A Friend's Vintage Central Vacuum System

[electrolux137]

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I've posted before about a friend whose house I'm helping him clean out. He has a few older vacuum cleaners including a Kirby 515 that was his parents' that I restored for him a few years ago.


 


I knew his house (1962) had a central vacuum system in it but hadn't ever really been interested in it. Well, I thought some of you guys might like to know about it so I took some photos. I couldn't find the attachments -- they were in a plastic carton and included a long, coiled white hose, two steel wands and attachments that look like Kenmore attachments of the time. So my guess is that this is a Kenmore system. If anyone wants photos of the attachments I'll see if I can find them.


 


 

 

[compactelectra]

Yep

A Central Vac International unit. Those were big in LA. Very good units. I have decided to bite the bullet and put the MD Silent Master in here. Have to have an electrician put in a 30 amp 120 volt circuit to plug it in. This thing will suck the paint off the walls and dims the lights in the neighborhood.

 

[electrolux137]

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Cool that the company is still in business!


 


In addition to the Kenmore-style attachments, my friend's system also has a turbo rug tool very similar to this one. (See photo)



http://https//www.centralvac.com

 

[tolivac]

CVI central vacuums are common here in Greenville.The Sew&Vac place I go to regularly has spare motors and bags for these machines.
I have a 15A MD Silentmaster unit and this can suck paint as well!Didn't think the 30A units were made anymore.I have seen the 240V 15A units,though.Figure the 30A 120V one must have two 15A motors.

 

[electrolux137]

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Here are some photos of the central vacuum system attachments I f0und today. I'm sure that there was a white rug tool identical to the rug tool that Kenmore used for many years, but it was nowhere to be f0und. I did find the hose, the turbo rug nozzle, a Kenmore dusting brush, and two black plastic floor tools.


 


The last photo is of my friend's house. It has a very interesting layout -- it's a three-story split level. You come in the front door where there's a guest restroom just inside the front door to the left. Down a hallway the kitchen is to the right with interior entrance to the utility room and garage off the kitchen. Continue down the hallway to the dining room and beyond that a large rec room.


 


Go back down the hallway and up a short flight of stairs opposite the rest room to a vast living room. The eastern-facing wall is almost entirely glass. There's an elevated outdoor patio that overlooks the large yard.


 


An adjoining short stairway goes in the opposite direction up to the bedrooms - the master has a private bathroom "en suite," and there's another large bathroom in the hallway. All the bedrooms have large double-closets. There's also a large walk-in closet along the hallway.


 


 


 


It was built in 1962.

 

[centralvacs1928]

Thank you!

For sharing this. That's a cool old system. The hose and tools (minus that dusting brush) look early nineties.

I run into these every once in a while here in Chicago, in houses from the sixties. Fred is right, they were really big in CA. The manufacturer used to be on Olympic Blvd in LA.

 

[ultralux88]

WOW!!! How cool! I lovee seeing old central vacuum systems in their original installation.