Central Vacuum-- Have I reached the Pinnacle?

[vexorgtr]

Good afternoon everyone. It's been a few years since I've posted anything, but last time I was pleased that I upgraded my Central Vacuum system (That came with this 1975 home). Originally, it had a Nutone Central Vacuum with no model... someone said it was called 350. I got it working, bought some hoses and tools, and used it for about 10 years until the motor's bearings were making noise.

I replaced the motor with an Imperium CV300 power unit... and it had much more gusto with less noise. The original installation had NO electricity anywhere near the inlets, so I did all the work with "turbo" tools, and that was OK with me... but eventually I knew I could do better... and THAT'S WHERE THIS STORY BEGINS.

The home is 1.5 stories, with a full basement. The CV had inlets for the first and second floor, but NONE for the basement. There was ZERO electric at the inlets... so I fixed that. I added 120V outlets next to all inlets. Next, I added two utility style inlets in the basement. (not really a finished basement..but it has flooring). I also replaced the original inlet covers with a more modern version supporting the On/Off hose.

I'm finally happy with things, and I don't know if there's really ANY way to make this system better, or any tools that would really rock the vacuum world. I'm going to list my tools with pictures, and anyone who has any suggestions on making it even more efficient. As it is, the motor is SO powerful, there's NEVER been a clog. If it makes it in the hose, it makes it all the way to the canister... (with the exception of something like a pen that couldn't flex past the inlet.
I've got 3 hoses (in different areas, and the usual stuff like crevice tools and dust brushes are left off the list.

1. Imperium CV300 Power Unit
2. Centec Electric Hose (pigtail)
3. PN33 Power Nozzle (Allegro, JohnnyVac, Galaxy, Butler's Choice)
4. Turbocat "classic"
5. Nutone Turbo brush
6. Nutone floor and rug tool
7. Turbo Hoses
8. Adjustable length wands
9. Microfiber dust mop
10. StairPro Mini brush (electric)

Is there anything I'm missing that would make the world a better place? I've sold off pretty much every other vacuum I've owned at this point, as they can only really take up space against this beast. Owning a central vacuum is like having a hot rod... you just want to keep making it more and more and more super powered.

 

[n0oxy]

nice set up

It sounds like you have a great central vac. I'm not familiar with that power nozzle but it may also be sold under a more familiar name, an electric nozzle will always clean better than a turbo nozzle.
The Imperium CV300 is a great unit, it uses an Ametek Lamb motor with 740 air watts, 138 airflow and 138 water lift. It's a flow through motor rather than a bypass, some say that the flow through motors are not as good and do not last as long but that is up for debate. I have a unit that uses the same motor, the Vacumaid garage vac pro, I use all of my central vacuum units without pipes, very powerful.
Mike

 

[vexorgtr]

I saw another thread about the PN33 nozzle being a prototype for a hoover, and then that hoover canister not being made. The name on the bottom sticker just says "intertek" and has the model number of PN33. I listed many of the other name badges it sells as... there's more. It's got a dirt sensor feature, which is kind of cool, but yet I can still hear particles going up the hose, even after the sensor says it's good to go. I've been using it LOTS lately.

For me, Central vacuum solves all the things I don't like about vacuuming.
1. Loud Noise (not very loud)
2. Dirty Smell (that goes outside)
3. Running out of cord (I can do three to four rooms from a given inlet)
Plus, it's easy to maneuver... and it does a great job. Thus, I use it almost every day.

 

[n0oxy]

power nozzle

Does this power nozzle have a cord on it or just a connector for the wand? I think I may know which nozzle you are talking about, I've seen it called the galaxie on the think vacuums web site.
Mike

 

[tolivac]

For central vacuum fans-don't overlook the Volt cordless powernozzle-don't let its being cordless fool you-its more powerful than most plug in powernozzles and has a booster fan.

 

[vacuumdevil]

#CentralVacuumpropaganda

Welcome to the Central Vacuum club!

