my central vacuum collection

[n0oxy]

I think most of us on here collect vacuums of one type or another, but I'm wondering how many collect central vacuum units? Ever since I got my first central vacuum unit and saw how powerful they were, along with the convenience of not having to pull a vacuum around I was hooked and I knew I wanted to get more of them. Since I much prefer canister cleaners anyway, my enjoyment of central vacuums complimented that perfectly. I live in an apartment so installing pipes really wasn't an option but you don't need pipes to enjoy the benefits that a central vacuum can offer. Some units have a built in utility valve that you can connect a hose to, and for those that don't, you can attach a utility valve to the in-take and connect your hose.
Here is my collection of central vacuum units, along with where they are in my apartment. Since I'm a blind person, rather than trying to take pictures, I will include links to each unit, hopefully each page provides a picture and you can also read more about each unit as well.
In my living room I have 2 units. First up is the Purvac Barracuda. Purvac is a brand that is made by Drainvac, I'm not sure why they make some units under the Purvac brand rather than just making everything under the Drainvac brand, but I guess it's common for some companies to make products under more than one brand name.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/purvac-barracuda-4-gallon-system.html

On the other side of the room is the Drainvac Viper. This unit is probably the most powerful single motor unit available.

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

Moving on to the dining room, there are 6 units. Along one wall is the Canavac CLS750.

https://evacuumstore.com/p-22348-cana-vac-compact-cls-750-central-vacuum.aspx

I was also able to have a 240 volt outlet installed in my dining room and I now have 5 240 volt dual motor unitsclose to that outlet. I call them the beasts since they are so powerful, and here they are.
The Drainvac Twin Turbo is probably the most powerful central vacuum unit available, I brought it to the vacuum convention a couple of weeks ago and was able to try it with a hide-a-hose. The way it pulled the hose back in to the wall was fun to watch.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-twin-turbo-9-gallon-system.html

Next up is the Duovac Distinction.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/duovac-distinction-9-60-gallon-system.html

And then there is the Galaxie GA240

https://www.mycentralvacuum.com/galaxie-vacuum-ga-240p-central-vacuum-power-unit-p/ga240p.htm

And then there is the Vacuflo DB9000, I'm not sure if this page has a picture, perhaps all of their bagged units look the same.

https://www.vacuflo.com/WBA/Content/products/power-units/disposable-bag

And the last of the 240 volt beasts is the MD Silent Master S900.

https://builtinvacuum.com/silent_master/compare.html

Moving on to the kitchen, I have one unit. This one is rather unique, it uses a central vacuum motor that is used in units designed for 6000 square feet, but it has a hose in-let directly on the unit, so it's designed to run stand alone rather than with pipes. It's the Vacumaid garage vac pro.

https://vacumaid.com/product/garage-vac-pro/

In the bathroom I have one unit under the sink, the Intervac H120, this is another unit that has the hose in-let directly on the unit.

https://www.intervacdesign.com/c1/Home-amp;-Garage.htm

Moving on to my main bedroom, there are 2 units. The Vacumaid SR800, this uses Ametek's most powerful motor the 8.4 diameter bypass motor.

https://vacumaid.com/product/sr800/

The other unit in my main bedroom is the Drainvac Powerhouse.

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

Finally, in my second bedroom I also have 2 units. The Drainvac Atomik, this one is unique because it can be connected to pipes or taken portable.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-atomik6-30-portable-system-w-accessory-kit.html

Also in this room is the MD Flomaster M85, this unit now is the model F650

https://builtinvacuum.com/flomaster/compare.html

Well, that is my collection of central vacuum units. I still love my canister and backpack cleaners and my Sebo Felix, but I do find myself using my central vacuum units more than anything else, and I'm looking at getting a few more in the next few months.
Mike

 

[vacuumdevil]

What a real vacuum collector looks like

@n0oxy That's badass!

 

[dysonman1]

Mike, We all thoroughly enjoyed the central vacuum collection that you did bring. Those four were perfect. I am in awe of the littlest one. It looks like a little filter queen, but with extraordinary suction. We went through all four, trying them out. When they put that huge beast into my pipes and connected it, I was completely overwhelmed. That machine has so much power. And I thought my modern day was the cats meow. Thank you again so much for sharing them with us. It was the highlight of the convention. After all, the theme this year was central vacuums.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's a very neat collection you got there Mike! I like how you've put some of them into separate rooms, I was thinking you all had them in one room lol. What units are you planning on getting in the future?

Anyways, the MD Flo-Master F650t is actually a bit different than the M85 but not a whole lot. The motors are different, I've used both units before and the F650t I feel is slightly more powerful than the M85 (Actually the F650t uses the same motor as the AirMaster A650t). The F650t has a utility valve, at least the M85 that I've used didn't had one on. And the F650t uses Tru-Seal closed bags.

