Well, it sounds extremely funny when we say that Vacuums are made to suck. Yes, that’s right. To suck the dirt and debris the vacuums have been designed.
When suction of a vacuum is of so much importance, then why just it is not considered the only option when shopping for a vacuum. Because of its build, that is also done considering the different types of thefloor on which it functions.
Sucking Mode
While a high suction can easily get hold of all the dust, a low suction will just blow it away without doing the much-intended work of sucking. Hence, while choosing the vacuum, sucking should also be given a huge importance.
To understand the suction power, it is necessary to first know how it is being measured. Suction power is provided in manufacture’s manual in different forms such as Watts, Amps, CFM or AW. Let us have a look what each of these means.
#1 Air Watts: It is one type of measurement of suction power. It refers to the amount of Watts used by the machine to carry a unit of air through the vacuum’s nozzle. This is more constant and quantifies to the reality of what it needs. By knowing the CFM and the Water Lift also, known as sealed suction, you can calculate the Air Watts size by using the formula:
Air Watts = 0.117254 * Airflow (CFM) * Water lift (inches of H2O)
Well, it is claimed that an efficient upright should have at least 100 AW and a canister, at least 220 AW. It is more in thecase of the canisters because they pull the debris with the help of ahose. In order to pull the air through the filter’s fiber, more power is needed.
#2 Water Lift: To test and analyze the suction power of a vacuum, the seal section test is another means of doing so. Doing it requires, sealing the unit and connecting it to a tube that contains water. Higher the water level, bigger is the suction capacity. But this is not an applicable method in case of a normal vacuum where the performance gets stopped due to overheating.
#3 Watts: This is the most common value that you will find in almost all the vacuums. It refers to the motors power consumption and not the performance. So, it can be concluded that higher the watts, more powerful is the motor and thereby having the highest suction capacity.
#4 Amps: Just like watts, Amps also refer to the power consumption. Thus the concept regarding the suction capacity holds back same for watts and Amps. From the below equation, the concept can be clearly drawn.
Watts/Volts = Amps
#5 Horsepower: This measurement shows the amount of inrush currents which is measured in first milliseconds and inflated by low motor pressure. This unit is not helpful either way in determining the vacuum’s performance and efficiency.
Difference In Suction
Different vacuums show the different suction powers when tested and no one can say it for certain which is the most commercial viable vacuum cleaner in terms of the suction capacity. It is also seen that after attaching the parts, the suction tends to drop in some of the vacuums under 200 dollars range, from an average of 45 CFM and again in a commercial vacuum, the suction ismeasured to be 200 CFM which is the highest.
How Much Power Is Enough?
Depending on the needs, the suction power is determined. While bigger motors tend to be powerful and fun, but it cannot be an ideal for a home where an average suction can do the needful.