If you have one, what are some of the pros and cons of it?...I have been thinking of installing one....(like I need another project!)...your thoughts?
Central Vac Systems?
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toploader55
Well-known member
I like them because
The dust and "stuff" in the air is either in the basement, garage, or some people I know have them installed in a shed along side the house.
They're quiet too. I worked in a restaurant that had one and it was nice after you had a party of 6 or more with children that threw their dry cereal all over the place. Just plug in the hose and whisk it up. No Noise or smell in the Dining Room.
The dust and "stuff" in the air is either in the basement, garage, or some people I know have them installed in a shed along side the house.
They're quiet too. I worked in a restaurant that had one and it was nice after you had a party of 6 or more with children that threw their dry cereal all over the place. Just plug in the hose and whisk it up. No Noise or smell in the Dining Room.
We have central vacs in both the current apartment in Montreal and at the house in Ogden and I simply loathe them....
The one in town is installed in such a way that it does not vent to the outdoors, so we have dusty doggy odors circulating throughout the place. The big problem I have is that the hose will collect and drag things from the floor (dog hair is the main culprit in our case) all through the blasted apartment.
The one in Ogden was installed well after the house was built (and on the cheap) so it's a royal PITA to hook up the hose. Carrying a 30 foot hose from the basement to the first floor to the second floor is also less than amusing. I have given up on this one and use a 60s Compact on the main floor and a Kenmore 'Magic Blue' on the second floor. Ok, I admit I use the central to de-lint any new dryers that join the collection...
We're planning on moving out of Montreal this year and I already a nifty Electrolux Model 80 and a Hoover Dial-A-Matic earmarked for a new place, regardless of whether it has a central vac or not!
The one in town is installed in such a way that it does not vent to the outdoors, so we have dusty doggy odors circulating throughout the place. The big problem I have is that the hose will collect and drag things from the floor (dog hair is the main culprit in our case) all through the blasted apartment.
The one in Ogden was installed well after the house was built (and on the cheap) so it's a royal PITA to hook up the hose. Carrying a 30 foot hose from the basement to the first floor to the second floor is also less than amusing. I have given up on this one and use a 60s Compact on the main floor and a Kenmore 'Magic Blue' on the second floor. Ok, I admit I use the central to de-lint any new dryers that join the collection...
We're planning on moving out of Montreal this year and I already a nifty Electrolux Model 80 and a Hoover Dial-A-Matic earmarked for a new place, regardless of whether it has a central vac or not!
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Pros and Cons:
My mom's best friend had a central vac system, installed in the "dream house" they built in '66.
For the most part, it worked out reasonably well. It was quiet, and odors and dirt stayed in a remote part of the basement. Considering that the family raised several generations of basset hounds, having no vac odor was kind of nice.
But there were cons. Over the forty-odd years that the system was in place, it had to have some parts replaced, notably outlets. This is not a snap to do; the outlets have wiring and switches in them. One time, a duct was found to have broken at a joint, which didn't diminish suction all that much (which was why it went undetected for a time), but it did blow dust all over the basement.
And if you think that a seven-foot replacement hose for a canister vac is expensive, wait until you replace a 30-footer.
And power nozzles got replaced two or three times, due more to lackadaisical maintenance than poor build quality or design, I feel.
So - there were good things and bad things about it. And oh - Mary absolutely detested lugging that mammoth hose out and around.
My mom's best friend had a central vac system, installed in the "dream house" they built in '66.
For the most part, it worked out reasonably well. It was quiet, and odors and dirt stayed in a remote part of the basement. Considering that the family raised several generations of basset hounds, having no vac odor was kind of nice.
But there were cons. Over the forty-odd years that the system was in place, it had to have some parts replaced, notably outlets. This is not a snap to do; the outlets have wiring and switches in them. One time, a duct was found to have broken at a joint, which didn't diminish suction all that much (which was why it went undetected for a time), but it did blow dust all over the basement.
And if you think that a seven-foot replacement hose for a canister vac is expensive, wait until you replace a 30-footer.
