When Do Commercial Businesses Change Their Vacuum Cleaners?

[kirbyclassiciii]

Does anyone here actually remember when businesses like schools, libraries and doctors' offices and the like change their vacuum cleaners, trading in their old ones so they have a few bucks off of the cost of the replacement cleaners?

Do they do this kind of replacement schedule approximately every 10 years? Depending on the quality of the machines they buy, some of these may last for 15-20 years, especially the Royal metal uprights.

~Ben

 

[human]

Public institutions like schools, colleges, and government agencies may not have the opportunity to trade their vacuums like consumers and other businesses do. The state agencies, colleges, and universities that I've worked for send their old equipment--including vacuum cleaners--to the surplus warehouse where they are stored for a period of time so others within the agency can claim them for free (for agency use, not personal) and then the warehouse periodically has a surplus property auction to get rid of stuff that is no longer needed.

Some equipment, like computers, have a set replacement schedule. The college where I teach replaces 25 percent of its installed base of computers every year so that no computer on campus is more than four years old, although some do occasionally fall through the cracks. For equipment like vacuum cleaners, that don't go obsolete as quickly, they probably just continue to use it until it's totally worn out.

 

[tolivac]

More and more -gov't agencies and business are now using cleaning contractors so they may no longer have to own vacuum cleaners or other cleaning tools.At the transmitter site here-the general "housekeeping" is done by a contractor.I did recommend a vacuum for them to use instead of the screaming Oreck.Other agencies no longer own cleaning equipment.I ordered two Port-a-Vacs for transmitter and our equipment cleaning-maintenance.The Port-A-Vacs are made up at the Greenville Vacuum&Sewing vacuum place.Have helpted Mike build these-a Janitor cart with a MD central unit mounted on it-50Ft cord,35 Ft hose.The beauty of this is the vacuum cart stays outside of the transmitter-no trying to lug a portable or Shop Vac inside the crampted spaces.You just bring in the hose and tool.Planning on adding one of these machines that I helpted Mike build to my collection!

 

[vacerator]

Lot's of

companies use an outside cleaning service, and those people like lightweight machines. They may buy cheap ones, and just replace them.

 

[tolivac]

Eureka,Sanitaire "Mighty Mite" canister are another throw out vacuum they use-also trades contractors when they do final job cleanup.Just throw the vac out-by then its eaten so much plaster dust,concrete dust the motor is shot.That happened here uafter the installation of our new transmitter dummy load.They had to cut trenches in the concrete floor for wiring.They went thru a Shop Vac,too-concrete dust can be a real motor bearing killer!

 

[vacerator]

A Fein

brand commercial shop vac then.

 

[sanitaire]

I work for a school district as the janitor...vacuums and equipment do get surplused and put up for auction but after they are beat too nothing.....I got a nss m1 pig from a old supervisor....

 

[kirbyvertibles]

Sadly 90 percent of business around here are now ordering bagless from Sam's club in bulk including the company I work for. They used to order from me but they said it's cheaper to replace every year with a new fresh vacuum. The company I work for is so cheap now that they won't even order bulk. They order one Bissell per facility until it dies..... Actually they never die. Stupid people don't change belt or clean filter thus landing the vacuum in the trash. well good for them.

 

[portable]

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">And, because vacuums are not enough value to depreciate on a schedule, I doubt that they get put on a set schedule to reorder. Like Phillip said, I bet most of these government and private institutions are now buying plasti-vacs and beating them to death. There was a time when organizations would use their local vacuum dealers to order real commercial machines made for heavy duty use, but with the advent of outside contractors and non-existent budgets, I bet a lot of that business has dried up for local vacuum dealers.</span>

 

[vinvac]

When I worked for the school district we used Royal Commercial Machines. My daily driver was over 10 years old. We had one tool set for every building. In the summer we started in the elementary and worked our way to the high school. We replaced brush rolls every other year, just changed the settings from 1-4.

When they decided to buy new (they built a new building) they went with Hoover Conquest machines. They were lucky to last the year. The old Royals were still going strong.

I often wonder what eventually happened to those machines. I know where the Hoovers went...

The last time I visited they were using Sebo Commercial machines with onboard tools. I asked the head custodian and he said they have had really good luck with them. He liked the paper bags, he said that the custodians tend to replace them and not complain about the shakeout bags and dirt cups on the Hoovers. They were also much quieter.

He indicated they were going to buy a commercial Sainitaire Canister for bigger jobs like cleaning air ducts and bare floor areas in some of the classrooms.