Lets See Your Central Vacs!

[vacman117]

I thought it would be cool to start a thread about everyone's central vacuum systems. I have a 2008 Nutone. Not sure of the model. I get a lot of people that tell me that it is so underpowered and that is junk, well, it's pretty darn powerful to me! We got the "Deluxe" tool set, which is the second best set, at least at the time. The only problem is that the tools aren't on board, so you set them somewhere, and forget where you put them, or someone moves them, etc. So because of that, all that we have left is the dusting brush. The crevice tool and upholstery tool are floating around somewhere, but their whereabouts are currently unknown. The set came with a telescopic wand, and a very nice bare floor tool that is great on rugs to! And last but not least, the power nozzle. This is the same power nozzle used on the 1990's Kenmores, just labeled NuTone. It also uses a much cheaper plastic, as a lot of the plastic pieces on the neck have broken off. The top wand is also a replacement. When we were finishing the basement, this wasn't used, and somehow the wand disappeared, so it currently has a random wand on it that is a bit to short. I plan on purchasing a Wessel Work power nozzle and a new hose soon though. We also have the garage cleaning kit, which includes a 30ft. crush proof hose, and tons of different attachments. Surprisingly, all of those are in the garage, sitting next to the central vac itself! We just use our old Sears Shop Vac in the garage for cleaning in there. Finally, the Vac-u-Pan. We have one of these in the kitchen, and one in the master bathroom. We do not use them though, its just hard to sweep the dirt in there!

Here is the central vac itself-

 

[vacman117]

The Full Bag Indicator-

 

[vacman117]

The Attachments-

 

[vacman117]

Finally, the Vac U Pan

 

[brandon_w_t]

I have always wanted a central vacuum. An old Tuec machine the most, but really any central vac. A new one with power nozzle would be awesome!

Your's is very nice!
And whats better than having a kenmore powernozzle! Cool!


My friend has several central vacuums and a carwash style vacuum in his basement. Has only one hooked up though. One heck of a thing to collect.

 

[tolivac]

Someone brought one of those NuTone machines into the vac shop here-it had a blown motor-the user was using the wrong bags in the machine-too much dust got into the motor and it blew out.The vac shop operator told the customer he could not fix it.Suggested that he contact NuTone.that machine is a whole diffrent than the one my Mom had years ago-Hers was bought in 1975-it had a metal bin that held the dirt and dust and a conelike pleated filter above the bin.I had the great job of emptying the thing when I visited.since there were two vacant lots next and behind her house-just emptied the bin there-and shook out the filter by tapping it on a tree.

 

[kirbyvertibles]

I went to an estate sale a while back and they had an old Filtex system that I got pictures of and will try to get them posted on here for the Filtex fans.

 

[bimmer740]

VacuFlo 566Q

Here is my unit, a VacuFlo 566Q that I purchased and installed in August 2006. Its the best money I have ever spent on a vacuum and I will never live in any house without a central vac. It makes cleaning so much easier and efficient since it can be used to clean/dust every hard surface from floor to ceiling with the slightest of ease and it does not recirculate the dirty air into the house, its exhausted outside. I love my Kirbys, which I use for the wall to wall carpet often, but the central vac just cant be beat by any portable machine and Ive recommended them to several people who want a serious vacuum to clean with. Plus my unit is very quiet, I believe its only 61 dBA's and the main unit can barely be heard anywhere in the house.

 

[bimmer740]

I have direct-connect SuperValve inlets and have both an electric(30ft) and non-electric(35ft) VacuFlo hoses. I love being able to mix and match any universal size tools to the machine, its provides so much versatility as you can really pick the tools that work the best for your own needs.

 

[bimmer740]

Sorry for such large pictures, I didnt realize how big they were before I uploaded them.

The Eureka PN that is pictured above is from my mom's Eureka Express canister that I grew up with. If I remember correctly it was purchased a few months before my little sister was born which makes it circa 1986. Anyway, I think the PN needs a new motor as it hasnt sounded right lately. I also would like to replace the brush roll since im sure the bearings need to be replaced after 25 years, but for the cost of parts I think I'm just better off buying a new PN. The attached link is for a more modern version of the Express series PN with ruber coated wheels and a geared belt with an overload shut off (my PN has a flat belt). Does anyone have any experience with this nozzle? ThinkVacuum.com is selling it for $169 with a 5 year motor warranty and it seems like a fair price.

