Central vacuum install "pipe dream"

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PanasonicVac

If what you're saying about Beam is true, then I take back what I said, as I have a real soft-spot for Cyclovacs. One of my neighbors used to have a Cyclovac system in their home, and it was my first exposure to central vacuums ever. Sadly they moved out, and the current owners ripped it out (smh). However, I still think that their bagless systems (and bagless CV systems in general) are atrocious, but enough said on that.

Also, if what you're saying about ThinkVacuums is true, then that's really not good for my plans. I'm planning on getting my 2-inlet piping kit, muffler, and a few other miscellaneous things from them. I'm only opting for them because that stuff from them is cheaper than others, and I want to keep the costs as low as possible.
 
Drainvac, beam and Think Vacuums

That is really a shame if Drainvac's quality has gone down, they are one of my favorite central vacuum brands. I've noticed that the Beam vacuums are now indeed the same ones in the Cyclovac line, that's a very good thing. I have the Cyclovac 7525, it's a dual motor unit that can be configured to have the motors in series or parallel, it is an amazing unit. I run the motors in series, since I connect the hose directly to the unit, I have not noticed any difference at all between just one motor and the second motor in parallel. However, using the motors in series makes a huge difference. There is some debate as to which configuration is better, perhaps when using pipes a parallel configuration makes a difference, but a series configuration definitely increases the performance.
Mike
 
Update

So, after some reconsideration of my central vacuum list, I've decided that I'm now just going to buy all of the hardware for it from MD. I looked over the Yelp reviews for ThinkVacuums.com, and you were right PanVac, they were pretty negative. Also, buying everything I need from MD turned out to be much cheaper than if I bought from them, or the other sites that I was planning on sourcing parts from. I've got much more faith in them.

I'm still not entirely decided on a power unit. If I can't decide on one, I'll probably just revert back to the OVO, and if it fails, move to a better brand. I'd like it to be an MD for consistency's sake, but I'm worried about it being too loud, and too circuit-intensive. One of their units would also add $1000+ to the cost, which I could probably make work, but still.
 
You'd probably get a kick out of this Mike. Here's a YouTube video of someone receiving a DrainVac Viper out of the box. Not only it had a defective Ametek motor but also the replacement motor is in fact a Ametek motor as well. Basically tells you that DrainVac is no longer using Domel motors at least the thru-flow ones.



And here's a Facebook post that The Vac Shack in Missouri shared, I'll even paste the quote and pictures as well.

"Out with the old and in with the new! This customer bought a central vacuum online to replace his old Hoover unit, but it arrived defective right out of the box. Customer service was less than helpful since they were in another state. After realizing he needed to find some professional help locally, he contacted us. He now has an American made #Vacuflo central vacuum and also reliable local service to back it up! We service all brands of central vacuums and install the best!"

So the unit bought was a DrainVac Little Giant from thinkvacuums.com to replace the old Cana-Vac built Hoover and the replacement is a Vacuflo DB.

Feel bad for both of these folks as I think they got scammed. So this is why I have a harder time recommending DrainVac these days but one things for certain is I'd NEVER recommend buying from thinkvacuums.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheVacShack/
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blah blah blah new update

So, I've managed to chat with a gentleman who does central vac installs at my local vacuum store chain over the phone. I told him my plans to the best of my ability, and he's willing to help me install my system for an hourly fee.

I told him that I wanted to get the majority of the components from MD, but that I wasn't entirely decided on a power unit at the moment. He told me that a MD Stealth Kit wasn't the best choice for the amount I was paying for it (around $750-$760). He said that it was sort of mid-range when compared to other nozzles, notably the Accclaim (Sebo ET-1) kit.

