Floor sweepers, also called sweeping machines, are essential equipment in professional floor cleaning, both indoors and outdoors. The main function of a floor sweeper is to remove non-adherent dirt, which is why it should not be confused with a floor scrubbing machine. To clarify this point and to provide in-depth knowledge of professional floor cleaning machines, we decided to deepen the subject. So, we start with the basics to better understand the world of floor sweepers: let’s understand how they work and why choose them.
- What is a floor sweeper?
- How many types of floor sweepers are there on the market?
- Key parts of a floor sweeper
- How floor sweepers work
- Why choose a floor sweeper?
What is a floor sweeper?
It seems like a simple question, but it’s not. Defining what a sweeping machine is allows us to immediately differentiate it from floor scrubbing machines. A floor sweeper is a professional equipment that, thanks to the mechanical action of the brushes, allows you to remove free or non-adherent dirt from floors, such as little stones, small solid debris, leaves and dust of different sizes. Floor scrubbers, on the other hand, use the mechanical action of the brushes combined with that of a liquid detergent solution to remove adherent dirt.
The main use of sweeping machines is for sweeping surfaces of different types, including concrete, resilient materials, low pile carpets and asphalt. They are mostly used in medium and large spaces such as warehouses, industrial areas and outdoor areas or parking lots. This is the reason why they are often referred to as industrial floor sweepers. But, there are also more compact sweepers that can be used in small places such as shopping areas, sports centers, walkways or outdoor spaces.
How many types of floor sweepers are there on the market?
As for floor scrubbers, sweeping machines are available in walk-behind and ride-on versions. Moreover, they can have a cleaning track (also known as a cleaning width) of different sizes. Among the walk-behind sweepers, manual sweepers are also available. Whereas the category of ride-on sweepers includes street sweepers (also called road sweepers) that are used to clean large surfaces, roads and urban areas.
Floor sweepers also differ in the type of the power supply: they can be powered by an internal combustion engine, diesel, petrol, LPG, or battery. There are also hybrid sweepers, such as the CS60 Hybrid ride-on sweeper which uses a combined power supply of gasoline engine and batteries to double its working autonomy.
Another distinctive element of sweeping machines is the load type that can be front loading (suggested to collect heavy debris) or rear loading (suggested to collect larger debris or light dirt).
Even the dumping system type can differentiate the floor sweepers available on the market: small models are usually equipped with manual dumping, whereas medium or large-sized sweeping machines have an automatic lifting system for unloading which can be electric or hydraulic.
Key parts of a floor sweeper
To understand how floor sweepers work, let’s take Comac’s CS80 ride-on sweeper as an example. We can immediately see that it is made up of some essential elements such as:
- The sweeping system. It consists of one or more side brushes that convey dirt, small debris and dust towards the center of the sweeping machine, and then towards the central cylindrical brush which has the task of loading it into the debris hopper.
- The suction system, or suction unit, equipped with a fan that creates a strong depression to suck up the dust that may be raised by the main brush.
- The filtration system, which thanks to the filters prevents the sucked dust from being reintroduced into the environment.
- A system for cleaning the filter, also called filter shaker, which can be mechanical or electrical.
- The debris hopper where the dirt collected during the use of the floor sweeper is deposited.
- The dumping system that can be manual for small sweepers or assisted for larger sweepers.
- Some accessories that make the floor sweeper able to deal with specific dirt situations. For example, the different types of brushes.
How floor sweepers work
Now that we know their key parts it is easier to understand floor sweepers, how they work and why choose them.
In the moment we turn on the floor sweeper, its side brush (or side brushes) has the task of conveying the dirt towards the central part of the machine. Subsequently, the combined action of the central brush and the suction turbine allows the removal of the dust and debris.
Thanks to the filters the sweeping machine is equipped with, the dust is filtered and trapped to return only clean air to the environment. On the other hand, the small debris ends up in the hopper to be subsequently disposed of according to the material type. Depending on the dirt type and the amount of dust sucked in, the filter shaker is activated. It has the task of keeping the filter clean and maintaining constant the performance of the floor sweeper.
Finally, we move on to the debris hopper unloading phase which, as we have seen before, can be carried out manually or automatically.
What to do in case your sweeper is not working
Sweepers, like all cleaning equipment, may not work properly or not running at all. This is the reason why we have listed in a post here on The Comac Blog the 5 most frequently asked questions, and their answers, if your sweeper is not working. Clearly, the answers you will find below are based on our experience as we can’t do a field analysis and “put our hands” on the machine. Like all cleaning machines, sweepers require maintenance after each use (such as emptying of the waste hopper, cleaning of the filter and check of the brushes). So, don’t forget to perform daily maintenance on your sweeper. If you have any doubts, have a look at the use and maintenance manual.
Why choose a floor sweeper?
It is a common mistake to think that floor sweepers are only used by cleaning companies or professionals in cleaning services industry. Actually, the wide variety of models available on the market makes floor sweepers suitable for working in any sector and environment. From the most compact sweeping machine perfect for cleaning the walkways of a house or a block of flats, to the largest industrial floor sweeper suitable for cleaning industries and streets. Therefore, choosing to use a floor sweeper allows you not only to obtain a deep and professional cleaning of both outdoor and indoor surfaces, but also to save time while ensuring a better result than manual cleaning.
Now that you know a little more about floor sweepers, you know how they work and why choose them, if you need further help, all you have to do is contact us. A worldwide network of Comac authorized dealers looks forward to helping you find the best professional cleaning solution!
This post is also available in: Italian