Custodial Worker's Forum - A Bravenet.com Forum

Myksmom

Apr 6, 06 - 12:35 PM

Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

Hi all. Our super is trying to switch us to back pack vacuums. I am not crazy about using one. I've tried it and it does not seem to work very well. We have a gravel playground and have to deal with vacuuming up LOTS of gravel. The back pack doesn't seem to be able to handle it or much of anything else. I thinks it's because it doesn't have a motorized head with a brush.
What do you all think of the back pack? Pro and cons please
Thanks!

ale

Apr 7th, 2006 - 7:29 AM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I would not like adding more weight to my already aching back.

our job is a tough one, hard on the back as it is, without adding more weight. not a good idea imho.

Dusty

Apr 7th, 2006 - 12:48 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I asked that question myself about a year ago. Now I can tell you how it worked for me. I, personally, love the backpac vacuums, but none of my housekeepers can use them. I'm looking at two workman comp cases right now because of back and shoulder strains. I now have three Proteam supercoach vacuums gathering dust in my office because no one can use them but me. As for the gravel, these backpacs will pick it up with no problem. Unless you have a crew of healthy young men and women I would not purchase the backpacs.

Whitman

Apr 9th, 2006 - 11:11 AM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

Yikes--I HATE gravel! Paper clips run a close second...

You should be allowed to use whatever you're comfortable with. I prefer the back pack over an upright vac in most cases. I don't like pushing a heavy upright around for any length of time. Most upright vacs will not pick up gravel reliably. Usually, they'll just spin the rock around a bit and spit it out elsewhere

But, as you say, some back packs aren't powerful enough to pick up rocks either. Back packs are easier to get under objects such as chairs, tables & desks. It's much more managable to use the back pack on stairs.

It can be difficult wearing the back pack around at first. It's easy to bump into things directly behind you at times if you're a klutz(sp??)like me

They can also get rather warm after extended use making one sweat like the proverbial piggy.

The upright vac with it's roller-brush & suction is undoubtedly better at retrieving dirt from carpet. All things considered...give me a quality back pack

Whitman

jaime

Apr 10th, 2006 - 6:00 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

i have 3 guys who performe the vacuuming in the school where i work, they do the vacuum for around 6 hours or 7 hour, you don't get that tired, and the weight you dont feel it after 4 hours, but they do floors, carpet, and only three guys do 6 small building, productivity is good, because do it with upright vacuum for 6 or 7 hours, you get even more tired, the weight must be in the hips, not to much in the shoulders, the only thing is loud, so earplugs will e a good option, also the best back pack is proteam, better quality, no that expensive, lot of attachment, parts cheap, the only thing you might learn is how to change the brushe(electric componet) because, all vacuum last for year and half. proteam recomend to chage tha every six month but you dont need it.

doowee

Apr 18th, 2006 - 9:58 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

If your backpack hurts your back, you probably aren't wearing it right. The weight should be on your hips, Not on your shoulders. If it's not picking up well, first look at the wand. I've seen some cheap wands that don't work well at all. I use Pro-teams' easyglide head on my Supercoach and Quartervacs and can pick up gravel, paperclips and even small bolts. My only problem is the Supercoach has so much suction that it sometimes sticks to the floor.

Moondog

Apr 23rd, 2006 - 11:34 AM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I have done some experiments between the 2. 1st I had one person vacuum mats with a upright and another with a backpack, by doing this I found out that the floor underneath the mats with the upright will turn yellow. Another thing is once a week I would turn over the mats and run the upright over them to beat out any dirt left behind. I would get alot more dirt out with the ones that where vacuum with uprights. 2nd trail was the carpet in the library the first half of the year we use a upright and the second part we use a backpack. With the upright we had to extract the carpet at least once month but the other half with backpack we have not yet have to extract the carpet. I have one guy who at first didn't care to much to use backpack but when we ran out of bags and had to use dustmop again he and the teachers within 3 days, they notice the rooms smeeling dirty, the edges of the classroom would have dirt, the shine we still had on the wax floor was gone within couple weeks and he complain that his nose was clogging up when using the dustmop. Now he owns his own backpack.

