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Question: What is a truckmount carpet cleaning machine "exhaust diverter"?
Answer: Since many truckmounted carpet cleaning machines are gasoline powered, the engine exhaust is used to blow over stainless tubing or a tube in shell heat exchanger (air to liquid heat transfer). The engine exhaust can be 1200 degree F. So what happens if you set down the carpet cleaning wand for a long time (get side tracked to talk on your cell phone, move a bunch of furniture, water extractions when you do not need any water pressure, or the customer stops by to talk to you)? The water temperature can elevate to extremely dangerous levels.
Diverter could be defined as a flap or a ball that re-directs the path of the hot air that comes out of the engine.
There are four main types of exhaust diverter used in the carpet cleaning industry:
First you can divert the engine exhaust before or after the heat exchanger.
You can divert the engine exhaust manually or automatically. These combinations are manual before exchanger, manual after exchanger, automatic before exchanger and automatic after exchanger.
Heat exchangers are commonly used with electronic water pump clutch control. In other words, this gives you the ability to turn the water pump 'off' if you do not need water pressure and then you divert the hot air away from the heat exchanger and through a muffler. This will allow you to have extended run times without the dangers of overheating the water.
So what style is best for you? In the last 30 years I have used, test, repaired, and built a lot of machines. We find the exhaust diverters placed before the heat exchanger collect quite a bit of engine exhaust trash. As you know the air to comes out of small engines is not too clean. Ultimately this means that the diverter will get stuck or not open or close all the way. Electronic or automatic exhaust diverters are usually actuated by the vacuum of the vacuum blower but are electronically and thermostatically controlled. This means that the it too will eventually break. May not be for year or a few months but anything electronic will have a duty cycle. So the only exhaust diverter system that cannot break, is the manual after the exchanger.
Answer: Since many truckmounted carpet cleaning machines are gasoline powered, the engine exhaust is used to blow over stainless tubing or a tube in shell heat exchanger (air to liquid heat transfer). The engine exhaust can be 1200 degree F. So what happens if you set down the carpet cleaning wand for a long time (get side tracked to talk on your cell phone, move a bunch of furniture, water extractions when you do not need any water pressure, or the customer stops by to talk to you)? The water temperature can elevate to extremely dangerous levels.
Diverter could be defined as a flap or a ball that re-directs the path of the hot air that comes out of the engine.
There are four main types of exhaust diverter used in the carpet cleaning industry:
First you can divert the engine exhaust before or after the heat exchanger.
You can divert the engine exhaust manually or automatically. These combinations are manual before exchanger, manual after exchanger, automatic before exchanger and automatic after exchanger.
Heat exchangers are commonly used with electronic water pump clutch control. In other words, this gives you the ability to turn the water pump 'off' if you do not need water pressure and then you divert the hot air away from the heat exchanger and through a muffler. This will allow you to have extended run times without the dangers of overheating the water.
So what style is best for you? In the last 30 years I have used, test, repaired, and built a lot of machines. We find the exhaust diverters placed before the heat exchanger collect quite a bit of engine exhaust trash. As you know the air to comes out of small engines is not too clean. Ultimately this means that the diverter will get stuck or not open or close all the way. Electronic or automatic exhaust diverters are usually actuated by the vacuum of the vacuum blower but are electronically and thermostatically controlled. This means that the it too will eventually break. May not be for year or a few months but anything electronic will have a duty cycle. So the only exhaust diverter system that cannot break, is the manual after the exchanger.
