Central Vacuums with Hide a Hose

[ocscott3085]

As I was cleaning today I forgot to post pictures of my Hide a Hose outlet I had retrofitted to my home two years ago. As you might recall (it's been awhile) my home was built three years ago with the standard builder-grade central vacuum system. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to choose the unit or the tools - it was either YES or NO to the central vacuum upgrade. Growing up with my parents' awesome Silentmaster system, I was initially hesitant to own a Dirt Devil brand unit. I must say it's actually quite powerful. My house is just under 5,000 sq. ft. and the 990 model is designed to serve homes up to 8,000 sq. ft. It came with the Vacuflo Edge powernozzle kit. While I had grown up with the standard hose setup, I noticed that I was only using the central vacuum once a week because I hated winding the hose up at the end of a quick vacuuming session. I reached out to a local dealer and had a HAH outlet installed on the main level of my living space. At 40ft, it reaches most of the main level of my home which is primarily hardwood floors and wool area rugs. My family room is a thick frieze carpet which the Turbocat doesn't clean as nicely as I like. I read somewhere on the Gardenweb forums about a guy who rigged an electric powernozzle to run with his HAH system. I was able to use the old Nutone powerhead from my parents' basement kit because it came with a 30ft extension hose. Now, I can use my HAH outlet to effectively clean all surfaces on the main level of my home. My cleaning lady is the only person in the house who uses the Vacuflo edge kit. Do any other members have a Hide a Hose system in their homes?

 

[scottg]

I put in a HAH in a previous house.. I loved it for the same reasons you do.. Central Vacs are great, but the big hose always wound up sitting coiled up in a room somewhere because I was too lazy to hang it up. The HAH was great, no complaints at all.

I moved into an old farmhouse and wound up purchasing a Miele because I wasn't ready to go through the effort of the central vac install. I have a feeling at some point or another I'll cave and put in a central vac with a HAH. I love the Miele, but I'm still pulling around a vac behind me. The HAH is so easy.. It's just that convenient.

 

[n0oxy]

hide a hose and electric power nozzles

If you want to use a hide a hose with an electric power nozzle, there is a 35 foot cord you can purchase, one end plugs in to a standard outlet, the other end has a mini female connector that you can connect to most power nozzles. Granted, you have to be careful not to run over the cord, but it should work. An electric power nozzle will clean better than any turbo nozzle, hands down, and they are much quieter.

 

[vacerator]

elelctric hide-a-hose

Do they not make one on a reel system inside the wall, with a pig tail connector at the end of the hose, so it also connects to a recepticale inside the wall, or is hard wired?
I'd rather keep it simple. The more inside the wall, the more difficult to install and service.
When cleaning another room, is there a need for a second hide a hose in the wall?

 

[ocscott3085]

I posted in one of the pictures how I was able to rig an electric nozzle to use on my frieze carpeting. We also have a Miele canister that we never use because it's a PITA to pull around behind us.

 

[vacerator]

Both Scott's;

Yes, convenient. The large wall receptacle is not very aesthetic to me.
I just hang my hose on the wall caddy.

 

[vacerator]

Miele, cumbersome to pull around?

Really? which one? The Chinese made Delphi C1 canister? Every other one rolls around excellent. The C3 Alize even has sprung air filled wheels. I think the first brilliant did as well, but they removed that feature on it last year.

 

[ocscott3085]

The Hide a Hose outlet isn't very noticeable when the door is closed. It's about the size of a panel of 3 light switches you'd find in a kitchen but is mounted vertically. Ironically enough, the only people that ever notice it are children...whose parents are then very intrigued by the idea. My parents want one now after having had a standard central vacuum system for the last twenty years. I do have 8 or 9 regular outlets throughout my house that accept the electric hose but it's just so much quicker to pull out the hose, attach the wand, clean and suck it all back up.
In regards to the canister, we have a Miele C3 Cat and Dog canister vacuum. Very powerful and lightweight(though I think my central vac gives it a run for the money)...but with the short hose it's right at your heels as you clean. I've only had it one month and actually have buyers remorse. Too late to return and I know I would never recoup the money on Craigslist or Ebay so it will just stay on one level of the home to use on the weeks the cleaning lady doesn't come.

