IEC 60312-2:2010

IEC 60312-2


®

Edition 1.0 2010-09



INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD





Vacuum cleaners for household use –
Part 2: Wet cleaning appliances – Methods of measuring the performance




IEC 60312-2:2010(E)

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IEC 60312-2


®

Edition 1.0 2010-09



INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD





Vacuum cleaners for household use –
Part 2: Wet cleaning appliances – Methods of measuring the performance



INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
S
ICS 97.080 ISBN 978-2-88912-155-7
® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission

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– 2 – 60312-2 © IEC:2010(E)



CONTENTS

FOREWORD.4


1 Scope.6

2 Normative references.6

3 Terms and definitions .6


4 General conditions for testing .8

4.1 Atmospheric conditions.8

4.2 Test equipment and materials .8

4.3 Voltage and frequency .8
4.4 Running-in of wet cleaning appliance and attachments.8
4.5 Equipment of the wet cleaning appliance.9
4.6 Operation of the wet cleaning appliance.9
4.7 Conditioning prior to tests .9
4.8 In-house reference cleaner system(s) .9
5 Cleaning tests.9
5.1 Dry cleaning tests .9
5.2 Wet cleaning tests .9
5.2.1 Wet cleaning effectiveness on carpet .9
5.2.2 Re-soiling .14
5.2.3 Drying time .14
5.2.4 Maximum usable capacity of dirt recovery receptacle .14
5.2.5 Maximum usable capacity of cleaning liquid dispensing tank .14
5.2.6 Maximum flow rate of cleaning liquid.14
5.2.7 Maximum pick up rate of soiled liquid.14
5.2.8 Wet cleaning of hard surfaces.14
5.2.9 Wet cleaning of upholstery.14
6 Miscellaneous tests .15
6.1 General .15
6.2 Motion resistance .15
6.3 Life test .15
6.4 Mass .15
6.5 Weight in hand .15
6.6 Specific cleaning time.15

6.7 Dimensions .15
6.8 Noise level.15
6.9 Energy consumption .15
7 Test material and equipment.15
7.1 General .15
7.2 Material for measurements .16
7.2.1 Test carpet for wet cleaning .16
7.2.2 Test soil.16
7.2.3 Dust spreader .16
7.2.4 Roller for embedding.17
7.2.5 Weighing machine .17
7.2.6 Testing surface for wet cleaning tests .17
7.2.7 Spectrophotometer .17
7.2.8 Test soil mixer .18

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60312-2 © IEC:2010(E) – 3 –


8 Instruction for use.18

Annex A (informative) Information on materials.19


Annex B (informative) Information at the point of sale .20

Bibliography .21




Figure 1 − Clamping arrangement for carpet sample.11

Figure 2 − Cleaning pattern for appliances with cleaning head used in forward and

backward strokes .12

Figure 3 − Cleaning pattern for appliances with cleaning head only used in backward
strokes.13
Figure 4 – Dust spreader and roller for embedding dust into carpets .17

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INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________



VACUUM CLEANERS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE –



Part 2: Wet cleaning appliances –

Methods of measuring the performance





FOREWORD

1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

International Standard IEC 60312-2 has been prepared by subcommittee 59F: Floor treatment
appliances, of IEC technical committee 59: Performance of household and similar electrical
appliances.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
59F/192/CDV 59F/194/RVC

Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

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60312-2 © IEC:2010(E) – 5 –


A list of all the parts in the IEC 60312 series, under the general title Vacuum cleaners for

household use, can be found on the IEC website.


The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until the

stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to

the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be


• reconfirmed,

• withdrawn,

• replaced by a revised edition, or

• amended.

A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

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VACUUM CLEANERS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE –



Part 2: Wet cleaning appliances –

Methods of measuring the performance








1 Scope


This part of IEC 60312 is applicable to wet cleaning appliances for household use in or under
conditions similar to those in households.
The purpose of this standard is to specify essential performance characteristics of wet cleaning
appliances being of interest to the users and to describe methods for measuring these
characteristics and is complementary to the methods for dry cleaning vacuum cleaner in
IEC 60312-1.
NOTE Due to influence of environmental conditions, variations in time, origin of test materials and proficiency of
the operator, most of the described test methods will give more reliable results when applied for comparative
testing of a number of appliances at the same time, in the same laboratory and by the same operator.
For safety requirements, reference is made to IEC 60335-1 and IEC 60335-2-2.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For
dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of
the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60312-1, Vacuum cleaners for household use – Part 1: Dry vacuum cleaners – Methods for
measuring the performance
IEC 60704-1, Household and similar electrical appliances – Test code for the determination of
airborne acoustical noise − Part 1: General requirements
IEC 60704-2-1, Household and similar electrical appliances – Test code for the determination
of airborne acoustical noise − Part 2-1: Particular requirements for vacuum cleaners
ISO 554, Standard atmospheres for conditioning and/or testing – Specifications

