Eddie, I have a few of those. I only use them on new wall to wall carpet, as paper bags fill too fast. All my daily driver Kirbys have the disposable bag. Those things are tougher than they look. I was doing my fall cleaning and accidentally vac'd up one of the rubber bumpers for a glass top table. Seconds after I did it i realized what happened. The bag was due for replacement so I cut it open in hopes of finding the item. There were a number of very tough layers of material to get through. never did find the bumper, but have a new respect for genuine Kirby bags.
Kirby vacuums now selling at Costco
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Reply 36
I am with you Alex, the best single thing I think I ever did to this house was put a central vacuum in back in 84.
My brother Jeff bought it for me as a Christmas present was one of the nicest Christmas presents ever got me the seers Kenmore central vac. Jason put a new upgraded motor in it some years ago other than that it’s required no service haven’t had to buy a bag or anything since 1984.
Every week I’m in these beautiful high-end houses and they bring out these beautiful Miele vacuums and so forth when we’re cleaning out something like the clothes dryer or cleaning the condenser in the refrigerator and half the time the thing stinks of the dog or the cat or something if you’re going to maintain good air quality in your house you don’t need a machine that’s just belching out dust and odors.
A good central vacuum is always fit into the outdoors.
John L
I am with you Alex, the best single thing I think I ever did to this house was put a central vacuum in back in 84.
My brother Jeff bought it for me as a Christmas present was one of the nicest Christmas presents ever got me the seers Kenmore central vac. Jason put a new upgraded motor in it some years ago other than that it’s required no service haven’t had to buy a bag or anything since 1984.
Every week I’m in these beautiful high-end houses and they bring out these beautiful Miele vacuums and so forth when we’re cleaning out something like the clothes dryer or cleaning the condenser in the refrigerator and half the time the thing stinks of the dog or the cat or something if you’re going to maintain good air quality in your house you don’t need a machine that’s just belching out dust and odors.
A good central vacuum is always fit into the outdoors.
John L
Reply #40
Silly question John but do you have any Kirby’s or not in your appliance collection? I watched a video called Wash In Cook In on YouTube awhile back and I saw what I believe was to be a mid to late 80’s Kirby Heritage II/Kirby Heritage II Legend but am not so sure since it’s been a few years since I’ve seen that video.
Silly question John but do you have any Kirby’s or not in your appliance collection? I watched a video called Wash In Cook In on YouTube awhile back and I saw what I believe was to be a mid to late 80’s Kirby Heritage II/Kirby Heritage II Legend but am not so sure since it’s been a few years since I’ve seen that video.
Kirby vacuum cleaners
Hi Sean there are lots of Kirby vacuum cleaners around the warehouse in the museum my business partner Jason is a vacuum cleaner Collector repairer etc he probably has just about every model of Kirby.
I just won’t have any portable vacuum in my house if you watch videos of the microscopic particles that fly out of a vacuum cleaner it’ll freak you out, don’t care to be using my lungs for a filtering device for a vacuum Cleaners exhaust.
Like everyone I’m exposed to all kinds of dirt and exhaust pollen etc. etc. while I’m outside working traveling etc. every day when I come home I want an entirely clean home that’s why I have electrostatic air cleaners plus double conventional filters ahead of the air cleaner both at work and at home.
John
Hi Sean there are lots of Kirby vacuum cleaners around the warehouse in the museum my business partner Jason is a vacuum cleaner Collector repairer etc he probably has just about every model of Kirby.
I just won’t have any portable vacuum in my house if you watch videos of the microscopic particles that fly out of a vacuum cleaner it’ll freak you out, don’t care to be using my lungs for a filtering device for a vacuum Cleaners exhaust.
Like everyone I’m exposed to all kinds of dirt and exhaust pollen etc. etc. while I’m outside working traveling etc. every day when I come home I want an entirely clean home that’s why I have electrostatic air cleaners plus double conventional filters ahead of the air cleaner both at work and at home.