And power nozzles got replaced two or three times, due more to lackadaisical maintenance than poor build quality or design, I feel.
So - there were good things and bad things about it. And oh - Mary absolutely detested lugging that mammoth hose out and around.
the best/first one I ever seen was in a buddy's house.....
it was located in the basement, but the exhaust directed outside for noise control, the simple paper bag caught the big stuff. no filters, the fine stuff was thrown outside.....
there were remote outlets placed throughout the two story house......each level had its own hose setup, secured with an outlet in small broom closets, which hung on a rod similar to a fire hose, and pulled out what you needed, all accessories were located in this space as well.....
there was a broom outlet located under one of the kitchen cabinets, you swept the dirt towards it, and a sensor on the broom opened the door and sucked in the dirt...
don't forget to add a port for the garage to vacuum out vehicles as well.....
there were two powerheads for carpets, one was vacuum driven, not bad for regular pile carpets, and an electric motorized one for thick pile plush....
I eventually want one for the new house.....they are silent, at least inside the home, where else can you vacuum without disturbing anyone...
it was located in the basement, but the exhaust directed outside for noise control, the simple paper bag caught the big stuff. no filters, the fine stuff was thrown outside.....
there were remote outlets placed throughout the two story house......each level had its own hose setup, secured with an outlet in small broom closets, which hung on a rod similar to a fire hose, and pulled out what you needed, all accessories were located in this space as well.....
there was a broom outlet located under one of the kitchen cabinets, you swept the dirt towards it, and a sensor on the broom opened the door and sucked in the dirt...
don't forget to add a port for the garage to vacuum out vehicles as well.....
there were two powerheads for carpets, one was vacuum driven, not bad for regular pile carpets, and an electric motorized one for thick pile plush....
I eventually want one for the new house.....they are silent, at least inside the home, where else can you vacuum without disturbing anyone...
magic_clean
Well-known member
My folks
lived in two homes equipped with NuTone Central systems and the Eureka style power brush for carpets. My mom, the primary user liked them. However, she did admit that the hose is easier to deal with in a single level home versus a split level. The NuTone had very large disposable bags that were easy to change and inexpensive.
In both homes, the outlets were thoughtfully placed to insure the hose reached into far corners of rooms and up high to reach exposed beams, mouldings, ceiling fans etc. Additionally, the electrical outlet for the brush was located adjacent to suction wall outlet. The NuTone had a suction outlet on the main unit, so there was a vacuum source in the garage too. So pretty much it was all you could ask for.
Now I'm not so sure that my mother at her age now would or could handle the 30 foot hose. Based upon, my folks positive experience, my brother had an Electrolux system installed in their place many years ago. Again, no complaints!
lived in two homes equipped with NuTone Central systems and the Eureka style power brush for carpets. My mom, the primary user liked them. However, she did admit that the hose is easier to deal with in a single level home versus a split level. The NuTone had very large disposable bags that were easy to change and inexpensive.
In both homes, the outlets were thoughtfully placed to insure the hose reached into far corners of rooms and up high to reach exposed beams, mouldings, ceiling fans etc. Additionally, the electrical outlet for the brush was located adjacent to suction wall outlet. The NuTone had a suction outlet on the main unit, so there was a vacuum source in the garage too. So pretty much it was all you could ask for.
Now I'm not so sure that my mother at her age now would or could handle the 30 foot hose. Based upon, my folks positive experience, my brother had an Electrolux system installed in their place many years ago. Again, no complaints!
