Thoughts on Trebor's Sanitaire modification.

[trebor]

More musings from the engineering muse...

...drilling the hole at an angle lengthens the 'tube' as well.

What about little teeny-tiny trumpet like things that would direct the airflow down into the carpet? Something like a hollow golf tee?

Wouldn't it be great fun to have an engineering brainstorming session at convention?

 

[twocvbloke]

How about just drilling a series of holes at the front of the vac as close to the rug nozzle as possible? :&#92

That way the air is directed under the brushroll where the roll is sweeping & beating, just like on Tristar power nozzles, so the air is assisting in the sweeping of dirt up towards the fan, rather than blowing on the back of the brushroll creating unwanted turbulence which would disrupt the airflow carrying the dirt into the channel towards the fan causing it to not pick up dirt and debris as well as it should be doing...

Either that or replacing the height adjuster, 1 screw to remove and refit, no drilling required...

 

[trebor]

The holes in the front...

are unattractive to the customer, and potentially weaken the plastic where it can be rammed into obstacles.

 

[twocvbloke]

Erm, have you actually looked at the tiny little gap between the bumper and the rug plate where the holes would go? Do you honestly think that anyone would see small holes in such a narrow gap? And have you looked at a Tristar PN with those very holes in them (at the front of the rugplate no less) in comparison?

Take a look at this pic of my ZC-880, note how narrow the gap between bumper and rugplate is, a series of holes in that gap of up to about 2 Millimetres in diameter would not be visible without actually taking the vac and looking at it like that in my picture, and would be no more of a structural weakness as your idea would be as ABS plastic is pretty damned tough stuff, even with holes driled into it so it looks like swiss cheese, so, on both counts, your logic is flawed...

 

[trebor]

Sorry...

I was not visualizing the holes there.

 

[Sanifan]

@twocvbloke...

Yes, I initially was of the same mind - that holes towards the front bottom would be better. Like on the Tristar, as per your example. As long as the holes are slightly above the level of the nap they won't get choked by it, as is the origial problem with the nozzle.

When I have time I will look more closely at the plastic there. If sturdy enough, I'd imagine the location would be ideal. It seems to make sense.

The 8 position switch is a great idea, too.

 

[trebor]

The question is...

would the holes in front actually serve the same purpose? I am not certain one way or the other. I do know that interference patterns can sometimes improve certain outcomes. The holes in the bottom front would sweep the air under the agitator, not over it, I would think. The holes in back would seem to cause a pull from behind the agitator, possibly creating a stronger seal across the front because of the airflow from the rear feeding the fan.

We do know the basic modification works, the rest is just tweaking.

 

[trebor]

After a lengthy and technical conversation...

with Cliff Brady at Lindhaus,(who agrees wholeheartedly with this mod, by the way) I think the holes in the back might do more good because the airflow will help cool the belt, reduce stretching under friction, and keep the agitator turning as the fan is fed more air, as mentioned before. Not sure the holes in front would have as great an effect in that regard. (This is much more fun than discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin)

 

[Sanifan]

I've had the chance to use the modified Sanitaire further and I can't say it lacks for performance. It still cleans very, very well. The one thing I do like a lot is that the suction feels a lot more consistent. There's really no feeling of sucking down onto the carpet.

I want to install the 8 position switch as well.

I think I'll drill six 3/32" holes across that narrow gap under the front bumper on on of my other machines just to experiment. I'd think that guiding the extra airflow under the brushroll would be a good thing. It helps suck in the dirt and the holes are situated to give suction clamping relief, as was the original intention.

I'll let you know how it goes. Probably won't be until next week.

 

[Sanifan]

Am I right in thinking that putting the holes across the front would interfere with using the magnet bar?

 

[trebor]

Magnet bar...?

I have seen them both on vacuums, and in their plastic bubble packaging. I don't know how many versions might have been manufactured. If it has to fit in that narrow groove, then yes, it would cover the space where the holes would be.