Maintenance of cleaning machines
Sweepers and scrubber driers are used every day to keep supermarkets, industrial plants, warehouses and hotels clean. They absorb vast amounts of dirt and thus improve the visual impression, create hygiene, contribute to value retention and avoid the risk of slipping through sure-footedness. However, in order to continuously achieve the usual high cleaning performance and to maximize the service life, it is not enough to simply empty the dirt container after the work is done. How to care for and maintain cleaning machines - a guide.
Scrubber dryer from A to Z
Scrubbing unit, squeegee lips, suction hose and dirt container - all these components of a scrubber drier are constantly surrounded by dirty water. The dirt residue remaining in the system increases without cleaning, unpleasant odors form and, over time, technical impairments. Systematic maintenance and checks after each use help to avoid this.
A systematic approach helps
First, the brush head and squeegee should be raised so that the scrubbing brushes and squeegee lips are relieved and are accessible for the upcoming cleaning process.
The dirty water is then emptied into the drain via a drain hose. The end of the hose can be squeezed in order to dose or control the gush of water.
There is a fluff filter above the blower, which, like the coarse dirt filter on the suction port in the waste water tank, must be cleaned. They hold back coarse dirt such as splinters of wood, scraps of cardboard or leaves so that the blower is not damaged and the drain in the tank is not blocked.
After the filter and sieve, the suction nozzle and the suction hose located behind it to the suction bar are thoroughly rinsed with clean water.
The dirt container and lid also have to be washed out, whereby one important detail is often forgotten: the rubber fold on the lid. When closing the container, it can only create the necessary vacuum if there is no dirt in it and it is not damaged. However, the negative pressure is a prerequisite for the entire system remaining leak-proof and thus ensuring good extraction results. It also makes sense to clean the dirt container at certain intervals with a cloth or a brush and a cleaning agent to remove grease and oils from the walls. In the parking position, the lid should remain open so that it dries out completely and no unpleasant odors form.
A detail in view: Suction bar and scouring unit
The squeegee, which constantly comes into contact with dirty water, sand, oil and mud, is only hand-screwed and can be easily removed from the bracket. You can then rinse it and clean it with a cloth or brush if necessary. It is important to check the suction lips for wear or cracks. As a rule, the suction lip can be turned and can therefore be used twice before a new one has to be used after wear on both sides. Their intact condition is a prerequisite for a good extraction result.
The scrub head is the main player in wet cleaning with the scrubber drier and deserves special attention. For checking purposes, the brushes on the disc scrubbing head can be detached from the brush deck using a foot pedal. With the cylindrical scrub head, the holder is released without tools using a rotary knob and the brushes can be removed.
Especially with the roller scrubbing head, the high speed (up to 1,300 rpm) can cause packaging tape to fuse with the bristles, making the brush unusable without regular checks. In addition, after each cleaning process, the associated coarse dirt sweeper drawer must be removed and emptied, as it catches, among other things, pointed stones, sharp-edged objects or glass splinters. If these are not removed, they can scratch floors later when scrubbing.
Sweeper maintenance
If the sweeper has a petrol or diesel engine, it is important to check the oil level and air filter regularly. It is also important to check the tire pressure - if it is too low, the sweeping unit will come too close to the ground and can be damaged. The whole thing also has a negative effect on the sweeping result. The filter elements above the dirt container must be cleaned to remove the fine dust from the fins and to prevent the machine from getting dusty. This is done either manually or motor-controlled via the scraper or, in the case of modern machines, automatically via filter cleaning technology.
In addition, the filter should be cleaned regularly with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. If it is polyester-coated, it can also be washed out. Under no circumstances should it be blown out with compressed air, because the dust particles that are thrown up are often harmful to health. On the other hand, the filter elements are destroyed and lose their function. Cleaning with high pressure would also damage the filter fins and should therefore not be done.
Finally, the roller brush needs to be checked just as much as the scrubbing unit on the scrubber drier: if packaging material/tape gets caught, it needs to be removed or cut out. The main brush wears out relatively quickly on rough surfaces such as cobblestones, exposed aggregate concrete or tarred surfaces. In order to always achieve a good sweeping result, the sweeping level must be readjusted on some models. This is the working width of the sweeping roller and is fixed in the machine by means of a raster on both sides. If the sweeping level is set too low, wear occurs too quickly; if it is too high, a good work result will not be achieved.
Everything about traction batteries
Depending on the system, maintenance-free or low-maintenance traction batteries are used in larger scrubber driers and sweepers with a capacity of 40 liters or more. With both variants, dust and dirt should first be removed from the batteries in order to prevent leakage currents and technical damage. Traction batteries are most efficient at temperatures around 20 °C, at ambient temperatures of over 40 °C and below 5 °C their performance drops sharply. For a full charge, a charging time of 12 to 14 hours should be observed, with the charging process itself being fully automated. If the machine, which has been cleaned after use, is switched off with the key switch and connected to the charger, this checks the status of the battery and charges with the appropriate charging current. When the battery is full, charging stops and only trickle charging is carried out.
The low-maintenance batteries require a little more effort on the part of the user. The float-controlled cell closures on the viewing window must be checked at least once a week. If the float is almost touching the viewing window, the battery is sufficiently filled with water. If the float is further down, distilled water must be refilled. With larger batteries, this process takes place via central filling (Aquamatic system). It is important to deposit the container with the distillate at least three meters above the filling station so that the water falls through the hose and no air bubbles can form. In addition, filling must be carried out after loading, otherwise acid may escape and cause damage to the machine.
Cleanliness comes from the inside – and from the outside
This overview shows that the machines that ensure cleanliness also need care and maintenance in order to do their job. Finally, it should be noted that dirty cleaning machines are hardly perceived positively by the public. It is therefore worthwhile to regularly clean the outside as well, so that the machines are not only in perfect condition technically, but also visually.
Suitable products for your area of application
Wet/dry vacuum cleaner
Manual cleaning equipment
Hose
