FOR ABOUT THIRTY YEARS, our machine had a SCREEN to protect the motor.  It worked well, but we kept getting complaints that cleaning the screen meant getting your hands dirty and occasionally a nose full of dust. People loved the system, but hated the screen.  

THEN WE TRIED THE CLOTH BARRIER. The idea was that the cloth had a weight in it which went up when the machine turned on and fell down when the unit stopped.  The cloth was supposed to shake itself out... BUT IT DIDN'T.  It was necessary to clean the cloth by hand and that was a worse mess than the other methods.

FINALLY, we developed the CLOTH BARRIER WITH AN INTERNAL PADDLE. Our present models have an external lever connected to a paddle which taps on the cloth.  No more dirty arms.  No face full of dust.  Just a clean cloth barrier and consistent suction. 
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WATERLIFT measures suction pressure.  It tells you how high you could lift a column of water in a "U" shaped tube if you applied suction to one side of the "U."  Waterlift is crucial, but high waterlift numbers alone don't produce a good result.  For example, laboratory vacuum pumps develop a lot of suction, but no C.F.M.  The result is no cleaning power. 

C.F.M. tells you how much air you are moving.  C.F.M. is crucial, but C.F.M. alone will not produce a useful result.  An attic fan pulls thousands of C.F.M., but develops no waterlift.  The result is no cleaning power.

For example, if an engineer designed a motor that had a huge waterlift rating, but low C.F.M., the motor would have a high air-watt rating when you do the multiplication, but as a vacuum cleaner, it would be a failure.

You need to know the C.F.M. and the Waterlift and you need to talk to someone with enough experience to know what combination will produce cleaning power.
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The best motors on the market have the following specifications.  Either of these will produce excellent results.

1. A two stage, 7.2" diameter motor with about 120 c.f.m. and 120 inches of waterlift.

2. A three stage, 7.2" diameter motor with about 96 c.f.m. and 136 inches of waterlift.

3. Model 9915 with 7.2" diameter motor with 116 c.f.m. and 120 inches of waterlift.

The primary advantage of a three stage motor or model 9915 is that it drives an air driven power brush so that it performs as well as an electric brush.

The standard door operated Budd inlet will accept both ends of the hose.  Hoses occasionally clog.  When it happens, you can usually clear the hose by inserting one end into the inlet at a time until the clog is free.

Hose Operated Wall Valve
This inlet turns the motor on when the hose is inserted into it.  To turn the unit off without taking the hose out of the wall, a hose with a low voltage switch is available.

Current carrying inlet
This wall plate accepts a special hose which has four wires built into it.  Two wires carry low voltage which connect to a switch, which turns the machine on and off.  Two wires carry 110 volts to an electrically driven rotating carpet brush.  Those wires connect directly into the wall valve when you plug it in.  Substantial additional cost is involved for the special hose and the electrical installation.  The 110 volt wiring must be done according to code.

Our experience is that a three stage motor with an air driven Turbo-Cat will equal the performance of an electric driven power brush in most homes.

FOR A FRANK EVALUATION OF WHAT WILL BENEFIT YOU THE MOST, CALL BUDD VACUUM.
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You can tie this kind of hose in knots, but it won't close off.  The wire supports it.  It is soft and handles like a rope.  It is easy to hang and store.  You don't mar your furniture and woodwork because it is soft and easily moved around corners and furniture.

CRUSHPROOF HOSES
These hoses have no wire support.  They depend on the rigidity and springiness of the hose to stay open.  They cost less, but the downside is that they will tend to close when bent or pulled around a corner.

 Their prime advantage is that they will spring back if they are crushed by a car or heavy object.  But their springiness makes them harder to handle and hang.