John
Reply #42
If you look up videos of Workhorse vacuums on YouTube which are unchanged from Amway’s CMS 1000, these people who run carpet cleaning businesses will literally pull up a trash bag equivalent of dirt out of the carpets and that’s from either not vacuuming often enough or have a vacuum with little to no airflow along with carpet agitation. Believe it or not, airflow is what actually picks the dirt off of the floor and not suction since suction is nothing more than a negative pressure and YouTube user VacLab demonstrates this with a flour under the carpet/rug test and the high airflow vacuums like Kirby’s or old school Hoovers and even Eureka/Sanitaire vacuums pull the flour through the carpet backing since they literally have that much airflow.
If you look up videos of Workhorse vacuums on YouTube which are unchanged from Amway’s CMS 1000, these people who run carpet cleaning businesses will literally pull up a trash bag equivalent of dirt out of the carpets and that’s from either not vacuuming often enough or have a vacuum with little to no airflow along with carpet agitation. Believe it or not, airflow is what actually picks the dirt off of the floor and not suction since suction is nothing more than a negative pressure and YouTube user VacLab demonstrates this with a flour under the carpet/rug test and the high airflow vacuums like Kirby’s or old school Hoovers and even Eureka/Sanitaire vacuums pull the flour through the carpet backing since they literally have that much airflow.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
Matt, bear in mind that every home is different. You probably keep your house very clean while mine and my grandparents' see alot of traffic. Hopefully my new place can stay very clean. Eddie does have a point about letting the dirt sit for a while for more odor to build up, that's another reason why I would change the bags out almost every time that I would use the Kirby. Luckily that's never a problem with a Rainbow or any other water filtration vacuum since the water needs to be dumped out as you're done vacuuming. But they are definitely more annoying for me to maintain which is one of the reasons why I don't use both of my Rainbows.
John, really? I'd love to see pictures of your Kenmore central vac cause I'm crazy about the Kenmores that were built by Whirlpool and later Panasonic. Miele is one of if not the best filtering portable vacuums out there, as long as it gets maintained probably and uses one of the better filters. But they definitely don't trap all the odors even with the charcoal filters on so I agree with you on that. At least though I would take a Miele over a Kirby. I also in the past have used my grandparents' wet dry vac to clean out the dryer and other appliances because the Kirby was just not that powerful enough. And I agree with you about how much dust most portable vacuums would leak out of including Kirby. This video is just one example, Kirby definitely made a mistake discontinuing putting in a filter in the exhaust like what some of the G3 Kirbys had cause I have seen dirt get trapped inside of the motor. Luckily the tandem air machines don't do that.
Regarding the Workhorse vacuum, I actually have one of those. Branded as the ClearTrak when Amway was selling them and later WMJ Refurbishing with some upgrades over the CMS 1000. I also would take one of those over a Kirby. Even though I prefer bagged vacuums, the ClearTrak is definitely a exception to have personally. I like how well built they are, they do a VERY impressive job, and I can easily see the dirt coming into the canister. Something that a bagged vacuum can't do especially Kirby. And because it's a bypass machine, I can easily use the hose without shutting the machine off, I don't have to worry about the fan breaking, and I like that there's a suppressor filter wrapped around the motor to help quiet the machine down and filter out any carbon dust. Not to mention that their customer service is one of if not the best that I've ever encountered before from a vacuum company. I regretted passing up on another ClearTrak or two that I found before at my local thrift store, I would totally buy one again because I just like them so much.
John, really? I'd love to see pictures of your Kenmore central vac cause I'm crazy about the Kenmores that were built by Whirlpool and later Panasonic. Miele is one of if not the best filtering portable vacuums out there, as long as it gets maintained probably and uses one of the better filters. But they definitely don't trap all the odors even with the charcoal filters on so I agree with you on that. At least though I would take a Miele over a Kirby. I also in the past have used my grandparents' wet dry vac to clean out the dryer and other appliances because the Kirby was just not that powerful enough. And I agree with you about how much dust most portable vacuums would leak out of including Kirby. This video is just one example, Kirby definitely made a mistake discontinuing putting in a filter in the exhaust like what some of the G3 Kirbys had cause I have seen dirt get trapped inside of the motor. Luckily the tandem air machines don't do that.
