by Matt
13. January 2011 10:36
Measuring the true suction of a vacuum cleaner can be hard to figure out if you are just starting your research for searching the right vacuum cleaner. Lots vacuums and central vacuums will provide specifications such as watts, horse power, CFM’s, and amps. While some of these specifications are important, they do not give you a true measure of the suction of the vacuum cleaner. If you are in the looking for a new vacuum or central vacuum cleaner, you should pay close attention to air watts and water lift; these are two specifications that truly measure the suction of the vacuum cleaner.
An air watt is a unit of power that is similar to a watt which is used to measure the suction of the vacuum cleaners motor, so the higher the air watts the higher the suction of the motor. The formula for measuring air watts is [air flow (CFM) x suction (inches water lift)]/ 8.5. Air flow and suction have an inverse relationship, so in order to get the best cleaning performance you need to find the balance between water lift and air flow. Most brands have saved you the trouble of figuring out the formula and have included this calculation in their specifications.
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