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Questions about Central Vacuum Filters
QUESTION: We're building a new house in the (hopefully) very near future (long
story there, mostly county bueracracy stuff)
We were thinking about putting in a central vacuum system. Believe it
or not, after an extensive search of the local yellow pages (major
metropolitan area, Mont Co. MD near WDC) we have had minimal luck in
finding suppliers and zero luck for installers.
HD sells Nutone systems, and we found a sew & vac that sells Hayden
systems. but that's it.
I can do the install, or I can get the builder to do it. He's got a
guy that'll do the nutone stuff. Haven't talked costs yet with the
builder, so may be worth it to have him do the install (at least the
piping etc...)
So Recomendations?
Brand? Beam, hayden, Nutone, electrolux, hoover, Other?
Why? reliability, features, components, efficiency, noise?
Type system? filters, cyclonic, bag or bagless, etc?
How about the convenience? Do you like having the system?
Suppliers? Online, price, service, knowledgeable?
ANSWER: I also live in Montgomery county, & had a central vac installed in my new
(4 yrs ago) house by a guy named Henry.
It is a "Vacu-Maid" brand, & it came with a great assortment of
attachments. The hose is nice & heavy duty, & has held up well to my
wife's abuse.
The unit is located in the garage, & the exhaust runs to the outside.
There is no filter to ever need replacing. Just open the cannister & dump
out on a regular basis. There is a screen up near the top og the unit that
will clog if you wait to long between dumpings of the cannister.
We have 3 long haired dogs, & 2 cats who tend to spread the kitty litter
from their box onto the floor. Having the central vac makes cleanup a
breeze.
I will look up the installer's company name & phone # when I get a chance.
I haven't tried to search the net for central vacuum systems, but there are
loads of manufacturers. We did an entire community (3K+) with Black &
Decker units.
My recommendations are simple. If you are building a two (or more) story
house, definitely get a system. Otherwise, take a look at your plan layout
to see if lugging a hose and assortment of attachments is worth it without
wheels.
Second. Do not skimp on outlets. You can do a very large house with but
one outlet, but you'll have a very long hose. I recommend an outlet in or
adjacent to the entry of every room or area. Very large rooms should have
more than one. A twenty-foot hose is as much as you'll likely endure.
Third. The units are activated by the wall outlet. Just opening the flap
usually activates the system. Discipline your children immediately. NO
FLIPPING! Also, if you have any smokers, make sure they are forbidden to
even consider using the system at all. Remember, smokers have absolutely no
judgement as to the damage their habit can do . . . to themselves and to
your home.
The NOISE. Now, we are at the NUMBER ONE ADVANTAGE of a central vacuum
system. If you put your canister in a central (for short runs) but remote
(for sound) location, you will soon feel you are in heaven. Vacuuming is a
very tiring household activity . . . because of the damned NOISE. With the
central system, you get a very satisfying swooshing sound comforting you
that the stuff is going up the tube. It will take a time before you realize
that you love this system because it is QUIET!
CLEANER. Vacuum cleaners stir up lots of dust when you clean. Even the
best. Central systems may leak a bit about their canister (I've never seen
it), but they don't leak through fittings and pieces and bags right above a
swirling brush.
Remember furniture placement when locating outlets (Inlets?) Not just
convenience in locating, but how long the hose must be to reach around
furniture to all the corners, etc. It is very important to keep that hose
as short as possible. They are easy to plug and unplug at the outlet
(inlet) but difficulty in handling is exponentially proportionate to hose
length. (Builders like a few, "efficiently located" outlets (inlets?) and
long hoses, but that saves them a few bucks an outlet. Hose is cheap.)
Also, get a separate hose for each floor. I know you vacuum the stairs
also, but believe me, each floor wants its own hose. (Again, they are
cheap.)
I've been in old houses for the past 30 years. Difficult to retrofit. I
miss three houses, including a 3-story townhome, with central vacuum system.
(They also had electronic air filters . . . an excellent pairing of
appliances for a clean house.)
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