He also said more-or-less that they could find a better fit for my specifications, and that an it may be tricky to get support for an MD in my state (there aren't any MD dealers in my state unfortunately, not ones that are close anyway). Regardless, he said that they'd still be willing to help with my needs, even if it wasn't with their products. Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, they're a HP and Beam dealer, though he specified that they mainly sold ELement branded HP systems, and that they do sell some lower brands, though I'm not sure what they are. Regardless, he recommended an HP DB3000 for my needs. After looking at it's specs, it looks to be a pretty good candidate, as it's around the height I need it to be, is very quiet, and only draws a maximum of 13 amps.

The other two current candidates are the OVO 550ST-18B that I started out with, and a Modern Day M465h. I chose the latter because it was the cheapest and least electrically-intensive in the Modern - Day range (bypass motor units), or at least so I think.

This leads me into my next point; I'm still uncertain about the whole circuitry situation. Apparently, our washer, dryer, and furnace all run off a shared circuit. All I could really make out of the laundry room breaker switch was that it was rated for 15/20 amps. This has me confused. Is it saying that if just the washer, dryer, and furnace are running simultaneously, then that circuit would be overloaded even without a central vac hooked up to it? I really need to know what's going on here.

What are your guys' thoughts on all of this and what he's been telling me?

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The M465H is the old ModernDay Model J. Great unit, great long-lasting motor. I sold a good number of those and they are probably all still going! However, that unit won't have any internal sound damping so it isn't going to be very quiet. Manageable with the outside exhaust and an inline muffler, but not as quiet as the DB3000.

Also, does space allow for the unit to mount lower on the wall? I love the top-emptying classic MD design, but if space is at a premium, a bottom-emptying design (whether from MD, HP, or one of the other brands you were thinking of) might be the ticket.

My go-to units for new (non retractable) installations and swap-outs these days are the Flo-Master F650 (we now have these made in our EOV private label with extra sound insulation so they run exceptionally quiet), or the Vacuflo DB5000 (also private labeled, but these include a nice amount of sound insulation as standard). Both are great units, and the DB's single intake bag is very easy to replace, but I do love how the MD unit has an onboard air relief valve and metal utility inlet.

I wouldn't want to take business away from a local dealer, but if you don't have anybody in your area selling MD, maybe I can help get you what you're after.

As far as electrical, it sounds like your laundry room circuit is already pretty loaded. If needed, you could manage it by only running the vacuum when the washer isn't on (but did I understand correctly that your furnace also shares that circuit? That's not great). Do you have any open spaces in your panel? Might be worth looking into getting some electrical work done, not only to give you a dedicated circuit for the vacuum, but also one for the furnace. I take it you are not in Chicagoland, so you could use non-metallic sheathed cable ("Romex") and be code-compliant.
 
Centralvacs1928

Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful :D

I only chose the M465H because it was the cheapest unit with a bypass motor, which I assume is a better type in terms of longevity. However, I only ever plan on using HEPA bags with whatever unit I choose, so I guess a thru-flow wouldn't be a problem. but still. My idea was for the system to be completely fool-proof if we ever move and leave the system there.

I'd say I have about 10 feet of height to work with in the corner, so I theoretically could put in a decently big power unit if I wanted to, but I don't/can't for other reasons The units I'm deciding on are already rated for much larger sized homes. I'd prefer a top-emptying unit for convenience, but like I said, I'm open to both types. However, I really want to gravitate to MD since I'm already getting 90% of my supplies from them (gotta put my OCD at ease), so if a Flo-Master is going to be quieter and cheaper, I suppose I could get one of those instead, depending on the decibel level of those up close. If not, then the Vacuflo is probably the better choice.

I don't know if I'd be able to do business with you because you're not in my state (you're close, but still too far away). Do you sell online by chance?


Finally, I've got an important update about the electrical situation.

It turns out that my air conditioning and furnace have their own dedicated circuits. The washer and dryer both share a 20 amp outlet, and that too has its own dedicated breaker. This means that the outlet I plan on using (it's behind my mom's clothes in the photos I've provided) shouldn't interfere with any of the other appliances in the laundry room! However, it's only a 15 amp outlet, so I can't go completely all-out with a power unit (not that I'd really want to).

