Nearly 100% of domestic HEPA vacuum cleaners cannot hold up to commercial or industrial use because they aren’t designed for it. However, people all too often purchase them to clean industrial and construction debris, chemical spills, and other dangerous materials. But because they are using the wrong machine they end up contaminating themselves and the area with these leaky unsealed HEPA vacuum cleaners.
Just because a vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter doesn’t mean it is sealed, which is the most important factor for commercial cleaning. Most of these vacuum cleaners shoot particles, allergens, and dangerous chemicals back into the air. These will be breathed in by the person vacuuming and by everyone else in the area. This happens when HEPA filters are not properly sealed in the vacuum case and vacuum cleaner cases themselves are unsealed. As air pressure is pushed through the vacuum, these contaminants are pushed back out into the environment.
Since most residential HEPA vacuum cleaners use a 1-inch diameter hose, the hose can easily get clogged with contaminated construction debris. Then when the operator pulls the hose apart to unclog it, the debris is released and can get back out into the air. Even the average commercial Shop Vac with a HEPA filter has been found to leak contaminants back into the air while vacuuming.
There is an easy test you can do to see if your HEPA filter leaks. Take your vacuum (it needs to have some dirt in it) and put it under direct light and turn it on. Simply putting it in front of a sunlit window will work. If it’s leaking at all you will see dust and other particles flying out into the air. A properly sealed HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner should show zero particles coming from around its HEPA filter or around its case.
For industrial and heavy-duty vacuums, the most important feature is the complete seal around the filter and the case. These powerful brands of HEPA vacuum cleaners are designed and able to vacuum larger sized contaminants with wide hoses 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter. Call Centaur Machines today to find out which of our industrial vacuums is right for your needs.