An air watt is a measure of the effective power of a vacuum cleaner, established by ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials).
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The air-watt rating of a particular system is determined by multiplying air flow by suction power, and then dividing the product by 8.5. In the formula, air flow is measured in cubic feet per minute, while suction is measured by inches of
water lift, or the distance
water rises through a vertical instrument when suction is applied.
The higher the air watt rating, the more cleaning power is available.
Constant
air watts is a more accurate gauge than peak
air watts.
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