arris
Well-known member
Central Vac
I installed a Beam unit in my house while the walls were torn out, the unit is in the basement and vents to the outside, I think it's GREAT !!! I have cats and Vacuum everyday it all goes in the container which I empty every couple months. I do this by lifting the unit off the mount on the wall, take it outside and dump the container in the garbage. I bring it back in set the unit on the bracket and am good for a few more months. The only thing you need to be careful of is it sucking things up, such as cat toys, wash cloths etc. I like it because years ago after installing hardwood floors (which I had no idea they were in it) I had a flea infestation, they were in the flooring and soon all in my house, with the central vac there was no need to change bags everyday, a few moth balls in the container and they were gone. as far as I'm concerned it was the best thing I did here at the house. Before you install one look where you want the outlets, make sure they will be close to electrical outlets, if you get a beater bar it will need to be plugged into an outlet, stay away from Vac pans as they break over time and leak, once in the wall at floor level they are hard to repair or replace the other CON regarding it would be dragging the long hose up and down stairs or around the house... but to me it beats any other Vacuum.... good luck
I installed a Beam unit in my house while the walls were torn out, the unit is in the basement and vents to the outside, I think it's GREAT !!! I have cats and Vacuum everyday it all goes in the container which I empty every couple months. I do this by lifting the unit off the mount on the wall, take it outside and dump the container in the garbage. I bring it back in set the unit on the bracket and am good for a few more months. The only thing you need to be careful of is it sucking things up, such as cat toys, wash cloths etc. I like it because years ago after installing hardwood floors (which I had no idea they were in it) I had a flea infestation, they were in the flooring and soon all in my house, with the central vac there was no need to change bags everyday, a few moth balls in the container and they were gone. as far as I'm concerned it was the best thing I did here at the house. Before you install one look where you want the outlets, make sure they will be close to electrical outlets, if you get a beater bar it will need to be plugged into an outlet, stay away from Vac pans as they break over time and leak, once in the wall at floor level they are hard to repair or replace the other CON regarding it would be dragging the long hose up and down stairs or around the house... but to me it beats any other Vacuum.... good luck
twintubdexter
Well-known member
Our last house in San Jose had one. At first I thought it was very cool as I do with anything that's built-in but I quickly got tired of lugging around that 30' hose. The cleaner did a great job on hard surface floors but couldn't match the carpet cleaning power of my old Hoover Concept One which I purchased new in the 1980's. The built-in vac had two power-brush carpet nozzles but I always felt they would have worked better if I had weighted them down with a brick or two. It was very handy for cleaning car interiors and being a neat-nick I often used it to vacuum the garage floor. I still have the Concept One and it works flawlessly.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
Our last house in San Jose had one. At first I thought it was very cool as I do with anything that's built-in but I quickly got tired of lugging around that 30' hose. The cleaner did a great job on hard surface floors but couldn't match the carpet cleaning power of my old Hoover Concept One which I purchased new in the 1980's. The built-in vac had two power-brush carpet nozzles but I always felt they would have worked better if I had weighted them down with a brick or two. It was very handy for cleaning car interiors and being a neat-nick I often used it to vacuum the garage floor. I still have the Concept One and it works flawlessly.
classiccaprice
Well-known member
My parents have a Nutone unit installed in their single story ranch home, when they'd built it in 1981. They love it. No issues in the near 34 years of use!
Suction...
how does the suction compare to like say a Kirby or Royal upright?
how does the suction compare to like say a Kirby or Royal upright?
I have used Central vacuums and Royals and Kirbys---The Royal or Kirby-or most any other upright vacuum will blow away the central unit.The uprights "suction" source is right AT the machine-not trying to pull thru pipes,curved joints,and lastly the long hose between the central unit.I have heard of folks that keep their uprights and use the central vac as a companion canister to the upright.I have even seen some central units in Kirby or other vacuum trade in piles!On Vacuumland-some members have made hose adaptors so they can connect their Kirby to discharge into the central unit-Thus using the Kirby as a VERY powerful "powernozzle"I have done this with my NSS M1.I don't have a central unit-but may be getting an Areus -Lux one from the trade in pile at the vac place I go to here.It was traded in on a MD central unit.The Sew&Vac place here is an MD central vacuum dealer.Other central units he has gotten have been so bad--they just get dumpstered.