 

[countryguy]

I had a Miele Capricorn and with the small wheels, it was very difficult to maneuver on my carpeting which is quite dense. On bare floors, it moved effortlessly. All the German made vacs seem to have very small wheels..I guess because in Europe, most homes do not have carpeting.

Gary

 

[vacerator]

Hide-a-Hose, Miele cont.

My cv hose inlet is in my living room. Center of the house. My 35 ft. hose reaches to the furthest corners through out the 1,450 sq. ft. house. Only on the main floor. The power unit is in the garage.
My house is done in shaker craftsman style.
It will stick out like a tiffany lamp on a mid century end table.
Is your's the white Meile cat and dog,or the red one?
I'd love one for my basement, but I have my two Eureka brandywine canisters, and an Oxygen Model 6997.

 

[ocscott3085]

Our Cat and Dog is the white one...just purchased it around Christmas.

 

[vacerator]

Miele

Nice! That runs about $900.00 yes?

 

[vacerator]

Miele continued;

I watched a Miele C3 demo video on you tube, and they say that the wheels and hose are designed to keep the canister close to you at all times, following so you can easily reach the tools and or speed/power controls if they are not handgrip equipped.

 

[floor-a-matic]

If I had a Central Vacuum System, I'd go for a XXX CentralX or MD SilentMaster because both use disposable paper bags (XXX uses Shop Vac 15-22 Gallon size bag) + Aerus/Electrolux tools (with the old style pistol grip handle & metal wands)


 


Years ago (around 1988-89) my family had a Sears Kenmore central CVS with Double Brush Power Mate; sadly the whole thing was left behind when we moved in 1993

 

[vacerator]

Erik,

I remember those Kenmore built ins. Sears always had beach balls juggling over the exhaust ports, and above their canister hose wands connected to the blower ends of the vacuums.

 

[vacerator]

Erik,

My C.V. power unit is a Hoover 10.5 amp 2 stage. Still going after 21 years.
I like the no bag polyester filter design. Just empty it, brush off the filter and can gasket, and clip it back on.

 

[scottg]

I've got a Miele UniQ.. I'm not saying that the Miele doesn't maneuvar nicely - it does.. It's just that a canister is trailing me wherever I go. I'm very careful with it as I don't want it banging into the walls and furniture - Less worried about marking up the baseboard and more worried about putting a mark on the vacuum

The beauty of the HAH is that you can pull out the amount of hose you need, go about your work, and then retract it easily - no need to worry about banging the canister into anything and then finding a home for it when you're done cleaning.

These of course are very small issues, basically a matter of preference for a specific vacuum type.. Everyone has their own. I've owned several Mieles and loved them all (except for my Silver Moon when I had to replace the hose with the "new" version which didn't have a swivel end). I've also had central vacs - with turbo nozzles and a low voltage hose, with a Lindhaus nozzle and a line voltage hose, and then the Hide a Hose. Since I've got mostly hardwood and area rugs, I can deal with a turbo nozzle again.. Having had a Hide a Hose, it's hard to go back to anything else, but again it's just a personal preference and it's different for everyone. I love my UniQ and am not ready to give it up, it's a beautiful vacuum.. I just have a feeling that one day I'll wind up putting in a central with HAH.

On a side note, they have new style valves which are redesigned and are much smaller than the original.

 

[vacerator]

Scottg,

Thanks for that info. I like the Miele Uniq as well. "Spitzenklasse"
Does yours still have the velvet lined tool compartment?
Isn't that velevet bumper softer also?
My old CV hose was more rigid than my current one. I never socked it, and it did wear some paint off my baseboards. I just touched them up.

 

[rugsucker]

very little is NEW

As we might learn at a visit to the Tacony Vacuum Museum very few if any of the 'new & improved' vacuum ideas are truly new.I have seen mention of in the wall CV hose reels from the 50s & 60s.Has anyone here seen or used one or seen factory literature???
On the subject of central vacs there is a special edition magazine on the history of the White House on news stands now.Among much information there is a picture of new mechanical equipment in a basement level as the WH was rebuilt during the Truman administration.Shows what seems to be a larger Spencer vac system in place waiting for piping to be run to rest of building.