brando_husky
Well-known member
Old roommate was checking out a house today and came across this little cute central vacuum. I've never heard of the brand Arco wand. Anyone have any possible details on history?
Peculiar Arco wand central vacuum
- Thread starter brando_husky
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huskyvacs
Well-known member
Wow! The size of that motor! This thing must have some suction.
I would hide a note on that vacuum with your name and phone # telling the future home buyer if they do not want the unit to call you.
The bodged pigtails on the wiring and the oil stains around it, it must have been running recently or someone attempted it.
I would hide a note on that vacuum with your name and phone # telling the future home buyer if they do not want the unit to call you.
The bodged pigtails on the wiring and the oil stains around it, it must have been running recently or someone attempted it.
brando_husky
Well-known member
The ad stated the vacuum is working!
huskyvacs
Well-known member
Wow, bravo to them. It likely won't be replaced with a cheap plastic unit then (I hope).
huskyvacs
Well-known member
Also when I was trying to look up more antique central vacuums, this popped up in the results. Same model, lol
human
Well-known member
ARCO...
I was mentally trying to connect it to the Atlantic Richfield oil company, which also goes under the name ARCO, but I see in the close-up it's the American Radiator Company. I wonder if that's a forerunner of the American Furnace Company, which was teh brand of the furnace that I had to replace in my house a little more than a year ago. The thing lasted 50 years. The rest of my HVAC system was branded Singer, as in the sewing machine company.
I was mentally trying to connect it to the Atlantic Richfield oil company, which also goes under the name ARCO, but I see in the close-up it's the American Radiator Company. I wonder if that's a forerunner of the American Furnace Company, which was teh brand of the furnace that I had to replace in my house a little more than a year ago. The thing lasted 50 years. The rest of my HVAC system was branded Singer, as in the sewing machine company.
dysonman1
Well-known member
You would be surprised how little working suction that machine actually has. The hose and wands are one inch in diameter. Very little airflow, lots of pressure. I had one in the old Museum, but it was donated to the Museum and not to me so I didn't take it when I left to open the New Museum. They used the same fans as a truck mounted carpet shampooer. Star shaped fans that sit back to back. One pulls, one pushes the air. They call it a roots blower system. The motor's carbon brushes are used only for a few seconds, till the armature comes up to speed, then they 'pop' away and the motor is running as an induction motor for the rest of the time. The brushes 'pop' back to the commutator once the motor slows to a certain speed once it's turned off. Very interesting arrangement.
brando_husky
Well-known member
I bet it has quite a unique sound!
So with a Roots blower arrangement, it is a "positive displacement" air pump that will produce ferocious suction but perhaps not much airflow. It would not deliver the hose-end performance we're used to today. Fascinating though; I'd love to hear it run with its repulsion/induction motor. Among others, many commercial portable (tow behind a truck) compressors for jackhammers and the like today use Roots blowers.
"Oil once each month?" Consumers would never buy into that today. Different times then. "Honey, did you oil the vacuum this month?"
"Oil once each month?" Consumers would never buy into that today. Different times then. "Honey, did you oil the vacuum this month?"
Early central vac systems are a fascination of mine. Arco Wand was among the most popular brands (thanks to relatively low cost and wide distribution through plumbing and heating contractors) and turn up now and then, in varying states of course. Living in a basement for 100 years doesn't exactly do wonders for one's complexion.
Here is a video I made of one of the most well-preserved Arco Wand machines I have encountered. It had an easy life and still runs perfectly. Sadly I have yet to have the opportunity to acquire any wall inlets or attachments. I actually have found a way to adapt a modern central vac hose to fit the old Arco Wand inlets - a short piece of 1" copper plumbing pipe fits the inlet perfectly, and can be glued inside the cuff of a new central vac hose (with some vinyl electrical tape to make it a snug fit).
I am also attaching some neat Arco Wand advertisements, as well as a picture of me and Evan Rogers (vacboy88) outside the Tacony factory with the Arco Wand that was donated to the museum, after we successfully got the machine to operate. This I believe was taken in 2011. Lastly are <span style="font-size: 12pt;">pictures of the original hose, wand, and power unit from the Wright Bros' mansion, "Hawthorn Hill". This machine you will note is one of the earlier "two bucket" versions, where the pump is belt-driven instead of direct-connected, and the bucket underneath the pump is to be filled with water. This circulates through the pump, sealing the small spaces between the lobes and increasing the suction. The design was short-lived and the much simpler one-bucket, direct-drive design is quite a bit more common. Someday I would like to find and operate one of these earlier units to compare the performance.</span>
Here is a video I made of one of the most well-preserved Arco Wand machines I have encountered. It had an easy life and still runs perfectly. Sadly I have yet to have the opportunity to acquire any wall inlets or attachments. I actually have found a way to adapt a modern central vac hose to fit the old Arco Wand inlets - a short piece of 1" copper plumbing pipe fits the inlet perfectly, and can be glued inside the cuff of a new central vac hose (with some vinyl electrical tape to make it a snug fit).
I am also attaching some neat Arco Wand advertisements, as well as a picture of me and Evan Rogers (vacboy88) outside the Tacony factory with the Arco Wand that was donated to the museum, after we successfully got the machine to operate. This I believe was taken in 2011. Lastly are <span style="font-size: 12pt;">pictures of the original hose, wand, and power unit from the Wright Bros' mansion, "Hawthorn Hill". This machine you will note is one of the earlier "two bucket" versions, where the pump is belt-driven instead of direct-connected, and the bucket underneath the pump is to be filled with water. This circulates through the pump, sealing the small spaces between the lobes and increasing the suction. The design was short-lived and the much simpler one-bucket, direct-drive design is quite a bit more common. Someday I would like to find and operate one of these earlier units to compare the performance.</span>
Watched the video--EXCELLENT-that Arco vacuum is a piece of gear when machines were REALLY built to last!!!!Can you imagine a vacuum built today lasting 100+ years??
Thanks for the video!
I was wondering what these sound like.
I was wondering what these sound like.