Installed an Electrolux system in the last house about 15 years ago. The house is a rental now. The renters love it. I used it for many years with no problems. It is exhausted to the outside so no odors. Had the power heads for carpet and furniture. I have yet to see any portable vacuum that had the suction that this unit has. You could hold your hand on the hose opening and that 30 ft hose would compress itself to 15 ft. You could see the imprint in your hand of the blood being pulled to the surface. Now that is strong. Easy to empty outside into a trash bag or the woods outback. There is a removable filter that goes into the washing machine. Purchased an additional hose and attachments to leave on the lower floor. New house is all plumbed in for it but just haven't gotten around to purchasing and installing a new unit.
Jon
Jon
iheartmaytag
Well-known member
Some of the newer systems can alleviate the drag the hose problem a little, by having a pull out system that automatically rewinds itself when you are finished.
My aunt has a central system in her home, but not the rewind kind of hose. She quit using it after falling over the hose twice and breaking her arm both times.
I found the suction rather weak for such a powerful motor. I much prefer my Kirby, Electrolux, Royal, Rainbow, Filterqueen, Riccar, but I think one would be nice to play with.
My aunt has a central system in her home, but not the rewind kind of hose. She quit using it after falling over the hose twice and breaking her arm both times.
I found the suction rather weak for such a powerful motor. I much prefer my Kirby, Electrolux, Royal, Rainbow, Filterqueen, Riccar, but I think one would be nice to play with.
I love mine. Have hoses for all three floors so no lugging up and down stairs. Have an additional short mini hose for the upstairs for vacuuming fuzzes in the bathroom, great for after I give myself a haircut, and one in the basement for sucking dryer lint out of the secondary filters on the inside vented dryers. There is also the port in the power unit in the shop/plant room. I have an outside outlet for vacuuming the car. The unit is exhausted to the outside and the major dust collects in a metal bin. I bought a zippered hose cover for the main level so that the hose would not mar any furniture. That is the longest hose, 35', and I named her Anna, short for Anaconda. I have one outlet on each floor and it is very adequate. It is great for catching flies and other insects that find their way inside.
My 1st home had a Beam central vac but with a non electrified hose. I had an Electrolux cannister with a power nozzle so I purchased the Lux central vac hose so that I could use my Lux power nozzle. It worked OK but I hate hauling the hose up and down the stairs. My next house had a Hoover central vac. I brought the Lux central vac hose with me from my first house so that I could use it on the main floor and on the 2nd level. Unfortunately the outlet placement did not allow the hose to reach to the far corners on each floor. In the basement I used the Hoover hose and power nozzle. It was OK but noisy. My current home does not have central vac and I do not want one. I prefer my cannister vacs. Storing a central vac hose requires a lot of room in a closet which can be a problem if you are tight on closet space. Also, central vacs are quiet if they are exhausted to the outside. If you use an electric power nozzle with them however then they are only as quiet as the power nozzle which in many cases is not that quiet. I know the power nozzle on my Aerus Guardian Platinum is louder than the cannister itself.
Gary
Gary
neptunebob
Well-known member
Jerry, look at what is in the background...
Mom has a central vac and if you want to, you can see it. We like it.
Mom has a central vac and if you want to, you can see it. We like it.
Cleaning Lady?
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">She says my Oreck is just fine and I don't have to tear up my walls to install her!! J/K. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">We had one growing up and as I recall it didn't have the power of an upright and I remember the complaints about lugging hoses so I think it was eventually abandoned. It is still there in the basement but I suspect it hasn't been used in years. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I didn't build this house so I don't have one. If I built a new house I would consider it as I suspect they are much better now than they were 40 years ago but it would be difficult and probably cost prohibitive to install one now. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">She says my Oreck is just fine and I don't have to tear up my walls to install her!! J/K. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">We had one growing up and as I recall it didn't have the power of an upright and I remember the complaints about lugging hoses so I think it was eventually abandoned. It is still there in the basement but I suspect it hasn't been used in years. </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I didn't build this house so I don't have one. If I built a new house I would consider it as I suspect they are much better now than they were 40 years ago but it would be difficult and probably cost prohibitive to install one now. </span>
The washateria I go to has one for sweeping the entry mats, and the dryer filters. Seems to work well. Several of my relatives have or have had these, and most seemed to like them. I thought about installing one as part of my renovation, but decided against it.
