Power Nozzle

[bimmer740]

I recently put in a Vacuflo central vacuum with the Hayden super pack direct connect kit. My vac dealer whom I have purchased many machines from over the years said that this is one of the best kits on the market, and I trusted his judgement. I still wish that this power nozzle had a beater bar on it so I could see how it cleaned but does work really well even without it. I have a big problem with it though, the p/n does not go down low enough to the rug. In our basement we have commercial grade berber style carpet, with a very low pile and the nozzle is not low enough to touch it even when set on "1". I dont think that the suction through the nozzle is that great since my Miele power nozzle seems to stick to the rugs but the Hayden seems to cleans better. I was wondering if anyone has had this problem or may have a solution. I was also thinking that maybe a newer style cen-tec/kenmore power nozzle would do the trick. Does anyone know if the current model Kenmore power nozzle is lower to the carpet then the older box style like the Hayden. I know that a kenmore nozzle will work with my hose and I can get one on ebay at a low price. I am in love with my central vacuum, the best machine I have, I'm just dissapointed that I made such a large investment in this system and may have to spend even more to get another p/n.
-Steven

 

[andy]

Steven

I've never experienced the problem that you describe with a Kenmore power nozzle. In fact, I think the height adjustments are labeled XLow, Low, Med etc instead of a numerical numbering.

BTW congrats on your Vacuflo. I have a 560 in my house and it's wonderful. A bit messy to empty though. IMHO, a great central is the only thing that will beat a Miele

 

[bimmer740]

Andy

Which nozzle do you have with your system. I have the 566Q in my house, and it puts the my Miele Red Velvet and Blue Moon to shame! My nozzle has a numerical adjustment on it, the Hayden nozzle looks more like the nozzle found on the Panasonic canisters. The only reason why I didnt get the vacuflo nozzle was that my dealer said the hose on the hayden is better quality, in his opinion.

 

[andy]

Steven, I was getting ready to type a reply to you...

But I just opened my mail here at the store, and I got a packet that says "The new Cyclo-Vac attachments have arrived" I'm a Cyclo-Vac dealer. I'm gonna do some investigating before I get back to you...

 

[andy]

Power Nozzles

Steven, I have the TurboCat on my system at home. I much prefer the electric, but I just never got around to replacing it.

If I was going to get an electric powerhead for it today, I would probably go for either the Wessel-Werk EBK 340, or the Lindhaus head.

I just got an information packet in the mail from Cyclo-Vac. As you may know, they are the only central vacuum manufacturer with a variable speed unit. Previously, they only had that option with the low voltage hose, which meant being restricted to an air turbine brush. Now they just introduced an electric hose which has the variable speed control on it.

 

[bimmer740]

Andy-Wessel Werk

I have noticed that a variety of companies use the Wessek-Werk power nozzle. I'm curious to know how well it cleans. I think the Lindhaus sounds nice too but I would like to know how well they perform since the Italians don't have the same style carpeting. I'm also afraid my housekeeper might break and be confused by the lights. I would really like to be able to use a Sebo power nozzle, they seem wonderful and my vac dealer says they are excellent. Do you know if a Sebo p/n can be used with another type of hose? Andy why would you go with the Wessel-Werk or the Lindhaus instead of a Cen-tec? I trying to investigate as much as I can before I buy another nozzle and I appreciate your input and everyone else too!

 

[andy]

Power Heads 101

Steven

The main reason I would choose the Wessel Werk is because it is almost identical to the Miele 236 head, except it doesn't have the height adjustment. This may be where we differ in opinion. You sound like you're unsatisified with your 236, and I've yet to find a powerhead that cleans and grooms my carpets as well as it does.

I've used the Lindhaus powerhead in my own home, and combined with the tremendous suction from the unit, it rocked. The brushroll doesn't LOOK like it would clean as well, but it spins so fast that it really does a great job. The lights on the Lindhaus stay green for the most part. It only flashes red if you have it adjusted to high or too low, or if you get something stuck in it.

Any of the Sebo P/N's come in a version for central vacuum use. You can call me and I will get one for you if you want it (or any other powerhead). The Felix head is nice, but it doesn't clean as well as Miele's 236 head. I've tried them both in the store with rice, sand, etc. and the Miele will clean circles around it. I don't think you would be satisfied with it.

Now when you say Cen-Tec, are you talking about those ones that look like Kenmore Progressive powerheads? If you are, I will say that they do a nice job of cleaning, but they're not the best as far as build quality.

One of my favorite powerheads is the Simplicity/Riccar style powerhead which is also available in a Cen-Tec kit. However the hose that comes with these kits is very stiff and I've seen several crack right open. Cen-Tec has told me that they are changing the hoses to a more pliable material, but I don't know if that has happened or not.

 

[bimmer740]

More P/N questions

Andy, I was talking about the Kenmore Progressive head, do they differ in quality from the "Centec brand" nozzle or are they just rebadged for Sears?

I love the light on the 236, and I does clean well. I didn't think it was terrific with the hair from my German Shepard, but my beautiful girl was sick with cancer and she passed away last week. In just a weeks time, we have realized how much cleaner the house looks since she is gone. The dog hair problem is not a factor anymore since our cat sheds very little and obviously is much smaller. I would be willing to try the Lindhaus nozzle and have heard that Lindhaus products are very made well.

How well do the Simplicity nozzles clean? They too remind me of a Miele style nozzle and I hear so many good things about Simplicity vacuums.

The Sebo C3.1 machine got such a good review in Consumer Reports. The large L nozzle that is used with that machine is the one I am interested in, it reminds me of the Electrolux P/N. I'm surprised to hear you don't think it cleans as well as the Miele.

