Getting started with a portable.

[Nick and Maria]

Hi guys. Nick and Maria here from Wisconsin. I'll try to keep this short.

The two of us are looking into starting our own part-time to full-time carpet cleaning gig. We plan to start small using a strong and durable portable unit primarily for use on campus apartments in Madison, Wisconsin.

We've been looking at these units, but are willing to see what you may suggest;

-Nautilus 500
-Pro Chem Ninja Warrior
-Edic Galaxy

We look forward to hearing from you pros.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

I have the EDIC 500 psi with the heater great unit. Works well with the heat , a 175 rotary will be very important for really dirty carpets. The EDIC is hard to pull up the stairs if your over 5-10 in height do to the low handle profile. jz.

 

[Mark Saiger]

Hi guys. Nick and Maria here from Wisconsin. I'll try to keep this short.

The two of us are looking into starting our own part-time to full-time carpet cleaning gig. We plan to start small using a strong and durable portable unit primarily for use on campus apartments in Madison, Wisconsin.

We've been looking at these units, but are willing to see what you may suggest;

-Nautilus 500
-Pro Chem Ninja Warrior
-Edic Galaxy

We look forward to hearing from you pros.

Hey guys welcome and glad you made here

Mikey @Mikey P and I were just talking about what would be a good reccomendation for you and another person looking to start up with a portable unit.

There are a few that clean with Portables on here a lot and do very well. Hoping someone like @Willy P can chime in and others.

Again, great seeing you here

 

[rjwood]

I think the biggest obstacle might be heat. College dorms or apartments often see lots of gum stuck to the carpet and heat is a huge help in removing gum without the need to pre-treat each and every piece.

The other issue is, of course, beer spills, but a portable with decent pressure and suction should be abbe to handle that.

Chemicals; chemicals; and chemicals....that's the key. Hard work, too.

Learning can be fun, and your situation is perfect for the learning process.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

get some ear plugs

 

[Willy P]

Oh boy! Where do I start?
Machine - If you can find a manufacturer that uses a Cat pump instead of pumptec, you'll get more miles out of it. Dual 3 stage in parallel. 15 gallon fresh tank. Larry Cobb cobbles (see what I did there?) out a pretty good re-engineered machine. I like my powrflite perfect heat, but you'll need to splice in a 3rd cord for the heater or blow fuses and the vac motors are in series. I'm a big fan of this - http://www.***************/kleenrite-39011-heatrite-line-heater-carpet-cleaners-p-3476.html to give you good heat and other than replacing thermostats and switches you don't get much grief.Mine's 10 years old and still gets finger burning hot fittings. Swap out the 190 degree disc thermostats for 220 or 240 degree. Selco makes the best ones. 2000 watt heaters just don't cut it nearly as well. 3 or 4 flow AW29 wand. 35 foot hoses with a 15 foot extension - saves dragging the machine up a flight of stairs. Go to the hardware store and buy a standard dishwasher quick connect, attach a laundry supply hose. Saves a lot of bucket brigade. Use a hydro force.

More as I think of it as I gotta go to work, but I'll post more after I'm done.

Waiting for Chavez......

 

[Mark Saiger]

Oh boy! Where do I start?
Machine - If you can find a manufacturer that uses a Cat pump instead of pumptec, you'll get more miles out of it. Dual 3 stage in parallel. 15 gallon fresh tank. Larry Cobb cobbles (see what I did there?) out a pretty good re-engineered machine. I'm a big fan of this - http://www.***************/kleenrite-39011-heatrite-line-heater-carpet-cleaners-p-3476.html to give you good heat and other than replacing thermostats and switches you don't get much grief.Mine's 10 years old and still gets finger burning hot fittings. Swap out the 190 degree disc thermostats for 220 or 240 degree. Selco makes the best ones. 2000 watt heaters just don't cut it nearly as well. 3 or 4 flow AW29 wand. 35 foot hoses with a 15 foot extension - saves dragging the machine up a flight of stairs. Go to the hardware store and buy a standard dishwasher quick connect, attach a laundry supply hose. Saves a lot of bucket brigade. Use a hydro force.

More as I think of it as I gotta go to work, but I'll post more after I'm done.

Waiting for Chavez......

