Buying a sweeper requires an investment in both time and money. For sure, choosing the right sweeper guarantees a return on investment, but making bad decisions may have a negative economical and qualitative impact. This is why we decided to write a post on how to choose a sweeper by drawing up a list of all the things you should evaluate before proceeding with the purchase.
What sweeper should you buy?
Being a fundamental cleaning equipment for many environments, we have already seen what a sweeper is and how it works here on The Comac Blog. We have also seen why thanks to the use of this type of machines you can obtain a deep and professional cleaning while saving time. In addition, sweepers grant better cleaning results when compared to manual cleaning.
After these first considerations, the time has come to understand what sweeper you should buy. Basically, there are two types of evaluations you should do:
- A first evaluation of the area that has to be cleaned and your sweeping needs.
- A subsequent evaluation of the technical characteristics that the sweeper should have.
In this post we show you the first phase of the evaluation you should do to choose the right sweeper.
How to choose a sweeper: first evaluation
The first evaluation we suggest you to do in the decision-making process for the purchase of a sweeper concerns the area to be cleaned and the related cleaning needs. In particular, we advise you to stop and evaluate these 5 aspects:
- Cleanable surface
- Presence of obstacles
- Type of flooring and dirt
- Usage frequency and daily run time
- Outdoor or indoors areas
Cleanable surface
As happens with floor scrubbers, the first thing you should do when choosing a sweeper is to evaluate the area that needs to be cleaned. This aspect is essential to calculate the square meters to be swept. Often people choose the sweeper based on the total area of the building, but in reality the cleanable surface, or rather the space that can actually be swept, may be smaller. If you have any doubts about the calculation, you can have a look at our post in which we explain how to calculate the washable surface and the productivity of a floor scrubber, as these formulas are also applicable to sweepers.
To provide you with more information, we have developed this chart containing the recommended sweeper size based on the square meters to be cleaned:
Square meters of cleanable surface | Square meters of cleanable surface | Comac sweepers |
---|---|---|
Less than 4.000 sqm | Walk-behind sweeper with working width up to 65/70 cm | CS50 |
Between 2,000 and 10,000 sqm | Compact ride-on sweeper with working width up to 100 cm | CS60 |
Between 3,000 and 15,000 sqm | Medium-sized ride-on sweeper with working width up to 115 cm | CS700 CS800 |
Between 6,000 and 40,000 sqm | Large ride-on sweeper with working width up to 185 cm | CS80 CS90 CS110 CS100 CS120 |
Over 40,000 sqm | Street sweeper | HP4000 HP6000 |
Keep in mind that this chart has been developed only to give you a first skimming compared to the huge number of models available on the market. The steps that we list below are essential to understand how to choose a sweeper that really meets your cleaning needs.
Presence of obstacles
Once you have the size of the cleanable surface, it’s time to check for any obstacles. Are there any ramps to overcome or sweep? Any narrow passages or bumps? These aspects can affect the choice of the sweeper. If its size is larger than an obstacle, you may not be able to clean all the spaces included in the cleanable surface.
Type of flooring and dirt
The type of flooring and dirt also influence the choice of the right sweeper. In fact, both the type and the number of the brushes must be chosen based on the flooring and the dirt conditions. For cleaning along walls, for example, we recommend using the side brushes to help convey the dirt towards the central brush. But if you sweep in the presence of dust and you don’t need to clean along the wall, we do not recommend its use as it could frustrate the sweeper’s work.
Usage frequency and daily run time
When you choose to buy a sweeper, also try to keep in mind the usage frequency and daily run time. Will you use it once a week for many hours, or every day for a few hours? This aspect affects the choice of the type of power supply for the sweeper.
Outdoor or indoors areas
The type of power supply of the sweeper must also be chosen based on the area where it will be used. For indoor areas, we recommend battery-powered versions. For very large outdoor areas we recommend versions with diesel, petrol or LPG engines as they are often more appropriate. If the sweeper has to work both indoors and outdoors, however, we recommend the hybrid versions, such as CS60 Hybrid which is powered by a combination of gasoline engine with battery.
In the next post here on The Comac Blog we will see what are the 10 technical factors you should evaluate to choose the sweeper that best suits your needs. If, on the other hand, you do not know which sweeper to choose, and you need more information about these machines, contact us. A worldwide network of Comac authorized dealers is at your complete disposal and ready to help you.
This post is also available in: Italian