Device for removing water from large floor surfaces

Floor drying apparatus, comprising:

• a shell defining a plenum chamber within a lowermost portion thereof;
• means carried on the shell for drawing a vacuum within the plenum chamber;
• nozzle means for communicating the plenum chamber to ambient surroundings, said nozzle means being carried on the shell at a lowermost portion thereof and being spaced from the surface of a floor to be dried for withdrawal of stream of liquid and gas from said floor, the stream being directed into the plenum chamber;
• means for seaparating the liquid from the gas in said stream, the liquid collecting temporarily in the plenum chamber and the gas being withdrawn from the apparatus by the vacuum drawing means;
• liquid pump means disposed in a lower portion of the plenum chamber for discharging the liquid in the plenum chamber from the apparatus;
• a single prime mover for driving both the vacuum drawing means and the liquid pump means;
• resilient squeegee means mounted adjacent to the nozzle means for increasing flow of the stream of liquid and gas into the nozzle means, the nozzle means forming an annular opening in a lower portion of the shell, the squeegee means further comprising an annular body of resilient material attached at its upper end about the inner periphery of said opening, the annular body extending downwardly from the opening to contact the floor along the lower edge of the annular body;
• and
• wherein the shell comprises a lower wall member which forms the lower wall of the plenum chamber, the apparatus further comprising an annular boss member disposed within the shell and having an arcuate wall portion, an upper plate member centrally disposed between the arcuate wall portion of the boss member and partially defining the plenum chamber, the boss member and the lower wall plate member substantially defining the plenum chamber, the nozzle means directing the stream into the plenum chamber along the arcuate wall portion of the annular boss member, the direction of movement of the stream thereby being altered by the curve of the arcuate wall portion to produce laminar characteristics in the stream, the heavier liquid being disentrained from the gas flow and falling to the bottom of the plenum chamber.