A drum top vacuum is a power head and base plate that sits on top of a standard steel drum and turns it into an industrial wet and dry vacuum. No tank to buy, no tank to store, and when the drum is full you swap it for an empty one rather than emptying it.
It fits every common drum — 44 and 55 gallon, 205 and 210 litre — which is the point. Sites that already run drums for waste collection get vacuum capacity without adding another asset to the register, and disposal stays in the container the waste contractor already expects.
The power head
Inside the shroud sit triple venturis fed from a single air inlet. There is no motor, no impeller and no electrical connection, so the head has effectively nothing in it that wears. Suction does not fade over time the way it does on a machine whose brushes and bearings are slowly going.
- Standard build: powder-coated mild steel base and alloy silencer shroud.
- Marine and food build: 304 stainless base plate, rim and lift handles.
- Weight: around 14 kg for the alloy head, 19 kg for full stainless — a one-person lift either way.
- Hose: configured for 38 mm (1½") or 50 mm (2") with industrial fittings.
- Air connection: ball valve with 1/2" Chicago fitting.
Switching between wet and dry
The same head does both jobs; what changes is what hangs under the base plate.
- Wet: fit the float ball. As liquid rises it seals the intake and shuts the vacuum down before the drum overfills, even with air still connected.
- Dry: fit the large filter cartridge. On reverse-filter-clean heads, compressed air can be driven back through the cartridge to knock the cake off instead of pulling it out and beating it.
Servicing takes a spanner and ten minutes
Three retaining bolts release the silencer shroud, which exposes the venturis and the silencer baffles. The baffles wash in warm soapy water and go back in dry. There is no motor to send away, no brushes to source and no seals that have to be pressed in.
Thicker baffle packs drop the noise level further but cost a little airflow. If the unit will run in an occupied workshop rather than out on a plant deck, say so when you order and we will set it up on that side of the trade-off.
Range and options
| Airflow | 120 CFM, 200 CFM and 260 CFM heads |
|---|---|
| Venturis | Triple venturi on the higher-flow heads |
| Format | Vacuum only, or reversible with reverse fluid pump-out |
| Filtration | Dry cartridge, anti-static cartridge, cyclone pre-separator, H-class HEPA on exhaust |
| Hazardous area | Standard units upgradeable; certified ATEX / UKCA EX heads available |
| Drum compatibility | 44 / 55 gallon and 205 / 210 litre steel drums |
| Supplied with | Suction hose, chrome wand, squeegee floor tool, camlock, hose tail, valve, clamps |
If you would rather replace the whole drum lid and gain a larger intake, dry filter and reverse pump-out, look at drum lid vacs. If the drum is going into a classified area, start with ATEX certified.