NaceCare AV 18SX Walk-Behind Carpet Extractor, 18 Gallon, 20"

It's Saturday morning, and the church fellowship hall, two classrooms and a long carpeted hallway all need extracting before Sunday. With a small pull-back machine, that's a day of backing up, dumping and refilling. The NaceCare AV 18SX walk-behind carpet extractor carries 18 gallons of solution and moves forward with you, so the job shrinks to a morning.

It's a self-contained commercial carpet extractor: it sprays, scrubs with its own brush and vacuums the water back up in one forward pass. The rotating brush helps pull the machine along, and NaceCare rates it at 4,000 square feet an hour, nearly three times a standard pull-back extractor.

It has the same core as the rest of the AV line: a 1.8 hp, three-stage vacuum motor with 135 inches of water lift and 95 cfm, a 130 psi diaphragm pump flowing up to 1.2 gallons a minute and a 20-inch cleaning path.

The AV 18SX is the workhorse of the three. The tank is the reason to buy it: at the full 1.2 gallons a minute, 18 gallons gives you about 15 minutes of spraying per fill, against about 10 on the 12-gallon AV 12QX. In a big building, those saved trips to the sink add up fast.

It isn't self-propelled. The brush helps move it forward, but you're steering and pushing 140 pounds. The upper and lower tanks split apart, so loading it into a van is a two-piece job, not a one-piece wrestle.

One honest note: at 70 dB(A), it's louder than the AV 12QX. For hotels and hospitals at night, the 12QX is the better pick. For schools, churches, offices after hours and contract cleaners, the 18SX gives you more carpet per fill.

• 18-gallon tanks. Fewer refills and dumps per shift on big carpeted areas.

• Walk-behind, brush-assisted. One forward pass sprays, scrubs and extracts, rated at 4,000 sq ft an hour.

• 135 inches of water lift. Strong recovery leaves less water in the carpet, so it dries sooner.

• Lock-down, spring-loaded vacuum shoe. Steady pressure on thick pile and uneven floors keeps pickup consistent.

• Removable spray bar with twist-off jets. Clear a clogged jet by hand in seconds.

• Rotomolded polyethylene tanks with a 10-year warranty. They won't dent or rust, and they separate for transport.

• Hard floor ready. Fit the optional squeegee (18270E) and lower the brush to scrub and dry tile.

NaceCare's Smart Kit demo, filmed on the smaller AV 12QX. The kit works the same way on the AV 18SX.

Machine only. Cold-water extraction with the built-in spray bar and brush. It's the right fit for routine interim cleaning with a low-foam chemical.

With the HT 1800 heater. An 1,800-watt in-line heater that mounts at the rear and warms the solution on its way to the spray bar. Hot water breaks down greasy soil faster, which matters in cafeterias, entryways and restaurants. It adds $1,046. The heater has its own power cord and draws about 15 amps on its own, so plug it into an outlet on a different circuit from the machine.

With the Smart Kit pre-spray. NaceCare's patented onboard kit turns the pump into a pre-spray system, with a 50-foot pre-spray hose and gun. The chemical is injected after the pump, so only clean water runs through it and nothing builds up inside. There's no mixing and the dilution is always right. It also adds a low-flow mode for interim cleaning and faster dry times. It adds $1,269.

With the heater and Smart Kit. The full restorative setup, for heavily soiled carpet on a deep-clean schedule.

Not sure which you need? Tell us your carpet type, square footage and how dirty it gets, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you, including when the machine alone is enough.

NaceCare rates it at 4,000 square feet an hour of nonstop forward passes. After 30% to 50% for refills, emptying, edges and furniture, plan on about 2,000 to 2,800 square feet an hour. A 10,000 square foot floor is roughly a four to five hour job for one operator, with fewer refill stops than the 12-gallon model.

Two habits protect the vacuum motor. If your chemical foams, or the carpet was shampooed before, add defoamer to the recovery tank. And after each shift, flush the pump with clean water, rinse the recovery tank, run the vacuum for a minute or two and store it with the lid open so it dries.

All three share the same 20-inch path, 1.8 hp vacuum motor, 130 psi pump and accessories.

• AV 18AX: this same 18-gallon machine with a 0.75 hp traction drive that pulls it forward at the speed you set. It costs $1,900 more. Worth it if one operator runs it for hours every day.

• AV 18SX: 18-gallon tanks, brush-assisted, 140 lbs, 70 dB(A).

• AV 12QX: 12-gallon tanks and quieter at 60 dB(A), for occupied buildings. The AV 18SX costs $445 more than the 12QX.

Want the same job done with a bigger tank and recycling? Look at the Tornado Cascade 20, or compare every option in our commercial carpet extractors collection.