Vapor Steam Cleaner FAQs

What is a UL Listing and why should I care?
Almost everyone is offering lifetime boiler warranties,
what is so different about yours?
Do I want a "Continuous Fill" vapor machine?
Is boiler design important?
Who honors the warranty and who does the warranty repairs?
Do you have product liability insurance and why is it important?
Is VaporLux® just a reseller?
What is your RETURN POLICY?
What are your SHIPPING RATES?
Is vapor cleaning used just for deep cleaning?
Why would I use my VaporLux ® for weekly maintenance?
Why is the quality of the tools important?
What is the optimum temperature for this technology to operate?
Would a bigger machine clean better?
Do you have a retail store?
Can I get a discount on a VaporLux ®?

Q: What is a UL Listing and why should I care?
A: The UL Mark is one of the most recognized, accepted and trusted symbols in the
world. It means that a not-for-profit, independent laboratory has tested samples of
products to safety requirements and conducts periodic checks of manufacturers'
facilities. It says something about the products you may purchase.

The UL Mark stands for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), a not-for-profit, non-
governmental organization that was formed in 1894 to help reduce injury, loss of life
and property damage. To that end, UL scientifically investigates and tests thousands
of types of products, materials, constructions and systems to evaluate electric, fire and
casualty hazards; burglar resistance; or ability to detect, control or limit fires.

Third-party product safety certification is important. An independent, technically
expert organization that doesn't have a financial interest in the product's ultimate
profitability is needed to determine whether reasonably foreseeable risks associated
with the product's use have been eliminated or minimized. UL's not-for-profit,
independent status allow it to allow it to be unbiased in determining whether or not
a product meets recognized safety standards.

Manufacturers submit products to UL for testing and safety certification on a
Voluntary basis. Use of UL is not required by law. But most manufacturers are
concerned with the safety of their products and they know safety-conscious and
concerned consumers look the UL Mark on products they buy.

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Q: Almost everyone is offering lifetime boiler warranties, what is so different
about yours?
A: VaporLux® started the "Lifetime Boiler Warranty" several years ago. The reason we did this was to demonstrate the superiority of our boilers. In 15 years, VaporLux® has never experienced a single boiler failure. Our boilers are tested to 700 PSI, yet they operate at 80 PSI. Our boilers are built of 18/10 stainless steel conform to ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards, which is the entity that sets the boiler code for North America. This ASME Standard also dictates the shape of the boiler which is a spherical/ cylindrical shape. Our boiler conforms to the ASME code.

Many other providers of vapor equipment started to furnish "Lifetime Boiler Warranties" in 2005 in an effort to bolster diminishing sales, yet they still have a problem, their heating elements are built as an integral component of their boilers. Thus, the boiler is warranted for life but the heating element is not. So, if your heating element needs replacing, you must also replace the boiler. Who does the repairs and who honors the warranty? VaporLux performs all warranties, services and repairs at our Michigan headquarters.

VaporLux® performs all repairs and fulfills all warranty claims right at their facilities. We have certified technicians that perform all service and we have 100% parts availability 100% of the time. In most cases, turnaround time is a couple days rather than weeks or months.

Every mechanical or electrical device ever manufactured will experience a problem
sooner or later, it is what happens after the problem occurs that matters. In the final
result, the product is only as good as the company that sold it and the best there is,
is VaporLux®.

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Q: Do I want a "Continuous Fill" vapor machine?
A: Many resellers are currently touting a feature called "continuous fill". This term means that an auxiliary water compartment and electrically powered pump have been added to the equipment so that the user never runs out of water and the user can go right on cleaning forever, without stopping. At first it sounds great, but we believe it is actually better suited to home and office use than commercial.

Vapor technology produces the best result when operated within certain temperature parameters. The lower the temperature the less effective the result is and the slower bacteria are killed. When cold water is introduced, with a limited power source, the boiler can never achieve optimum temperature.

"Continuous Fill" is a misnomer. The implication is that the operator never needs to add water. The fact is that water has to be poured into the auxiliary water reservoir.

VaporLux® prefers to employ extremely high quality equipment designed for the
rigors of heavy duty commercial applications and that operate at optimum cleaning
temperatures.

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Q: Is boiler design important?
A: The boiler is the major component in a vapor machine. The performance of the
machine is wholly reliant on performance of the boiler. If the boiler design is
inefficient, performance will be substandard. The boiler will never achieve optimum
temperature. A rectangular boiler will develop eight cold spots (four on top and four
on the bottom) and preferred temperatures can not be achieved. If a boiler is too small
cleaning time is decreased.

Boilers in VaporLux® machines are spherical/cylindrical in shape, water circulates
freely, there are no cold spots and therefore our boilers can achieve the desired
temperature for vapor cleaning technology.

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Q: Who honors the warranty and who does the warranty repairs?
A: VaporLux® performs all warranty work utilizing its own certified technicians.
VaporLux® can repair and even refurbish all VaporLux® machines. Because warranty
claims are so few; turnaround time is minimal, usually in a few days.

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Q: Do you have product liability insurance?
A: Yes, VaporLux® and its wholly owned subsidiaries purchase insurance for public and
products liability exclusively from insurers that have an A.M. Best Company
financial rating of "A" or higher. A.M Best is the leading source of financial ratings
of insurance companies.

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Q: Is VaporLux® just a reseller?
A: No. VaporLux® warehouses all of our own equipment, accessories and parts. Unlike some resellers, we do not drop ship, we have our own shipping, parts and service departments.

