Steve,
The pads don't really need much in the way of care. They're actually being rinsed as the solution is being fed through them. So they aren't going to get too filthy. If they do get really dirty you can rinse them off. And if they have a lot of sand/dried-encapsulant in them you can tap them on the ground when they're dry to unload the grit.
As far as longevity goes, the pads generally average around 10K sq ft. There are factors that can affect the wear. For example the speed of cleaning. If you're cleaning a dirty carpet and you're making double the amount of scrubbing passes, the square footage will be cut in half. So it might be safer to say that a set of pads should last about 5 hours.
Wear characteristics will also vary according to carpet conditions. Course carpet will take it's toll faster on pads than softer fiber. For example loop carpet wears the pads faster than cut pile. Likewise olefin carpet will wear out pads faster than nylon. You should also use caution to avoid hitting sharp or rough objects that can tear chunks out of your pads.
I normally just run them till they're worn extremely thin (about 1/8" thick). Then just peel them off and slap on another set. From what I've seen thus far, it looks like the new batch of pads are wearing very well. I'm seeing good results with them.
Have fun with your new machine
encapman
Rick Gelinas
