The gym floor gets stripped this weekend, and that's a lot of slurry to pick up before it dries. The Powr-Flite PF55 is a 20 gallon commercial wet dry vacuum with an 18 gauge stainless steel tank, so the crew empties less often on big floors, floods and overflows.
A 1.6 HP, 1,200 W motor pulls 114 cfm with 100 inches of water lift through a 1.5-inch hose that clogs less than a shop vac's. When the tank is full, the dolly tips and pours into a floor drain. It comes with a 10 ft swivel hose, a 2-piece stainless wand, 14-inch floor and squeegee tools, plus crevice and dusting tools.
Pick the PF55 when the jobs are big and the water is deep. It runs the same 1.6 HP motor as Powr-Flite's 15 gallon PF53 and PF54, but the 20 gallon stainless tank means fewer trips to the drain on a gym floor or a flooded hallway. With 100 inches of water lift it pulls water out of carpet, not just off tile, and stainless shrugs off stripper and won't crack when it hits a doorframe.
Two things to know. It weighs 72 lbs, so it rolls everywhere on its 8-inch rear wheels, but nobody carries it up stairs. And before wet pickup you take out the dry cloth filter and the paper filter, then put them back for dry work. The float stops suction when the tank is full, but the motor keeps running, so switch it off before you empty.
100 inches of water lift, 114 cfm. A single 1.6 HP motor tuned for pulling water, slurry and debris.
20 gallon, 18 gauge stainless steel tank. Fewer trips to the drain, and it stands up to stripping chemicals.
Tip and pour dolly. Brace it with your foot, tilt and empty into a drain. No lifting a full tank.
Up to 3-stage filtration. Pleated cartridge filter plus a washable cloth filter, and an optional paper bag (155PB) for sealed dry pickup.
1.5 in x 10 ft swivel hose. Fewer clogs, and the swivel connector turns 360 degrees so the hose follows you.
Sound-insulated vacuum head. Quieter running than a typical shop vac.
Optional FM200 front mount squeegee. Picks up water faster than a wand, especially across large floors.
A good fit: floor crews stripping gyms, cafeterias and long corridors, facilities and restoration teams dealing with floods and overflows, and warehouses that want one large machine for water and dry debris.
Not the best fit: carrying between floors (72 lbs), or small rooms and quick spills, where a 15 gallon machine is easier to move around.
Need more airflow? The Powr-Flite PF57 runs two motors (192 cfm) into the same size stainless tank, for $65 more. Its water lift is 80 inches, so the PF55 actually pulls harder on water in carpet.
Want a squeegee in the box? The Tornado Taskforce 20 has a 20 gallon stainless tank and a front mount squeegee standard, for $167 more.
Smaller jobs? The Powr-Flite PF53 has the same motor in a 15 gallon stainless tank for $61 less, and the Powr-Flite PF54 has a 15 gallon poly tank with a drain hose for $70 less.
Browse them all in our commercial wet dry vacuums collection, or call (855) 601-5678 and we'll help you pick.
Powr-Flite is a sister brand of Tornado under Tacony Corporation, so filters, hoses, wands and motors are easy to get and warranty service runs through Tacony's technical service team. The PF55 is covered by Powr-Flite's 2-year parts and labor warranty. We're an authorized Powr-Flite retailer, so that warranty comes with every machine. Found a lower price? Call or message us and we'll beat it.