Regarding the Workhorse vacuum, I actually have one of those. Branded as the ClearTrak when Amway was selling them and later WMJ Refurbishing with some upgrades over the CMS 1000. I also would take one of those over a Kirby. Even though I prefer bagged vacuums, the ClearTrak is definitely a exception to have personally. I like how well built they are, they do a VERY impressive job, and I can easily see the dirt coming into the canister. Something that a bagged vacuum can't do especially Kirby. And because it's a bypass machine, I can easily use the hose without shutting the machine off, I don't have to worry about the fan breaking, and I like that there's a suppressor filter wrapped around the motor to help quiet the machine down and filter out any carbon dust. Not to mention that their customer service is one of if not the best that I've ever encountered before from a vacuum company. I regretted passing up on another ClearTrak or two that I found before at my local thrift store, I would totally buy one again because I just like them so much.
Old Electrolux Cannister Photos
Gary,
I will see about taking some photos of the old Electrolux cannister vac that came with this house. I did extract it from the hall closet. Now I have to fetch all the attachments from there. Probably won't be able to photograph it all until this weekend. Or maybe next week.
Sometime...
Gary,
I will see about taking some photos of the old Electrolux cannister vac that came with this house. I did extract it from the hall closet. Now I have to fetch all the attachments from there. Probably won't be able to photograph it all until this weekend. Or maybe next week.
Sometime...
I have a Kirby Diamond G series, one of my favorite Kirbys as it has two speeds. We have mostly wood on the main level, room-sized rug in living room and smaller rugs in other rooms. The low speed on the Kirby is one of the best features for odd jobs like these. Although the dog doesn't shed, he brings in lots of dust (severe drought/dustbowl here this year) so there is lots of fine dust, etc. and the Kirby with a filtrete material bag is fine for the small amount of vacuuming it is required for. I gave mom a Kirby G many years ago and she loves the Tech-Drive; plug it in, back it out of the closet and drive it back in when done.
I have several other vacs *small collection to choose from including a Miele Earth w/powerhead and a Tri-Star canister w/ 10' hose. Both of these are wonderful cleaners for hard floors, above floor cleaning, etc. I tossed out all of the Kirby attachments save the hose, most of those tools are silly and/or weak performers. I found another $49 Diamond G at a Goodwill a few months ago that for some strange reason I was compelled to bring home, but left behind the tools & caddy. I haven't seen Kirby at Costco, could this be one of the "special event" sales they have periodically like those crappy, overpriced pillows?
In the cleaning biz, we use backpack vacuums, straight suction. Excellent performers in all settings, we had a country club account for 17 years and never a complaint about carpets not being clean. Larger items, of course, had to be picked up before vacuuming, club staff was pretty good about resetting rooms before leaving them for cleaning crew. We supplemented the backpack with a variety of uprights, but they saw little use as it took triple the time to clean the same space a backpack could do. Edges, stairs, hard surface floors and hard to reach areas were always cleaner with the flexibility of the backpack. ProTeam makes some of the best, but I've had good service from some of the no-name units as well. It helps being able to work on them myself - most have common problems that are easily repaired, switches, power cord pigtails, etc.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
A VENTED, top-fill, Central vacuum with flow-thru 1600 watt motor is the best, no doubt about it because ALL the dust, odors, gases, heat, and bacteria is vented out of the house. Gone. You can't get that from any standard vac.
But, it can be funny what our favorites from the past may be.
I didn't have positive memories of central vacuums and only "rediscovered" them in 2018 and saw how much they've changed since the mid 80s. Now I swear by them.
Yet I have fun, great, numerous memories of 70s/80s canisters from Kenmore, Eureka "canned hams", Hoover Spirits, metal sided Ultralux Electrolux, Canvac from Dirt Devil, even the 60s Airway my aunt had. Oh, and the suitcase vacuum.
But I wouldn't USE any of these today. Nothing wrong with collecting them as cherished memories.
But, it can be funny what our favorites from the past may be.
I didn't have positive memories of central vacuums and only "rediscovered" them in 2018 and saw how much they've changed since the mid 80s. Now I swear by them.
Yet I have fun, great, numerous memories of 70s/80s canisters from Kenmore, Eureka "canned hams", Hoover Spirits, metal sided Ultralux Electrolux, Canvac from Dirt Devil, even the 60s Airway my aunt had. Oh, and the suitcase vacuum.