I knew this would be the person who could also give us some very Valuable information Thanks Willy!

This guy knows his portables! I would want him to help me build one really... If I were a portable guy...

Cue Chavez... @Desk Jockey

 

[Cleanworks]

What Willy said! Isn't too bad that portable manufacturers don't listen to carpet cleaners. They are always trying to give us everything on 1 or 2 power cords and It DOESN'T WORK. For a true 500 psi pump that gets you 500psi with at least a #3 jet, you need about 5 amps. 2-3 stage vac pull another 13.5 amps each. Just where do you think your going to put the heater? Willy separated out his heater component and wired it by itself. Means having to use 3 power cords or just use hot tap water with only 2. If you are doing dorm rooms and suites, you should be able to find at least 3 separate circuits. The edic galaxy with the 1/2 hp 500 psi pump and 2-3 stage vacs is a nice unit. you can buy the heater separately and it installs on the rear of the machine with its own power cord. If you don't have to go up and down stairs, or have 2 people, they make it in a 17 gallon version which lets you go a little longer before dumping and refilling.

 

[Captain America]

Those portables are 3000-4000$
I would spend half a day with a truckmount carpet cleaner before spending that much....
Good used truckmounts are 5 k- 10 k
And would give you easier setup with 5 times the carpet cleaning and about 3 times faster cleaning
Cap

 

[Clean Response]

Get a good used portable off of Craigslist. I see them all day long around here from guys that did not make it. Save a boat load of money. Just know what to look for when your buying and you be fine.

 

[ruff]

1. Working with a portable will no doubt take longer than a truck mount.
2. Still, it will allow you to get more business particularly if you live where there are lots of high rises.
3. Getting max heat and suction will mean three outlets that are on separate circuits (unless you convert a 220). Takes much longer to set up and may load the whole system.
4. Most here that are not called Willy make a compromise. We do not use the heater (which consumes the most amount of electricity) and compensate with the other parts of TACT (hint- We skip the last T- temperature). Saves time and the results with proper use of TAC, can still be outstanding.
5. Given that choice and if you can afford it, I'd get one of the new high efficiency motors instead. It will cost more but be worth it. And at least a 300 psi pump.
6. Maneuverability, in what locations and with how many people it will be used, are important factors as well.

 

[Cleanworks]

Those portables are 3000-4000$
I would spend half a day with a truckmount carpet cleaner before spending that much....
Good used truckmounts are 5 k- 10 k
And would give you easier setup with 5 times the carpet cleaning and about 3 times faster cleaning
Cap

but you can't always reach.

 

[Willy P]

Those portables are 3000-4000$
I would spend half a day with a truckmount carpet cleaner before spending that much....
Good used truckmounts are 5 k- 10 k
And would give you easier setup with 5 times the carpet cleaning and about 3 times faster cleaning
Cap

Ahhhh- Chavez has an alter ego - Captain America!

The Nautalis feature with the quick switch between series and parallel is a good idea, I'd love to be able to design and build the right unit, but I need a backer.....

 

[Cleanworks]

Me too. Spent $4,500 on the last one. I want some else to pay for my next one.

 

[Willy P]

1. Most here that are not called Willy make a compromise. We do not use the heater (which consumes the most amount of electricity) and compensate with the other parts of TACT (hint- We skip the last T- temperature). Saves time and the results with proper use of TAC, can still be outstanding.

I want it all. I'm going to order one of these to crank it up a bit more: Gotta have it! And only one more cord,,,,

http://www.***************/clean-storm-universal-vacuum-booster-p-4832.html

 

[Cleanworks]

Only problem is, does it have a filter/shut off ball or equivalent. Otherwise, it may be blowing dirty water/foam out the exhaust. I was contemplating doing the same for one of my old ninjas. Just cut a hole in the lid and mount a 3 stage vac with a filter ball float in the middle and plug it in.

 

[Willy P]

Only problem is, does it have a filter/shut off ball or equivalent. Otherwise, it may be blowing dirty water/foam out the exhaust. I was contemplating doing the same for one of my old ninjas. Just cut a hole in the lid and mount a 3 stage vac with a filter ball float in the middle and plug it in.

