Hi all…I am fairly new to these discussions. My husband and I have are beginning the process of building our second home and I am eager for insight from all the “pros”. I have a design background and am designing and specing the entire thing. I am curious what brand of cental vacs everyone prefers. We have one in our current home, but the power is lacking. Any pointers would be helpful…I am sure you will see me often in here…thanks!!
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Source control, ventilation, and filtration are the keys to healthy indoor air quality. Dehumidification is important too.
Featured Video
Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by BrickHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
I can't comment on brands as I have nothing to compare my Nutone to, but I have one suggestion if you haven't thought of it. Make sure there is an outlet in reach of the garage. Central Vac for cleaning a car is a wonderful thing.
We had one - it was a pain. Dragging a long hose around, and storing it,
was a major pain. Dragging around a power cord is a lot simpler. And
the times the in-wall plumbing got plugged with Xmas tree needles,
well, lets just say my parents taught me not to use such language...
We finally just put one vacuum cleaner on each floor, and used a shop vac in the garage.
Much simpler!
Most (there are exceptions, and some want to prove a point) people don't like them after they get them. I had hooked our house into the shop dust collection system - incredible suction power, but my wife hated dragging the hose around. A waste of time and money.
So we bought an Oreck & she loves it. Go figure.
edit - the Oreck weighs less than the central hose did...
Edited 8/10/2006 10:40 pm ET by Brian
My experience is completely different from the one posters. If I had a house without one, I'd add it. I've used Honeywell and Vacuflo brands without a seeming difference. I like the models without replacement filters or bags, because they are low maintenance. The benefits to me are higher power than any upright/cannister vac, less noise be/c the motor is elsewhere, and less dust be/c the cannister is elsewhere. I prefer one hose per floor to avoid dragging it up and down, but aside from that, mine have been a dream. DW would have an intruder take me away before the CV.
I put one in the house I just built and my wife would kill me if I turn it off. I you want easy look on line for a company called "Central Vacuum Store" (spelling) The have a system where the hose sotre inside the pipe. The longest hose is 50' so you might need more than one.
The also have adapter so you can use regular plumbing pipe instead of the odd sized vacuum pipe. I dont remember the website but if you need it I will look up it and their phone number.
If i am going to be broke I am not goint to be tired, If I am tired I am not going to be broke.
I'm plumbing the central vac in our new home. Our dealer sells 4 brands but says Beam is the best. I believe Consumer Reports or some such outfit rated them high as well.
There are 2 main types, those with bags and those without. The "cyclonic" ones without bags, always maintain the same powerful suction. So the bagless one will need to have its exhaust pipe vented to the outside, which makes it a little more quieter.
Locate the unit far away as possible because the are loud at the unit. At one time, I don't know about now, Nutone used a size pipe no one else used.
There are different powerheads, pick a mfg that uses the same types as Sears/Kenmore cause its going to break. It will be easier to find parts. Housekeepers are tough on all vacuums.
Do not use the central vac on straw or Christmas pine needles it will plug the lines up.
Installers of the pipe have to make smooth cuts on the pipes to prevent clogging.
They have socks for the hoses to prevent wear on the wall corners
http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/
http://www.canavac.com/page1.htm
Jon
When I built my dream home I installed a central vac. It was a Nutone only for the reason that it was available locally.
I loved it. Worked like a charm. It had lots of benefits. First, the dust was discharged outdoors. Fifteen percent of house dust passes through a regular vacuum cleaner bag, so discharging it outdoors eliminates redepositing fine dust back into the home. Second, there was no messing around emptying anything. I lived in the house (as a bachelor) for three years and when I left the vacuum still wasn't full. The dealer said emptying every 6 months was typical, but with no kids or pets I got several years. Third, operation is quieter (though not quiet). Fourth, it's much easier to maneuver a hose than drag a canister along. The old canister always spun the wrong way and tangled up the cord, and kept whacking my furniture and doorways as it was dragged around. There are no problems like that with a hose. Fifth, the cleaning power was much better than with a drag-around vacuum.
