Existing commercial systems for cleaning flooring surfaces and/or extracting water from water-damaged buildings include truck or van based devices. These devices typically include a supply water tank that supplies clean, heated water and detergent to a handheld wand. An operator moves the wand over the floor while the wand directs the heated cleaning fluid over the floor and removes spent cleaning fluid and dirt from the floor. The devices typically include a waste tank that receives the post-cleaning fluid and dirt extracted by the wand. A pump pressurizes the water supplied to the wand, and a blower draws a vacuum on the waste tank so as to draw the waste water and dirt from the wand into the waste tank. The pump and blower can be driven by the vehicle's engine, or more typically, with a separate internal combustion engine carried by the vehicle.
One drawback with the foregoing approach is that it takes a considerable amount of energy to pressurize and heat the cleaning water and then remove it after cleaning. Accordingly, some existing devices use an arrangement of heat exchangers that extract heat from the vehicle engine, the separate internal combustion engine, and/or the blower to heat the water prior to cleaning. While these approaches have improved the overall efficiency of the cleaning/extraction devices, manufacturers are under continual pressure to further increase that efficiency. In addition, manufacturers are under pressure to reduce the noise produced by such devices, for example, when the devices are used in residential settings. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved water extraction and cleaning devices.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds