Vax Wet 'n' Dry

[Kristine..]

G'Day

I am about to start work on the Concrete Bunker and it needs cleaning.

No adverb or adjective required. The word is complete in itself. Cleaning.

So, having threatened to buy one for years, this may be the excuse I am looking for to buy a Vax Wet & Dry vacuum cleaner.

Does anyone have one, or a similar machine and what has been your experience with it?

Godfrey's have an outdoor wet vacuum ($99) in their catalogue this month and it would probably do what I want it to do, which is that I am going to use the K'Archer high pressure unit and hot soapy water throughout the unit before I start anything, and I want the Vax to simply suck up the spillage, of which there will be buckets and buckets thereof.

I will be throwing out the carpets but there is no need to have them rot first and they are at least protecting the parquetry flooring until I get to painting the skirting boards.

So the question is:

Basic: The el cheapo $99 machine will suck the water up, so a great complentary machine to use with the K'Archer

v

Versatile: The Vax (about $250 from KMart) will suck the water up, but also has a shampoo function ie pushes water down the hose out through the shampoo head attachment and sucks the water back out of the carpet.

So the Vax would do this job, work alongside the K'Archer on other jobs, and would also come in handy for general carpet cleaning, shampooing car seats etc


All comments welcome!

Cheers

Kristine

PS Watch out Jen! My reno may not involve quite as many bricks as yours, nor is it upstairs, but the bathroom does somewhat resemble the change room in a sporting facility complete with louvre windows plus I have a courtyard (complete with caretaker's loo) which has seen better days. I also have fascias to paint and courtyard fencing to do ... I think this reno will have a concrete apron instead of paving and laminex splashbacks instead of tiles.

Anyone with any experience with installing a 'shower enclosure' - how old is the enclosure and how well do they stand up to wear and tear?

 

[Tools]

If I understand correctly, you are going to pressure wash your walls inside? I can see all sorts of problems with this, starting with your parquetry lifting.Have I misunderstood?

Tools

 

[gerd.]

Hi Kristine

I have used wet & dry vacs for years.

The cheep ones are noisy to the extent that you will need to wear earmuffs.

The sucking power is fantastic.

For best affect in picking up the water, creating a barrier so that the water ponds or you will have to have a second person manning the vac while water blasting.
.
The wet & dry vacs come with a ball that will float to the top of the machine when full ( the dust cartridge needs to be removed before using it for wet vacuuming ), due to the weight of water it is easier to empty the larger vacs before they are full.

If the vac ends up sideways ( easer done than you my think ) the ball is sucked to the top & the vac will loose suction, turn the vac of, stand it uprighted, the ball will drop, then start the vac as usual.

I would buy the $99 one as it will end up well & truly used by the end of the job.

Gerd

 

[sailor]

I have a Vax and couldn't live without it...works like a trojan...heaps better than the cheapy models. Go for it.

 

[BoatBoy]

I have a Vax and couldn't live without it...works like a trojan...heaps better than the cheapy models. Go for it.

Have you used the cheapy model's or are you a believer of "it's more expensive it must be better".

As a trady, I get to use a variety of cheap and expensive power tools and in a lot of cases the cheaper gear is better "Bang for Buck".

BB

 

[sailor]

I've used only one cheaper model Boatboy, and it wasn't nearly as powerful, and the water gummed up some stuff. So I'm truly a Vax-devotee!

 

[Kristine..]

G'Day

Well, thanks for the comments particulary Gerd as I know you do use the same technique I am talking about - I decided on the Vax V2000 which is the model they sell through KMart for $275.

I appreciate that the Yardworks basic model ($99) could go in the skip at the end of the job, however my car is decidedly grotty and the upholstery is in dire need of cleaning, so I bought the Vax simply because it has carpet and upholstery cleaning attachments.

I have previously hired The Rug Doctor at $50+ per hire, and although quite thorough, found the upright machine very tiring to use. Hopefully the canister on wheels style of the Vax with the wand attachments will make the occasional carpet cleaning a bit easier to do.

Some years ago we had Spacemaker do a fairly major extension on a 1970s house - this involved excavating into the underside of the house through the downstairs rumpus room - we built a bedroom above this new semi-basement bedroom/study, took sides off the house, added a family room, recycled windows and bricks and roofing materials - but the point is that the semi-basement room was double brick on a concrete slab.

At the end of the job a chap arrived with a high pressure unit and proceeded to blast the walls clear of daggy mortar bits and hydrochloric acid, and when he left the concrete slab was just a bit damp. What had he done with all that water - he was blasting for at least thirty minutes?! It occured to me that, of course, he used a wet vacuum, so I figure if he can do it I can do it, and the K'Archer has two different pressures - I will use low pressure with the sudsy water which is pumped from a separate bucket, so after each bucketful I can vacuum it up and move around the Bunker a bucket at a time.

The thought of scrubbing the entire thing - including ceilings and overhead beams and ALL THOSE CONCRETE BLOCKS just leaves me weak!

Some walls are so covered in ancient blu tak and caramelised sticky tape and roofing nails driven in to hang pictures from (why do people do that?) to say nothing of the original walnut stained timber - the only thing I shall protect are the chipboard wardrobe drawer inserts - these will scrub up quite well with the Satin Enamel, and I don't want them swelling up from water blasting.

Maybe I shall take some picture with my new Nokia camera phone - it will make a change from taking photos of my thumb which I (seemingly) manage to do every time I answer the darn thing!

Thanks again for the comments

Kristine

 

[muppie]

Hi Kristine,

How did you go with Vax 2000? Do you like it? Does it clean tiled floors like a mop (wet/dry) ? Is it good? Is it bad?

 

[Kristine..]

Hi muppie

If the truth be known I haven't had time to start work on the Bunker, but the Vax has been out of the box as the cistern at the upstairs offices I have taken while the new shop premises are fitted out ran all one weekend and leaked out from the washrooms into the carpeted areas.

Mike took the Vax and vacuumed up the excess water. He was surprised at the suction, particularly where the carpet was wet. He couldn't push the nozzle, only pull it towards him, but the machine literally sucked all the moisture from the carpets and, we assume, the underfelt (if any).

As we have now signed leases for Mordialloc I have to apply myself to the Bunker and intend to start the demolition work this week. The cleaning will be after demolition and before outfitting, so watch this space for a progress report.

Mike's usage was certainly very encouraging that the machine will do what I want it to do.

Cheers

Kristine