Central Vacuums

[k15]

I've been curious about this for a long time. I grew up in Canada where central vacs are incredibly common. I'd say most houses built since about 1990 have a central vac installed, and almost all new builds in my area have them. Even my fairly small bungalow "starter" house built in 2010 came with a central vac. From my understanding central vacs in the US are far rarer, even to the point many people have never seen and/or heard of them. Any thoughts on why that is?
Personally a central vac for my house isn't really necessary, but for larger houses, or with 2+ floors, or with more carpet, central vacs are super convenient and super powerful. Strange to me they aren't more common down south. Installed prices aren't actually that much higher than "premium" portable vacuums like Dyson or Miele etc.

I posted a couple pics of mine. The power nozzle does a pretty good job (identical to the canister windtunnel), and the unit has lots of suction/airflow, but if I could choose I'd get a unit with a bypass motor instead of the flow-through motor that mine has. Some more info, though branded Hoover, it was actually made by a company called Canavac.

 

[tolivac]

There are some collectors on here that collect and even use central vacuums.They use them freestanding-no plumbing in the house for them.Use the utility inlet.Then you have a huge,powerful canister vacuum.I have several in my collection.If there is no utility inlet on the vacuum-make one using the wall inlet and an elbow.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I've entertained the thought of Central

in my house. I looked for a HOOVER unit. I only can see one in Canada OR "pickup' in Arizona.
I don't really need it. I DO have several GUVs, though.

 

[dysonman1]

Apparently Hoover didn't make very good central vacs. My friend Evan, who specializes in Central Vac sales and installation, trades in every single one on a 'real' central vac like Modern Day's SilentMaster. I've seen the motor Hoover used, the same as their spirit canisters. Small and underpowered. Evan has even used the trade in machines for target practice.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

But, Kurt,

thanks for sharing those pics. Hoover stopped offering those a while back.
It would have been fun , but not really needed.

 

[k15]

Yes, central Vacs are interesting since essentially all of them use Ametek-Lamb motors and have done so for decades. The key difference is whether they use a flow through or tangential bypass motor. Cheap centrals use a flow through motor, same style as portable canisters. The vacuumed air goes through the whole motor for cooling.
Tangential bypass motors are better, more robust and have provisions for exhausting outside the house. A separate fan and air path is used for cooling.

 

[lesinutah]

I

Wonder if taking your old vacuum out for target practice today would be called hoovering?

 

[n0oxy]

I love central vacuums

I have several central vacuum units, you can check my profile to see what I have. I use them all without pipes, some have an in-let on the unit and for those that don't, just attach a utility valve to the in-take and you have a super duper powerful canister cleaner. I probably use my central vacuum units more than my portables. And the really fun ones are the 240 volt dual motor units, one of them actually swept a guy off his feet while pulling in a hide-a-hose at last year's vacuum convention. Domel also makes really good central vacuum motors, several of the units that I have use Domel motors.
A lot of the central vacuum companies are in Canada. Canavac, Duovac, Drainvac, and Cyclovac. So far I have not had any problems with any of my flow through motor units.

 

[madman]

Hang on. Why is the power nozzle marked 12 amp? Does the little brush roll motor really use 12 amps?

Or is that like the actual vacuum that's 12 amp? lol

 

[k15]

That 12 amp text on the power nozzle betrays that it's identical to the windtunnel canister power nozzle, to the point they likely came off the exact same production line. Some ended up in boxes with a canister, others ended up in a box with a 30ft central vac hose.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I'll admit, it would have been fun to have

'Hoover" inlets in the walls of this old place. I was told it could be done. Maybe, if I ever can find a "Hoover", we'll see.
We had a cousin who had a central vac in her home, 'non-Hoover'. Another friend has one, too, but never uses it if only, rarely.

 

[lesinutah]

Your

Going to find a old hoover central vac and hoover it? I thought you loved hoover and wouldn't use it as target practice...

 

[bagintheback]

I would love love love to have a central vac and collect marketing materials for them. Mostly MD stuff. One day I hope to buy a house with one installed, but that's many many years away at this point.

There's a new housing development being built a few blocks from my house and I've seen a few Dirt Devil units installed. But you're right, central vacs seem pretty rare here in the US now. If you look on Zillow, you can add a keyword of central vacuum when looking for houses. In Phoenix at least, I've seen very few. It's split between houses built in the 80s-early 90s, and new million dollar-plus homes built very recently. Not many an average-joe can afford anymore. I'm inclined to believe central vacs were kinda a 1980s phase. My sister has a friend that owns a Nutone, and that family rares use it anyway, since apparently the hose is too bulky.

This newer company Ovo sells a "portable" central vac, which is just a smaller unit with an inlet built in, and doesn't require pipes. Drain-vac used to all their "Atomik", which was the same idea. It had more airflow than the Ovo, alas, it has been discontinued.