It's like the more I plan out this system, the more I realize how easy and seamless it'd be to put in my house!
 
That's great news. Sounds like all is well with the electrical situation, then. You can run one of these units on a 15 amp circuit as long as it's not shared.

A sound insulated thru-flow motor unit will be quieter than a unit with a bypass motor, and as long as the intake air is filtered, the lifespan should be comparable. The air relief valve prevents the motor running sealed (which would cause a thru-flow motor to burn out much more quickly than a bypass). One benefit of a unit with thru-flow is that the outside exhaust also vents any carbon dust.

We do have online ordering (www.centvac.com) but we don't have all products listed so just send me an email and I can put together an order for you.

-Owen
 
Things aren't going well with this project.

Like a lot of my past ambitious plans, this one has run into a serious problem.

Let me explain.

A couple months ago I was offered a part-time job which I gladly took up. Not to brag, but the pay was very good, so good in fact that I thought that by the end of the summer, I could've accumulated enough money to fund my central vac dreams. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. My work's been going through a major "slow-season" these last 2 months, with no visible end in sight. I got called into work less and less, and now I'm only working there one day of the week. I'm still making decent gains, but not enough to fund my goals by the end of the summer.

On top of this, I'm nearing the point in my life where I'll probably be looking for a place to call my own, and if I did install a CV, I wouldn't exactly be around to use/enjoy the fruits of my labor. Maybe for a couple of years, then I'd probably need to leave it.

Finally, and this is probably the biggest nail in the coffin, my mom has talked about in the future demolishing our house and building a bigger and better one. Now, she has stated that this would be something that would be way off in the future (farther off than me flying the nest), however I really am not thrilled by these proposed plans. Not just for the fact that it's a damper to my plans, but also because this house holds too much sentimental value to me.

In short, I'm heavily considering shelving this project indefinitely for my mom's house, as I feel it wouldn't be worth it if I wasn't able to even use/enjoy it for very long, and if the house itself wouldn't even last for long after that. Instead, I'm thinking about using the money accumulated to fund one of my other projects, one that I have much more confidence could be completed by the end of the summer. If I were to continue with the CV project, I'd probably need to save up past August, with the goal of having enough for it /having it installed by the end of the year.

What do you think, should I try to press on with this? Or should I focus my time/effort/money into something else?

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amtraksebo1997 said:
60 ) Ctvacman.

In all honesty, I really just like the looks of the 14' Stealth head over the other offerings from MD and Lindhaus. And yes, while it's true that my house is pretty small, I think the 14' one would work just fine. Although, now I'm wondering if the single row brushroll is gonna do a lousy job on my medium pile carpeting. However, I'm still not 100% sure if I'd even get the Stealth nozzle. I'm thinking the alternative would be to get a Whirlpool Kenmore PN, or maybe an ET-1, or maybe a Hoover Windtunnel nozzle, just to name a few other options. Whatever the case, I want a nozzle that'll be durable, quiet, and effective.
Click to expand...
That Lindhaus power nozzle is one of the very best on the market. I have power nozzles from Lindhaus, Wessel-Werk, Sebo ( ET-C, ET-H, ET-1, ET350 ), Miele, Kenmore/Panasonic/Hayden/Nutone ( all made by either Whirlpool or Panasonic ) modern Kenmore power nozzles sold today, along with old and new Tristar, CMB Edge Clean, Hoover, Aerus / Electrolux USA, Swedish Electrolux ( their weird Ze3 power brush ), Vorwerk (EB360 that came with my Tige 260 ), Samsung, VAPamore (CRAPamore) and Riccar power nozzles. The Lindhaus power nozzle is the best of the bunch. The Lindhaus nozzle cleans in one pass pet hair from our area rugs that a Miele SEB236 requires six or seven passes to clean. Huge height adjustment range and very effective brush roll. Can't say enough good things about Lindhaus power nozzles.
 
