Regarding Church Meetinginghouse Vacuums

[RyanGard1977]

I hope this might be helpful.


For the Chapel-
The best type of vacuum to be using is the NSS PIG vacuum. Almost all standard meetinghouses are going to have one of these. It will allow cleaning of the pews and under the pews without damaging them. Trying to get an upright vacuum in there often damages the wood parts of the pew unless it has a smaller head like the Windsor/Karcher Versamatic 14 or the Sensor 12 inch. But the PIG vacuum works the best.
Tip: empty the scrap trap on those vacuums- the part where the hose couples to the vacuum. It collects small items like pebbles, legos, and other small things in there that we don't want passing into the vacuum and damaging it. There are 2 types of bags on these vacuums. If it has a blue colored bag, that means you have to pull the bag off and take it out to the dumpster and beat the heck out of it to clean it and empty it. If it has a black colored bag then it takes a paper filter bag that you can change out. Change the bag out when it gets to be 1/4 full to keep the odor to a minimum.

Wide Area Vacuums: Many meetinghouses have a wide area vacuum. Usually the NSS Pacer 30 or the Windsor Wave/NuWave, or even an old advance model for some. These should be used for hallways, foyers, cultural halls with carpeted floors, and can be used in the chapel, for the large open carpeted areas. Note- these are starting to be phased out as they wear out, and are only being replaced in meetinghouses with carpeted cultural hall floors. They take up a lot of room and are not cheap to maintain. They held up well when church custodians used them, but with anyone now able to use them, including kids, they are getting beat up quickly.
There are suction motor filters on this unit located where the bag is at. These filters can be washed and air dried, or if they have deteriorated enough, submit a FIR to have the suction motor filters replaced. A clean filter means better suction power. Encourage users to walk slowly with the wide area vacuum, the brush rotates slowly so it will not pick up items if you rush with the vacuum. These are called "Double Pass Vacuums" meaning many times you need to go over the area twice.

Backpack Vacuums- Some meetinghouses were given these, but these too are being phased out as they wear out, as they take quite a beating by the members, the cords get ripped out of the units often from stepping on them, and what not. So a safety issue. But for those units that have them, use them carefully and change the bag out often to keep as much life in them as possible. They are great for chapels and stages. For maintenance- again change the back out when it is about 1/4 to 1/2 full, and clean the intake foam filter, if it is still attached to the unit. Wash, then air dry.

Upright Vacuums- There have been several brands used over the years, but the church/FM Groups generally stick with the Windsor/Karcher Brand now. Specifically the Versamatic and the Sensor models. The Versamatic is the heavy duty model, and the Sensor is the next step down.

The Versamatics are made to be repaired and repaired again and I've had some as old as 25 years that I've recently been starting to part out. I've seen others only make it less than 4 years due to member abuse. These are expensive vacuums, but they will last if used with care. There are 2 sub models of it- The VS18 (18 inch head) and VS14 (14 inch head) (Some units still have some of the old Versamatic PLUS) The Sensor model has an automatic brush height adjusting mechanism whereas on the Versamatic you manually adjust the brush height. Use the highest setting you can when a new brush is installed (generally level 3) and then you lower the brush height to the next step when the orange "Check Brush" light on the head is illuminated all the time (they will occasionally flicker while vacuuming but its not until it is on all the time that you lower the brush) Once it is on level 1 and the light is on all the time, then it is time to change the brushes. You can either submit a FIR requesting new brushes (try to do it when all vacuums are in the same situation) or you can do it yourself, by unscrewing the silver side tab and pulling it off, then pulling out the old brush (and cleaning up all the debris and hair and yarn wrapped around the roller) and inserting the new brush. Do a youtube search on how to do it if you are unsure. Units can order new brushes if they wish or they can have the FM Group take care of it thru a FIR ticket. Please specify the model vacuum you need serviced, example "Need new brush for Windsor Versamatic 18" or "need new brush for Windsor Versamatic 14" Additionally there are 2 filters on the Versamatic vacuums. An intake filter located in the bag compartment, and an output filter located on the bottom where it connects to the head. The output filter is not as critical as the input filter. The input filter will get dirty over time, especially if a bag breaks in the bag compartment. This needs to be kept clean and changed every few years at a minimum. Otherwise poor suction will result as it pulls in air from this filter area, and the suction motor will burn out. These can be ordered or obtained from the FM Group or a request for the FM Group to change it out. Specify if it is for a regular Versamatic vacuum or Versamatic Plus vacuum as the size is different for the Plus model.
IMPORTANT: Change the bag when it is 1/4 to 1/2 full for best results. Letting it go fuller or until the orange light on the upper section comes on is not recommended as poor suction performance will result, the vacuum will smell bad when operating, and it puts extra stress on the suction motor.
Ensure that the electrical cord is in good condition with no cuts and that the plug has all 3 prongs in place, including the ground prong to help avoid electrical shock. These are NOT wet/dry vacuums, but dry only.
AVOID VACUUMING UP SACRAMENT CUPS, LARGE CLUMPS OF SHREDDED PAPER, AND CULTURAL HALL DUST MOP TAILINGS. These will clog up the hose. I put signs on the vacuums I service to not vacuum up these items.

