Choosing a soil extractor
Good question. Have posted on this and written an article on this exact subject for Professional Carwashing & Detailing Magazine, however I am happy to share with you the information here on the Auto Care Forum:
These are the considerations:
a. Price - how much can you afford or do you want to spend? You might want to drive a Mercedes Benz but can only afford a VW. The good units are prices from $650 to over $2.000. Anymore than $2,000 is overkill
b. Size of Solution Tank - How many cars will you be doing per day. That determines the size of the solution tank. The heated units run from 2 gallons up to 13 gallons.
You do not want to have to re-fill the tank in the middle of the work day which stops work and distracts workers.
c. Vacuum Motor Size - basically you will choose between a 2 stage motor and a 3 stage motor. The 3 stage has more suction than a 2 stage, but not to say the 2 stage is not good. It is the difference say between a V-8 and a V-6, they both function well, but the V-8 has more power.
Do not be mislead by dual-motor units they do not produce much more CFM than a single motor. The reason for the dual motor is that in residential cleaning where you might have to increase the length of hose from 20' to 40' or 50' the dual motor will maintain the level of suction/lift with longer hose, but it will not give you double the suction with a shorter hose.
d. Heater - with heat the hotter the better. You can choose from in line heaters or tank heaters. MOst everyone does for the in line heater today.
They range in watt size from 1000 watts to 2400 watts. So the more watts, the hotter the solution and the better cleaning you get. Anything at 1200 watts is good.
e. Pump - they can dazzle you with units that go up to 400 psi but all you need is 100 - 150 psi.
f. Hose - most come standard with solution line strapped to vacuum hose, but you can get, for easier use, a HIDE A HOSE assembly where the hot solution hose is inside the vacuum hose. Worth every extra penny you pay
g. Nozzle - you want a stainless steel nozzle with a view window. Stainless because they do not wear out and view window to see if you have cleaned the dirt out.
h. Enclosed Spray Tip - some nozzles have an enclosure around the spray tip so that the solution sprays only the width of the vacuum nozzle.
That is it, buy what you can afford.
Buy what your volume demands in terms of size
And choose options as you do on a car, they are not necessarily needed, but they sure make the ride more enjoyable, same with the options I mentioned to you
Hope that helps. Let me know if I can offer any other assisance on choosing an extractor
Bud Abraham
