How much PSI does the average household vacuum cleaner produce?

Question

I am just wondering about how much PSI my vacuum cleaner produces in my house. Thanks

Answer 1

I would think it is not much.  It could be anywhere from a few PSI to tens of PSI.  Commercial ones can get up to several hundreds of PSI.

Answer 2

I doubt whether it would be much more than 1 psi, but if you want to check this out you could do an experiment with your own vacuum cleaner.

The average suction hose diameter for a domestic cleaner is 1.5 inches, giving the hose an area of about 1.7 sq inches. If you run the cleaner with nothing attached to the suction hose, just a plain round end, you will feel the suction as you place your hand over the end. Then you could place the end on top of some kitchen scales so that the whole of the end is covered and measure how much lift is exerted on the scale before you lift the hose away from the scale.

Divide the weight you get by 1.7, and the answer is the suction of the vacuum cleaner in p.s.i.

Answer 3

A typical domestic model vacuum has a suction of about negative 20 kPa. This means that it can lower the pressure inside the hose from normal atmospheric pressure (about 100 kPa) by 20 kPa. The higher the suction rating, the more powerful the cleaner. One inch of water is equivalent to about 249 Pa; hence, the typical suction is 80 inches (2,000 mm) of water, = 2.88psi.

The power consumption of a cleaner, in Watts, is often the only figure stated. Many North American vacuum manufacturers only give the current in amperes (e.g. "12 amps"[1]) and the consumer is left to multiply that by the line voltage of 120 volts to get the power ratings in Watts. The power does not indicate the effectiveness of the cleaner, only how much electricity it consumes. The amount of this power that is converted into airflow at the end of the cleaning hose is sometimes stated, and is measured in air watts: the units are simply watts; "air" is used to clarify that this is output power, not input electrical power. This is calculated using the formula:

cleaning power (air watts) = airflow (CFM) × suction (inches of water) / 8.5

= airflow (m³/s) × suction (Pa)

Answer 4

All will be under 1psi, most are probably less then half a psi. Obviously negative relative to the atmosphere at the suction end.