Buyer's Tips - Horsepower Stories

Here is where we discuss the absolutely silly horsepower claims of some manufacturers. 

We stated in the last section that marketers sometimes "exaggerate beyond reality".  Nowhere has this reached such levels of foolishness as in the retail vacuum business.  But since many of our customers have tried shop type vac units, we often have to explain something about horsepower - even to those who should know!

As you may appreciate, you can now buy vacuums that state in big bold numbers 5.0 Hp or even 6.0 Hp, yet still plug into a normal 15 Amp electrical outlet.   However, read the (very) fine print and you'll find something like 10A on the nameplate.

Here's the reality check.  Amps x Voltage = Watts and Watts / 746 = Horsepower (electric).  That means our 10A motor in a 110V outlet draws 1100 watts which is in reality only 1.47 Hp.  How in the world 1.47 gets to be 5.0 we can't imagine, but we can assure you that trying to run a 5 Hp. appliance in a 15A circuit would be very exciting indeed.

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title: Industrial Vacuum Buyer's Tips