Are you ready for this? A mortuary. I was doing work on their refrigeration unit (no, there were no bodies in it -- they had promptly moved the few they had into another unit in the main building and yes, this isn't my first time being called out to a mortuary/funeral home) and noticed a familiar vac in the building that housed the crematory.
I was making small talk with the crematory operator while I was working on their refrigeration unit (yes, there was a cremation in progress and he was very understanding if I wanted to reschedule the job because of this -- I told him that it didn't bother me any and went ahead and did the work) and turned the subject to the Royal sitting in one of the corners of the building. He said that they stopped using it because they couldn't get bags or belts, and it sat in the corner for a few years. I told him Amazon, Ebay or a local vac shop carries what they would need, but he said it was no bother and that they were getting along just fine with a cheap vacuum from Walmart. Told me I could have it if I wanted it (and I didn't even ask for it!).
The only thing is that there was a big commercial entryway-type carpeted mat in front of the cremated remains processing station, where they grind the remains into what we know as ashes. I do wonder if this machine had been used over this mat. I will say it did have a fine whiteish dust in the bag adaptor and in the bag itself but not positive if it is what I think it is. Oh well, I'd rather the machine come from what looked like a clean, well-run facility than a filthy hoarder-type house with rancid "organic material" all up in the inner workings. Still, it gets stripped down, cleaned and sanitized just like all the other machines in my collection! Not sure if my wife would approve of what is vacuum #10, from a mortuary no less.
I was making small talk with the crematory operator while I was working on their refrigeration unit (yes, there was a cremation in progress and he was very understanding if I wanted to reschedule the job because of this -- I told him that it didn't bother me any and went ahead and did the work) and turned the subject to the Royal sitting in one of the corners of the building. He said that they stopped using it because they couldn't get bags or belts, and it sat in the corner for a few years. I told him Amazon, Ebay or a local vac shop carries what they would need, but he said it was no bother and that they were getting along just fine with a cheap vacuum from Walmart. Told me I could have it if I wanted it (and I didn't even ask for it!).
The only thing is that there was a big commercial entryway-type carpeted mat in front of the cremated remains processing station, where they grind the remains into what we know as ashes. I do wonder if this machine had been used over this mat. I will say it did have a fine whiteish dust in the bag adaptor and in the bag itself but not positive if it is what I think it is. Oh well, I'd rather the machine come from what looked like a clean, well-run facility than a filthy hoarder-type house with rancid "organic material" all up in the inner workings. Still, it gets stripped down, cleaned and sanitized just like all the other machines in my collection! Not sure if my wife would approve of what is vacuum #10, from a mortuary no less.