 

[n0oxy]

flomaster M85

My M85 does have a utility valve on the front, I was told by those who sell the MD units that the F650 was the closest to the M85, when the M85 was out, it was their most powerful flomaster unit, now it's the F700 but there's not a huge difference between those two.
Mike

 

[n0oxy]

units I want to get

Tom, it's interesting that the Drainvac atomik looks like a filter queen, I think you showed me a filter queen when we first met but I don't really remember what it looks like, since their bagless I never had any real interest in getting one. Yes, connecting the Drainvac Twin Turbo to your pipes was amazing, we should do that again next year, The way Owen and Reggie worked their magic to make that happen was so awesome. I couldn't see what was happening but everyone was commenting about what it did to the carpet as we cleaned, and the way it pulled the hide-a-hose back in was really something. That was the first 240 volt unit that I purchased once I had my outlet installed.
Ok, on to the units I want to get, first is the Drainvac Turbo.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-turbo-9-gallon-system.html

Then there is the Galaxie GA200

https://www.mycentralvacuum.com/galaxie-vacuum-ga-240-central-vacuum-power-unit-p/ga-200.htm

Then there is the salon vac, this is another one of those units that has the hose in-let right on the unit, it's designed to be used without pipes.

https://www.mycentralvacuum.com/product-p/hjb.htm

And last but not least is the Duovac Star.

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/duovac-star-8-gallon-system.html

I haven't decided what order I will get them in but I would love to have all of these at some point, though I'm thinking I will probably get the Drainvac Turbo first, I'm really impressed with that company's units.
Mike

 

[panasonicvac]

Have you thought about looking into a Modern Day M850h2? That's one of the newest MD units that was released for 2020 and it's got more waterlift than the S900r2 and the M965h2. Or you could look into the new AirMaster XL A850h2Q which has the same ratings as the M850h2.

https://builtinvacuum.com/airmaster/xl-compare.html

Another unit you could also look into is the OVO 700. This appears to have the same motor that the Flo-Master F700t uses. But compare to the F700t, it's WAY cheaper. Plus it's a hybrid design, similar to like a Duovac. And it's made in Canada. I might install this unit for my aunt's new home that will be finished by later this year since unfortunately an MD unit is WAY out of their budget.

https://myovo.net/product/hydrid-central-vacuum-700-aw/

 

[tolivac]

I collect central vacuums and use them freestanding-no plumbing.I have two Drainvacs-Atomic(use for the car) and a Viper.3 MD machines-Silentmaster 15A 120V,Airmaster 120V 14A.Use my Airmaster bagged.You can use it bagless if desired.Bought this one from the dealer-had a blown motor-was replaced under warrantee.Mike and I put a new motor in it-have it at home now.Use it with the Viper and Silentmaster.In my main hall.Have other machines in the kitchen-a speacil MD unit mounted on a janitor cleaners cart-under the name of "Port-A-Vac"Look up Greenville Vacuum and sewing and you will see these custom machines.Mike makes them up and sells them-main customer is churches.One of the local theaters bought one.At my transmitter site ordered two for Tx maintenance.These are NOT in my collection.Have one at home that I bought myself.The MD units are specially made for these cart vacuums.Have a Beam bagless machine,two NuTones these three units are from the dealer trade in pile after customers bought new MD machines.Have an Earus Lux central unit-bagless blown motor-the dealer gave it to me.Have three 50 Ft MD hoses I use with my machines-the Atomic came with a hose and tools.This one works well cleaning out the car.

 

[n0oxy]

MD 850

The MD 850 has a lot of water lift but very low airflow, only 95 I think. That's too low to really be useful, even some portable cleaners have more CFM than that.
Tolivac, that's a nice collection you have there. I had a beam unit at one time, I gave it away and would probably not get another one, their quality is not the best. I don't think Nutone's quality is very good either.
Mike

 

[panasonicvac]

I was thinking you liked having more suction than airflow which was why I suggested the M850h2. They're designed for higher altitude areas with Hide-A-Hose applications where the S900 or the M956 doesn't have sufficient waterlift.

Regarding Beam, my parent's Beam 287S is actually a good solid unit along with many others that I've used before. The only models that I could care less about are their Alliance units. If Neura Air would offer us a GREAT deal to replace our old Beam with a new Serenity SC398, I wouldn't mind my parents getting another Beam. And speaking of Beam, their Serenity SC3500 is a dual motor 240 volt unit (Same thing as the Smart SMP1000) and you can use bags for that since all bagless Beams are now hybrid.

 

[eurekafansquid]

beeg vacuum

 

[n0oxy]

two new units

I'm planning on ordering the Drainvac Turbo and Galaxie GA200 this weekend, they are dual motor units but run on 120 volts. The Drainvac Turbo has 160 water lift and 145 CFM and the Galaxie GA200 has 160 water lift and 199 CFM. Really excited.
Mike

 

[jim99]

advice after few years using the vacuum cleaner

I have an advice from my point of view after few years using the vacuum cleaner. I bought 3 models: Eletrolex, Philips, Hoover.
Buying a vacuum cleaner, take care 3 things: sucking power, noise, convenience.
This guy has good advice for you https://www.palandsmith.com/

Why?