But I wouldn't USE any of these today. Nothing wrong with collecting them as cherished memories.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
I don't think I agree that a thru-flow motor in a central is the best to have honestly. They may be cheaper and quieter yes but I don't think they're as reliable as a bypass motor despite what both Ametek and Domel claims that is not the case. I have a relative who has a central vac with a thru-flow motor and it runs very hot, I don't really like that. I'm thinking about installing my DrainVac Little Giant in my new home but I'm concerned that the heat from the thru-flow motor is going to brittle the plastic even quicker. Might be better to install it in my basement instead of the garage if it is going to be the DrainVac but personally, I'd rather put a power unit out in the garage.
canavac.com
Central Vacuum Motors | Cana-Vac Systems Inc.
Buyer’s Guide comparison, central vacuum motors and types of motors used inside a central vacuum system.
canavac.com
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
I used to think the by-pass motor was the best for a dry vacuum too. The by-pass motor has it's very necessary place that is for sure. In things like commercial base units for carpet cleaning businesses and other wet applications like steam cleaners where there is excess humidity or even droplets of water in the suction air.
For dry pick up, it's over kill and at the expense of expense $$, and noise, and suction strength.
The flow-thru may run a bit hotter but it's not going to damage anything. The flow-thru might have a shorter life but they are affordable. I bought a couple of NEW 700+ air watt motors for $40 ea. (incld. shipping). I haven't had to use them. The motor in my Vacumaid SR38 is still as powerful and quiet as ever. $40 is certainly not a big deal and it only takes a few minutes to change one out.
By-pass motors can easily cost $200 new and they don't last forever either.
Look at it this way: there are lots of 30, 40, 50+ year old portable vacuums in the world with flow thru motors and they still work.
I even went the extra mile when I got my Vacumaid in 2018 and made it super sound insulated by: 1. removing the electronics as I already have a separate control unit that won't get exposure to the heat and dust inside the vacuum. 2. caulking and weather stripping any potential leak sources in the motor compartment so all air is vented outside. 3. Using plush carpet scraps wrapped in plastic to "carpet" the inside walls of the motor compartment and then wrap the carpeted walls with chicken wire to be sure the carpet stays in place and doesn't come in contact with the motor.
When my CV is running one can barely hear it running. The main noise comes from the end of the hose or the exhaust pipe outside.
For dry pick up, it's over kill and at the expense of expense $$, and noise, and suction strength.
The flow-thru may run a bit hotter but it's not going to damage anything. The flow-thru might have a shorter life but they are affordable. I bought a couple of NEW 700+ air watt motors for $40 ea. (incld. shipping). I haven't had to use them. The motor in my Vacumaid SR38 is still as powerful and quiet as ever. $40 is certainly not a big deal and it only takes a few minutes to change one out.
By-pass motors can easily cost $200 new and they don't last forever either.
Look at it this way: there are lots of 30, 40, 50+ year old portable vacuums in the world with flow thru motors and they still work.
I even went the extra mile when I got my Vacumaid in 2018 and made it super sound insulated by: 1. removing the electronics as I already have a separate control unit that won't get exposure to the heat and dust inside the vacuum. 2. caulking and weather stripping any potential leak sources in the motor compartment so all air is vented outside. 3. Using plush carpet scraps wrapped in plastic to "carpet" the inside walls of the motor compartment and then wrap the carpeted walls with chicken wire to be sure the carpet stays in place and doesn't come in contact with the motor.
