Central Vacuums

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I love central vacs, they're my most favorite type of vacuum to use ever! I wouldn't want to ever live in a house without one:) Interesting though, I heard from someone that Canada has a requirement to put in a central vacuum in newly constructed homes according to the Canadian health code.

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Almost everyone has "heard" of them...

I've never met a person (at least those I've discussed vacuums with) that did not know they existed. Most Americans probably think like me. The payoff of central vac systems just isn't worth it. I'm just turned off by the maneuverability issues of having to fumble with (and store) those long hoses. Emptying the huge tank also seems like a chore. I've never been interested in centrals and never will be.

However, now that carpet has outstripped hard flooring for the past several and becomes again fashionable, more people might give them a try.
 
DO NOT get a bagless central vacuum-dumping the 6-8 gallons of dirt and dust is a chore-then the indignity od cleaning the filter-or replacing it.Get a BAGGED central vacuum-nasty problems solved.You only have to replace the bag once or twice a year!
 
Hi Rex, while a bagged unit has it's advantages over a bagless unit. However though, they also have their drawbacks too. For example, you do have to buy replacement bags which some are not cheap to get.
 
OUCH! A bagless central vac? How is that even a good idea? Dumping a bagless upright is bad enough. I always dumped them outside before I got decent bagged machines.
 
Bag cost for central vacuums-you only have to replace the bag only twice a year at best.Not that expensive and WORTH IT not having to deal with several gallons of dirt and dust!!!And also not having to clean or replace filters-those can cost as much or even more than the bag!
 
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I know that at the moment there appears to be a turf war

On bagless vs bagged, I would like to bring something to the table, what about those water filtration bagless vacuums with the only thing you have to empty is something similar to a sieve or colander?
 
water vacuums

Water vacs are not bad, you can dump them without making a dust mess all over everything, but you still have to wash out the basin but that's pretty easy. That's the only kind of bagless vacuum I would use, other than that, whether it's a central or portable vacuum, bagged all the way.
Mike
 
Holy

Shiz. $6000 for a water based vacuum.
Wet dirt can't fly but the dust has to be sucked through the hose and through the entire pie to the vacuum motor unit before the dirt gets wet so it can't fly.
I wouldn't pay a premium of 4 times a TOL installed VM.
 
Central vs. Portable...

As a vacuum retailer, it's best for me to sell whatever I think the client will be happiest with. This is the "ice cream" mentality -- we have all these flavors to choose from, which one would you prefer?

However, a person buying a vacuum cleaner is trying to get a job done. The cleaner is a tool, and our expertise comes into play in helping them select the "best tool for the job" even if it might not be the one they were interested in at first.

My interest in vacuums as a collector always focused on portables, mostly uprights. Central vacuums were only a curiosity. I still have a collection of dozens of uprights and canisters, and always a shop full of others for sale or repair.

Only in my late teens or early twenties (when I began to view vacuuming as a task performed to accomplish a goal, instead of just running my machines for fun) did I start to appreciate the benefit of a built-in vacuum system. After wanting one for several years I installed it in my parents' house as a teenager, and it quickly became my favorite type of cleaner to use.

Since then I have lived in several different homes, and my initial attempts to "make do" with a high-quality premium portable vacuum cleaner have always resulted in retrofitting another built-in system to the house.

These days, the only thing I ever use to actually clean house with is my central vacuum system. Over the years I have become more and more turned off by the idea of using a portable vacuum and still having the dirt (and the exhaust!) right there beside you. Not to mention the noise! Vacuums have gotten quieter, for sure, but nothing beats not being able to hear the motor at all. Combine that with the versatility of being able to clean debris from the workshop, cars, garage, etc and have it all go down to the big machine down in the utility room, only needing to be emptied once or twice a year. It's a wonderful thing for me.