cheesewonton said:
That Lindhaus power nozzle is one of the very best on the market. I have power nozzles from Lindhaus, Wessel-Werk, Sebo ( ET-C, ET-H, ET-1, ET350 ), Miele, Kenmore/Panasonic/Hayden/Nutone ( all made by either Whirlpool or Panasonic ) modern Kenmore power nozzles sold today, along with old and new Tristar, CMB Edge Clean, Hoover, Aerus / Electrolux USA, Swedish Electrolux ( their weird Ze3 power brush ), Vorwerk (EB360 that came with my Tige 260 ), Samsung, VAPamore (CRAPamore) and Riccar power nozzles. The Lindhaus power nozzle is the best of the bunch. The Lindhaus nozzle cleans in one pass pet hair from our area rugs that a Miele SEB236 requires six or seven passes to clean. Huge height adjustment range and very effective brush roll. Can't say enough good things about Lindhaus power nozzles.
Click to expand...
Very helpful... 🤦
 
Amtraksebo1997, I think you're making the right call to shelve the project. If you're planning on moving out in a couple years and your Mom wants to tear the house down and rebuild eventually, what's the point? What I would suggest doing is, wait until you move out on your own, then buy a really good portable vac or central vac if you buy a house. That way you won't regret it later.
 
kirbylux77 said:
Amtraksebo1997, I think you're making the right call to shelve the project. If you're planning on moving out in a couple years and your Mom wants to tear the house down and rebuild eventually, what's the point? What I would suggest doing is, wait until you move out on your own, then buy a really good portable vac or central vac if you buy a house. That way you won't regret it later.
Click to expand...

This is very reassuring, though it still pains me to do it, even if I've slowly lost interest over time.

I'm already putting my money towards something more manageable right now. Also, I already have a selection of decent portable vacuums to use in the meantime, such as my Nacecare Henry.
 
There are two Lindhaus Aria Elites on eBay right now and they are priced reasonably. There is also an Aria Platinum which I don't recommend. The Aria Elite has an analog dial to select motor power and speed. The Aria Platinum has an electronic push button power selector that is achingly slow to respond and resets at 600 watts every time you unplug it. Very annoying. The Aria Elite is much nicer to use. I have one of each. Really nice vacuums with the best power nozzle if you are so inclined.
 
cheesewonton said:
There are two Lindhaus Aria Elites on eBay right now and they are priced reasonably. There is also an Aria Platinum which I don't recommend. The Aria Elite has an analog dial to select motor power and speed. The Aria Platinum has an electronic push button power selector that is achingly slow to respond and resets at 600 watts every time you unplug it. Very annoying. The Aria Elite is much nicer to use. I have one of each. Really nice vacuums with the best power nozzle if you are so inclined.
Click to expand...
Dude, did you not read my most recent post in this thread?
 
I love the Aria, they are in my opinion the best canisters I've ever used by far. Such a shame Lindhaus pulled them out of the US market because they weren't all that popular. I agree about the Elite model, I prefer having a dial set at the highest speed than always having to push up the buttons on the Platinum every time you plug it in. But I do like the blue color more along with having headlights and a double row brushroll. Another thing I like about the Elite which I also prefer is I would've gotten a 14" power nozzle that'd still be in the same color. At least I can still do that with SEBO like for example I could purchase a white K3 Premium and swap out the white ET-1 power nozzle to a white ET-2 instead.
 
panasonicvac said:
I love the Aria, they are in my opinion the best canisters I've ever used by far. Such a shame Lindhaus pulled them out of the US market because they weren't all that popular. I agree about the Elite model, I prefer having a dial set at the highest speed than always having to push up the buttons on the Platinum every time you plug it in. But I do like the blue color more along with having headlights and a double row brushroll. Another thing I like about the Elite which I also prefer is I would've gotten a 14" power nozzle that'd still be in the same color. At least I can still do that with SEBO like for example I could purchase a white K3 Premium and swap out the white ET-1 power nozzle to a white ET-2 instead.
Click to expand...
I bought a Stealth Brand Lindhaus PB14 and swapped the central vacuum neck for an Aria wand compatible neck. I use that with my Aria and with my Vortech XR3000, which happens to have he same hose end Lindhaus uses.