When my CV is running one can barely hear it running. The main noise comes from the end of the hose or the exhaust pipe outside.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
There are bypass motors out there that can actually outperform the thru-flow ones. Example the Modern Day M715h with a bypass motor has higher ratings than the Flo-Master F650t with a thru-flow motor, that's one of the reasons why I'm considering buying a bypass central vac over a thru-flow unit. Also cost wise, it would be harder for a thru-flow motor to clean a house that's about like 20,000 square feet. Ideally you'd need to have a power unit that uses dual motors or you'd need to buy another power unit for the other section of the house. I don't know of any power unit that exists out there today using dual thru-flow motors and there's probably a reason for that. Having two thru-flow motors would build up twice the amount of heat which can have a greater chance of ruining the other electrical components and wiring inside, that would sound more problematic and costly over the years for an average consumer to handle cause I know most of them would not feel comfortable replacing a motor out hence they would much rather have a vacuum store deal with it. And personally, I don't want to put in another unit to clean the other section of that big of a house if I were to get one. I'd rather have a unit like the SilentMaster S900r with dual bypass motors for less money than buying two Flo-Master F650ts'. So honestly, I feel it'd be more of a risk having a thru-flow unit in my home. Especially filtration cause that's another downfall with thru-flow motors is that you'd need to have extra protection. If I took the bag out of my DrainVac, bearings would go bad fast and it cannot be serviced like the motors used decades ago. And I can tell you that a replacement motor for my DrainVac is NOT cheap like $40 because it uses a Domel motor that's imported from Germany. As far as noises go, I wouldn't worry too much of having a bypass unit in the garage or basement furnace room cause you're barely going to hear the power unit running as you're vacuuming. Especially when you can have a muffler vented outside with it. The only times that I would totally accept having a thru-flow unit is if I was living in an apartment or a condo. I haven't ruled the thru-flow units out yet but there's a good chance that I'm going to put in a bypass unit. We'll just have to see soon since I'll eventually be gathering quotes from dealers around my area. I know one thing for sure is that I'm not going to buy a used power unit.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
Each to their own comforts
20,000 s.f.?
Don't let the fun of planning the ideal house get the best of you. I think the largest house I ever planned out was about 8000 s.f.
As one gets older you (hopefully) realize how foolish it is to actually build ridiculous sized structures. Dreaming about it is fun for sure. There are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">lots of</span> failed, incomplete houses and buildings out there where someone's ego got the best of them and they ended up dead, bankrupt, or both. lol. Just a do search on Youtube for "abandoned house or building". From Roseanne Barr's failed 25000 s.f. house in IA to failed multi-story buildings in Vegas, it's all there.
My SR38 is rated for up to 6000 s.f. but I won't even consider a house over 3500 s.f. And I won't hire someone to install the pipes, that's part of the fun, for me anyway, is installing the system so it's just "perfect" the way I want it. But then again I would also do the plumbing, electrical, insulation, rough and finish carpentry, ....
As for dual motor or even triple motor CVs, up until about 20 years ago, motor technology wasn't as good. It was necessary back then to have 2-3 200 Air Watt motors installed in order to get 600 air watts because the highest rated motors made were around 200 air watts. More recently with the improvements in motor technology, they're getting higher ratings so dual motor models are seldom necessary for dry suction central vacuums.
20,000 s.f.?
Don't let the fun of planning the ideal house get the best of you. I think the largest house I ever planned out was about 8000 s.f.
As one gets older you (hopefully) realize how foolish it is to actually build ridiculous sized structures. Dreaming about it is fun for sure. There are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">lots of</span> failed, incomplete houses and buildings out there where someone's ego got the best of them and they ended up dead, bankrupt, or both. lol. Just a do search on Youtube for "abandoned house or building". From Roseanne Barr's failed 25000 s.f. house in IA to failed multi-story buildings in Vegas, it's all there.
My SR38 is rated for up to 6000 s.f. but I won't even consider a house over 3500 s.f. And I won't hire someone to install the pipes, that's part of the fun, for me anyway, is installing the system so it's just "perfect" the way I want it. But then again I would also do the plumbing, electrical, insulation, rough and finish carpentry, ....
As for dual motor or even triple motor CVs, up until about 20 years ago, motor technology wasn't as good. It was necessary back then to have 2-3 200 Air Watt motors installed in order to get 600 air watts because the highest rated motors made were around 200 air watts. More recently with the improvements in motor technology, they're getting higher ratings so dual motor models are seldom necessary for dry suction central vacuums.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
I didn't say I was going to get a 20,000 square foot house, I said "if I were to get one". I'm only building or buying what I think would be perfect enough for me. But definitely for sure I'd like something that's got wide enough areas to store my vacuum cleaner, weapon, and washer/dryer collection at. So the DrainVac Little Giant should have plenty of power to handle whatever size I'd get which certainly won't be about or over 6,000 square feet I can tell you that. But one thing to note, I live in higher altitude and performances are going to drop lower. That's another reason why I'm considering buying a very powerful bypass system like the Modern Day M715h I mentioned earlier. If I get a good deal, I wouldn't mind a dual motor unit like the SilentMaster S900r I also mentioned earlier if I can handle one since I know I shouldn't have too much power in my home.
