What Size Water Extractor Do You Need?

What Size Water Extractor Do You Need?

If you are working with water removal or major carpet cleaning jobs, you need access to a good water extractor. These powerful machines come in a variety of forms and sizes, and often, without an insider’s perspective, you may not be able to figure out which type you need. Here are a few helpful tips in choosing a water extractor that is right for you.

It’s not about size, it’s about time.
How much time do you have to clean your property with a water extractor? That is the most critical question you need to answer in choosing a water extractor. The second most critical question is: How much water do you need to be pumped out? If you know the answer to these two questions, your answer is simply to find the tank size that will accommodate the amount of wastewater dumping and refills of fresh water to fit your time schedule.

For example, if you have a basement full of water, say 100 gallons, and you need it out immediately, you will probably want to forego the portable extractors and get a truck mounted unit that can pull all that water out at one time. It will be a lot more expensive, but the damage will be minimized by getting the water out quicker.

Saving money
If, on the other hand, you already know that damage is total and you do not need the water out immediately, you can go with a portable option and make multiple trips emptying it out and coming back to extract more water. This may save you money on the water extraction itself, but it may cost you thousands more in property repair and replacements. Before making a quick decision on water extractor size, you should check your insurance policy to make sure you are not required to use particular services in cleaning up water damage.

Accessibility
In the 1970s the powerful truck-mounted water extractors were produced to extract and clean buildings with maximum speed and efficiency. It remains true today that you cannot beat the power and speed of a truck-mounted unit. They are especially useful cleaning large areas that require access to hot water.

However, there are two ways that they have fallen short in the past few decades. Truck-mounted units are not always able to access the areas that need to be cleaned easily. If you have a basement that is difficult to reach with a hose from outside, you may not be able to use a truck-mounted unit and will need a portable water extractor.

The second problem that truck mounted units have had is mechanical failure. Any unit of any size is at risk for mechanical failure, but when large, powerful units break down, it can cause leaks or uncontrolled spraying that can cause damage to furniture or walls that are not being cleaned. When this happens with smaller units, the damage is smaller and usually quicker to shut down.

Bear all of these factors in mind when you are choosing your water extractor size. Remember, the size of the area you need to clean is not the primary factor to bear in mind. The essential issue to consider is time. The less time you are willing to spend doing the water extraction, the bigger the unit you will need.