Ninja vac booster? Simple toolbox unit. Suck dust off the moon.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Ahhhh- Chavez has an alter ego - Captain America!

The Nautalis feature with the quick switch between series and parallel is a good idea, I'd love to be able to design and build the right unit, but I need a backer.....

 

[Nick and Maria]

Wow! You guys are incredible. Mr. Mark Saiger suggested that we join the group here and you guys are making us feel quite welcome. Thank you! We've definitely got some more research to do now that we've gathered some professional opinions. Stand by for further questions. Thanks everyone.

 

[Cleanworks]

Ninja vac booster? Simple toolbox unit. Suck dust off the moon.

View attachment 12617

I've seen that before, actually made one that attaches to my exhaust. Just thinking it would be simpler to drill a hole in the center of the lid and install a 3-stage on top with a ball filter below. Maybe build a louvred cover for it so it looks nice. probably need to replace the 1 1/2 in fitting with a 2 inch to maximize air flow. I need to get a replacement lid so I can experiment.

 

[Willy P]

With the way that's set up, you get 2 sets in series to a parallel, the best of both worlds. I had that set up with my MelPeliniNinja set up with the General pump. It rocked.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Uhh huh.

 

[Cleanworks]

I had Mel put a 3/4 hp motor on my general pump and I use it for hard surfaces 1000-1200psi. Would like to find out low amp 1/2 hp cface and put on my portable and get rid of the pumptec. That pumptec growls like an angry bear and scares all the neighbors

 

[Willy P]

Uhh huh.

You never met Mel or knew how he could re-engineer shit into a diamond. He built portys and direct drive machines that outperformed Cleancos for both durability and reliability.

 

[ruff]

What the hack Willy.
Diamonds are just carbon under lots of pressure.

 

[Cleanworks]

You never met Mel or knew how he could re-engineer shit into a diamond. He built portys and direct drive machines that outperformed Cleancos for both durability and reliability.

Don't forget his electric hybrid, 1 1/2 hp general pump with a 70 gal fresh water tank, lg 3ht heater and you bring the 20 gallon vacuum into the job

 

[The Great Oz]

The two of us are looking into starting our own part-time to full-time carpet cleaning gig. We plan to start small using a strong and durable portable unit primarily for use on campus apartments in Madison, Wisconsin.

You're choices are solid.

I'd recommend getting one with dual three-stage vacuums. We've found slow drying due to poor water recovery is the biggest problem when trying to do volume cleaning using a portable. With that said, I'd also recommend picking up an Evolution wand if you can afford the up-charge, as the better airflow makes a difference when air pulling power is limited. If you're getting into carpet that is heavily soiled, see if you can find a used rotary extractor to use for that purpose. You'll go through more water, but you'll do a better job with less physical grief.

Good luck!

 

[Don336]

What are your thoughts on Mytee LTD5 heated? Already made a deal on one and picking it up Monday.

My 1003 speedster is having issues. Getting pressure to the heater but not trigger. Any thoughts? Is there an internal check valve down stream somewhere?

 

[Mark Saiger]

Here is also a wand to consider as well as many for the smaller wand have been liking this.

http://www.mikeysboard.com/threads/pmf-mach12-titanium-wand-loaner-program.280982/

I have not seen it since the Vegas show....but there have been quite a few people that like it...and I have this loaner coming to me sometime in the future.

I will certainly report back how it works including with some portable testing....

And with you 6 hours away from me, maybe something we can get together and let you try as well....

And again, the invitation still stands if and when you guys want to come and visit and check things out with us

 

[Cleanworks]

What are your thoughts on Mytee LTD5 heated? Already made a deal on one and picking it up Monday.

My 1003 speedster is having issues. Getting pressure to the heater but not trigger. Any thoughts? Is there an internal check valve down stream somewhere?

It depends on how many power cords are on it. The unheated model has 2, 1-20 amp and 1-14 amp. The heater is going to take at least another 15-20 amp cord. The machine appears to have a cat 1/2 hp pump and 2 3-stage vacuums. It has 2 inch plumbing. On paper, it looks very good. You are also have auto fill/dump available. Understand that no single cord heater is going to provide you with the heat of a truck mount but it does help. There should be a check valve on your 1003 heater in between the heater and pump. Maybe clogged or broken.