I have the Hayden Super hose now and I really would like to find a nozzle that fits that hose. If I have to change the hose then I will settle for what I have for right now. Its not the money that I care about, its just the fact that I have to change what I already bought and the time spent to find something that will work.

Why do you choose the Wessel-Werk over the Lindhaus?

Thanks so much for answering all my questions. You are a truly tremendous help!

 

[andy]

I haven't taken a Centec head apart up close and personal, so I wouldn't be able to say for sure whether the quality was better or not.

I've tried the L shaped nozzle at the VDTA show, and I was really impressed with it. The one that I said doesn't clean as well is the Felix style head. The L shaped head "hugged" the carpet very well when I tried it, and it pulled itself right along just great. You can also insert a more aggressive red bristle strip on the L shaped head if you need it.

Is your Hayden Superhose a wirebound or crushproof? I'll be honest, the Hayden hoses are not my number one choice. Plastiflex has an electric hose that is now available in a 1-3/8" diameter width. This is VERY important. The smaller 1-1/4" diameter hoses restrict the airflow more than the 1-3/8'. The difference is so dramatic, that the pitch of the machine is different with each of the hoses. If I were you, I would seriously consider if not now, in the future, upgrading to Plastiflex's 1-3/8 hose.

I haven't tried the Wessel Werk in my own home. I'm basing my opinion off of what I know about the 236. However, the lack of a height adjustment concerns me enough to where I would need to try it first before I made a concrete decision.

Please ask me anything else you would like to know. It is my pleasure to answer your questions.

-A-

 

[bimmer740]

Plastiflex

I like my crush proof SuperHose but I have not used any other central vacuum hose, so I cant compare it. Its plastic reminds me very much of a kenmore canister hose. It is a little heavy and the handle could be a little smaller but thats just my thought. If I were to change over to a platiflex hose that has a larger diamiter, do the inlets need to be changed? Is the Plasticflex the hose that is sold with the Lindhaus nozzle by MD manufaturing called the "Stealth Kit"?

I'm going to check out the Sebo L shaped head and the Linhaus too. The dealer that I purhcased my system from also sells sebo, so I can try it there.

I don't find that I use the height adjustment since my carpets are all about the same level. The Wessel head seems a little bulky but I would be willing to try that one also. Im going to have to check out some other vac shops that carry these nozzle and try them for myself.

Do you know off the top of your head what the cost to a vac shop is for the Lindhaus or Wessel nozzle? How about the 35 foot direct connect plastiflex hose?

Thanks
Steven

 

[compactc9]

The newer larger hoses refers only to the inside diameter of the hose itsself, the inlets are 1 1/2" either way. The hose you have is the wire reinforced one, which is heavy. I have several different hoses that I can use with my central. I have a Hayden Superhose, plastiflex standard high voltage only hose, and a Cen-Tec hose which is the newer larger diameter hose. I use the Cen-tec hose the most, as it fits my Riccar powernozzle wand. My inlets are also direct connect.

I personally like the Riccar p/n because of the metal bottom plate and 3 row metal brushroll (same type pf brushroll used in the Radiance/Synergy). It does look somewhat like a Miele p/n, as someone said, but I feel it is built better and cleans better. It also has a extra low setting and seems to clean the really low pile bathroom rugs well. Also, as for changing hoses around, although all direct connect hoses will fit your inlets, not all hoses, wand and p/ns are interchangeable. A plastiflex hose will not fit the connection on your Hayden wands which are the same connections used on older Kenmore wands. So make sure to look at things like that when buying new hoses.

 

[ahzeks]

I just got a SEBO ET-2 power nozzle for my central vacuum system. And so far, I like it a lot.

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I quickly upgraded to the Lindhaus PB-14 after I got my Beam system. I just didn't like the Beam Rugmaster Plus (Eureka) power nozzle that came with my system.

The Lindhaus was so much better than the Beam. It had height adjustment (which comes in handy when cleaning some of my longer pile throw rugs), cogged belt, and it shut off automatically when the wand was in the upright postion. It was also easy to restart it after it had become jammed -- you just turned it off, then on again. But, the bearings on the brush roll would become easily bound up with dog hair (I have an English Springer Spaniel) and I would have to regulary take it apart and clean out the accumulated dog hair. The wheels on it also developed a very annoying squeak that I was never able to quiet, no matter what lubricant I used.

So, last year I bought a Wessel-Werk EBK340L. It is a very good power nozzle and I like it very much with two exceptions. It doesn't have a height adjustment and resetting it after a jam is a little more difficult in that it requires pressing a tiny button on the back of the nozzle. Because of the lack of a height adjustment, I have a very hard time using this power nozzle on some of my throw rugs. The because of the high suction of the central vac (even with the suction relief valve open all the way) and the rubber back on the rug, the nozzle seals almost instantly to the rug and the brush stops. However, it does have a bright fluorescent headlight, coggeld belt, effective brush roll, shuts off in the upright postion, and it is very quiet. The handle release pedal is a little tricky to operate for some reason. Also, there hasn't been any dog hair build-up in the brush bearings (that I know of).

I've been using SEBO ET-2 for about three weeks now and it is very nice. It has height adjustment, an easy to use handle release, is very quiet, shuts off in the upright position, and supposedly the brush roll bearings won't become jammed with dog hair. It is very easy to access/replace/service the brush roll too.

It came with a new adjustable wand that had an adapter attached to the nozzle end that allowed it to mate with the power nozzle. The hose end of the wand didn't have a cord plug clip, and no hole for the button lock. So, I took the adapter off the new wand and attached it to the old wand, which was also adjustable.