More Central Vacuum Information

Central Vacuum Garage Attachments with Retractable Hose

A few years ago we did a central vacuum installation in a house that had a 57 car garage! We updated our garage a few years ago, but it still only holds 2 cars! When we redid it Roger insisted on a tile floor. I thought that was kind of nutty, but I have to admit it is easy to maintain. To keep that floor clean and neat he uses the central vacuum system. We keep an extra hose and set of tools in the garage, just for that purpose, and we have found most of our customers do the same.

At Central Vacuum we carry a full line of central vacuum attachment sets designed to use in your garage or utility area. Today we added a brand new kit that we think our customers are going to love...and they'll love the price even more...$89 for the entire set. This set has all the great accessories you'd expect to find in a garage attachment set...extension wands, crevice tool, bare floor tool, dusting brush, upholstery brush, tool caddy, and hose hanger. What you wouldn't expect to find in an $89 tool set is the same retractable hose you'll find on our competitors' sites selling for over $100. This hose extends from 12 feet all the way to 30 feet, and then retracts into itself for easy storage. 

No, this isn't a mistake, you are reading it right. We are selling an entire attachment set with a retractable hose for less than the price of the hose. Because we purchase in volume, manufacturers often offer us quantity pricing, allowing us to pass our savings on to you! Take a look at this great deal.

Central Vacuum Extendable Hose Garage Attachment Set

Vacu-Maid and AstroVac Central Vacuum Systems: Made in the USA

Vacu-Maid and AstroVac Central Vacuum Systems are great products, and I'd like to highlight them in this post.  Vacu-Maid and AstroVac are manufactured by Lindsay Manufacturing.  Our Imperium line and Valet central vacuums are also manufactured by Lindsay.

Lindsay is one of the pioneers in the central vacuum industry in the United States and today their central vacuum power units are STILL made in the USA!  These central vacuums are manufactured by Lindsay Manufacturing in Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA. They have been building quality cleaning systems since 1956. Since the beginning they constructed their power units from rolled galvannealed steel and now they powder coat them for a tough, corrosion-resistant lifetime of use. 

Lindsay is a family business, and Central Vacuum Stores considers them true friends and partners in serving our customers.  Last year at the International Builder's Convention in Orlando, Florida, I snapped this picture of Winston Lindsay (President and CEO of LIndsay Manufacturing seen on the right) along with his son and daughter (also part of Lindsay Mfg.), and Roger Ambrose, the President and CEO of Central Vacuum Stores. We have sold thousands and thousands of Lindsay products over the years and I can tell you they are a company that has integrity and stands behind the quality of their products.

Their most recent addition, the Green Clean Machine is another example of their pioneering efforts in our industry.  This product is unlike any other unit on the market. Check out these features:

Repairable long-life motors Special interrupters stop the motor near the end of brush life so that the brushes can be replaced prior to damage to the motor.

“Off is Off” . Less standby power Features an On/Off switch that turns the power unit off completely, no energy leakage.

Maintain healthy indoor air The can liner allows maintenance to be performed without all the dust dispersing back into the living environment.

Recyclable steel canister Not only will this canister last for years, its all steel construction is also recyclable at the end of its life.

Over 50 Years of Product Innovations Manufactured in Ponca City, Oklahoma, U.S.A. since 1956.

Lindsay also manufactures this unit under the Imperium name.  Learn more about the Imperium CV7700.  What's more...both the Imperium and the Green Clean Machine are the only central vacuum systems that we know of, with the Rug and Carpet Institute's Green Label for Indoor Air Quality!

Now for the best news!  You can buy Lindsay products on our website!  Whether you are interested in a Vacu-Maid, AstroVac, Valet, or our own Imperium, you can find them at Central Vacuum. 

Beam Central Vacuum Moves Factory

Big news in the vacuum industry.  Beam has recently announced that they will be moving their factory from Webster City, Iowa.  It seems their primary manufacturing will now be done in Mexico. You can read the article here.  We have been a Beam dealer for years, but as of last year, they asked that dealers not sell power units online unless the customer lived within 100 miles of the dealer's retail store.  We still sell a complete line of Beam accessories, hoses, and tools.  If you do want to buy a Beam, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227, and we'll help you find a dealer in your area.

