Municipal Applications of Street Sweepers
Street Sweeping / General Maintenance Sweeping
The most common municipal application is general maintenance sweeping, which happens on a regular schedule in most cities. Generally, this means sweepers that can handle picking up common gutter debris, half of which is within about six inches from the gutter into the street. Most material is light, including sand, dirt, sticks, grass and small litter.
Suggested Sweepers: The full Elgin product lineup can be used for general maintenance with different options to best suit your needs.
Porous Pavement / Cleaning and Restoration
Porous pavement is increasing in popularity throughout North America as a structural BMP for stormwater. There are several types of porous pavement: permeable interlocking concrete pavers, permeable asphalt, and permeable concrete. Each type has the inherent benefit of providing infiltration of stormwater while filtering the sediment that would otherwise go down a structural storm drain.
Suggested Sweepers: Pure vacuum sweepers like the Whirlwind1 are the most suitable machines for porous pavement sweeping.
Leaf Removal and Pine Cone / Needle Sweeping
In the fall, when gutters tend to fill with leaves rather than dirt. Leaves and pine cones are typically light and bulky, and can be difficult for many sweepers because they climb over brooms when extremely dense. Pine needles often bunch up and can be difficult to load.
Suggested Sweepers: Due to the light nature of these materials, regenerative air sweepers like the Elgin RegenX and Crosswind1 as well as pure vacuum sweepers like the Whirlwind 1 are more suited for this debris.
Catch Basin Cleaning
Many municipalities combine street sweeping and catch basin cleaning, which means they need the ability to lift leaves, silt, sand, gravel and litter out of catch basins. Cleaning catch basins regularly prevents streets from flooding and keeps rain run-off flowing as desired.
Suggested Sweepers: Elgin’s regenerative air and vacuum sweepers have an option for a hydraulically operated wandering hose, which can be used for catch basin cleaning.
Year Round Street Sweeping
Northern or cold climate municipalities may need to sweep material year round, even through freezing temperatures. Sand, gravel, silt, traction sand, salt residue and cinder cannot be done with water for dust suppression, given the possibility of freezing both to the street and the sweeper components. Our sweepers with waterless dust control would be suitable choices for these applications.
Suggested Sweeper: The Waterless Pelican would be the ideal unit for cold weather sweeping.
Spring Clean-Up and Heavy-Duty Sweeping
Sand, gravel, silt, salt and traction sand often accumulate in northern climates after a winter of reduced sweeping. This material is often very heavy and compacted requiring a powerful broom and conveyance action to dig the material out removing it from the surface.
Suggested Sweeper: Mechanical Sweepers like the Elgin Broom Bear, Broom Badger, and Pelican are best suited for heavy material.
