As we mentioned in our last section, a solid foundation of knowledge can help you see through exaggerated claims of a vacuum unit’s productivity. If our customers have already tried shop vac units, we typically prefer to explain the ins and outs of horsepower.
For example:
You can easily find vacuums that state their horsepower in large, bold numbers, like 5.0 hp or even 6.0 hp — but they still plug into standard 15-amp electrical outlets. Why does it matter? As it turns out, if you read the fine print, you’ll see something like “10A” on the nameplates.
Here’s a breakdown:
Amps x Voltage = Watts
Watts / 746 = Horsepower (electric)
So, what does that mean?
If you do the math, you’ll see that those little 10A motors, when plugged into a 100V outlet, draw 110 watts. That’s only 1.47 hp — a far cry from what they initially claimed.