Ky Cleaner

Apr 28th, 2006 - 8:41 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I used the backpack once and it hurt my back. My co-worker loves it. She uses it to clean the air vents. It comes in handy for that. The back pack has it pros and cons. If you feel uncomfortable with it, don't use it.

exhc

Jul 6th, 2006 - 1:22 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I was reading the replies to this dispute. Having been a HC for several years and a custodian for several more I feel I can discuss this with some expertise. The major issue here is "change". Most custodians come into the work place using the tried and true upright vacuum. When you try to compare machines you need to compare all aspects including personal preferences and biases.
The fact is the upright weighs in at about 30 lbs plus when full another 10 lbs. This is alot of weight for the shoulder/rotator cuff to push nightly not to mention the lower back muscles.
The backpack if fitted properly is supported by the hips and lower back. It weighs in at 10 - 13 lbs. It is more versatile than the upright. It has less parts to break and can pick up larger items that most custodians don't pick up off the floor first. If you change the bag when it is half full to 3/4 full you reduce the additional weight.
When comparing the air. The beater bar on the upright disperses the dirt into the air so you never completely get all the dirt because it will settle later. The backpack sucks the dirt from the carpet and into the bag.
To the custodian with workers' comp issues I would be willing to bet the cause has nothing to do with the backpack vacuum instead is a repitious injury which is common in our line of work.
Again change is always hard and this question will always come up. Weigh all the facts before choosing because each will perform according to the users beliefs.

OzzyFan

Jul 7th, 2006 - 2:07 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

My 2 night guys love their back-pack vacuums. It's a whole'nuther issue with the subs! I have noticed that the back packs are much more quiet. Gravel isn't good for ANY type of vacuum.

Whitman

Jul 8th, 2006 - 1:25 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

After pushing around a Sebo upright for 4 months, I was thrilled to receive an Advance BackVacuum XP this week! I highly recommend this model to anyone interested. It's very powerful, well designed, fairly light & far more versatile than it's upright counterpart, IMHO

It can get a little warm on your back, but that's no sweat(pun intented)

I've heard the Pro Team backpacks are excellent and I don't doubt it. The main reason I went with the Advance XP was due to prior experience with one.

http://www.advance-us.com/Products/Commercial/Vacuums/BackVacuumXP.aspx

Whitman

yguy

Jul 12th, 2006 - 2:20 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

like you, at our day camp the kids constantly track in small stones. we quickly sweep the entry rug before vacuuming. as for the difference in vacs both are good. we use uprights for carpets AND a backpack for our tile areas and stair cases. because we dont dust mop there is less dust in the air and less dust to build up. for the stairs its a liability thing. no debris going into the face of someone and also the dust thing.

jaime

Jul 12th, 2006 - 6:27 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

I don't like nilsfik brand or advance same thing. i had bad experiences with that brand. but those backpack can be good, i tried with my people pro-team, i like them, upright vacuums are heavy and can not reach corners, o limited spaces, example,under any desk you see computers wires etc, you can not do that with the upright, another example: sometimes you see crumbs on any chair, so you take the vacuum's hose and let the vacuum do the job, really you save time, etc. yes, it's true can be a little unconfortable after 4 or 6 or even 8 hours, but vacuuming for 8 hours with an upright vacuum with my right arm, that for sure i wouldn't like.

Don

Jul 26th, 2006 - 2:49 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

When I first used a backpack it took some getting use to. Going back to a floor model to vacuum a large area I found is more of a strain on my wrists and elbows. Now that I am the supervisor I insist that all my custodialn use the backpack.

myksmom

Jul 27th, 2006 - 12:15 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

Thanks for all of your info. I do not use the back pack every day durning the school year but I have found it useful for summer cleaning. It's great for those up high places when you have to use a ladder. Before one of us would hold the vac while the other climbed up and vacuumed. This frees one of us up to do something else.

Wayneo

Jul 28th, 2006 - 1:36 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

Who wants to look like a spaceman or space woman? I'd work for NASA if I did. Seriously, I think the back pack vac has its place, maybe if your going to do window tracks or reach cob webs. The standard vac is traditional and always does the job. They are most equipt with the detachable hose for reaching... tell the super to buy his own for home and get back to you later on how he or she likes it.

Ken

Aug 26th, 2006 - 10:17 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

At first I didn't care for them because they caused pain across my shoulders. But I kept messing with the straps until I found a comfortable way to wear it. Now I really like the backpack vac. I work at a high school and we generally have 40 desks per room. This makes for some very narrow isles and the backpack vac deals with this much better than our old hoovers, which required me to lift desks in order to vac under the drop down book holders under the desks -yikes, thats a lot of lifting. I have cut my time in the classroom in half. Also, the hoover was also starting to cause some wrist, elbow and shoulder problems.
Further, we have computers in a lot of our rooms, and just try to get a your hoover in on the all the cables and wires with out pulling something into the hoover. Another plus is that I have never needed to unjam my backpack vac after about 150 hours of usage. With the hoover, I generally had at least one jam a week or more. My backpack vac has a straight airflow into the vac, so there is very little chance for a jam.

MopJockey

Dec 14th, 2006 - 8:13 PM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

A research organization in Columbus Ohio published a study on back packs vs. upright vacs. The conclusion was that the back packs were more productive. A good back pack will distribute the weight on your hips, not your back. If it hurts you back it is either a poorly designed unit, or you have it adjusted wrong.
This report was published in a cleaning trade magazine about 3 yrs ago.

doowee

Jan 5th, 2007 - 12:14 AM

Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think?

my reg vacs just kick the gravel around.
Moondog had a good idea on the mays, if they don't get changed regularly!

