Rug Doctor

[Steve Kraus]

I'm looking for a cleaning solution pump for an old upright Rug Doctor carpet & upholstery cleaner, the model EZ-1. I've got inquires out to Rug Doctor and a couple of dealers. I got a junk machine for parts but that one had a bad pump too and efforts to combine parts failed because the seal material was just too degraded. This machine is probably 25 years old.

If all else fails I was thinking of just getting a small self contained pump and stuffing it in there. Any suggestions? The OEM pump is a centrifugal unit powered by a 120V motor that is labeled 1/11 HP 1.25 A (to give an idea of the size).

I assume most pumps won't be too happy if you completely block the output which is the case here when the pump is running but the cleaning button (that turns on the spray via a solenoid valve) is not pressed...or one is using the handtool but not hitting the trigger. The original pump has a small recirculation hose probably for that reason. No regulation; just a tiny connecting hose output coming off alongside the main output. I would probably do something similar. I wonder if a small fountain pump would be suitable.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Another spec. you need to know is rpm of the motor.

[Steve Kraus]

It says 9000 RPM. I presume that's no-load. It's not really important as I am not proposing to replace the motor or put a new pump on the end of this one (well I would if that was possible but the way the seals and impeller are arranged it's a likely guess that it is normally replaced as a unit).

I was giving info about the motor to enable better suggestions for a possible alternative pump to put in and by pump I'm meaning a self contained motor/pump. I'm thinking something along the lines of the sort of pump that someone might have on a small residential water fountain. What RPM is going on inside an alternative pump I don't really care. But it should probably be comparable to the 1/11 HP on the original.

Unless someone has some parts sources to find the OEM replacement.

BTW, the original is from a company called Triem or Rogers-Triem (my machine vs. the parts source machine). I don't know if they made only the motor or the pump part as well.

Here it is:

[Dean Hoffman]

I've gotten in the habit of checking Ebay for odds and ends:

[Tony Miklos]

Great idea if you want to open up the spray jets and practically pour the solution on the carpet. You need a high pressure pump. How high? That's your mission, may you choose to accept it.

[Steve Kraus]

Yeah, I've been doing that. CL too. That's where I came across a guy not too far away with two canister types and two uprights like mine for sale... $100 total. I gave him $25 for an upright with a siezed pump hoping I could repair it but it was too far gone. It's going to the curb for next garbage pickup minus everything useful I could possibly remove from it. Maybe I should have investigated the canister types further but they are outside my experience so I have no idea what kind of pump they have. The pump on the other upright he had didn't even hum when power was fed directly too it so likely siezed and allowed to burn out.

I'm starting to guess that the pump is probably the main point of terminal failure on these. Seal starts to break down and the bearing(s) sieze. In retrospect it was taking a big chance when I bought the one I have at a flea market in the early nineties without testing it. It's lasted although it doesn't get used heavily and there was probably a period of time when it didn't get used at all.

[JIMMIE]

Chunk the old Rug Doctor and either rent one at the grocery store the next time you need one or buy a rebuilt carpet cleaner at a place like Big Lot's. I got one for less than $100 with full factory warranty about 4 years ago.Paid for itself the first time I used it. I spray my carpets down using a garden sprayer with an OxyClean solution before cleaning.

Jimmie

[Steve Kraus]

I made contact with Rug Doctor and have ordered a new motor + pump. I could have just gotten the pump but I'd rather spend more and not have to deal with assembling any tricky seals.

This is for use at my business at a downtown location. I used to rent and haul the machine downtown from the suburbs. Crazy but there's no place nearby to get one and if I have to drive down it doesn't much matter where it comes from. Eventually I started transporting via off-peak commuter train which actually was pretty easy--our train line having high level platforms so no heavy lifting.

Having my own machine means being able to clean when I want and deal with spills and spots immediately. Intangibles that don't translate directly into rental cost vs. owning cost. I take it home too but that I can do when I am driving for other reasons and not have to make a special trip as both driving and parking are costly.

I'm sure there are fine consumer level machines but here is something I know works. Between myself and a former employer we've had it for about twenty years and it was a used machine back then. The one consumer machine I tried had brushes turned by an air turbine and that part soon failed.

I like the OxyClean idea. So how come you don't mix some in the cleaning solution?

[JIMMIE]

I do but spraying it on and letting it soak a bit works best. I started putting it down back when I used the commercial guys, then I rented a rug doctor a couple of times and when I saw I could buy factory rebuilt units at 25% of new cost I bought my own. I have become a believer that factory rebuilt is better than new.

Jimmie