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i have heard of two types: 1 that vents outside, and an other that does not vent and uses “cyclonic filter”, where debris collects in the bottom. any thoughts?
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David: three years ago we bought and installed a central vac system "Astro-Vac" is the brand name and it's fantastic. Probably one of the best investments we made in our home. This brand a true cyclonic - no filters anywhere to clog - we simply empty a large container every couple of months. It was fairly pricey - about $1700 for the unit and attachments, but in comparing with other brands it was clearly the best out there. This thing is powered by two counter-rotating motors (1/3 hp each) - you can suck up anything with it - and due to the power I guarantee that nothing will get stuck in the lines!
Good luck, I'll be happy to get you info on the location of Astro-Vac company if you're interested.
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I favour the kind that vents outside. Less noise and no re-deployment of dust inside the house. Even the best filters can re-introduce dust mites and small particles. Try this experiment: put a large white sweat sock over the exhaust. Vacuum the house. Take the sweat sock off and look inside. Yuck. Blow that stuff outdoors if you can.
In my last house I used my shopvac as the power unit and built a relay that turned it on remotely. It has lots of power (105 inches of mercury), as much as any other unit I've seen. It costs a fraction of what the others want, and doubles as a shopvac when I need it.
Cheers,
Scott.
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David,
I just installed my unit yesterday. I went with a Beam for the comfort of brand name and longevity.
It works great, and was easily installed. You wouldn't believe the dirt this baby sucked out of my (I thought) already clean carpets.
The issue of venting is, I believe, unrelated to the filter type. You can usually vent indoors or out as you see fit. The cyclonic type unit sounded interesting to me too, however I felt more comfortable with the filter in there.
Also that's all Beam offers, and I wanted a name brand.
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Central Vacs are great. Well worth the expence. They clean better (better suction) and are quiet (motor is in the garage, etc.). I had a connection in my shop room, garage, etc.. We had a Nutone in our last house for 10 years with no problems and am installing one now again. The Nutones and some of the other models are much less expensive that the one mentioned above and I can't imagine how it could have worked any better than ours did.
I bought mine over the internet (main unit was about $300) and installed it myself for $500-600 total. Check out http://www.spageage-inc.com. Nutone also sells a cyclonic unit.
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I've had a Vacu-Flo for over 5 years and love it. It's a cyclonic type that vents outdoors. Have dogs so tons of dog hair. No filters in the unit to clog, just empty the bucket when full, dust off the inside of the cyclone. Very quiet too. Bought an attachment called a Rug-Rat. A little head with a revolving brush powered by the vacuum. Great for stairs and cars.
If it's new construction, run outlets everywhere - house, garage, basement. Only thing to remember is that the pipe that matches the outlets is not the same size OD as the PVC pipe at Home Depot/Lowes. You'll probably have to get pipe at the vacuum store.
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I would recommend the cyclonic type. No filters or screens to clog and reduce suction. Cyclonics can also be vented outdoors, which I do recommend.
We have an Electrolux, 3 years running, no problems. Get a sock for your hose to avoid marring the trim in your house.
I've got all hardwood flooring, we vac portions of the kitchen where the kids come inside it seems once a day. Simple, painless, faster than using a broom.
*Hello All,We have a Hoover seems to do all the thingsmentioned so far. Has a beater brush for carpet. Excellent on tile and wood floors.Great suction.Mike
*I ditto Mongo's reply.I used to have a sub install the c vac in my homes but have been doing it myself for last 3 years. Used Newtone and Vacuflo but find best preformance from Electrolux. Good electric power heads rather than vac powered ones on Vacuflo system.Have system in 5 homes (including my own) and everyone swears by it.Don't waist $ on Electrolux piping system though. Use aftermarket generic piping.Definately duct outside for sound control.AND remember, if you have a very tight home be sure to open a window or use some sort of make up air intake to increase performance of system and prevent backdrafting.
*In my opinion, the sock Mongo suggested is a MUST. We were once asked by a client to have all the door jambs repainted, and it turned out there were just marks from the central vac hose. The sock also allows the hose to slide around more easily.Also, install the floor-level "dustpan" ports if you have any hardwood, ceramic tile or vinyl. Owners who have existing central systems without this feature are envious. No need to drag out the hose for quick clean-up of dog hair, dust bunnies, etc. ... just dust mop the stuff to the opening, flip the lever with your toe, and whoosh, it's gone (and then let it clean the dust mop while you're at it). Nutone sells such a unit for about $25: A real bargain.90% of units around here are Nutone or Broan non-cyclonic types. No complaints that I've heard of. We use Nutone, primarily because of local distributor.Good luck, Steve
*also try http://www.rinutonedistr.com/finished.htm for excellent Nutone prices/service
*It's http://www.spaceage-inc.com NOT spageage-inc.com
*Or use some epoxy to make an adapter to standard IPS plastic pipe.
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i have heard of two types: 1 that vents outside, and an other that does not vent and uses "cyclonic filter", where debris collects in the bottom. any thoughts?