Which sucker to go for?

[Myfordman]

Sub title: The joys of being a landlord!
An email from a tenant early this morning (New Years Day) to say they have been up all night (slight exaggeration as it turns out) trying to collect the results of a slow leak in their water heater.

I turn up at 10 am and can see it is one of those sod's law things where a weeping valve was causing the header tank to over flow. Said tank is fitted with an overflow pipe but the tw4ts who plumbed it in did not connect the over flow to the drain but simply fed the pipe behind the heater out of sight and water dripped on the carpet.

Trivial to sort out the weeping valve and easy enough to extend the overflow pipe but drying out the carpets....
Mopped up for now with towels etc but got me thinking of something to vacuum up water from a soggy carpet more professionally than towels and me doing a rain dance on them.

What would be best? A wet and dry vacuum cleaner ( don't need the dry vac function either for the flats or home or workshop)
Or would a carpet cleaner be better as part of it intended function is to suck water out of wet carpets.
A carpet cleaner could have some use for the flats but I tend to use a GALMI (get a little man in) for whole flat cleaning between tenants as far less work for me and small cost as a proportion of a months rent and also allowable against corporation tax.

Any recommendations please for particularly good suction wet & dry vac or a carpet cleaner that will suck like a Peach.

In the meantime Happy New Year to all our readers and hope you did not get called out to work on NYD

Cheers


PS has anyone got the VAX Platinum Power Max carpet cleaner? seems to do well in magazine reviews but could just be sponsorship the cynic in me thinks? Doubly cynical as it gets advertised a lot on TV!

 

[RogerS]

I've slowly been kitting out with 18v Milwaukee stuff with the odd battery here and there. My latest purchase was their wet'n'dry which has turned out to be one of the best and most useful purchases I've made. Good suction as well.

 

[seanf]

If you decide to go for a carpet cleaner the little Bissell Spotcleans (there are various models) seem to be well rated and are much easier to store than a full upright model

Sean

 

[Tris]

We've got a numatic George that's only used for carpet cleaning and picks up well, not commercial levels of drying but decent for our needs. Simple and very reliable as long as you flush the pump with fresh water after each use. Most moving parts would be user serviceable for you.
I've heard good things of nilfisk cleaners too but no personal experience

Edit to add the George is handy on blocked drains too

 

[ChaiLatte]

A wet Henry. And buy the kit to turn it into a dry Henry if you ever need it.

or

A second hand dry Henry. And buy the kit to turn it into a wet Henry.

 

[Distinterior]

I have a "Charles"( Blue) that I keep in the back of my van which is the bigger brother of the Henry.....It does wet & dry and I've had mine for at least + 25 years. It's never let me down and still works a treat. In that time its sucked up everything I've asked of it......Including emptying low lying water pipes prior to soldering, minor floods & spillages and brick/ concrete dust & debris......Not sure if they still make it now though, maybe it's been replaced with the George...?

Edit.
They do still make it.....About £175/180.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Hire a Rugmaster - far better than any domestic machine. Do all your carpets at the same time, you'll be astounded at the krap that comes out of them.

 

[ChaiLatte]

I have a "Charles"... maybe it's been replaced with the George...?

Charles got promoted. I think William is the next replacement, then George.

 

[Ozi]

+1 for the Rugmaster, I always run a de-humidifier for 24 hours after just to finish the job

 

[SammyQ]

+1 for the Rugmaster, I always run a de-humidifier for 24 hours after just to finish the job

Seconded. Experience talking.

 

[Rhossydd]

Got a Lidl near you ?
https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/parkside-wet-dry-vacuum-cleaner/p10010052
I've had a Vax, which is the same sort of thing, that's done sterling service over the years for pulling water off floors and out of carpets.
Parkside kit is a lot better than you might expect for the price.

 

[Stigmorgan]

We have a little rug doctor spot cleaner, it's great for cleaning our rugs and runners if the dogs have an accident and for when SWMBO forgets she started running a bath
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/r...VFZKDBx3vVgi3EAQYASABEgI77PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Morag Jones]

I have a vax platinum carpet cleaner and yes it does a good job. However, the designers have failed to make it accessible to clean. Inevitably crud and carpet fibres end up in all the crevices and can only be removed by poking about with cable ties. It’s quite bulky too. But usually awkward corners don’t tend to get soiled by humans. Pets on the other hand….

 

[sereneblue]

I am an accidental Landlord too.

Thoroughly recommend the Numatic George GVE370 (?). Its wet and dry, compact, loads of accessories, spare parts availability seems good. I've had it for nearly 15 years. Attach it to tools for dust extraction, washing carpets etc. It is robust, had a few tumbles down the stairs etc and keeps ticking.

 

[okeydokey]

Bissell Little Green Machine perfect for this type of job. Good for spot cleaning of carpets and sucking up this type of water.
or just go to tesco or similar and hire a carpet cleaner for a day to suck the water out

 

[Sideways]

Possibly a 2nd hand carpet cleaner. A proper commercial grade one will have at least a two stage turbine and quote a number for it's suction power. I got a used truvox hydromist lite off ebay and have used it a couple of times not as a full blown cleaner but just as a powerful wet vac.
Quite bulk to store though.
Prochem seem to be a well regarded brand but £££

 

[TomGW]

Another +1 for a "Charles".
However, if you want something at half the price that also will do a sterling job and has a power outlet (so very useful for pairing up with a tracksaw or sander) I also have a Vacmaster Multi20 and can thoroughly recommend it too.

 

[budgie98]

I have a "Charles"( Blue) that I keep in the back of my van which is the bigger brother of the Henry.....It does wet & dry and I've had mine for at least + 25 years. It's never let me down and still works a treat. In that time its sucked up everything I've asked of it......Including emptying low lying water pipes prior to soldering, minor floods & spillages and brick/ concrete dust & debris......Not sure if they still make it now though, maybe it's been replaced with the George...?

Edit.
They do still make it.....About £175/180.

I bought mine in 1987. By G*d has that paid for itself over the years!