The Lindhaus PN is going on eBay as I really cant stand it! Its well built and well engineered but its whimpy brush roll with just a single row of bristles is awfull. Whoever engineered this nozzle must have been seeking quality and longevity and not deep cleaning. Its very over priced and when compared to the Wessel-Werk PN's or even my 25 year old VGIII nozzle, the Lindhaus just can not even come close to their cleaning performance.



http://www.thinkvacuums.com/beam/825back.html

 

[bimmer740]

Chase, I worked for a small appliance store/repair shop that was also an authorized NuTone Dealer and warranty repair center. When I started working there the VX-series had only been out for a short time and the initial units were absolutely awful. I cant even tell you how many machines we received that had to be sent back to NuTone for a replacement machine. Some owners even had NuTone send them a different model, like the CV450 instead of another VX unit becuase they were so dissatisfied with the VX. NuTone actually stopped production of the VX series for a few months so that they could correct the problems with the motor and circuit boards. The repair guy that worked for the shop for about 20 years couldnt stand these units as NuTone had never prodced such an unreliale machine ever before. Anyway, NuTone finally started producing new units after they worked out all the problems that plauged the initial ones and the new units were no longer problematic. All this is probably the reason why people have spoken poorly about your VX, but all in all the owner and service man at the shop said they did preform well once NuTone fixed them. The only downside that I know of is that the Filtete-like bags were very expensive, I believe a 3 pack sold for about $45 dollars which can add up quickly if you have a large home or pets.

 

[joshdonnell]

lets see your central vacs

i like the aqua air central vacuums . there nothing to emty and no bags id buy it over another central vacuums

 

[hoover51]

Lets See Your Central Vacs!

I thought I might as well chime in the conversation. I have loved central vacs since I was a kid. Back when I was in school, all three
buildings had Spencer central vacuum systems installed. It was only used to clean erasers, and was turned on every friday afternoon. You can imagine the trouble I was always getting into. I now have 2-240 volt Beam central vacs hooked up together. When the outlet is opened up, and turned on, the sound of the airflow is deafining. Also have a Spencer outlet in the floor, and complete set of attachments. It sure is fun to play with!!

Michael Hays

 

[whirlpolf]

nice!

Good pictures of all the different units. I had a friend who owned one (a Nutone), yet I found the super-long hose a bit ackward to stow away. The more I was fascinated by some internet video about a unit which can retract its hose into the vertical standpipe just by capping its end with your hand with the motor still running.. The suction (I mean the vacuum created in the hose) would make it wander up and away into the standpipe. What brand was this?

Another question: Some units are just 800 to 1200 watts as far as I can see here looking at local installer firms. How can a medium sized electric blower make up for so long pipes and distances? Are they weaker on the nozzle than regular vacs?
puzzled
Joe

 

[luxg]

Guys I can tell you for sure that the power Mike has with those two Beam units connected is amazing.  Like Hans often says "it will suck the paint off the walls"!!!!


 


Terry

 

[compactelectra]

Here's Mine

A Modern Day Silent Master S5.  30 Amps - 120 Volts.  Have never heard of such a thing before.  But with those two motors and the setup - it will indeed suck the paint off the walls.  Dims the lights in the house (if not the whole neighborhood) when switched on.  Bagged, but can be exhausted outside.  There is some controversy on that one, some say it sucks allergens in while working.

 

[compactelectra]

A Picture

Of the cord setup.  What a monster.  Draws 30 amps.

 

[compactelectra]

Twelve

Bronze inlets throughout the house.  (Or are those brass? I forget.)

[this post was last edited: 6/6/2011-23:10]

 

[compactelectra]

Central Vacuums

A controversial subject among us vacuum collectors.  But Steven in right.  When it comes to heads-down vacuuming and cleaning there is nothing like a properly-sized central vacuum to do the work.  When I moved back to Chicago, I decided to forgo the central vac.  I only lasted about a year.  They are so versatile (you can use almost any attachments!) and efficient.  One caveat - always, always get the largest unit available.  Made the mistake of undersizing my first installation in California and never used it.  I didn't make that mistake again.