Beam is owned by Electrolux, a large European conglomerate.  Last year we partnered with Electrolux to manufacture our Emerald Imperium central vacuum units.  Recently, we discontinued that partnership due to differences about how to market the units.  We believe in transparency, and felt it was extremely important to let our customers know that Electrolux was manufacturing our units, however, Beam did not want us to mention that they were manufactured by Electrolux.  And so we went our separate ways.  We have a few of the Emerald Imperiums manufactured by Electrolux still available if you would like one of these units.  We will soon reintroduce a new and improved Emerald Imperium unit. 

Don't miss our original Ruby Imperium units.  Our Ruby units are and have always been manufactured by Lindsay Manufacturing (and they don't mind if you know that !)  Lindsay units are high quality steel central vacuum power units, manufactured in the USA.  That's right, the USA!  We have sold thousands and thousands of these units and our customers love them! Check them out here.

Central Vacuum Installation Help: Change is Here!

At Central Vacuum Stores there is one thing you can be sure will never change...We are going to keep changing.  The Internet is growing and changing every day...if we don't keep up, then our customers suffer.  For the past nine years we have offered expert central vacuum installation advice free of charge to anyone that asks.  Some companies charge for consultations, and others only give tech advice to their customers.  At Central Vacuum we treat everyone like they are our only customer because we want them to be our customer. This isn't going to change! 

However, we have taken our expert advice up a notch.  As always, we have 29 years of installation experience behind our answers to your questions...but now we have a professional to help you plan a central vacuum system.  Faith Ambrose Elliott, a structural engineer, has joined our team to help with your installation plans. 

Faith is an engineering graduate from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida.  She has been working as a structural engineer for almost five years, and stands ready to review your plans and make sure you are optimizing your installation.  You can read more about Faith on our website and request a free consultation.

Carbon Brushes for Central Vacuum Motors, Easier Than Ever to Find

I despise going to a website and having to look all over to find what I want amidst their cluttered pages. It's like digging through somebody else's junk drawer.  Over the past year we have worked tirelessly to make it easier for our customers to locate what they are looking for quickly on our website.  We have added Interactive Parts Finders for motors, hoses, powerhead belts and brush rollers, Miele parts, and now we have a tool to help you find carbon brushes for your central vacuum motor.  Some customers don't want to bother with changing carbon brushes, they would rather just replace the entire motor, or buy a new power unit.  But if you are somewhat mechanical, changing carbon brushes can save you the cost of a new motor.  We have a wide selection carbon brushes for Lamb Ametek motors, and all you need to locate the proper brushes is the number stamped on the motor.  Take a look at our Carbon Brush Finder.

While I am talking about carbon brushes, don't miss our Imperium central vacuum systems CV7700, CV7800, and CV7800T which all feature a carbon brush interrupter.  This means when the carbon brushes wear down the motor stops, signaling you that it is time to change the carbon brushes, thereby extending the life of your central vacuum motor.

Our customers love our Parts "Finders", but the favorite tool is our Search Tool, which is state of the art technology.  This isn't your typical "Google" type search that spiders the site to try to find a match.  This search actually  accesses our data base to help you find exactly what you are looking for.  And the result isn't a generic list of matches, the result is pictures that link to actual product pages. Looking for something central vacuum related,  Try our Search.

Nutone Intercom Upgrade: Photos from a Customer

 I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Our customers are the greatest!  They are smart and resourceful, innovative and generous.  Yes, generous, because they take their time to send us emails and photos to post on this blog.  We just got these photos and details from a customer who upgraded their Nutone intercom system.  Take a look and notice their advice at the bottom of the page (Just click on the photo to enlarge).  Send us your pictures and we'll be sure to include them on this blog, or send us a video describing your installation or favorite part of your system, and we'll post it on our YouTube channel.

Central Vacuum Ratings

My son visited China last summer and brought back a Prada handbag for his girlfriend...now he wasn't fooled, he knew it was a knock off and so did she...But I am here to tell you that if you looked at this bag you would have no idea it was not the genuine article.  It looked just like the Prada bags at Neiman Marcus.  However, in six months that handbag will be falling apart and therein lies the difference.

I recently had a customer ask for advice.  He was comparing two units on our website, and the specs were virtually identical.  When you are shopping for a central vacuum system, look beyond the specs, because they don't always tell the whole story. 

We like units that are made in the USA.  For the most part, we prefer steel units.  We like manufacturers that partner with us to warranty your product.  Lindsay Manufacturing produces Vacu-Maid, AstroVac, Imperium, and Valet central vacuum units, which are made in the USA.  Lindsay has been outstanding with warranty issues.  Nutone is another company that offers great customer support for warranty work. 