My "daily driver" for the past two years has actually been a setup with a Dyson DC-14 in a closet with a 50ft central vac hose attached. The hose reaches every corner of my house, and I have a battery power nozzle to clean carpets. Works fantastic. I've been thinking about making a video of it.

https://myovo.net/product/portable-central-vacuum-carpet-deluxe-attachment-kit/

 

[tolivac]

You can always add a central vacuum to an existing house.Any central vacuum dealer can do it.Or as collectors on here do--use it freestanding.Mine are in the hall and kitchen.

 

[n0oxy]

free standing

I have at least one central vacuum unit in every room of my apartment. If you want a central vacuum, you can get any unit you want and use it without pipes. Some units have a utility valve built in and for those that don't, just put a utility valve on the in-take. I have the Drainvac Atomik, it was a nice little unit, kind of a shame that Drainvac discontinued it. Another unit with the hose connection built in is the Vacumaid Garage Vac Pro, I have that unit in my kitchen.
Mike

 

[briannc]

I have a central vacuum and thoroughly enjoy it. It makes cleaning alot easier in my opinion, especially stairs.

Our main floor is all hardwood with some area rugs and upstairs is all carpeting. 3,300 sf home.

We have two attachment packs, one for each floor and that also helps as you don't have to lug the hose and powerhead up/down stairs.

I've always preferred canister vacuums since I could remember so this is really the best of both worlds for me, canister cleaning without the canister behind you.

The power unit is in the garage, the only thing I wish is that it was a bit quieter, even with the muffler it's a bit loud, that's the only downside if I were to find one. I'm sure there are manufacturers that produce quieter units.

 

[jo]

Central vacs

Seem to have never been super popular in the US…but moreso exist in bigger higher end homes here. Home builders in the US are greedy and aren’t into equipping the homes with bells and whistles. Track homes are bipuilt to minimal standards with just the most desired appliances such as laundry hookups inside the home and kitchen dishwashers and space for a full size refrigerator. Some builder don’t even include a microwave but have to include a vent hood by code…really only a $100 difference between the cost of a basic hood and an the range microwave hood unit.

Though even in high end homes million dollars and over often don’t have central vacuums.

I’ve found most people who have had central vacs in their house get tired of dragging out and putting away and storing a giant 30 foot hose plus the wands and all the attachments. It’s just an easier task to wheel along a canister vac plugged into an outlet with a 25 foot cord as dragging around a clumsy 30 foot weighty hose that can be quite cumbersome to carry from one part of the home to another. Then having to deal with the possibility that the hose may not reach every corner of the house one needs to use a vacuum at regularly as often central vac system outlets are poorly planned with not enough connection points in the house.

Jon

 

[jo]

Also

Historically in the US…the Electrolux became a big hit when Gustafson Salin brought the machine here to the US to New York City in 1924… uprights came along next with the brush roll system and gained popularity among people with a lot of rugs in their homes. Once wall to wall carpet started becoming the rage, vacuum makers such as Electrolux were forced to make power nozzles to allow thorough rug and carpet cleaning to compete with uprights. Central vacs in the US were about the last to be equipped with power nozzles as central vacs were not developed with electrics for power nozzles and so they were equipped with turbo air driven nozzles and those were…and most still are…very poor in comparison with an electric power nozzle. Hence with the American consumer wanting wall to wall carpeting as mainstream, it was known that a central vac was basically useless for carpeting.

One of my neighbors growing up had a central vac in the house built in the early 70s…she had wall to wall carpet except in the kitchen baths and foyer which is where she used the central vac and had a Hoover upright for all the carpeting. In the late 80s she wanted a new vacuum and ended up getting g a Hoover canister and that was the end of her using the central vac…she said she threw out the central vac hose and attachments and the Hoover upright in favor of the one new canister which she could use to clean everything anywhere in her home.

My Sister ran into the same issue…moved into a house with a central vac and it had white wall to wall plush carpet in all 5 bedrooms and an upstairs game room and staircase. As well as in an office/library and hallways. The central vac was straight suction only. She ended up getting a decent power nozzle Hoover canister vac for the whole house and only used the central vac for daily cleanups of the large kitchen as the hose was kept in the kitchen adjacent laundry room. She was able to upgrade the central vac system using an Aerus/electrolux hose and power nozzle as she had electric outlets nearby the suction ports and could plug the pigtail hose wire into those nearby electric outlets.

Jon

 

[n0oxy]

quiet central vacuum

Drainvac makes some of the quietest central vacuums. You can literally hold a normal conversation while you are in the same room. I'll link to their most powerful single motor unit, actually this is probably the most powerful single motor unit that is available.
At one time wall to wall carpet was a big thing, but you're seeing hard floors become the big thing now. My apartment is all hard floors and I would not change that.
Mike

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-viper-system.html