[john martin]

I see Mytee has started fitting ' triplex General pumps'  to its top of the range portys in the states ... citing longer life , less friction , smooth running etc
seen here at 2:04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivgtDtZJ45U

Im just scouting around for similar alternatives available here ...
perhaps this ...
http://www.allpressuresprayersdirect.co.uk/interpump-electric-driven-pump-unit-mpu5102s
motors a little big perhaps ...

Also these Comet diaphragm pumps look interesting  MC16  and MC20

http://www.allpressuresprayersdirect.co.uk/motor-driven-comet--diaphragm-pumps

[Mike Halliday]

the problem is always the size of the motor, the space in the portable won't allow the size needed without sacrificing the size of the vacs, this is why in the states they fit 100psi pumps but 2x2stage vacs ( also the power draw)

there is a need for a radical rethink with the design of portables, lets get away from the 2 tank design towards a single waste tank portable and the cleaning solution coming  from a direct feed from the kitchen sink , a pump directly fitted to the kitchen sink hot tap with a solution line leading to the wand

[john martin]

I suppose the 'Steamin demon ' takes that to the extreme 

Pro and cons to all these things though ..
Only problem i have connecting to indoor source is the amount of oddball designer taps i come accross

[Fintan_Coll]

Yes, there are so many different tap designs it is imposible to get a universal fitting. Also if there is an old woman in the house she seems to spend her time messing around at the sink, it can be difficult enough to fill a bucket of water sometimes never mind hooking up a hose to the tap.

[Colin Day]

the problem is always the size of the motor, the space in the portable won't allow the size needed without sacrificing the size of the vacs, this is why in the states they fit 100psi pumps but 2x2stage vacs ( also the power draw)

there is a need for a radical rethink with the design of portables, lets get away from the 2 tank design towards a single waste tank portable and the cleaning solution coming  from a direct feed from the kitchen sink , a pump directly fitted to the kitchen sink hot tap with a solution line leading to the wand

Funny you should say that. It's very rare I use the pump and solution tank on my Jag, as I use the Zeta for most of my work. I was thinking the other day about one single waste tank...

There is a small machine that just sucks and dumps... http://www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net/rotovac_CFX_powerpod.shtml
I've had a go and it's a powerful little thing. It is missing the pump idea you refer to though, so just relies on tap pressure....

[john martin]

the problem is always the size of the motor, the space in the portable won't allow the size needed without sacrificing the size of the vacs, this is why in the states they fit 100psi pumps but 2x2stage vacs ( also the power draw)

there is a need for a radical rethink with the design of portables, lets get away from the 2 tank design towards a single waste tank portable and the cleaning solution coming  from a direct feed from the kitchen sink , a pump directly fitted to the kitchen sink hot tap with a solution line leading to the wand

Funny you should say that. It's very rare I use the pump and solution tank on my Jag, as I use the Zeta for most of my work. I was thinking the other day about one single waste tank...

There is a small machine that just sucks and dumps... http://www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net/rotovac_CFX_powerpod.shtml
I've had a go and it's a powerful little thing. It is missing the pump idea you refer to though, so just relies on tap pressure....

looks like a neat solution to use with the zeta alright ...  i wouldn't like to have to rely on tap only as pressure and heat varies wildly from house to house with me .
If the rotavac is expensive though mytees twinvac floodhog or airhog with pumpout might do the same thing for less ... woodbridge might have them .

[john martin]

Yes, there are so many different tap designs it is imposible to get a universal fitting. Also if there is an old woman in the house she seems to spend her time messing around at the sink, it can be difficult enough to fill a bucket of water sometimes never mind hooking up a hose to the tap.

lol fintan .. could be just an Irish thing with us ...  odd designer taps and an old woman at the sink ..  at least we might get a cup of tea out of her .

[Jim_77]

Mike your idea wouldn't work very well with a combi boiler.  You'd also find with a loft tank system that unless the boiler is active the water will just get colder as you work

Also valid point about stupid taps, would be a hell of a fiddle getting water from indoors.

Plus the possibility of flooding (properly flooding) a customer's home is too great.

But maybe your idea has legs, with a few modifications?  You could connect from a cold feed (outside tap obviously is ideal), feeding it back to the machine to be pumped - after all it would be more handy to have all the controls in one place and the unit in one piece.

Such a system would probably would need a header tank to avoid starvation....maybe send the water through a heat exchanger...

oh hang somebody already thought of that!  They called it a "truckmount"

[Mike Halliday]

Jim...when i used to pressure wash (before i had the bowser) I some times had to connect to an inside tap if they didn't have an out side tap. i devised a rubber  'sock' that  fitted over any tap or stem and was water tight.

the flow rate needed for carpet cleaning is quite low so most domestic water supplies would  be OK to supply a small 600psi pump

how could it flood a home?, only if the fitting came of the tap then it would just flow into the sink.

A variation of this idea is already used in the USA by a number of companies Eg:steamin demon and the Rot0vac CFX

 
this idea has a number of problems that need sorting but it would work, although i know it would work as I tried it about 10yrs ago

[Mike Halliday]

[Colin Day]

Imagine getting that the wrong way round, Mike....

[Jim_77]

I know what you mean Mike, it would be rare, but any system with a constant supply of water to it that has fittings which could potentially fail..... I wouldn't want to turn the tap on and walk away from it, only to hear a shriek from the customer an hour later when they walk into their new indoor swimming pool!

The problem with tap adapters is they don't just come off... they spurt, all up the walls and across the room.  As soon as any back pressure builds up, even a decent adapter that fits well onto a tap has the potential to spurt all over the place.  When I absolutely have to use an indoor sink, I put a bucket upside down over the tap so if it spurts it will run down into the sink  But I avoid having to get water from an indoor tap as much as possible, it's a pain in the a$$ and potential hazard.  Just my opinion