me started on why current is "I" and Voltage is "E", but the most important thing here is recognizing we're doing an "AC" rather than "DC" reading.
Run your Rainbow and write down what your loaded line voltage and current draw are then multiply both together. My E2 Gold and Platinum Blue specifically state 120V @ 12 Amps and bumps to 12.5 Amps with the matching power nozzle. This would mean 1440 Watts with a hose and 1500 Watts using the PN.
I wasn't aware of the newer Rainbows significantly decreasing their rated power. This may mean lower performance, but who knows without proper testing.
So 9.5A x 120V = 1140W for hose mode and 10.5A x 120V = 1260W for PN mode. If you're running in the 800W-900W range for the canister/hose, something is amiss.
Bill
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