Wet/dry vacuum with automatic shutoff

摘要

A wet/dry vacuum cleaner including a tank for the collection of liquid, an inlet socket for connection to a suction head, a cover for closing the top of the tank, and a centrifugal vacuum blower mounted on the cover with an axial air inlet opening to the interior of the tank. A solid matter filter is located in the tank and covers the axial air inlet to the blower. The unit includes a float valve assembly that utilizes an annular seal gasket secured to the bottom of the cover and a bowl-shaped float suspended in the tank below the gasket and having an upwardly facing annular rim adapted to sealingly engage the gasket. The float is shaped to define a downwardly extending recess adapted to surround the filter element so that when the liquid level in the tank reaches a predetermined level, the float is buoyed upwardly until its annular rim engages the seal gasket to interrupt the flow of air to the blower inlet.