Vintage Central Vac Find

[singingrainbow]

I was browsing facebook marketplace the other day, scrolling through endless dirt devils which seem to populate the store around here. I had no intention of buying anything given my limited storage space (one bedroom apartment). I thought perhaps if I found something vintage and small I might splurge a little.

I didn't expect to end up with this.....

I bought a Vaculfo H-20 central vacuum power unit! Super compact and practical I know. The seller was flipping a home and found this machine hanging in the garage. The original homeowner owned a local lumber yard and installed this unit in 1958. (Apologies for the picture quality, not sure why they aren't showing at full resolution)

The machine is in very good shape with only minor dings and a little surface rust here and there, the cyclone cone and filter screen are both intact too. I suspect this hung on the same wall for the last 62 years. I've given it a general wipe over but it will need a full strip down. The seller even had the switch box for it. I don't know if it runs, wiring probably needs to be redone before I attempt that. But I'm really pleased with the condition. I'm really glad the seller didn't just toss it into the skip!

Thanks to videos by Owen Perkins I know a little about this machine, it used metal piping as it was a little early for PVC and I have an idea what the inlets would have looked like. I'm hoping someone may know what the tool set would have looked like. Also, does anyone know what the Vacuflo lineup was like back then? Just curious if this is a mid-end model or lower end.

This will be a long term project for me, hopefully someday I can rig it up and test it out. It might be a bit ridiculous, but I'm very glad I grabbed it when I had the chance!

-Scott

 

[vacman1961]

That was a nice find, it was one of the earlier VacuFlo unit's, probably the first unit when the name of the company was changed from FloLite to VacuFlo. The tubing could have been bakelite or some used metal. The bakelite tubing was very brittle and also very flammable, which I was told that was why the name of the company changed, something happened with the flammable tubing and there was some type of law suit. The model 26 both under the Flo Lite and Vacu Flo names was the more popular unit, the model 20 was made for smaller homes and more of a budget unit. The attachments that was used was interesting, the rug and floor tools were actually Compact brand attachments, polished aluminum, the 3 smaller attachments were a pinkish tan pretty much universal type attachment. Wands were friction fit. Vacu Flo is one of the leaders in central vacuum systems, I have been selling and servicing them since 1978. I have a 2 motor model 760 installed in my home with a Hide A Hose system, the machine is an absolute beast.

 

[centralvacs1928]

That was an awesome find!! The H-20 uses a big, powerful 7.5" three stage motor. "Only" about 85" waterlift, but 130 CFM wide-open. Quite good cleaning power at the hose end, especially for the day!

The H-20 in 1958 would have been their better/more powerful residential unit. The base model H-10 had a 5.7" two stage motor and significantly lower (but still respectable) performance.

I believe the Model 26 came out in 1962, and was a big leap forward with its 7.2" two stage tangential discharge motor, and integrated low voltage controls.

Charlie...I had heard the name "Flo-Lite" and seen it on Model 26s, but I was under the impression that it was a private label for a sales organization.

 

[gregvacs28]

Interesting find Owen.


It's interesting to see the sales floor in the 1960s.  Still very similar to what one would find today. 


 


It looks like the hoses they had were vynil wire wound.  If that's what it was it was a product that served for several decades.  It's like the CV industry lead the vacuum industry.  For example: most portable vacuum makers at this time were still making canister vacs with woven hoses including Eureka and Electrolux. 


 


 


 

 

[singingrainbow]

Thanks everyone

I really appreciate the information y'all have shared! This machine is for sure outside my comfort zone but I look forward to working on it in future.

Charlie, it's interesting that it used compact style floor tools, they probably gave really good performance for the time. I'm glad bakelite tubing never became the standard! It's interesting this machine ended up here, I don't think central vacs ever caught on in my area. If I ever get the chance to install a central vac I'm absolutely looking at vacuflo!

Owen, thanks for posting those pictures. I find the one of a trade show especially interesting, I wonder if that external filter on the exhaust was only for trade shows or if they ever sold them? Nice to know I don't have the most basic model (even if the smaller size might have been welcome for my storage space!) I'm really looking forward to stripping it down, I'm very curious to see what a three stage fan setup looks like.

Thanks again everyone.
-Scott