Finished my Central Vac install

[vacuumboy12]

Well, I finally finished up my central vacuum install.

Bought an MD Flowmaster 650T from a local dealer in Oregon City, with super valves and a high voltage hose/ Sebo ET-1 powerhead. Very happy with the end result. I’ve got a wye fitting on the trunk line to add a hide-a-hose in the future if I want, and a branch line capped for a future port in my enclosed porch. I may eventually add a regular low-voltage inlet to the garage wall, and run a riser down for some sweep inlets in the kitchen and main bathroom, but it’s good enough for now, and everything works.

Amazed by the power of the unit and the suction. Still need to vent it outside (it’s right next to an exterior wall) and finish up the dedicated circuit, but it’s tested and works as desired.

 

[n0oxy]

congratulations

Central vacuums are great, I'd say you chose a good power unit and a good power nozzle. While you could vent the unit outside, that unit has very good filtration, there's no need to put another hole in your wall, you would really gain no benefit by venting it outside. Since I live in an apartment, I use all of my central vacuum units without pipes, the power they provide is great.
Mike

 

[mark40511]

I would LOVE to have a CV

I had no clue they needed to be vented outside like a clothes dryer. Shows how much I know. I thought it was more simple. Like the main unit is in garage.....pipes run to each room through walls. You connect a hose to different outlets to clean and all the dirt goes to the main unit in the garage...I had no clue there was more to it than that.

 

[vacuumboy12]

Venting is optional, but...

I decided to vent it (even though the bag filtration is great!). However, the vent louver is sticking in the open position after the vacuum runs. I'm going to talk to my dealer and see if he has any other options for venting.

I will say that venting it makes it quieter in the garage. I caulked the wall penetration, so no air should leak in around the hole. I have the dryer and bathroom fan exhaust on the same wall, on the north end of the house.

 

[dysonman1]

Congratulations and Welcome to the Modern Day Family.

I have the SilentMaster model with two three-fan motors, and I use it with the Chameleon hose system.

Love, love the Tru Seal Hepa bags. I change it once a year. Last year it weighed 48 pounds.

I also have ElectraValves to use with the electric hose and power nozzle, so I'm well equipped. Looks like you are too.

Enjoy your new system.

 

[mjhoshaw]

Thanks for the inspiration

My wife is currently writing a trilogy of novels.  If she gets published and we build our dream house, it will have a central vac.  Thanks for your observations/opinions.


 


Joel

 

[panasonicvac]

Nice system, I love those units and powerheads! You could if you wanted to buy a ActiVac III exhaust filter for it, that way you wouldn't need to drill a hole in your wall. However, they do require replacing regularly like all other filters.

 

[marks_here]

Something else

People who don’t have central vacuums their homes have a smell about them. People who are new to my neighborhood always stop & ask what’s that loud noise coming from the side of the house I tell them it’s the vacuum, then I invite them in and first thing they say is the house doesn’t smell like theirs does when they vacuum. I moved my central unit to the furthest part of the garage away from interior walls because the vibration was getting a bit much, now you can’t hear it when it’s on inside but outside it’s loud as hell! And no I don’t want a muffler on it, let them all suffer plus most are hard of hearing too

 

[vacuumboy12]

Ahh, the dreaded vacuum "smell"

Yeah, we have 2 pets (cat and dog) and the dog has seasonal allergies that result in a lot of pet dander. The cat is pretty clean, but any litter picked up in my Sebo E2 will eventually exacerbate the pet "smell" and I would find myself changing the bag based on smell of the exhaust, and not the amount of dirt and hair in the bag.

Dysonman- what are your thoughts on the chameleon hose system? I bought a 6' stretch hose (will go out to 30') and use it with a parquet tool for quick clean-ups in the bathroom and kitchen. I bought Cansweeps for both rooms, but want to wait until spring before climbing down in to my crawlspace to plumb the pipe up to the home run.

 

[n0oxy]

having a central vacuum and venting

Mark, if you want a central vacuum you can definitely have one, you don't have to use them with pipes. I have lots of central vacuum units around my apartment, I use them all without pipes. Just use the utility valve, or attach one if the unit does not have one built in, connect your hose and you have the power and convenience of a central vacuum without pipes, and you don't have to vent outside, the only units that require this are the bagless cyclonic units and I would never have one of those anyway because I don't like emptying bagless vacuums. The most powerful unit I have is the Drainvac Twin Turbo, it has two Domel motors and each motor has six fans I think. It's awesome to watch that unit spin a turbo brush because it spins so fast.
Mike

 

[mark40511]

I'm trying to picture that and the only picture I can get in my mind is that you have this big central vac motor sitting in a fixed place in your house, and you have the long lose and the PN that reaches throughout the house? Can I see a couple of pics just curious...thanks

Oh, and FYI...for those who have bagged vacs that start to smell...all you have to do is suck up a couple of tablespoons of activated charcoal pellets into the bag...Maybe do it every 2 weeks or so and the bag won't smell at all. At least in my case it doesn't.

 

[n0oxy]

pictures

Sorry, I have a visual impairment so if I took pictures, they probably wouldn't look right, the units actually are not that big, you have the right idea though, I have central vacuum units all around my apartment actually, I can cover the whole place with a 50 foot hose. I would love to get some of that activated charcoal, wonder if it's hard to find.
Mike

 

[tolivac]

I just obtained a new central vacuum-Riccar RCU-H7 Quiet,very powerful,4 gallon bag capacity.In all elegant all black.Machine was built in Canada for Riccar.Who are the canadian central vac companies?Maybe can pin it down which one built this nice machine.Also bought a "blue" MD cedntral vacuum from the dealers trade in pile-same one I bought the Riccar.He is now a stocking Riccar dealer.Iam going to use the blue vac in the garage as a car vacuum.

 

[panasonicvac]

Rex

Riccar's and Simplicity's central vacuum power units are made by CycloVac, they are one of my top three companies that I would recommend to anyone looking for a central vacuum And you have one of the best power units on the market today!

 

[tolivac]

CycloVac-Thanks-good to know will look them up.Do like the Riccar machine.High quality like the MD vacuums.

 

[n0oxy]

cyclovac and other Canadian central vacuum manufacturers

Yes, the Riccar central vacuum units are made by Cyclovac. the cyclovac brand itself is not available in this area that I know of, they sell their units through dealers and there is not a dealer in this area, they do have some nice units though.
The Galaxie branded units are also made by Cyclovac I think. Some other Canadian manufacturers are Drainvac, Duovac and Canavac. All of these brands are good quality.
Mike

 

[panasonicvac]

There are lots central vac companies that are made up in Canada which I think is really cool. I even heard that Canada now requires newly built homes to have a central vac put in as part of the Canadian health code. I helped my relatives put in a Allegro almost a year ago and it's made in Canada as well. And I'm looking into installing in a OVO 700AW in my own home one of these days which is also made in Canada.

https://myovo.net/product/great-households-central-vacuum-deluxe-plus-attachment-kit-copy/