When you invest in a carpet extractor, pay particular attention to the machine’s water lift numbers.

The water lift statistic indicates the “suction power” of the machine as it basically measures how many inches the vacuum can pull water up a tube. As an example, a carpet extractor with a water lift of “80” can pull water 80 inches upwards in a tube.

Therefore, the higher the water lift number, the more powerful the motor is in suctioning dirty water from the carpet. More suction (or a higher water lift number) means less water will be left in carpet fibers, thus providing a faster drying period and more dirty water ultimately removed.

Some vacuum cleaner manufacturers will also use a water lift number in their specifications as a measuring gauge for evaluation. However, it is more common to see vacuums providing a CFM number. The CFM is the amount of volumetric air flow per minute that the unit can pull (or cubic feet of air moved per minute).

You need a high volume of CFMs to effectively move the air. Ideally, it is most helpful to look at both the water lift and the CFMs and find a good balance. However, it is very hard to find products that rate both of these factors.

Complicating the evaluation process even more is that some high CFM machines might have lower lift numbers, as they need to sacrifice the lift in order to obtain a high degree of CFM. Are you any better off having a machine that has a high CFM but cannot pull the water out of the carpet? The more dirty water you can pull out, the cleaner and drier the carpet will be … the better the results.

Let us help you negotiate the process of evaluating the best carpet extractor or vacuum for your needs. Give the experts at Cavalier a call today!