Measuring Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Flow Rates

Improvised Air Flow Meter

To measure flow rates of the Black and Decker Pivot and Dyson Root handheld vacuums, I improvised my own "flow meter" out of the following:

• an green air pump for inflatable "toys." with a 3.5 foot black hose to inflate
• a clear 30-gallon yard bag,
• a stop watch to time deflation of the 30-gallon yard bag,
• 1 light blue towel wrapped around end of hose so 30-gallon yard bag didn't get prematurely sucked in
• 1 light blue towels to form handheld vacuum-to-hose seal,
• miscellaneous items including a red velcro strap, and blue tape

Thus, I could timed how long it took for each vacuum cleaner to flow (or deflate) a 30 gallon plastic bag of air in a certain amount of time. In this way, I hoped to measure the 'suction' of each vacuum cleaner. As to be expected, with its larger motor, the Dyson Root 6 continued to maintain a performance lead.

Flow Rates for Pivot and Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaners

As mentioned earlier, the results were

1. Black and Decker Pivot: 30 gallons in 43 seconds,
2. Dyson Root 6: 30 gallons in 36 seconds, and
3. Miele 8.3A Red Star: 30 gallons in 23 seconds.