Floor scrubbers are a needed tool for keeping floors clean. It is frustrating when a scrubber is not working and a job needs to be done. As with any type of equipment, they do require some maintenance to continue working properly. Many problems can be avoided just by having the operator become somewhat familiar with the basic functions of the machine and the common issues that may arise. This and the next blog will focus on some of the most common problems that can arise when using a scrubber. Most of these can be prevented by routine maintenance. In this installment we will discuss how to troubleshoot problems with floor scrubbers not putting water down and not picking it up.

#1
Problem: The machine is not sucking all the dirty water up.
This can be caused by a few different things and we will break this up into 2 parts. The first part: Is the vac motor running?

First, make sure that the vac motor is running. If the vac motor is coming on and the scrubber is not picking up the dirty water there are some very simple reasons why. Always start with simplest things first! Where the rubber meets the road with any scrubber is the squeegee. Is the vac hose attached to the squeegee? If so pull the vac hose off the squeegee assembly. Feel the end of the hose. Is there plenty of suction? If not check for an obstruction in the hose. You might find something like this:

Clogged up vac hoses are a simple fix. Sometimes debris can be further up the hose toward the recovery tank. It may be necessary to take the vac hose off and inspect it. A broom handle works good for clearing out clogged up vac hoses. Also look inside the squeegee where the vac hose attaches to it. The clog could be there too.

Check the drain hose for the dirty water. Is the drain cap secured to the hose? An open drain hose will be allowing suction to enter the recovery tank. This will cause there to be very little suction on the vac hose.

Also look at the vac hose for cracks or holes. You could be losing a lot of suction that way. If the hose is ok and there is not enough suction follow the vac hose to where it is attached to the recovery tank. Make sure it is actually attached to the tank. It is a good idea to keep a spare replacement vac hose on hand.

Suction can also be lost by cracks in the gaskets on the recovery lid. There will be some type of lid to get into the recovery tank. Here is an example of some problem vac lids. This one is an Advance Warrior recovery tank cover. Notice the gaps in the gasket. Suction is being lost there.

Scrubbers also have some way to filter the air going into the vac motor. This can be done by a filter panel like the ones on the Tennant 5700 and 5680. These paper filters need to be pulled and cleaned and dried after each use. Always keep a spare one. Other machines like NSS Wrangler, Nobles Speed Scrub, 5400, 2401, 2601, 2701, 3301 use a stainless steel screen cage to filter the air. They also have ping pong balls to block the water from getting into the vac motor. When the recovery tank gets full these balls float up and block the water from getting into the vac motor. The vac motor will still run but there will be no suction. Sometimes these balls can get stuck blocking the air even when the tank is not full. It is a good idea to take these off periodically and clean them. Here is what to look for:

And look inside the recovery tank. You may have a debris tray that collects things that didn't get swept up. The debris tray helps to keep the tank from getting solids in it that don't drain out well. Keep this tray cleaned out. If it gets full and packed with trash the machine will begin to lose suction.

One other thing to check when troubleshooting a lack of suction is to make sure the vac motor is secured to the tank. An improperly installed vac motor can be losing suction by not being pressed against the tank firmly. Feel the vac motor. Is there any movement? It should be firmly against the gasket that is in between the vac motor and the tank. Notice in this picture the vac motor is mounted securely to the tank.