How To Select An EXAIR Drum Vac

The other day, I heard someone say, “It’s like winter & spring are in a custody battle with us” and that describes Ohio weather in March to a “T”. But make no mistake, spring’s warm weather is coming and with it comes the quintessential ritual of spring-cleaning.

I know this to be true, because just like we tend to see upticks in Cabinet Cooler System sales in early summer (when external heat loads rise) and Static Eliminator sales in early winter (when colder temperatures decrease humidity and increase the propensity for static charge), we start getting more frequent calls in early spring about Industrial Housekeeping Products. Some are repeat customers who need additional equipment. If this is you, THANK YOU for your confidence in our products! Others want to find out which Industrial Vacuum is best suited for their applications. If THIS is you, read on.

The first step in selection is…wet or dry? Or both? If you’re going to use it for liquids sometimes, and solids vacuuming at other times, the EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac allows for that. If you’ve ever used a shop vac to clean up your garage or workshop after cutting a bunch of wood for a project, you likely know that you can remove the filter and use it to pump out a clogged deep sink or your sump pump’s sump. The EasySwitch works just like that, but it’s easy to switch (as advertised) from wet to dry because the ‘dry vac’ filter is on a hinged plate in the lid:

Not that it’s particularly difficult to change the filter in a shop vac, but this is indeed “Easy Switch”.

The EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac is made for use with an open-top 55 gallon drum, and comes with the option for a standard filter for exhausting the vacuum air flow, or a HEPA Filter for critical dust containment, when used in ‘dry’ mode.

If you’re going to use it consistently for liquids, the Reversible Drum Vac is what you’re looking for. It’ll fill a 55 gallon drum with water in a minute and a half, and with a simple turn of the knob on top, it’ll empty it just as fast. The standard Reversible Drum Vac generates a suction head of 96″ H2O. If the liquid is viscous, or is below grade (say, in a deep sump), the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is rated for liquids with viscosities up to 1,400 cP, and generates a suction lift of 180″H2O. They work with 5, 30, 55, and 100 gallon drums.

The Chip Trapper Systems are Reversible Drum Vacs with a Filter Bag that all the incoming liquid passes through. The standpipe is outside the Filter Bag, so when emptying the drum, solids are retained in the Filter Bag, and only freshly filtered liquid is pumped out. They come with the standard, or the High Lift, Reversible Drum Vac as well. They come with 30, 55, or 110 gallon drums.

EXAIR also has a number of industrial drum-mounted vacuums for ‘dry’ pickup too. By ‘dry’, I mean loose solid particulate. It can be wet – coolant soaked chips on or around a machine tool are a prime example – but as long as they’re not in a volume of liquid, the Industrial Housekeeping Products below will all work just fine. If they ARE in a volume of liquid, the Reversible Drum Vacs & Chip Trapper Systems above are what you’re looking for.

Chip Vacs are ideal for general cleanup. The Chip Vac itself is made of aluminum, and systems are made for 5, 30, 55, and 110 gallon drums. Vacuum air flow is exhausted through a filter bag attached to the top of the drum.

From left to right: 5 gallon, 30 gallon, 55 gallon, and 110 gallon Chip Vacs are sized for any cleanup need.

If you’re vacuuming up abrasive material, there’s a good chance it will wear out the relatively soft aluminum construction of the Chip Vac pretty quickly. The Heavy Duty Dry Vac, however, is made of a hardened alloy for superior abrasion resistance. They also have higher vacuum power than the Chip Vacs for particularly dense material pickup. They’re made for 30, 55, and 110 gallon drums (sorry; no 5 gallon option for the Heavy Duty Dry Vacs!)

EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Dry Vacs turn ordinary drums into high powered, rugged industrial vacuum systems.

If critical dust containment is desired (or required), the Heavy Duty HEPA Vac offers the same performance as the Heavy Duty Dry Vac, but the vacuum air flow is exhausted through a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) cartridge filter. These Filters are 100% tested for compliance with IEST-RP-CC-007 for 99.97% filtration at the 0.3 micron level to meet HEPA standards. A Pre-Filter (included) serves to keep the HEPA filter working properly for as long as possible, and Filter Protectors (optional) are available to do the same for the Pre-Filter.

LIke the Heavy Duty Dry Vacs, the Heavy Duty HEPA Vacs fit standard 30, 55, and 110 gallon drums.

You can use any of these with an existing drum, as long as it meets the requirements:

Reversible Drum Vac drums need to be steel (no fiber, composite, plastic, etc…we’re pulling a vacuum to fill it, and pressurizing it to empty it) and should have a wall thickness of at least 18ga.
Chip Vacs, Heavy Duty Dry Vacs, and Heavy Duty HEPA Vacs can be used on any standard sized open-top 30, 55, or 110 gallon drum.
EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vacs need a steel 55 gallon drum with the rolled lip on top for the lid to sit on and ensure the gasket has a good seal.

EXAIR Industrial Housekeeping Products have no moving parts to wear or electric motors to burn out. If you supply them with clean, moisture-free compressed air, they’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free. Standard systems come with everything you need to turn an existing drum into a powerful industrial vacuum. Deluxe Kits add a Drum Dolly and more tools. Premium Kits include the drum itself and an upgrade to Heavy Duty Aluminum Tools (Deluxe Heavy Duty Dry & HEPA Vac Kits get you those as well).

One more thing: now through the end of May 2024, you’ll get a FREE Vac-u-Gun with any qualifying Industrial Housekeeping Product purchase (U.S. and Canada end users only).

If you’d like to discuss a cleanup application or product selection, feel free to give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS