What power source to choose?

There are several different options to choose from when it comes to powering your cleaning equipment.  These include electric power cords, battery power, propane power, gasoline power or diesel power.  SweepScrub recommends choosing the largest class of cleaning equipment to safely do the job needed and that fits your budget.  The name of the game in cleaning equipment is productivity.  Whether you're a contract cleaner, a facility manager or even a supervisor, one of the ongoing objectives is to reduce labor costs where possible.  

Cleaning equipment greatly assists in reducing overall labor costs.  Pre-owned and used floor scrubbers and sweepers helps reduce total operational costs even more.  When making a purchasing decision, try hard not to purchase a machine solely based on budget that ends up being undersized.  We see this time and time again.  The operator gets frustrated because the machine can't keep up pace.  The run time may cause the operator to end his cleaning shift before the work is complete.  The machine is overworked and oftentimes not properly maintained.  The machine breaks down too frequently and/or gets put in the corner never to be used again.  We will hear comments that the specific equipment was junk or garbage, or we'll hear that cleaning equipment in general doesn't work.  All of this stems from a poor decision in purchasing the wrong equipment, and many times it's because the wrong fuel source was selected.  

Cord Electric / Plug In

The entry level for all cleaning equipment is an electric power cord.  Typically referred to as Small Equipment, this category includes low speed buffers (also known as swing machines or side-to-side floor machines), high speed buffers (or high speed burnishers), cord electric wet/dry vacuums and some entry level automatic scrubbers.  The benefits of cord electric are a limitless supply of power so that you can keep working until the job is complete.  The downside of power cords with cleaning equipment is that they are always in the way.  If you're stripping floors or have a lot of solution on the floor, the cord becomes covered in solution which then has to be cleaned off.  The cord is a major tripping hazard for healthcare facilities like hospitals or nursing homes.  The cord also limits the operator to how far he can clean before having to stop, relocate the cord to a new outlet and then start back up.  This greatly reduces productivity which is a primary reason for purchasing cleaning equipment in the first place.  The bottom line on choosing cord electric powered cleaning equipment is that if the machine can do the job efficiently and safely then it might make sense to choose this power supply.  

Battery Powered

The next step up from cord electric is battery power.  This is the most common fuel source in walk-behind floor cleaning equipment and small riding scrubbers and sweepers (also called micro-riders).  Typically, the batteries are lead acid since they are the cheapest route to go.  There are also maintenance free gel batteries that can be a good choice if you know your operators aren't going to maintain the water levels and care for the batteries properly.  Replacing batteries is a very expensive cost, and if you're not careful you might find yourself without the use of your cleaning equipment if your budget doesn't allow for replacing $1000 worth of batteries.  Average run times for battery powered cleaning equipment are around 2.5 hours.  You're going to hear nothing but 4 or 5 hours from every sales rep that's trying to make a few bucks and seal the deal.  Experts like SweepScrub.com are going to tell you the truth because we know that's what educated buyers want to hear.  Maybe in a clean room in outer space with absolutely no load or friction will you get run times like 4-5 hours.  Real world examples, however, will bring you back into the 2-3.5 hour range.  All of it depends on the amp draw from the batteries.  If you're running aggressive brushes on rough surfaces with max down pressure and very little cleaning solution all while going up and down inclines, your run time won't be nearly optimal.  

Many times there are different battery pack options to choose from for a single machine.  You can get higher amp rated batteries that will hold a bigger charge for longer. It'll cost you, but if you're worried about run time, then invest in a bigger battery pack. Just make sure to match your charger to the batteries you're charging.  Otherwise, you'll be disappointed.  Some battery chargers are adjustable. Others are one setting, and that's it. If you have one of those, and it's not set to your batteries you get to spend about $300-500 on a new battery charger.  

The bottom line on battery powered cleaning equipment is this:  make sure you're buying the largest piece of equipment to do the job for the square footage needed, and run the numbers so that you're confident the piece of equipment you're buying can effectively clean what you need cleaned according to the maintenance schedules you have in place.  If the entire facility has to be cleaned every day, then you need to make sure that your autoscrubber or floor sweeper can clean all of the building on a single charge.  Recharging batteries usually takes all night.  You can't just throw the machine on a charger over lunch and expect it be ready for another 3 hours of hard work after you chow down some nachos and a diet soda.  

Briefly, I'd like to discuss mid size riding floor scrubbers that have battery powered options.  If you're one of the few facilities that absolutely must use battery power, and under no circumstances can you have engine powered equipment in your building, there are some options.  The machines are competitively priced when new, but the maintenance of these machines can be outrageous.  The battery packs alone can be $4000 or more.  The chargers can be $4000 or more.  The battery packs only last about 2-4 years on average, so be prepared for these high maintenance costs.  SweepScrub is as good as anyone when sourcing used equipment to provide low cost, excellent quality alternatives to new cleaning equipment.  However, when it comes to these mid size riders with their huge, industrial battery packs and chargers, there will always be the increased costs of the new battery packs.  It would be like putting a new engine in every used car on the used car lot.  It would make the cost of the used car not so appealing anymore.  The same is true for these battery powered behemoths.  We will help you source them and can be as competitive as the next guy, but try to find your way into an engine powered machine if possible. 

Engine: propane, gasoline and diesel

Propane Power

Propane is by far the most popular engine source available for industrial floor cleaning equipment.  The major reason is that this type of equipment is used in facilities where there are also lots of forklifts.  Forklifts commonly run on propane, so the fuel source is readily available on site.  Propane is popular because in theory, it's an endless supply because there will be propane refilling tanks on site or at least spare tanks on site.  The engines are made by major suppliers like GM, so the quality is good and consistent.  Properly maintained the engines can run for 10,000 hours.  The key there is "properly maintained."  A poorly maintained "anything" can be ruined in 100 hours by a negligent operator whether it's an autoscrubber or a toothbrush.  Some estimations of the prevalence of propane power in the floor cleaning equipment industry suggest that up to 80-90% of all engine powered cleaning equipment is propane powered.  There are certainly more of these types of machines available on the aftermarket from SweepScrub than any other fuel source for engine powered scrubbers and sweepers.

Gasoline Power

Using the exact same engine with different fuel feeding equipment, gas powered floor cleaning equipment does exist albeit at a much smaller rate.  If you have several pieces of outdoor equipment or vehicles then you probably have a gasoline fuel source nearby to draw from.  In that case, gas powered engines would make sense for you.  Indoor facilities with lots of forklifts usually don't have access to gasoline easily.  

Diesel Power

Diesel is slightly more common than gas, but certainly nowhere near as common as propane.  Diesel has its obvious advantages.  These engines are usually different than the propane/gas engines.  They're typically built to hold up in harsher environments and to take a little more use before wearing out.  They're also very popular up north and to our Canadian friends where there's more cold weather.