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Author	Comment
Myksmom Apr 6, 06 - 12:35 PM	Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? Hi all. Our super is trying to switch us to back pack vacuums. I am not crazy about using one. I've tried it and it does not seem to work very well. We have a gravel playground and have to deal with vacuuming up LOTS of gravel. The back pack doesn't seem to be able to handle it or much of anything else. I thinks it's because it doesn't have a motorized head with a brush. What do you all think of the back pack? Pro and cons please Thanks!
ale Apr 7th, 2006 - 7:29 AM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I would not like adding more weight to my already aching back. our job is a tough one, hard on the back as it is, without adding more weight. not a good idea imho.
Dusty Apr 7th, 2006 - 12:48 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I asked that question myself about a year ago. Now I can tell you how it worked for me. I, personally, love the backpac vacuums, but none of my housekeepers can use them. I'm looking at two workman comp cases right now because of back and shoulder strains. I now have three Proteam supercoach vacuums gathering dust in my office because no one can use them but me. As for the gravel, these backpacs will pick it up with no problem. Unless you have a crew of healthy young men and women I would not purchase the backpacs. Email: mbutler@brenau.edu
Whitman Apr 9th, 2006 - 11:11 AM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? Yikes--I HATE gravel! Paper clips run a close second... You should be allowed to use whatever you're comfortable with. I prefer the back pack over an upright vac in most cases. I don't like pushing a heavy upright around for any length of time. Most upright vacs will not pick up gravel reliably. Usually, they'll just spin the rock around a bit and spit it out elsewhere But, as you say, some back packs aren't powerful enough to pick up rocks either. Back packs are easier to get under objects such as chairs, tables & desks. It's much more managable to use the back pack on stairs. It can be difficult wearing the back pack around at first. It's easy to bump into things directly behind you at times if you're a klutz(sp??)like me They can also get rather warm after extended use making one sweat like the proverbial piggy. The upright vac with it's roller-brush & suction is undoubtedly better at retrieving dirt from carpet. All things considered...give me a quality back pack Whitman
jaime Apr 10th, 2006 - 6:00 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? i have 3 guys who performe the vacuuming in the school where i work, they do the vacuum for around 6 hours or 7 hour, you don't get that tired, and the weight you dont feel it after 4 hours, but they do floors, carpet, and only three guys do 6 small building, productivity is good, because do it with upright vacuum for 6 or 7 hours, you get even more tired, the weight must be in the hips, not to much in the shoulders, the only thing is loud, so earplugs will e a good option, also the best back pack is proteam, better quality, no that expensive, lot of attachment, parts cheap, the only thing you might learn is how to change the brushe(electric componet) because, all vacuum last for year and half. proteam recomend to chage tha every six month but you dont need it. Email: jaimefabara@hotmail.com
doowee Apr 18th, 2006 - 9:58 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? If your backpack hurts your back, you probably aren't wearing it right. The weight should be on your hips, Not on your shoulders. If it's not picking up well, first look at the wand. I've seen some cheap wands that don't work well at all. I use Pro-teams' easyglide head on my Supercoach and Quartervacs and can pick up gravel, paperclips and even small bolts. My only problem is the Supercoach has so much suction that it sometimes sticks to the floor.
Moondog Apr 23rd, 2006 - 11:34 AM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I have done some experiments between the 2. 1st I had one person vacuum mats with a upright and another with a backpack, by doing this I found out that the floor underneath the mats with the upright will turn yellow. Another thing is once a week I would turn over the mats and run the upright over them to beat out any dirt left behind. I would get alot more dirt out with the ones that where vacuum with uprights. 2nd trail was the carpet in the library the first half of the year we use a upright and the second part we use a backpack. With the upright we had to extract the carpet at least once month but the other half with backpack we have not yet have to extract the carpet. I have one guy who at first didn't care to much to use backpack but when we ran out of bags and had to use dustmop again he and the teachers within 3 days, they notice the rooms smeeling dirty, the edges of the classroom would have dirt, the shine we still had on the wax floor was gone within couple weeks and he complain that his nose was clogging up when using the dustmop. Now he owns his own backpack. Email: mjmunier@msn.com
Ky Cleaner Apr 28th, 2006 - 8:41 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I used the backpack once and it hurt my back. My co-worker loves it. She uses it to clean the air vents. It comes in handy for that. The back pack has it pros and cons. If you feel uncomfortable with it, don't use it.
