Central Vacuum Retrofit Kitchen Island

[iann_nic]

Hello all,

I am in the process of retrofitting a central vacuum in my new home. The problem is that because its one of those open concept homes, all the exterior walls rest on the concrete foundation blocks. So, I can not drill up to put an inlet on the exterior walls. The only other option is to put an inlet in my center island or cabinet in the kitchen.

Has anyone done this before? Im not sure the inlet mounting plate will work with such a thin wood veneer of cabinets. The home is all hard floors, so I dont need an electrical outlet for the hose.

Any help/feedback or advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[rainbowd4c]

I remember one of my neighbors who had a central cleaning system retro fit into their house. They put the inlets in the floor pointing up. This was back in the 80s and last I knew the system was still there.

 

[centralvacs1928]

I have put an inlet in the side of a cabinet several times during a retrofit where no walls were available. If the sides of your cabinet are thinner than about 3/8", you'll have to attach shims between the backside and the mounting plate in order for the inlet to sandwich the mounting plate properly.

The other way to mount an inlet to wood (whether a cabinet or a floor) is to make a round (or oval) hole instead of a rectangle, use a floor adapter bushing, and screw the inlet directly to the substrate. I would sooner do this for a floor mount than for a cabinet mount, as the wood may not be thick enough for the screws to grab well.

Hope this helps!

Good luck on your install, please share pics!

Owen