What is a Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner?

If you’ve been disappointed by a wet & dry vacuum cleaner that’s not delivering the promised prowess in cleaning up messes, the machine might not provide the advertised horsepower. Several manufacturers are under investigation for selling these machines advertised as stallions when they really perform like colts.

How to Use a Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner

Wet dry vacuum uses vary, but most of the time, they are used in tool shops to help clean debris caused by, well, using tools. Also called a shop vac, a wet dry vacuum is designed to clean up everything from sawdust and nails to muddy water.

The wet dry vac is a relatively simple machine, consisting of a collection bucket, a motor and a hose. The motor sits on top of the collection bucket and powers a fan. Air is drawn through the hose and allows debris to be deposited in the bucket.

The wet dry vac doesn’t allow wet or dry material to come into contact with any electrical or motorized parts of the machine. In fact, the motor unit is encased in its own separate chamber to ensure there’s no chance of the user receiving an electric shock. Just the same, most manufacturers advise plugging the machine into a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet or extension cord for added safety.

Wet Dry Vacuum

Despite the similarities in design of most wet & dry vacuum cleaners, there are differences that may be important to some buyers. Some consumers look for an array of attachments that can be used in a variety of messy scenarios. Others might find a vacuum’s speed at picking up water to be the selling point.

The fiberglass filter on a wet dry vac should be removed prior to starting a wet cleanup, which means an easily removable filter is what some people look for.

Some models have a detachable motor, which allows the owner to use the machine as a leaf blower.

Many times, the focal point for the shopper is the power of the machine, generally listed as the peak horsepower.

Wet Dry Vacuum Horsepower

If you look at the horsepower ratings on a wet & dry vacuum, you may not realize the number usually refers to peak horsepower, which according to Popular Mechanics, is “the electrical draw at the point where the motor is overloaded and stalls.”

Even so, consumers have filed wet & dry vacuum class action lawsuits alleging the advertised horsepower ratings are not possibly achieved with the standard household outlet or outside of laboratory situations.

What is Peak HP?

The peak horsepower rating of a wet dry vacuum is generally the power output when the machine is initially turned on.

Consumers allege the peak horsepower ratings on many brands of wet & dry vacuum cleaners convey false or misleading information regarding the true power of the machines when used in a shop setting.

Peak HP Advertised Vs Reality

According to one class action lawsuit against Shop-Vac brand, plaintiffs alleged the wet dry vac marketed as having power of 6.5 peak HP only had 1.931 HP. That lawsuit filed in July of last year alleged Shop-Vac falsely advertised the peak horsepower because the company must have known the actual horsepower was much less.

If you bought a wet dry vac because of its advertised peak horsepower rating, you may be eligible to participate in this wet & dry vacuum class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Wet Dry Vacuum Horsepower Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

You may qualify to join a wet dry vacuum class action lawsuit investigation if you purchased a wet dry vac from one of these manufacturers:

• RIDGID (Emerson)
• VacMaster (Cleva)
• Alton/Stanley
• WorkShop Wet/Dry Vac

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.