ISO 679, Cement − Test methods – Determination of strength
CIE 15.2:1986, Colorimetry
3 Terms and definitions
For the purpose of this document, the following terms and definitions apply:
3.1
cleaning head
plain nozzle or a brush attached to a connecting tube, or a power nozzle, separate or part of
the appliance housing, and that part of a vacuum cleaner which is applied to a surface to be
cleaned

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60312-2 © IEC:2010(E) – 7 –


3.2

active nozzle

cleaning head provided with an agitation device to assist dirt removal


NOTE The agitation device may be driven by an incorporated electric motor (motorized nozzle), an incorporated

turbine powered by the air flow (air-turbine nozzle) or an incorporated friction or gear mechanism actuated by
moving the cleaning head over the surface to be cleaned (mechanical nozzle)


3.3

self-propelled cleaning head

cleaning head provided with a propulsion mechanism


3.4
extractor
wet cleaning appliance with the cleaning head forming an integral part of or directly connected
to the cleaner housing, the cleaning head may be provided with an agitation device to assist
dirt removal and the complete cleaner housing being moved over the surface to be cleaned by
means of an attached handle
3.5
forward stroke
forward movement of a stroke pattern
NOTE On test carpets, forward strokes are normally carried out in the direction of the carpet pile (direction of
manufacture) unless otherwise indicated.
3.6
return stroke
backward movement of a stroke pattern
3.7
stroke speed
speed of the cleaning head, moved as uniformly as possible, during a forward or a return
stroke
3.8
stroke length
distance between the two parallel lines defining the limits of a stroke pattern
3.9
stroke pattern
arrangement of the forward and return strokes on the surface to be cleaned

3.10
cleaning cycle
for a given measurement, the sequence of forward and return strokes to be carried out at a
specified stroke speed over the test area according to the appropriate stroke pattern
3.11
wet cleaning appliance
electrically operated appliance that applies cleaning solution and removes soil together with
solution from the surface to be cleaned by an airflow created by a vacuum developed within the
unit. The material and solution thus removed is separated in the appliance and the cleaned dry
suction air is returned to the ambient
3.12
passive nozzle
cleaning head without any agitation devices

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3.13

cleaning head width

the external maximum width of the cleaning head in millimetres



4 General conditions for testing


4.1 Atmospheric conditions

Unless otherwise specified, the test procedures and measurements shall be carried out under

the following conditions (in accordance with ISO 554):


Standard atmosphere 23/50
Temperature: (23 ± 2) °C
Relative humidity: (50 ± 5) %
Air pressure: 86 kPa to 106 kPa
NOTE Temperature and humidity conditions within the specified ranges are required for good repeatability and
reproducibility. Care should be taken to avoid changes during a test.
If test procedures and measurements are carried out at other than standard atmospheric
conditions, the ambient temperature shall be maintained at (23 ± 5) °C.
4.2 Test equipment and materials
Measurements on carpets shall be carried out on a flat floor consisting of a smooth untreated
pine plywood or equivalent panel, at least 15 mm thick and of a size appropriate for the test.
Equipment and materials for measurements (devices, test carpets, soil, test dust etc.) to be
used in a test shall, prior to the test, be kept for at least 16 h at standard atmospheric
conditions according to 4.1.
NOTE It is recommended that carpets that are already being used shall be stored unbeaten at standard
atmospheric conditions according to 4.1. When not in use they should be hanging free, not lying or rolled.
4.3 Voltage and frequency
Measurements shall be carried out at rated voltage with a tolerance of ±1 % and, if applicable,
at rated frequency.
Wet cleaning appliances designed for d.c. only shall be operated at d.c. Wet cleaning
appliances designed for both a.c. and d.c. shall be operated at a.c. Wet cleaning appliances
not marked with rated frequency shall be operated at either 50 Hz or 60 Hz, as is common in

the country of use.
For wet cleaning appliances with a rated voltage range, measurements shall be carried out at
the mean value of the voltage range if the difference between the limits of the range does not
exceed 10 % of the mean value. If the difference exceeds 10 % of the mean value,
measurements shall be carried out both at the upper and lower limits of the voltage range.
If the rated voltage differs from the nominal system voltage of the country concerned,
measurements carried out at rated voltage may give test results misleading for the consumer
and additional measurements may be required. If the test voltage differs from the rat
...