exhc Jul 6th, 2006 - 1:22 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I was reading the replies to this dispute. Having been a HC for several years and a custodian for several more I feel I can discuss this with some expertise. The major issue here is "change". Most custodians come into the work place using the tried and true upright vacuum. When you try to compare machines you need to compare all aspects including personal preferences and biases. The fact is the upright weighs in at about 30 lbs plus when full another 10 lbs. This is alot of weight for the shoulder/rotator cuff to push nightly not to mention the lower back muscles. The backpack if fitted properly is supported by the hips and lower back. It weighs in at 10 - 13 lbs. It is more versatile than the upright. It has less parts to break and can pick up larger items that most custodians don't pick up off the floor first. If you change the bag when it is half full to 3/4 full you reduce the additional weight. When comparing the air. The beater bar on the upright disperses the dirt into the air so you never completely get all the dirt because it will settle later. The backpack sucks the dirt from the carpet and into the bag. To the custodian with workers' comp issues I would be willing to bet the cause has nothing to do with the backpack vacuum instead is a repitious injury which is common in our line of work. Again change is always hard and this question will always come up. Weigh all the facts before choosing because each will perform according to the users beliefs.
OzzyFan Jul 7th, 2006 - 2:07 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? My 2 night guys love their back-pack vacuums. It's a whole'nuther issue with the subs! I have noticed that the back packs are much more quiet. Gravel isn't good for ANY type of vacuum.
Whitman Jul 8th, 2006 - 1:25 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? After pushing around a Sebo upright for 4 months, I was thrilled to receive an Advance BackVacuum XP this week! I highly recommend this model to anyone interested. It's very powerful, well designed, fairly light & far more versatile than it's upright counterpart, IMHO It can get a little warm on your back, but that's no sweat(pun intented) I've heard the Pro Team backpacks are excellent and I don't doubt it. The main reason I went with the Advance XP was due to prior experience with one. http://www.advance-us.com/Products/Commercial/Vacuums/BackVacuumXP.aspx Whitman
yguy Jul 12th, 2006 - 2:20 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? like you, at our day camp the kids constantly track in small stones. we quickly sweep the entry rug before vacuuming. as for the difference in vacs both are good. we use uprights for carpets AND a backpack for our tile areas and stair cases. because we dont dust mop there is less dust in the air and less dust to build up. for the stairs its a liability thing. no debris going into the face of someone and also the dust thing.
jaime Jul 12th, 2006 - 6:27 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? I don't like nilsfik brand or advance same thing. i had bad experiences with that brand. but those backpack can be good, i tried with my people pro-team, i like them, upright vacuums are heavy and can not reach corners, o limited spaces, example,under any desk you see computers wires etc, you can not do that with the upright, another example: sometimes you see crumbs on any chair, so you take the vacuum's hose and let the vacuum do the job, really you save time, etc. yes, it's true can be a little unconfortable after 4 or 6 or even 8 hours, but vacuuming for 8 hours with an upright vacuum with my right arm, that for sure i wouldn't like.
Don Jul 26th, 2006 - 2:49 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? When I first used a backpack it took some getting use to. Going back to a floor model to vacuum a large area I found is more of a strain on my wrists and elbows. Now that I am the supervisor I insist that all my custodialn use the backpack.
myksmom Jul 27th, 2006 - 12:15 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? Thanks for all of your info. I do not use the back pack every day durning the school year but I have found it useful for summer cleaning. It's great for those up high places when you have to use a ladder. Before one of us would hold the vac while the other climbed up and vacuumed. This frees one of us up to do something else.
Wayneo Jul 28th, 2006 - 1:36 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? Who wants to look like a spaceman or space woman? I'd work for NASA if I did. Seriously, I think the back pack vac has its place, maybe if your going to do window tracks or reach cob webs. The standard vac is traditional and always does the job. They are most equipt with the detachable hose for reaching... tell the super to buy his own for home and get back to you later on how he or she likes it. Email: wrweiser@buffalo.com
Ken Aug 26th, 2006 - 10:17 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? At first I didn't care for them because they caused pain across my shoulders. But I kept messing with the straps until I found a comfortable way to wear it. Now I really like the backpack vac. I work at a high school and we generally have 40 desks per room. This makes for some very narrow isles and the backpack vac deals with this much better than our old hoovers, which required me to lift desks in order to vac under the drop down book holders under the desks -yikes, thats a lot of lifting. I have cut my time in the classroom in half. Also, the hoover was also starting to cause some wrist, elbow and shoulder problems. Further, we have computers in a lot of our rooms, and just try to get a your hoover in on the all the cables and wires with out pulling something into the hoover. Another plus is that I have never needed to unjam my backpack vac after about 150 hours of usage. With the hoover, I generally had at least one jam a week or more. My backpack vac has a straight airflow into the vac, so there is very little chance for a jam.
MopJockey Dec 14th, 2006 - 8:13 PM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? A research organization in Columbus Ohio published a study on back packs vs. upright vacs. The conclusion was that the back packs were more productive. A good back pack will distribute the weight on your hips, not your back. If it hurts you back it is either a poorly designed unit, or you have it adjusted wrong. This report was published in a cleaning trade magazine about 3 yrs ago. Email: jtewell@aol.com
doowee Jan 5th, 2007 - 12:14 AM	Re: Back pack vac vs. Reg vac What do you think? my reg vacs just kick the gravel around. Moondog had a good idea on the mays, if they don't get changed regularly!