There's always room for expansion with these things. You can never have too many power heads or hoses.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

My Friend, Greg, is trying (might succeed)

in getting me to install a central system in my house. It's a 12-room, 140 yr old home. Of course, HOOVER abounds here. I keep telling him I'd need the Hoover, lolo. He'll measure a few things more. Then, we can discuss again and again.
Stay tuned

 

[vexorgtr]

The observers are correct. ThinkVacuums sells this nozzle as "Champion" and it also sells with the name Galaxy printed on it.

The electric power is integrated into the wand, as you have no visible cord. The wand to this powerhead is "Special" but it fits a standard Centec hose. In my case it's the Allegro hose, as that's who I bought it from. (allegro's hose is just like a centec)

I tried to list all the names that the PN33/PN22 nozzle sells under... I guess I missed a few. I settled on it, as it seemed like the best value. I have nothing bad to say about it, as it's done everything I wanted it to. I imagine that it'd be great for pet hair, as my Turbocat had to be "unwound" from my Wife's hair... I've not had ANY hair wind up on this brush. You can feel a good amount of agitation from it working, and it's noise level is modest.

The only "flaw" I found was on day one of using it, the dirt sensor got stuck on red.... turns out a small piece of fluff was covering the sensor. The nozzle has never clogged. There's a trap door on the bottom for clearing blockages around the dirt sensor. The volume level is such, that I can hear the dirt in the hose to a higher sensitivity than the sensor can "find" it. Sometimes it goes red for a split second, and I hear the object tick through the hose. I guess I haven't enough of a messy carpet to make it stay red for more than a brief second. (other than on day 1).

With this rig as it is, I find that I'm vacuuming around the house much more often, because it's an enjoyable experience, rather than a chore.

I also considered the Wessel-Werk 360, (I've used one on a Miele)... but I actually like the PN33 better in some ways. The wand/neck is very stout, more-so than most of the "build your own wand" rigs that we get to do. Other power nozzles like Lindhaus and Sebo were under consideration too, but I could find ZERO bad press on the PN33, so I rolled the dice and got a winner.

I was thinking about the Centec CT10, for the non-carpet floors, but I don't know if that'd be overkill.... since my existing tools work fine, and the messes on the hard floors are mostly bird seed and feathers... not hard to vacuum those.

I was thinking of making a YouTube video about Central Vacuum stuff, and some of my opinions on what works better than others... it would of course be Opinion heavy, but if it's presented as that, so be it.

The original pipe work was obviously installed by someone who does water plumbing, because it's setup to "all roll downhill". This has been great, and there has NEVER been a pipe clog in 11 years of using it. (2 with the Imperium Motor, and 8 with the 70's Nutone motor).

 

[ocscott3085]

It sounds like you have a pretty good set up for your system. I haven't tried that particular powerhead but I have the following powerheads -
1) Wessel Werk EBK 360 in white (Vacuflo's version)

2) Volt powerhead for when I use the hide a hose outlet rather than the standard outlets.

3) Turbocat and a Nutone 598 powerhead. Both haven't seen use since I purchased the Volt for use with my HAH.

If you can find a way to retrofit an outlet, I find the hide a hose the most often used part of my central vac system. Makes cleaning so quick and easy. I'm not a huge fan of the Volt powerhead but I'm the only person I've encountered who doesn't rave about the Volt. To me, the Wessel Werk does a much better job on my rugs and carpeting despite not having a fan like the Volt.

 

[dysonman1]

I have a Vacuflo central vacuum made in 1984. I have both the hide-a-hose 60 foot run, as well as three Electra-valves (120 volts for power nozzle) so there's no pigtail cord. I use the awesome Volt cordless with my Hide-a-Hose and the Riccar sensor Power Nozzle and 35 foot electric hose with the Electra-valves.

You should consider getting a Vroom. I can't tell you how much help it is in the kitchen. Also, a Wally Flex in the laundry room and over your workbench in the garage.

