Floor scrubber glossary
Definitions of the terms used in floor scrubber spec sheets, manuals and our guides. Each links to the guide that explains it in depth.
A
- AGM battery
- A sealed lead-acid battery with electrolyte held in glass mat separators. No watering is needed. Learn more
- Amp-hour (Ah)
- Battery capacity. Deep-cycle batteries are usually rated at the 20-hour rate, which overstates capacity at the high currents scrubbers draw. Learn more
- Auto scrubber
- A machine that applies cleaning solution, scrubs the floor with brushes or pads, and vacuums the dirty water back up with a squeegee in a single pass. Also called an automatic floor scrubber or scrubber-dryer. Learn more
B
- Bail
- The hand lever on a walk-behind scrubber handle that starts drive or scrubbing when squeezed. Learn more
- BMS
- Battery management system: the electronics in a lithium pack that monitor cells and can disconnect the pack to protect it. Learn more
- Brush-assist (pad-assist)
- A non-traction design where brush rotation helps propel the machine and the operator pushes and steers. Learn more
- Burnishing
- High-speed polishing of a finished floor, typically at 1,000 RPM or more, to raise gloss. A different job from scrubbing. Learn more
C
- CFM
- Cubic feet per minute of airflow produced by a vacuum motor. Along with waterlift it determines how well water is recovered. Learn more
- Charge profile
- The algorithm a charger follows for a given battery chemistry. A wrong profile is a leading cause of early battery failure. Learn more
- Chemical dosing system
- An onboard system that meters concentrate from a separate cartridge into the water stream at a set ratio. Learn more
- Chemical-free scrubbing
- Scrubbing with water treated electrically or mechanically instead of added detergent. Results depend heavily on the soil type. Learn more
- Cleaning path
- The width of floor the scrub head cleans in one pass, usually quoted in inches or millimeters. It drives productivity more than any other specification. Learn more
- Cylindrical scrub deck
- A scrub head with counter-rotating roller brushes that also sweep small debris into a tray. Good on grout and textured floors. Learn more
D
- DCOF
- Dynamic coefficient of friction: a measure of slip resistance. ANSI A326.3 is the US test method for hard surface flooring. Learn more
- Defoamer
- An additive placed in the recovery tank to break down foam that could otherwise reach and damage the vacuum motor. Learn more
- Depth of discharge (DoD)
- How much of a battery's capacity is used before recharging. Regularly deep-discharging lead-acid batteries shortens their life. Learn more
- Dilution ratio
- The proportion of concentrate to water, such as 1:128 (one ounce per gallon). Learn more
- Disc scrub deck
- A scrub head with one or more round brushes or pad drivers spinning on a vertical axis. The most common deck type. Learn more
- Down pressure
- The force pressing the brush or pad onto the floor, quoted in pounds or kilograms. More pressure cleans heavier soil but raises current draw and wear. Learn more
E
- Efficiency factor
- The share of theoretical productivity achieved in real conditions. Scrubber Guide uses 0.65 as a default, with a typical range of 0.55 to 0.75. Learn more
- Equalizing charge
- A controlled overcharge applied to flooded lead-acid batteries to balance cells and reduce stratification. Learn more
F
- Float shutoff
- A float or sensor in the recovery tank that cuts vacuum airflow when the tank is full, protecting the vacuum motor from water. Learn more
- Flooded lead-acid battery
- A wet-cell deep-cycle battery that needs periodic watering and ventilation while charging. The lowest upfront cost option. Learn more
G
- Gel battery
- A sealed lead-acid battery with gelled electrolyte. No watering is needed, and it needs a gel-specific charge profile. Learn more
- Gradeability
- The steepest slope, usually given as a percent grade, that a machine can climb safely while transporting or while scrubbing. Learn more
H
- Hour meter
- A counter of machine run time, used for service intervals, warranty claims and judging used machines. Learn more
L
- Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)
- The lithium chemistry most used in floor scrubbers. It gives long cycle life, fast charging and no watering at a higher upfront cost. Learn more
- Low voltage cutout
- A protective shutdown of scrub functions when battery voltage falls below a set threshold. Learn more
- LVT
- Luxury vinyl tile or plank, a resilient floor with a factory wear layer that should not be scrubbed aggressively. Learn more
M
- Micro scrubber
- A very small auto scrubber, usually 12 to 17 inches wide, for restrooms, kitchens and tight spaces where a mop would otherwise be used. Learn more