My Aria Platinum has the older power nozzle. No lights. Older style brush roll too.

I cut a Kenmore brand CF-1 pre-motor filter to fit the Aria filter holder. Much better than the open cell foam filter they come with.

Arias have some weird things you either adapt to or give up on. The cord is flat. FLAT ! It likes to twist itself up like a piece of licorice unless you are exquisitely careful while rewinding it to feed it in nice and flat with the same side up. The average user doesn't have time or energy for that. The cord also piles up sometimes on the winder and won't extend all the way on the next use. Running the vacuum a few minutes to heat up the remaining cord usually frees things up and lets you pull the rest of the cord out, but still......PITA. People don't like PITA. And the power switch on the hose handle goes through off if you switch from vacuum only to vacuum and power nozzle, turning the motor off then forcing you to wait for the soft start to oh so slowly ramps motor speed back up. On Sebo and Miele hoses the power nozzle on-off is separate from the sliding control for motor speed and turning the motor off. On Kenmores the first position is suction motor on, then the second position turns the power nozzle on. Either way the motor stays on and your vacuuming chore is un-interrupted. Just easier and faster. Anything that makes the user sit for a few seconds waiting on the vacuum to respond becomes a frustration. Oh yeah, the hose is soft which makes it easier to manage than stiff Miele hoses, but the drawback is they are really easy to kink. Their second generation hose is better but still not great. In my old home the first gen hose would kink flat just trying to spin the vacuum around on our soft plush carpets. The hose has no swivel at the canister end and the swivel on the handle end only gives you 90 degrees of rotation either side of center. It needs a full swivel on the handle end.

Despite these gripes I still much prefer using the Aria to any Miele I have.

​

 
I can't imagine not having a central vac. As much as I enjoy my portables, I still just can't imagine not having a central. If you live in Colorado or one of the states that touch it, I could definitely help. Even have a friend with more used MD units than he'll ever use...
 
ultralux88 said:
I can't imagine not having a central vac. As much as I enjoy my portables, I still just can't imagine not having a central. If you live in Colorado or one of the states that touch it, I could definitely help. Even have a friend with more used MD units than he'll ever use...
Click to expand...
I agree Reggie, I wouldn't live in a house without one either. I recently tried to look of having a central vac installed at my grandfather's cabin during the renovation but we were still unable to as there just wasn't enough room for one. Our first cabin never had a central vac and couldn't put one in either for that same reason but we did however had a SilentMaster at our second cabin when we had it built. If we still had our first cabin, I think I would've been ok still continuing to use a portable since I'd only go up there once in a while anyways. The only thing I'd have to live with is the cluster flies that I'd vacuum up and eventually get a nasty decomposing odor. My grandfather's cabin is the worst but supposedly the renovation should help reduce the amount of flies that'd get in. That's what's so great about a central vac is I don't need to smell whatever I'd vacuum up and I never had that problem with the SilentMaster.
 
panasonicvac said:
I agree Reggie, I wouldn't live in a house without one either. I recently tried to look of having a central vac installed at my grandfather's cabin during the renovation but we were still unable to as there just wasn't enough room for one. Our first cabin never had a central vac and couldn't put one in either for that same reason but we did however had a SilentMaster at our second cabin when we had it built. If we still had our first cabin, I think I would've been ok still continuing to use a portable since I'd only go up there once in a while anyways. The only thing I'd have to live with is the cluster flies that I'd vacuum up and eventually get a nasty decomposing odor. My grandfather's cabin is the worst but supposedly the renovation should help reduce the amount of flies that'd get in. That's what's so great about a central vac is I don't need to smell whatever I'd vacuum up and I never had that problem with the SilentMaster.
Click to expand...
You guys are making me feel *real* great about my decision to drop the central vac plans...Screenshot_20240705_133935_Google.jpg
 

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