The Vroom was the best money I ever spent on my Central Vac. The Vac Pan was the worst investment, as I never use it with the Vroom handy.

 

[ocscott3085]

I have to agree with Tom on the vacpans. They are SO loud when you turn them on that I avoid using them. My partner will use them here and there but I've never been a fan of sweeping. I'd love to add a WallyFlex to my laundry room but not sure how to do that without really tearing up my walls. I only have HAH on the main level of my house but the laundry room is upstairs with all the bedrooms. I think it would be very handy for cleaning the lint trap in the dryer as well as emptying out the Neato Botvac and Dyson cordless.

 

[n0oxy]

ct10 and a few other things

For hard floors, the Centec CT10 is awesome, it will clean better than any floor brush. If you want one, I would get it now, unless something has changed, I was told by Centec that they bought Panasonic's remaining inventory when they left the vacuum market and once they are gone they will be a part of vacuum history. I have several power nozzles, you can take a look at my profile to see them all.
The Volt is an awesome nozzle, both for central vacuums and straight suction canisters. Centec also sells a battery power nozzle that's very similar to the nozzles that Electrolux makes.
Mike

 

[vexorgtr]

I can say for sure that I DON'T want a vac pan... since I never use a broom in the kitchen. I usually vacuum it daily, and mop it 1-2 times a week.

Thanks for the heads up on the Centec... I'll look for a deal.

Today a (gently) used Lindhaus PB14 /w/ wands showed up for sale, so I snagged it.... we'll see how it stands up against the PN33. The Lindhaus heads don't look like they "steer" where the PN33 does... but at the price I got it for, it's a good purchase. We shall see how it compares when it gets here.

 

[n0oxy]

Lindhaus power nozzle

The Lindhaus power nozzle is really good, if you want to expand your power head collection you might also consider getting the Sebo power head.
Mike

 

[ridgidwd0670]

Does the Stair Pro have a geared belt like the Lux SideKick & early Kenmore PowerMate Jr or flat belt like the later Kenmore PowerMate Junior?  How good does the Stair Pro work?

 

[vexorgtr]

I would like a Sebo power nozzle for fun, but the price keeps me away for now. The PN33 works extremely well, and the Lindhaus came up for less than 100$ with wands.. so I snagged it. If a good Sebo shows up for that kind of price, I'll grab it.

Stair Pro has a cog belt. I've found it to work very well, and I've been unable to stop the brush...the motor has LOTS of torque. The "mouth" of it is fixed, so it's a simple device. I've used it on the steps, the sofa, the chairs, the carpet for small zones, and even on my coat to get the sawdust off of it. Considering that it costs half of what Wessel-Werk's mini brush does, I'd say it's a big winner. I had a "rainbowmate" that was the same style of tool.. and that had much less torque, and weaker bristles. The #1 fault of the Stair Pro is the noise, as it has a bit of a whine to it, like a turbo brush... but it's certainly not THAT loud.

 

[n0oxy]

geared belt to flat belt?

Interesting that the Kenmore power mate junior has a geared belt and then switched to a flat belt, that seems like a step backwards. I haven't tried the stair pro, for a mini power nozzle I use the Wessel-Werk HEB160 and it's awesome. It pretty much works with any standard electric hose since it has a short cord with a mini plug on it. I use it with my central vacs and my canisters that have electric hoses.
Mike

 

[blackheart]

Lindhaus

It does swivel but it's swivel is a little differently designed. I've got a PB14 and I like it. it's quiet, has a lot of height adjustments and despite having a single row of brushes it's a very good cleaner. I think I put a tablespoon of flour under each end which was a little excessive. made 3 passes then pulled up the rug to see what remained. Both machines were connected to my Henry to eliminate the variable of the machine's airflow/suction.

 

[mmcphee]

Wallyflex

For anyone thinking of adding Wallyflex, just remove a standard inlet and mount the wallyflex as they use normal inlet backing plates. Yes, it will be low to the floor but it's better than nothing.