Industry Solution--The Automatic Festoon Hose System (Patent 7,343,640)
Robertson Air Systems meets industry need for efficient hose management.
Robertson Air Systems is pleased to present this new technology to other transit facilities.
Superior vacuuming efficiency
Superior time and motion efficiency
Reliable and easy to maintain
Cost-effective
Why Hose Festooning?
The Problem
Hose reel-style bus vacuuming has fallen short in both time and motion efficiency as well as ease of maintenance.
Time is a problem--Hose is difficult to obtain which slows vacuuming start-up. Additional time is lost as hose management and vacuuming are usually two separate procedures.
Motion is problem--Hose reels feed quickly causing an unneeded extent of hose to drag on the ground becoming heavy and burdensome to the operators. Feed and retract of the hose is difficult and jerky, especially when close to the hose reel.
Maintenance is a problem--Hose reel systems are subject to regular plugging and blockage due to bends, turns, and restrictions in the vacuum line and wrappings on the drum.
Culver City Transit asked our assistance. Our goal was set--Find a solution that would result in superior vacuuming efficiency and superior time and motion efficiency (operator ease of handling). Additionally, we committed to a solution that would be cost-effective, in-budget, as well as durable, requiring little maintenance.
The solution--The Automatic Hose Festoon System
Superior vacuuming efficiency
The Automatic Festoon System
eliminates many of the bends, turns and restrictions in the vacuum lines. As a
result... 
Air flow is dramatically increased.
Plugging is minimized and when it does occur, it is easily serviced.
Superior time and motion efficiency
Managing the hose and vacuuming the bus has become one seamless procedure.
Vacuum hose and lance are readily available.
Accessible and reliable handle mounted controls.
The use of pneumatics (as opposed to gear-driven force) has resulted in optimum ease in hose handling. Gravity feeds out the hose effortlessly allowing the operator to...
...efficiently manage hose weight.
...automatically retract hose when needed.
Reliable and easy to maintain
Low maintenance is the positive result of both the elimination of bends, turns, and restrictions in the vacuum line and a simplified duct system--the potential for plugging has been reduced. Culver City Transit's simple and durable automatic festoon operating mechanism has required virtually no maintenance.
Cost-effective
Remarkably, this superior system can be installed for less than the cost of hose vacuuming systems which utilize reels.
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Culver City Transit will be pleased to provide information regarding the outstanding performance of the automatic festooned hose system. Contact Mike Slaughenhaupt, Facilities Engineer at 310-629-2975.
Additional System Enhancement installed in Mt. Vernon, NY.--The "Hose Pulley" This excellent system was further enhanced in our recent installation in Mt. Vernon, NY, J&R Tours, with the addition of a "hose pulley" which allows for nearly the entire length of hose to be used inside the bus; this results in the need for "less hose" which is always a design goal of efficient systems. Contact: Jim DiDonato, Co-owner, at (914) 668-5050, ext. 225. View Automatic Festoon Hose System Specifications. ROBERTSON AIR SYSTEMS |
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