The vacuum cleaner is an essential household appliance that allows you to efficiently vacuum the dust in a room. Everyone knows how to use it, but how many people actually know how it works?
Brief Description of The Vacuum Cleaner
Before going into the technical details, let’s see what a vacuum cleaner is made of. The vacuum cleaner can be divided into several parts:
- The brush or nozzle which serves as an air inlet
- The hose and/or tube that transports air to the interior of the vacuum cleaner
- The bag or tank that retains the dust
- The engine filter which retains the microparticles to protect the engine
- The motor which creates the airflow essential for the operation of the vacuum cleaner
- The air filter which retains the microparticles from the engine in order to preserve good air quality
- The air outlet which expels air from the vacuum cleaner
It is good to know that there are some differences between a bagged vacuum and a bagless vacuum, and they come at different prices as you get the best vacuum cleaner under 100 dollars price range.
Basic Principles of Vacuum Cleaner Operation
The operation of a vacuum cleaner is simple but is based on complex technical principles.
In summary, we can say that the vacuum cleaner uses its brush or its nozzle to straighten the fibers, which retain the dust while its motor creates a vacuum that sucks up dirt and dust. But let’s see in more detail how this machine works.
The Phenomenon of Depression
By connecting the vacuum cleaner, the electric current feeds its motor. This activates a fan, which generates a pressure drop behind it (that is to say at the rear of the device) and which creates continuous airflow.
This is why, as long as the engine is on, the vacuum cleaner sucks in relentlessly. The depression is expressed in kilo Pascal (kPa): the higher the value, the more powerful the vacuum cleaner. This airflow mainly sucks up dust and small dirt.
The Friction Phenomenon
But, we had to find another way to vacuum the dust and dirt. The friction phenomenon made this possible! By using a brush that rubs the ground back and forth, and in particular textile surfaces such as carpet, the dust particles come off the ground and are found in the air. The suction of the device can thus recover them.
Air Flow in The Vacuum Cleaner
With these principles in mind, we can easily understand the path taken by the air in the vacuum cleaner. However, since there are two types of vacuum cleaners (with or without bag), we explain this route for both models.
Vacuum Cleaner with Bag
The bagged vacuum cleaner is the oldest model of the vacuum cleaner. Its operating principle has not changed since its creation, only its capacities and its power have evolved.
The bag used contains micro-perforations that allow air to pass through while retaining large dust. Industrial vacuum cleaners have bags that hold large debris like pieces of wood, plants, or soil.
The airflow is as follows:
- The air enters through the squeegee or the brush and goes up into the hose, then the tube to land in the bag.
- The larger dust remains trapped in the bag while the air continues to flow to the engine filter.
- The engine filter captures the remaining dust so as not to clog the engine. The air continues its way towards the engine and arrives at the air outlet filter.
- The air outlet filter is the last step: it collects the dust from the motor and thus lets clean air come out of the vacuum cleaner.
Vacuum Without A Bag
The bagless vacuum cleaner is the most recent model. It has been designed to be more practical: no need to buy bags to change it because there are none! Instead, it has a tank with a filter placed in its center, which retains dust.
Once filled, it is easily emptied into a bin. Some models are also equipped with a function to empty the tank with a simple button, so there is no longer direct contact with dust.
The airflow is as follows:
- The air enters through the squeegee or the brush and goes up into the hose, then the tube to land in the tank.
- The tank has a filter which retains the dust while the air continues its path towards the engine.
- After passing the engine, the air arrives at the air outlet filter.
- The air outlet filter collects the dust coming from the motor and thus lets out pure air from the vacuum cleaner.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUCTION
Finally, let’s finish with the different types of aspirations. There are three of them:
Horizontal suction: the most classic suction which works on canister vacuums;
Vertical suction: the air does not come into contact with the motor, which makes it possible to suck liquids, it is reserved for stick vacuum cleaners mainly;
Cyclonic suction: air is projected by centrifugal force, it is generally reserved for bagless vacuum cleaners.
Now you know everything about how the vacuum cleaner works! Don’t hesitate to take a look at this vacuum cleaner review to discover a trustworthy review of different models of vacuum cleaners.