Less sucking power will cause the issue: time to finish, more power is good but it cause too noise, it may make you headage
Convience, of course it will help you to clean many area like floor, sofa, corner

 

[panasonicvac]

Sweet

Looking forward to hear your thoughts and impressions on both of those! I understand that you're not a fan of bagless but I'll have to admit, I really do like Galaxie's GA-100 unit. I've been to a home before that looked like a mansion and it had two GA-100 units. They use a internal separator that's just like what the old Whirlpool built Sears Kenmore or Panasonic had on their units which in my opinion is faster and easier to clean out than a true cyclonic Vacuflo or Vacumaid's and ACV's single units. If I were to buy a Galaxie today, I would get the GA-100.

 

[n0oxy]

analysis about dual motor units

I've been thinking about the specs on dual motor units. I currently have 5 240 volt dual motor units, and will also soon have two 120 volt dual motor units, I'm not sure how those run with two motors on a standard circuit and don't trip a breaker, most single motor units use between 11 and 13 amps as it is. For my 240 volt units, three have the motors in series which increases the suction, also known as water lift, and two have the motors in parallel which increases the airflow or CFM. I know there has been some debate about which one is more important, and central vacuums are no different. Really, you need a decent amount of both to clean well so I'm not sure if that debate offers much value. When it comes to single motor 120 volt power units, the water lift is generally between 100 and 158, depending on the unit and the motor it uses. When you increase the number of stages on a motor, you increase the suction and decrease the cfm. Similarly, the CFM on a 120 volt single motor unit is between 100 and 160.
Now when you get in to the dual motor 240 volt units, for most of them, either the water lift or cfm amount is in the range of a single motor 120 volt unit. For example, the Drainvac Twin Turbo has a water lift of 221 and the CFM is 148. The Duovac Distinction has a water lift of 210 and the cfm is 106. The MD Silent Master S900 has a water lift of 136 and the CFM is 190. The only dual motor unit I have where both the suction and CFM are higher than what a 120 volt single motor unit can offer is the Galaxie GA240, water lift is 199 and CFM is 215.
I'm definitely looking forward to getting my new units, I think they will be really nice.
Mike

 

[n0oxy]

got my two new units

I got both of my new central vacuum units today, they are awesome, both of them are 120 volt dual motor units, I have no idea how these companies are pulling that off without tripping a breaker. I was afraid one of these units would trip a breaker but that didn't happen. Most central vacuum motors draw at least 10 or 11 amps, so I have no idea how they are getting two motors to run in both of these units without problems, but it works. Here are the two units I just got.
The Drainvac Turbo

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-turbo-9-gallon-system.html

And the Galaxie GA-200

https://www.mycentralvacuum.com/galaxie-vacuum-ga-240-central-vacuum-power-unit-p/ga-200.htm

Both of these units can be used with or without a bag but I would never use any of my units bagless, they are a mess to empty and I would never buy any unit that could not use a bag. The Galaxie unit has a progressive start feature so it sounds like a jet taking off. Supposedly starting slowly makes the motors last longer but I'm not sure if it really makes any difference. Anyway, two more central vacuum units for my collection, and they were well worth getting.
Mike

 

[tolivac]

Most large central vacuums that need 15A or more use a soft start for their motors so it won't trip a breaker or blow fuses on startup.I just bought a Fein Tools 9" metal cutter circular saw that has a 15A motor.It has a soft start in it just like on a vacuum.The motor starts gradually.The saw has a worm drive blade system-you can't turn the blade by hand-the gearing is that low.Starts up fine.The blade can cut 1" thack steel!Its fun trying these out!!!!And--then use the vacuum to clean up the cuttings.The stats on that machine blade speed is 2400 RPM-motor speed is much higher.A circular hacksaw!!!

 

[n0oxy]

amp draw for large motors

One of the units I brought to our vacuum collectors convention a few weeks ago was the Drainvacp Viper and when we fired it up, it made the lights dim. The Viper is one amazing unit, it's very quiet but very powerful, I think it may be the most powerful single motor unit available. I think many breakers are designed to allow a larger load temporarily without tripping to allow motors to start but the soft start feature would probably avoid the possibility of any tripped breakers. I'm still trying to figure out how these two new units I got are running two central vacuum motors on a standard circuit without overloading a circuit, I don't think there is any power conversion in the units.
Mike

 

[tolivac]

I tried my MD Silentmaster,Drainvac Viper and they draw the same power-14.5A on my Ampmeter.Same with my MD Airmaster-14.1A.The performance of these machines is about the same.All very powerful!And of course-use bags.The MD Airmaster is a hybrid machine-use bags in it.