N
- Neutral cleaner
- A detergent with a pH of roughly 7 to 9, used for daily cleaning of finished and sensitive floors. Learn more
O
- Operator presence switch
- A switch in the bail, handle or seat that stops drive and scrub functions when the operator lets go or stands up. Learn more
- Opportunity charging
- Topping up batteries during breaks. Well suited to lithium, and usually discouraged for flooded lead-acid. Learn more
- Orbital scrub deck
- A rectangular pad plate that oscillates in small, fast orbits. Often used for chemical-free floor finish removal and even pressure on uneven floors. Learn more
- Overcurrent fault
- A controller fault raised when a motor draws more current than allowed, often from too much down pressure, a jammed brush or a failing motor. Learn more
P
- Pad driver
- The disc that holds a floor pad on a disc machine, usually with a center lock and gripping bristles or hook face. Learn more
- pH
- A 0 to 14 scale of acidity and alkalinity. Floor cleaners range from acidic (below 7) through neutral to strongly alkaline strippers and degreasers. Learn more
- Planned maintenance (PM)
- Scheduled inspection and service to catch wear before it causes breakdowns, often sold as a dealer contract. Learn more
- Productivity (sq ft/hr)
- The area a machine cleans per hour. Theoretical productivity is path width times speed; practical productivity applies an efficiency factor for turns, overlap and tank stops. Learn more
R
- Recovery tank
- The tank that collects dirty water vacuumed up by the squeegee. It should be emptied and rinsed after every use. Learn more
- Residue
- Cleaner left on the floor after drying. It can make floors sticky or slippery and attract soil faster. Learn more
- Ride-on scrubber
- An auto scrubber with an operator seat, used for large open areas. Paths typically run from about 26 to 40 inches or more. Learn more
- Robotic scrubber (AMR)
- An autonomous mobile robot that scrubs routes it has been taught or mapped, using sensors such as lidar and cameras to avoid obstacles. Learn more
S
- Scrubber-dryer
- The common European and Australian name for an auto scrubber, describing its two jobs: scrubbing and drying the floor in one pass. Learn more
- Solution flow rate
- How much solution reaches the floor per minute, usually 0.1 to 1 gallon per minute depending on machine and setting. Learn more
- Solution solenoid
- An electrically operated valve that opens to let solution flow to the deck when scrubbing and closes when the machine stops. Learn more
- Solution tank
- The tank holding clean water and chemical, which is fed to the scrub deck. Learn more
- Squeegee
- The curved rubber blade assembly at the rear of the machine that channels dirty water to the vacuum pickup. Learn more
- Squeegee blade material
- The rubber compound of the blade, such as gum rubber, neoprene or polyurethane, chosen for wear life, oil resistance and floor type. Learn more
- Squeegee deflection
- How far the squeegee blade bends when lowered onto the floor. Correct deflection gives a clean, even wipe. Learn more
- Stand-on scrubber
- A compact rider the operator stands on, combining ride-on speed with a short footprint for aisles and busy spaces. Learn more
- Stripping
- Removing all floor finish down to the bare floor, usually with an alkaline stripper and aggressive pads. Learn more
- Sweeper-scrubber
- A combination machine that sweeps up dry debris into a hopper ahead of the scrub deck, then scrubs and recovers in the same pass. Learn more
T
- Top scrub
- Scrubbing off the worn top coats of floor finish before applying fresh coats, without stripping to bare floor. Learn more
- Total cost of ownership (TCO)
- Purchase price plus batteries, consumables, parts, service and labor over a machine's life. Labor usually dominates. Learn more
- Traction drive
- A drive system with a powered wheel or transaxle that moves the machine, letting the operator control speed with a throttle. Learn more
- Transaxle
- A combined drive motor, gearbox and axle that powers the drive wheels on many walk-behind and rider scrubbers. Learn more
V
- Vacuum motor
- The motor that creates suction to lift water through the squeegee and hose into the recovery tank. Learn more
- VCT
- Vinyl composition tile, a common commercial floor that is usually protected with layers of floor finish. Learn more
W
- Walk-behind scrubber
- An auto scrubber the operator steers from behind on foot. Typical cleaning paths run from about 17 to 34 inches. Learn more
- Waterlift
- A measure of vacuum strength, given in inches of water column. Higher waterlift pulls water up more strongly through the squeegee and hose. Learn more