Certainly the hose is the most consistent objection to the use of a central vacuum system. Many older hoses (the wire-reinforced type, especially with electrical wires inside) I have found quite clumsy and unpleasant to get out and put away. I can understand why someone would be turned off. However, even those heavier old style hoses in my testing weigh 12 pounds or less. Modern central vac hoses (all 30-35 feet of them!) come in closer to 8 pounds -- the weight of the lightest uprights when empty. The entire hose is only being handled before and after the cleaning job is done, unlike a portable where you are pushing and pulling the machine the whole time.

Today's buyers have the option of hoses that retract into and store within the piping (Chameleon and Hide-A-Hose). This is not only very convenient, and eliminates ever having to pick up and store the hose manually, it's also a super cool way to make your friends jealous of your house.

There's a divide between people (like myself) who find the central system much easier and more convenient (not to mention more powerful and hygienic) than a portable vacuum, and those who just find it pointless and cumbersome. Do some "get it" and others just don't? Or is it a chocolate/vanilla ice cream question?

One thing that makes a big difference is the particular system a person was exposed to. Did it have "suck the paint off the walls" power like it should/could have? Or was it weak and anemic as a result of being undersized or poorly maintained? Were the inlets in efficient, thoughtful locations to reach the entire house, or just where the installer could get them? Was the hose and tool set appropriate for the surfaces in the home? Had the installer mounted a hose hanger, or was the hose being stored in a tangled mess on the closet floor? Being able to pick up the hose in a neat coil of 4 or 5 loops, as opposed to gathering it like a pile of laundry, makes a huge difference.

Sadly with a niche product (moreso in the USA than Canada) an experience with a poorly executed system will often taint the perception of the entire concept. You can easily see how a person moving into a house might try their system out for the first time, find it unsatisfactory for some reason, and simply go back to their portable vacuum instead of looking more closely at what might be causing their poor experience. It's very rewarding for me to meet someone who was turned off of central vac systems, and show them how wonderful the right one can be for them and their home.

To me, if I'm going to make the effort to plug something in and move it back and forth, I'd really prefer the equipment to be transporting the dust and exhaust far away, instead of simply collecting it in the room I'm cleaning. For that reason alone a built-in vacuum system I feel will always be inherently superior to a portable.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk .
 
One thing I tried that was fun and interesting-made up a hose to go from my Kirby Avalir2 to the intake hose of my MD Silentmaster central vacuum.Was fun hearing things clicking in the Kirby fan the rattling thru the hose!Had to run each off a separate 15A circuit.Was cumbersome-but novel and interesting.Guess the Kirby was the most powerful "powernozzle" I have used!
 
I guess I walk the fine line

I love central vacuums, they are my favorite type of vacuum, canister cleaners are close behind. I live in an apartment so I use all of my central vacuums without pipes, I attach a hose directly to them, so I get all of the power benefits of a central vacuum. The advantages that I don't gain are that I still hear the sound of the central vacuum and the exhaust goes in to whatever room of the apartment the unit is in, I have units in every room. I don't consider these to be big disadvantages. Many central vacuum units are not that loud and for those that are, you can simply wear ear protection in those cases, I only need to do that with two of my units. If the filtration is decent, the exhaust should be clean, I've never had an issue with that. At first I thought I could only get units that had a utility valve built in but once I discovered that you can simply add a utility valve to the in-take on any unit, I really started to expand my collection. The other thing I can't do is vent any of my units outside, but again, if the unit's filtration is good, there is no reason to vent outside and you really don't gain any advantage by doing that.
Mike
 
I find myself using my central vacuum more than I ever thought I would. My house is very “wired” for one. The two handiest things are the Wally flex in the laundry room and the VRoom in the kitchen under the sink. I firmly believe in the true seal HEPA bags from modern day. Mine was changed several days ago and I believe it weighed more than 30 pounds. The Chamaeleon has got to be the greatest thing ever invented.
 
Central vac

My home is 1,200 sqfeet I had it built too my spec. Being a vac collector, my neighbors brother put in a vacuflo During the house building..full cyclonic unit and two ports, two dust pans and port for garage.. it’s great..
 

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