Vacuum cleaning systems

by M. S. Cooley

FIG. 9. FIRST PORTABLE VACUUM CLEANER, CONSTRUCTED BY DR. WILLIAM NOE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, IN 1905.

First Use of Stationary Multi-Stage Turbine Blowers.

—About 1905 Mr. Ira Spencer, president and engineer of the Organ Power Company, which manufactured a multi-stage turbine blower for organs, known as the “Orgoblow,” organized the Spencer Turbine Cleaner Company and marketed a vacuum cleaning system, using a modification of the “Orgoblow” as a vacuum producer. These machines were first constructed with sheet metal casings and had sheet steel fans, with wings riveted on and mounted on horizontal shafts. The separators were sheet metal receptacles with screens for catching litter. Light-weight hose, 2 in. in diameter, was used to connect the renovators to 4-in. sheet metal pipe lines. A variety of renovators was produced for use with this system. Carpet renovators having cleaning slots varying from 10 in. by ³⁄₄ in. to 20 in. by ¹⁄₄ in. were used, and a very complete line of swivel joints for connecting the renovators and the hose to the handles was developed. This system was operated at 5 in. vacuum, which was much lower than that used by any other system, 15 in. being standard at that time, and a much larger volume of air was exhausted under certain conditions than was possible with any of the then existing systems. Owing to the large volume of air exhausted and to the large size of the renovators, hose and pipe lines, larger articles could be picked up than was possible with any of the existing systems. A great deal of weight was attached to this condition by the manufacturers, a favorite stunt being to pick up nails, washers, waste, small pieces of paper and even pea coal from a floor and finally to pick up a quantity of flour which had first been carefully arranged for the demonstration.

FIG. 10. LATE TYPE OF SPENCER VACUUM CLEANING MACHINE, OPERATED BY MULTI-STAGE TURBINE BLOWER.

This invasion of the vacuum cleaning field was considered by the established manufacturers as a freak and the apparatus was christened “the tin machine.” Whenever it was installed in competition with other forms of cleaning systems, the daily question asked by its competitors was, “Has the tin machine fallen apart?” However, the tin machine did not fall apart, but held its own with the other systems, even in its crude and inefficient state. Finding that the construction he had adopted was too flimsy and subject to abnormal leakage, Mr. Spencer developed a new form of machine, using cast-iron casing and welded fan wheels and adopted standard pipe and fittings. He also brought out a line of sheet metal tools and on the whole perfected a satisfactory cleaning system. One of his machines of a later type is illustrated in [Fig. 10].

Separators Emptying to Sewer by Air Pressure.

—A new form of vacuum cleaning system was introduced by Mr. Moorhead, of San Francisco, who used an inrush type of renovator having an inlet for air on each side of the cleaning slot.

The separator used with this system was a wet separator and contained a screen cleaned by a rotary brush into which all the dust contained in the air lodged. The pump used with this system was generally of the piston type, fitted with a single rotary valve, so connected to the valve stem that it could be rotated thereon and the machine changed from a vacuum pump to an air compressor in order that the contents of the separators might be discharged into the sewer by air pressure when it was desired to empty same.

This system was marketed by the Sanitary Dust Removal Company, of San Francisco, and, later, was taken over by the American Rotary Valve Company, of Chicago, which is now marketing same. It eliminates the manual handling of the dust at any stage of its removal, a feature which is made much of by its manufacturers, but one which is likely to cause some trouble for the sewerage system if care is not exercised.