Windsor/Karcher Sensor: These generally come in 2 models, the XP 12 inch and the 18 inch, but there are some 14 inch out there as well. The Sensor model has an automatic brush height adjustment. When the brush is worn out, the "Check Brush" light will stay illuminated while vacuuming. Submit a FIR ticket to have the brush and filter replaced. These brushes are more expensive than those for the Versamatic so I suggest letting the FM Group handle this. Again be sure to specify what model needs to be serviced.. such as XP 18 brush, or XP 12 brush. There are 2 filters on this unit however- generally only the intake filter needs to be serviced, which is located in the bag compartment. These filters will get dirty and can cause the vacuum to error out and stop working if they get too dirty. They need to be replaced and should have the FM Group handle this via a FIR ticket. Specify large filter in bag compartment. These run 20-40 dollars each, sometimes more.

If any of the upright vacuums are not suctioning right, check to make sure that the hose is not plugged with a sacrament cup or other debris.

The FM Group provides the vacuums for the buildings utilizing church approved equipment. Some buildings may only get 2 vacuums, some 3, and some 4, depending on size and what not, as well as the standard equipment list for a building. The Stake PFR can take it up with the FM Manager for any questions and concerns about this, but the units should not be going out buying their own vacuums for the meetinghouses.

[johnshaw]

I was told by a Facilities Manager that the Wide Area Vacuum was originally designed to only be used on gym floors, it's interesting that even in FM those opinions are different.

Based on a few of your comments about 'members being hard' on equipment, it would be interesting to understand the cost/benefit structure of having the members clean vs having professionals do it. I understand when and why the change was made, I have no need of being instructed about it. But the truth remains, this is a very oft-made-fun-of aspect of church members, Members in every place in the country I've lived have often just said, please I'll pay $$ if we can hire professionals. If the members are so bad at taking care of things, that seems to be built into the business model and isn't something that FM should be upset about. Deal with it, seriously, or hire a professional company... to blame kids for coming to help clean the building and are 'hard' on the equipment, well what does the church expect when they pass on cleaning of the meetinghouse to members?

otherwise, this was great thanks for the info.

[RyanGard1977]

Well I typed up a nice long reply but it didn't post apparently. But essentially the church leadership believes enough in having the members take ownership of caring for the meetinghouse in the sense of basic weekly cleaning and building lock up and snow removal from the walks, so it's up to the local level leadership to get their ward members involved and make sure they understand the importance of this. However- I do wish we could hear some more talks from general authorities from time to time in general conference to remind the members of their responsibilities here and why it is their responsibility and not a cleaning service or church employees. It was said that President Hinckley believed so much in this member cleaning program that he was ocassionally found crawling around on his hands and knees in bathrooms and hallways and classrooms picking up after others. Humbling, isn't it? It has been 20 years since they rolled out the member cleaning program. a new generation has come along and has not been taught the whys and hows.