Finally, and I hesitate to say this, but published specs are not always 100% reliable.  For the most part,they give you a good general idea of the power of a central vacuum system.  However, Air Watts is probably the most unreliable measure.  Some manufacturers do funny things with ratings like Air Watts. One year a leading manufacturer had a power unit with 550 Air Watts rated to clean a 10,000 square foot home and the next year the same manufacturer had the same machine with the same motor rated at 600 Air Watts rated to clean a 7000 square foot home.  Go figure.  To be safe, look primarily at CFM and suction (inches of water lift) which are  the most reliable.

While we are discussing specs and ratings, you need to be aware that there are central vacuum dealers that produce their own ratings on central vacuum systems. These companies aren't manufacturers, nor do they have any independent testing to back up their ratings, they're just central vacuum companies, like us. So just to set the record straight, to date, other than Consumer Reports, there has been no independent rating of central vacuum systems.  You can read the Consumer Report Article here.  There is nothing wrong with a company recommending central vacuum systems based on their experience and preferences, we do it all the time, but if they lead you to believe that these ratings are anything other than some facts mixed with a lot of opinion, that's just wrong.  Of course, some websites, like ours, actually have customer reviews, which are incredibly helpful. Here's an example of a product on our website with customer reviews.

As always, pay attention...You can buy a great central vacuum system online, and the best way to do that is to buy from a great company.  At Central Vacuum Stores we have sixty plus years of experience and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  Check it out here.

Locate a Central Vacuum Motor, or Any Other Central Vacuum Part Easily

Every week we receive dozens of emails from customers telling us how they were able to locate just what they were looking for  on our website.  We like to share some of these emails from time to time...so here are a few that say it all....

1.  I searched some random websites for the motor I needed and wound up frustrated. I then went to your sponsored link on google and was amazed. You have a wonderfully useful website. I went right to the part I needed. I thought it must be a mistake it was so easy. Delivery was prompt and the part was a perfect fit.  Thank you all.
J. Hammersberg

Click here to use our motor finder.

2.  Terrific service, I travel all of SW Fla in my job, so I had originally stopped at another Beam Dealer.   After 3 trips, no return calls, the wrong part, and finally "just take off the old part and bring it in and we will try to match it up", I called you guys.  Just one phone call and the part was found and ordered instantly. I was called when it arrived, it was the correct part, my central vac works now after being down 2 months. I will never call anyone else. Thanks again,
M. Hanson

3.  We live in an area nearby Central Vacuum Stores and purchased the Imperium Electrical Attachment Set when we visited their Brick & Mortar store a while back.  The folks at Central Vacuum were very helpful in assisting us with choosing the set we purchased.  That was about three years ago, and we have been very pleased with our purchase.  When it came time to replenish our supply of filter bags, I didn’t have to think twice.  This time however, I was very confident in shopping from home.  The prices and service at Central Vacuum are excellent.
Randall and Patti

Come see us when you are in Florida
3015 46th Avenue North
St. Petersburg, Florida  33712

4.  I first want to tell you that the part did the trick and the unit is working great.  Debra handled my transaction very efficiently and was fantastic.    The proposal was quick and their seemed to be a "personal" touch to the purchase.  You certainly don't get that in cyber space too often for sure. Shipment was prompt. I cannot say enough good things about Debra and your team.  Your company is top notch for certain and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Have a great New Year!  Regards,
L. Smith

5.  Thank you so much for making the ordering so consumer easy and professionally done . I'm a senior and you were so courteous and friendly. The shipment arrived without any damage and was quick . Also your packaging was superb and everything so in tact.  We always celebrate our Christmas early with our kids and grand kids so we saw them on the 14th . They were ecstatic to get this gift as they both have tile floors hardwood floors and wall to wall rugs .  Will let you know after their usage what their critique will be .  I did a lot of research before searching your company out and saw your high ratings....Will keep you posted.
W. Sutton

Glad you noticed our high ratings...We have an A+ with the Better Business Bureau.

6.  You people do an outstandingly good job.  Quick service, with personal attention, always someone ready to help.  Most of all,  good competitive prices.   A good, old fashioned, quality American business, with high principles.   I give my highest recommendation.
Norm
Corvallis, Oregon