Some tips. Go for the power brush head for carpets. Also for the power cord in the hose. Remember in your layout to install an electrical outlet within a couple of feet of the hose outlet. Obey the layout rules so you don't create clogs. Install cleanouts at strategic places where the line is exposed, like in a basement. (Mine did not clog even once.) I really like the Vac-Pan that Nutone offered. It is a dust-pan-like opening that you install in a baseboard, say, in the kitchen by the exterior door. To use it you just sweep the floor with a broom, then sweep it into the Vac-Pan and whoosh! the dirt is away. You don't even need to bend over nor spill a dust pan trying to dump it into the trash.
I don't remember the power of mine, but it wasn't an especially big one. It was not the smallest, but was about the size recommended for the home.
Speaking of central vacs, are the hoses pretty much interchangeable? The doofus who laid out our system put one outlet in the upstairs, and the 32 ft hose is about 2 ft too short...and Broan (this is Canada, so it's what youse guys know as Nutone) doesn't seem to offer the 42 ft hoses here...
This is the same idiot who didn't hook up the drain to the hvac, apparently he does this to most of the houses he does; our neighbors got a surprise when they fired up the AC for the first time, with their finished basement and all.....I noticed there was no drain on ours before I used it....
The hoses are interchangable.But sometimes the "system" aren't. It depends on how they handle the electric for the power head. On some the cable is build in and other the cable is separate. And with some the vacum outlet also has an electrical outlet that makes contact when the vac is plugged in. When I replaced my my central vac a couple of years ago I found a number of sites with the different hose and accessoires.I remember one that you speced each part and they assembled it to fit.But I suggest that you look at add another outlet if at all possible. Dragging that much hose is work.
Even if you never use it you should definitely pay to have it installed with new construction. Here (BC, Canada) the typical cost is around $100 per inlet for labour and parts. This is an incredibly small cost compared to adding it later. Your resale value "Pre-Plumbed for Central Vac" will more than cover this cost even if you never use it.
We installed one and love it. I did plenty of research on vacs and settled on a rebuilt cyclonic dual motor unit. Less noise than a canister, less recirculated dust and odor, infrequent bag emptying, better suction, and better portability (we just put a hose on each floor). Don't skimp on inlets (they're only a hundred bucks). If you think that two or three inlets per floor would add conveience, then go for it. Placing one above the vac unit (wherever it is located) is nice too, but if you want to save a few bucks it's easy to add this one yourself later.
Happy cleaning.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Edited 8/11/2006 1:01 am by Scott
The most important thing is getting the plumbing right. It has to be done like DWV, with large radius sweeps instead of simple ell's, and cleanout access so you can snake it. Moving solids with air is if anything even more difficult than moving solids with water. Keep it as simple as possible.
Weak suction could be the machine itself, or leaks letting air into the system. That's why they try to keep the number of ports to a minimum. The more holes, the more leaks.
-- J.S.
I'm on my third Eureka unit (third house). I retrofitted my first two into two very old houses (1913 arts & crafts, 1928 tudor) and loved them. Bought a "new" (1988) house a couple years ago which had a Beam system already installed. That thing sucked (err, I mean it didn't suck very well). Replaced the canister with another Eureka, added an outlet in the garage, and love it again.
Look for the unit with the most power . install an outlet in each room . exhaust the dust outside, Do not buy one that dumps dust into the house through a filter.
I love my Beam central vac, but wish I had purchased a larger (more powerful) model. Definitely go for a higher-end model, as opposed to the cheapest. Definitely, as mentioned above, exhaust it outside! Its cleaner and quieter that way. And be sure to get the best power head. I bought a second hose, which used as an extension, reaches the garage for cleaning the vehicles.
Any central vac is only as good as the installation; choose a reputable installer.
In my experience finding the one with the 'most power' is a challenge, and the machine of choice varies from house to house. Of course, the manufacturers like to mess with your mind, quoting various statistics that make their machine look like the best. It helps to learn a bit about water lift, CFM, Air Watts, decibels, the pros and cons of single versus dual motors, and various filtration methods.
Otherwise it's Caveat Emptor.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Edited 8/12/2006 1:57 am by Scott