Antique TUEC Stationary Cleaner

[vespucia]

Hello,

My family moved into a 1916 home a few years ago. It had some antique items in the basement (incinerator, self-feeding coal and steam boiler, and a central vacuum unit by The United Electric Company out of Canton Ohio.

I am looking to clear the boiler room to make more space. I am considering recycling or dumping all the items, but figured I would check to see if there was any interest in any of them.

I am not a vacuum enthusiast, but I am happy to provide this one to someone if they would like it.
Otherwise, it will go to the scrap yard.

Here are some images I took of it.
If anyone knows anyone that may be interested in acquiring it, please let me know.
I can get more images or info if desired.

 

[huskyvacs]

No, you never send stuff like this to the scrapyard. All the things you listed can go to an antique museum. People that waste everything to the scrapyard for 10 cents for antique machinery are really stupid. You don;t buy an antique house just to strip all the antiques out and throw them away. If you don't like old things move into a house built in 2016, not 1916.

 

[rugsucker]

TUEC

vespucia--
Thanks for posting this were many,some who like early central vacs,will see.I am downsizing and can't use but others may.Were there any attachments or hoses left in the house?You can tell even by the basement pics this is a quality house.What was layout as to number of suction outlets?1 or 2 story?Was there a central switch on each floor to turn vac on/off?Did it exhaust to the chimney?
huskyvacs--
The above homeowner has taken the time to find this site and is willing to give to a collector.If no collector is interested they and not vespucia might be the 'stupid' one.Must of these likely went to WWII scrap metal drives and 50s/60s basement remodels.I have an ad from 1911 explaining that the new Hoover is easier and better than using the long hose on a central.There would be many reasons to choose an older house rather than one built with staples and particle board and with little if any landscaping.

 

[s31463221]

Hi Tom

I think those old central vacs are absolute works of art….not to mention as heavy as a tank! What part of West Virginia do you live in? My parents live on the KY/WV border (Louisa, KY / Fort Gay, WV). If it wasn’t way up in the hills of Beckley or Bluefield, I might be interested in it.

 

[madman]

Someone will be interested. Give it a bit of time.

That being said, I'll have to agree with Husky here. You don't carelessly remove these parts of a vintage home. You rob it of its soul, all the little pieces that make it unique.

 

[bagintheback]

I'm not sure if he is a member here but Owen Perkins on YouTube would be someone to reach out to. He's has at least one other TUEC and an expert on central vacs.

You're definitely not the first story I've heard of someone cleaning out their "turn-of-the-century" home with one of these. There's a bunch of videos of TUECs online but never of them actually operating as a built-in system. I'm also wondering about @rugsuckers questions. Were you able to turn it on and feel suction from the inlets before it was removed? It would be amazing to see one in use, if any are still installed and in operating condition over a century later.

https://www.youtube.com/user/nativetexan19288/about

 

[vespucia]

Thank you for the replies so far!
I appreciate the support and quick responses.

To the inquiries on why remove these items (the old radiator, the old boiler, and the old central vac) - they are taking space that can be utilized for current living. The boiler and central vac are in a dedicated boiler room complete with coal chute and self feeding coal hopper. The room is about 18x21ft. This is a huge space currently unusable by the family due to design. By removing the original boiler and central vac, then cleaning up the floor and walls, it will become a fantastic food storage room/household item storage (yearly holiday tables/chairs, etc).

We truly adore this home and it’s age. But I have a hard time leaving such a large space useless for the family and people we care for. We are definitely keeping and restoring the little things that keep this old Victorian building an incredible edifice, but some updates are definitely needed to keep things in tip top shape and functionality. Hence new wiring, updated exterior storm windows while keeping the original windows, adding a new basement room, etc. assuming time and money allow for all these things….

As to hoses and such - no, there were no hoses or attachments left behind.
There were/are power switches up the center of the home that activated the unit. However, it was non-functional before we moved in. Power had already been literally cut from the unit.
I have since cut out a section of vac pipe (heavy 3” steel) and used it as conduit for running power from the boiler room breaker box up to the second and third floors. I have run 5 lines so far. It’s a good thing too, because the third floor had no wall outlets at all; only light fixtures. So it needed some new wiring.

Trust me, I’d rather not scrap these pieces. But finding someone willing to come pick it up may prove too difficult. I figured I would give it a few months and see what kind of interest I am able to get.

To answer the location inquiry: we are up near the top of WV, between Pittsburgh and Ohio.
Thank you all again for such awesome response times and support. I truly hope I can find a good home for this unit (and boiler if I’m lucky!)

 

[madman]

Power outlets were a luxury that would not have been afforded to the 'help,' hence no outlets on the 3rd floor.

 

[vespucia]

Exactly. The cook and the gardener (I think) were up there. The maid had a room on the second floor, but behind a door in the servant’s stairwell. This has two outlets, but is certainly the smallest of the rooms. Also has a buzzer in it for being called from the primary bedroom. A buzzer in the kitchen as well that can be buzzed from the primary bedroom or the head of the table in the dining room.
My kids get too much fun out of buzzing them…