Looking into getting a Durrmaid extractor

**mini1** · 08-27-2011, 02:02 PM

The time has come to upgrade from wet/dry vac extraction. I found a Durrmaid Super 1600 on CL, in good shape with little use, for about half list price. The owner will demo it for me so I know it works. It has the Lexan upgrade too. I haven`t been able to find many reviews online for this unit.

Should I get it? The price is very low compared to market value.

**mini1** · 08-29-2011, 10:39 AM

Nobody has one of these?

**Ron Ketcham** · 08-29-2011, 11:44 AM

I don`t have one, what I had was a MyTee and it was top of their line.

Worked great, had the "air dry" feature.

The only issue in 4 years was one fitting required some teflon sealer tape to stop a leak in the water line.

No matter what brand you purchase I will suggest to you what I have to everyone for years.

1. Is there a repair center near you?

2.How difficult is it to obtain parts should you require them?

3.Does the brand have a hot line tech guy available to aid you?

4.How long has the brand been in business?

5.Does the brand actually manufacturer the product or do they market a re-branded product?

Some things to consider.

Grumpy

**WAS** · 08-29-2011, 12:13 PM

I have one, the 1600 model. My honest opinion is that the extractor is compact and it works well (has good spray psi and lift capabilities). The heater is a bit slow as it`s an in-tank vs in-line, but when it`s done heating, the solution is pretty damn hot.

There are a few things to look out for though. If the solution tubing is the clear PVC crap, you will need to get a rubber hose replacement. The PVC gets cut all the time because of how the compression fitting at the trigger end is designed. A free rubber hose replacement is available if you ask the manufacturer. Dennis Durr (the owner of the company) hand makes these extractors himself with a helper in his shop. He is VERY friendly to deal with, and sends out parts ASAP whenever you have an issue. This is where I come to another point. Twice, the pump that moves the solution through the spray jet failed on me. It`s a very small pump that has no pressure-relief designed into it (the pump is actually originally designed for an espresso machine), so do NOT run the pump if you`re not squeezing the trigger. Anything more than 30 seconds and the pump gets HOT and you risk burning it out. Now in my case, it was my employees that were leaving it on without running solution through it. I believe it`s more of a human error than a design flaw or defective part. Anyways, twice, Dennis sent me replacement pumps, free of charge, didn`t even have to pay for shipping. His customer service is great, can`t complain at all about that.

None the less, personally for me because I`m more of a high volume shop (that specializes in interiors), I can`t rely on only a single Durrmaid extractor. I have 1 Durrmaid and 1 Mytee. The Mytee is by far a superior unit, but it also costs twice as much. With that all in mind, would I recommend the Durrmaid ? Sure, it`s a good unit, not the very best by far, but a good unit. And I would keep some spare parts around. The pump is around $60, and I`d keep some extra spray jets around as well.

**mini1** · 08-30-2011, 08:23 PM

I ended up buying the unit. Its only been used a few times. I completed a full test before buying it. It has the lexan upgrade. I got the seller down to only $300.

**mini1** · 08-30-2011, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by WAS

There are a few things to look out for though. If the solution tubing is the clear PVC crap, you will need to get a rubber hose replacement. The PVC gets cut all the time because of how the compression fitting at the trigger end is designed. A free rubber hose replacement is available if you ask the manufacturer. Dennis Durr (the owner of the company) hand makes these extractors himself with a helper in his shop. He is VERY friendly to deal with, and sends out parts ASAP whenever you have an issue. This is where I come to another point. Twice, the pump that moves the solution through the spray jet failed on me. It`s a very small pump that has no pressure-relief designed into it (the pump is actually originally designed for an espresso machine), so do NOT run the pump if you`re not squeezing the trigger. Anything more than 30 seconds and the pump gets HOT and you risk burning it out. Now in my case, it was my employees that were leaving it on without running solution through it. I believe it`s more of a human error than a design flaw or defective part. Anyways, twice, Dennis sent me replacement pumps, free of charge, didn`t even have to pay for shipping. His customer service is great, can`t complain at all about that.

It has the rubber black hose already.

How do I turn on/off the pump manually?

**WAS** · 09-06-2011, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by mini1

It has the rubber black hose already.

How do I turn on/off the pump manually?

The pump is on when the unit is on (I forget the exact labels, but there`s 3 positions on the toggle switch, the middle is OFF, either the right or left is HEAT and the other is ON). There is no way to turn the pump off without turning the whole unit off.

**mini1** · 09-19-2011, 08:49 PM

WAS - check your PM

**buda** · 09-19-2011, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by mini1

The time has come to upgrade from wet/dry vac extraction. I found a Durrmaid Super 1600 on CL, in good shape with little use, for about half list price. The owner will demo it for me so I know it works. It has the Lexan upgrade too. I haven`t been able to find many reviews online for this unit.

Should I get it? The price is very low compared to market value.

At that price you can`t go wrong, there is not much to an extractor so they are easy to fix. We used to sell them but chose a better unit we believe.

But if you need parts or tech advise let me know

Regards

Buabrabam