Also, unlike some resellers, we have maximum input over quality control, design
improvements and technology updates. When a machine comes to VaporLux® for
warranty service, we will retrofit that equipment with the latest technology
improvements if practical.

We never have to settle for selling equipment that is not up to our standard just because
that is what the manufacturer shipped.

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Q: What is your Return Policy?
A: VaporLux® Return Policy
We want you to be completely satisfied with the unsurpassed cleaning ability of your new VaporLux Equipment. If you are not satisfied with your VaporLux you may return it for refund within seven (7) days of receipt of the equipment. This refund does not apply for application uses that are not advertised or intended by VaporLux.

All Equipment must be returned to:
VaporLux Incorporated
15701 Martin Road
Roseville, Michigan 48066
Prior to shipping your machine to VaporLux for a refund, you must obtain a Return Authorization Number from VaporLux by calling (586) 775-2429.
Original shipping expenses will not be refunded. Return shipping will not be paid for by VaporLux.
The unit must be received by VaporLux within 14 days of the date that you received your VaporLux machine.
The unit must be received by VaporLux in "As New" resalable condition. All original packaging must be intact including all parts, manual, instruction card and video.
The machine, cart, all brushes, accessories and extension cord must be returned in "as new" condition to receive a full refund within the 7 day period. If brushes, cart,
machine or accessories are in used condition upon return to VaporLux, the replacement price of those items will be deducted from your refund.
Units that have filteration or extraction systems can not be returned. VaporLux can not verify where these units have been operated and what environment they have
been exposed to. These units could possibly pose a serious health hazard to those who come in contact with them.
VaporLux reserves the right to assess replacement, handling and restocking fees as it sees fit if all of the above conditions are not met.

Q: What are your shipping rates?
A: $10 for accessories and $50 each for steam cleaners.
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Q: Is the vapor cleaning process just for deep cleaning?
A: While vapor cleaning is truly the most effective technology for deep cleaning, surface
restoration and detail cleaning, general purpose and normal maintenance cleaning is
where the technology really shines. If this technology cleans the tough built up grease
and grime better than any other technology, it would be ridiculous to say that it would
not clean the easy stuff better and faster. In fact it is better and faster, probably twice
as fast. Imagine mopping an area without having to rinse your mop and actually
removing dirt, debris and bacteria from the surface, mopping certainly doesn't.
Imagine one-step, no touch cleaning without the use of any chemicals. Imagine
complete hypoallergenic cleaning without the use of disinfectants.

Put another way, it is impossible to clean with a VaporLux® as poorly or as
ineffectively as it is with conventional cleaning methods. Even if a poor job was done
with a VaporLux®, it would be better than the same effort put into conventional
cleaning.

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Q: Why would we use a VaporLux® for weekly maintenance?
A: The short and simple answer is that it saves money, a lot of money. Soaps and
Detergents can never be completely removed from a surface using conventional
methods. Because they cannot be completely remove, there is a chemical build
up that occurs incrementally over a period of years. Chemical leave a film and that
film causes more dirt and grime to adhere to the surface, because of this, surfaces
look old and dingy. Cleaning doesn't appear to be effective after a time, so the
surface is replaced and that usually costs a lot of money. If you didn't have to
replace the surface, you could save a lot of money, This is where VaporLux® comes in.
The surface doesn't need to be replaced; it just needs to be cleaned. VaporLux® works
the opposite of conventional cleaning methods, the more you clean with it, the cleaner
the surface gets.

Cleaning with VaporLux® is faster and less labor means less expense. Chemicals are
expensive, representing a good portion of your maintenance budget and that's
another economic reason for cleaning with VaporLux®. The cleaner your facility,
the higher the customer and employee comfort level is, that not only saves money,
it makes money. Lastly, because everything is hypoallergenic, absenteeism is
reduced and people are generally more productive.

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Q: Why is the quality of tools and attachments important?
A: Performance and longevity. This is the business end of the machine, "where the rubber
meets the road" so to speak. If the attachments aren't ergonomic the operator won't
want to use the equipment. The attachments that VaporLux® uses are just as high
quality as the machines we produce. We have heard of a competitors attachment that
actually melted.

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Q: What is the optimum temperature for this technology?
A: The optimum temperatures of operation are 260° to 300° at the tool tip. Anything over
300° and some surfaces will scorch or mark. Anything less than 260° and cleaning
efficacy is markedly degraded. For every 18° of temperature increase, cleaning ability
is increased 100%. VaporLux® equipment operates at 280° to 295° at the tip, this is the
exact optimum temperature for this technology.

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Q: Would a bigger machine clean better?
A: The answer is no it wouldn't. Larger 220, 440 and 880 volt machines are produced for
industrial applications which require more vapor volume, but because they operate at
the same temperatures as 110 volt machines, cleaning results are the same. The
amount of vapor required to clean is regulated by the attachment used, if you use
more volume than the attachment requires, the cleaning process is not as effective.

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Q: Does VaporLux® have a retail store?
A: VaporLux® does not have a retail store, but we do have office and warehouse facilities
and customers are encouraged to come in by appointment to view and demonstrate our
products.

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Q: Can I get a discount on VaporLux® products?
A: No and yes, let us explain. All VaporLux® machines are fair trade items and share the
same price no matter where they are purchased. VaporLux® attends several tradeshows
throughout the year. We feel strongly, that if you travel to one of those trade shows
to see one of our demonstrations; you are entitled to the trade show discount
that we offer at that show. See our trade show and event schedule.