What is a Sweeper Truck and why should you use one in your parking lot, roadway or garage?

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What is a Sweeper Truck and why should you use one in your parking lot, roadway or garage?
Written By: Whirlwind Clean & Green Team ~ 6/4/2020

BLOGPOST_BrooksSweeperPatent06042020_s.jpgThis is the original design for a sweeper truck, invented by Charles Brooks in 1896. This design is essentially the same as our modern Construction Sweeper Truck which is designed to pick up heavy debris such as sand and rock from parking lots and roadways. There are many other types of Sweeper Trucks, designed for different applications which vary in size by the use.

Construction Sweepers either use brooms and conveyor system or brooms and a vacuum system to capture and hold the debris it picks up in the hopper. Some versions are designed to dump on the ground and others are built to dump into dumpsters.

The second variety of trucks are Vacuum Sweeper Trucks and they work a lot like a carpet vacuum and use a fan to move air through the system to capture the debris.

There are also more advanced and environmentally friendly models of Sweeper Trucks known as Regenerative Air Sweepers which do not exhaust the air they use to collect debris back into the environment, but keep recycling the air inside the truck to avoid spreading dust and debris back into the atmosphere.

There are also low clearance Sweeper Trucks which have smaller capacity and a better turning radius for tight parking lots or parking garages. Most sweepers have the option of a hydraulic powered gutter broom on one or both sides of the truck and others use the broom inside the pickup head or dust suppression systems which agitate and move debris out of the curb edges and into the path of the truck while preventing dust.

BLOGPOST_SweepeTruck06042020_s.jpgThe importance of regular maintenance using a Sweeper Truck is sometimes forgotten, especially in an area such as the Puget Sound where most drains lead to a waterway of some type.  When you see, “Only Rain down the Drain”, or a fish stenciled next to your local storm drains, it’s for a reason. Sweeping your parking lot, roadways and parking garage can prevent organic and other debris such as oil and other contaminants from entering the Storm System, or rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. Besides saving fish and other marine wildlife, this regular maintenance could save you upwards of 30% on the overall maintenance of your Stormwater systems.

Regular sweeping also extends the life of your asphalt or concrete by removing dirt and other debris from the cracks that generally allow weeds to grow and moisture to seep in. Once these weeds establish themselves, their roots systems will start to break apart your asphalt. This breaking of the asphalt will also allow water to easily enter the asphalt and during winter months, this moisture will expand and cause further damage to your asphalt and concrete which can be expensive to repair. There are a few other immediate benefits such as maximizing your curb appeal, afterhours completion in most scenarios so there is no impact to patrons, business or employees, water systems on each vehicle to keep down dust and magnetic bars used to pick up items such as nails and other tire hazards.

Whether you are a Commercial Property Owner/ Manager or local HOA/COA, street sweeping can help you meet your mandates on Stormwater maintenance requirements as well as keep your roadways and other surfaces clean in the process! Whirlwind would like to offer a free estimate and assistance designing a maintenance program to support your facilities needs best, give us a whirl— 1(800)800-2935


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