Spencer Turbine

[centralvacs1928]

Most "portable" vacuums don't hold too much interest for me anymore, but I think I've found one that does...

Some of my clients say they have a "portable" vacuum that they use in between getting out their central vacuum hose and tools. I wonder if this is what they're talking about. Haha.

 

[gsheen]

Ahh yes perfect for those fast little clean ups. 

 

[dysondestijl]

This is great! Do t suppose you could do a video showing the hose in action? Thanks

 

[kirbylux77]

Owen, I love your sense of humor! Very funny. But seriously, it's nice to see such an old central vac like this still working to this day.

Rob

 

[centralvacs1928]

Dysondestijl, my plan is to set this machine up permanently in the garage, with a pipe underground into the house hooked to the piping system which is already installed (currently powered by an old Central Vac International unit). Then I'll make another video showing the setup including plugging in a hose in the house to hear the machine start in the garage. Need to get a single phase motor for it and wire a relay, like a bigger version of what's in a regular home central vacuum.

Rob, thank you! It ran when I got it but I have replaced the bearings in the turbine, and cleaned lots of grease and miscellaneous industrial spatter off the inside and outside of the machine. It had sat outside for quite some time apparently, as when I turned it on for the first time a large quantity of nasty water sprayed out the exhaust!

My plan is to paint it eventually...any suggestions on color? Thinking of an off-white, or pewter gray, maybe even gold. What say ye, everyone?

 

[hoovercelebrity]

That's fascinating, Owen!  Love hearing it roar to life... Smart idea about running the pipe underground.  Do you have a set of Spencer tools to use on your central vac?  I seem to recall the tools being absolute works of art.


 


I still need to:


A) get the moxy to cut through our plaster walls and install my central vac inlets (I really miss having a central vac)...


B) find a place in the basement to hang the unit...

 

[electrolux137]

If it were mine, I'd paint it battleship gray.

 

[brandon_w_t]

Looks like a pipe organ blower!

 

[tolivac]

Spencer vacuum cleaner-yes the machine is based on organ blower technology-Spencer used to build blowers for pipe organs.Now they just build blowers for industrial use.Used a smaller cousin to that machine shown-it had a Lamb universal motor turning a smaller Spencer turbine blower as a vacuum unit.the machine was used with disc recording lathes to catch and trap the cuttings.After the disc lathes were removed-the unit was used by the studio maintenance shop as a vacuum cleaner-loved using it!Was very strong.The motor was only 6A-bet it could beat machines whose motors use 10A today.Don't know what happened to it-was in a gov't place.Would have loved to have it!It had a cloth bag in the container in front of the blower-and the dirt bucket underneath-to empty you shook the bag and emptied the dirt bin.A small filter was on the blower exhaust.

 

[caligula]

Hi Owen.

I beleve you and I have met, but it was many years ago. There was a Spencer located at the Fox theater in St. Louis, and I got to use it in 06. Our fellow collector, the late Stan Kann, let all of us see it in action.

Where in Naperville are you? That was the location of the V.C.C.C. headquarters. The exact address was 5 south, 437 Sherman Ave. right off Ogden Ave. The Stardust motel was on my corner. Mine was the only 2 story house on that street. The club museum was first in a spare bedroom, and was then transfered to a remodelded 3 car garage.

Like you, I'm fond of non electric and early electric machines with a growing interest in built in machines. Please share whatever history you have as I'd love to read it.

Thanks,
Alex Taber.

 

[dysonman1]

Great video Owen. Why not paint the machine the same color as the one at the Fox Theater? With the power that Spencer has, you could run a pipe all the way down your street and charge people to hook up to it. You could bill them like a utility company. "I have to pay the suction bill or they'll cut off the vacuum cleaner". Lol.

Do you still have the video of the ARCO Wand central vac here at the Museum that you got to run for us? That had an amazing start up sound, just as unique as the Spencer.

 

[lillylux]

I am pretty sure that Spencer "Orgoblow" are still being manufactured for modern pipe organ builders. I believe that our Cathedral's new Zimmer organ has a Spencer blower.

 

[ajr2993]

Converting these to residential central vacuums

Imagine if you replaced all the inlets with ElectaValves, add a good electric power nozzle, a good crushproof hose, a filter bag, premium attachments, install it in your 10,000 square foot home, and you'll have an overpowered residential central vacuum.