The Zephyr is a contact cleaning machine for air ducts and dryer vents. A drill-powered cable and brush agitates the duct while the vacuum collects debris into a 55 litre dual-layer bag, filtered through four stages ending in a certified HEPA element.
It is the most affordable machine in Air-Care’s contact cleaning range. If you are starting out in duct cleaning, or adding dryer vent work to an existing cleaning or restoration business, this is the entry point — it does the same category of work as the DuctMaster III at a fraction of the outlay, with correspondingly less airflow and no powered brush motor of its own.
The drill is not included. The cable is driven by your own electric drill; a low speed 10 mm chuck is the right tool.
Who it suits
Contractors adding duct and dryer vent cleaning to an existing service, and operators working residential and light commercial systems where a full four-motor machine is more than the job needs.
Who it does not suit. High-volume commercial work, heavy construction debris, or anywhere you need the static pressure and airflow of a four-motor machine. If most of your work is commercial, the DuctMaster III is the correct machine.
What is included
- Four stage HEPA filter with disposable prefilter
- 55 litre debris filter bag
- Drill powered cable with 450 mm brush (drill not included)
- 7.5 m × 38 mm vacuum hose
Optional dryer vent kit
The dryer vent kit adds the tooling for dryer exhaust work:
- 100 mm dryer brush
- Y adapter for dryer duct
- 75 mm dryer duct hose
The Y adapter is what lets vacuum and cable enter from the same end of an exhaust duct, which is usually the only option when you can reach one end.
Specifications
| Airflow | 200 CFM |
| Static pressure | 75 inches H2O |
| Motor | 220 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 10 A |
| Vacuum hose | Hose cuff fitting for 76 mm or 51 mm × 7.5 m hose, adapter included |
| Filtration | Four stage HEPA |
| Collector bag | 55 litre dual-layer |
| Prefilter | Polyester 240 × 240 × 25 mm with disposable media |
| HEPA filter | 240 × 240 × 70 mm, 99.97% at 0.3 micron |
| Cabinet | Rotation moulded |
| Filter access | Latched front door |
| Controls | ON/OFF power switch |
| Power cord | 12 ga grounded, 7.5 m detachable |
| Size | 66 cm L × 66 cm W × 94 cm H |
| Weight | 28 kg without hose |
| Wheels | 250 mm rear, 100 mm front casters |
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
How it compares
| Zephyr | DuctMaster III | |
| Airflow | 200 CFM | 150–420 CFM depending on motors run |
| Static pressure | 75 inches H2O | 75 inches H2O (18.68 kPa) |
| Agitation | Your drill, driving the cable | Powered brush motor on the hose, remote controlled |
| Filtration | Four stage HEPA | Four stage HEPA |
| Bag | 55 litre | Dual stage disposable bag |
| Power | One circuit, 10 A | Two independent circuits |
| Weight | 28 kg | 42 kg |
The practical difference is the brush. The Zephyr uses your drill to spin the cable; the DuctMaster carries a 1,500 W brushless motor on the hose with forward and reverse under remote control. On a handful of ducts a day the drill is fine. On a full commercial round it is the thing you will get tired of.
The Zephyr runs from a single 10 A circuit, which is worth weighing against the DuctMaster’s requirement for two independent circuits. On older buildings and domestic sites, that is a genuine advantage.
Operating notes
- Use a low speed drill — around 300 to 500 rpm with a 10 mm chuck suits the cable. A torque limiting setting helps prevent the cable twisting up against a restriction.
- If the cable meets resistance, stop, reverse and advance slowly rather than forcing it.
- Avoid sharp bends in the cable; they eventually break the core.
- Replace the bag before it is more than half full — a loaded bag costs you suction before anything else does.
- The HEPA cannot be cleaned. Once loaded it is replaced.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a drill as well?
Yes, unless you already have one. Any low speed electric drill with a 10 mm chuck will drive the cable. It is not a proprietary fitting.
Can it do dryer vents out of the box?
The machine handles the vacuum side. The dryer vent kit — 100 mm brush, Y adapter and 75 mm hose — is what adapts it to dryer exhaust work, and is ordered separately.
Is 200 CFM enough?
For residential and light commercial duct, generally yes — contact cleaning relies on the brush doing the work and the vacuum capturing it, not on airflow alone. For heavy construction debris or large commercial trunk lines, it is not.
Can it be set up for DOP filter integrity testing?
No. Air-Care confirmed in August 2026 that the Zephyr is an entry level machine and is not built with the test ports that DOP testing requires. DOP — dispersed oil particulate — testing injects a fine aerosol upstream of a HEPA element and reads the downstream air with a photometer, which proves both the element and its seal are not leaking. It is a different thing from the filter’s own 99.97% media rating, which is what the specification table quotes. Where a site specification calls for tested HEPA integrity, as it often does for H class safety vacuums and negative pressure units on regulated work, this is not the machine to quote. Tell us what the specification asks for and we will point you at equipment that meets it.
What about verification?
An Apollo duct inspection camera gives you before and after footage, which is what most commercial customers want to see.
Warranty is limited. This does not exclude, restrict or modify your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the ACL. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage.
From the workshop
If you’re buying the Zephyr with dryer vents in mind, be careful with the optional nest claw. Air-Care warn that it is aggressive enough to damage flexible duct. If a blockage won’t clear or the cable won’t reach the end, change the access point rather than turning more force into the cable.
If you are deciding between this and a four-motor machine, call us with the type and volume of work you do — the honest answer depends on your round, not on the specification. More equipment in Duct Cleaning.
