More Central Vacuum Information

Central Vacuum Installation for Do-It-Yourselfers

If you are looking for advice for your do-it-yourself central vacuum installation, Central Vacuum Stores can give you all the help you need.  We've got an extensive DIY knowlege base that includes installation guides, troubleshooting tips, and so much more. 

In addition, our most valuable tool for do-it-yourselfers is our trained experts waiting by the phones to answer your questions. Brad Prince, a long time Central Vacuum Stores employee and installer contributed this article to our blog....

I Don’t Get Out Much

By: Brad Prince

About three years ago, I was brought in from the outside service and install department to work in the office as a tech support and sales guy for the web site.  Since I began offering tech support to our online customers, I don't get out to do installations too often. Every once in a while I will be asked by our service scheduler, Chhaya, to pick up an intercom or vac service call in our local area (Tampa Bay). However, it has been a long time however since I have ventured out to do an actual central vacuum rough in.

One of our service techs recently took some time off due to minor surgery and so I was called on to help out on an outside job.  It was a central vac rough-in for a Hide A Hose (H.A.H.) installation. The job involved a remodel that included a room and kitchen addition, so  it had to be done in three stages.

My work was the first stage. I would prepare the rest of the house for the vacuum feed for two of the Hide a Hose valves and ready the system for the third Hide a Hose valve. This third valve would be in the kitchen and would service the family room, living room and kitchen.

One of my tasks was to run the tubing that would accept the retracting hose.  I ran that tubing for 27 ft. before introducing it to the trunk line with a sweep tee. That tubing and the main trunk line was stubbed to what would be the attic over the kitchen. Later, when that portion of the house was ready, one of our install techs would finish the job using that connection.

Generally an installation would move right along but I did find this job to be a little taxing. First, the job called for work on a 12 ft. ladder, which slowed down the process. Also, being a Hide a Hose installation, the job was a little more complicated, plus it was a typical sub tropical day in Florida with about 97% humidity.  I’m not complaining, mind you, I enjoy doing this work. But this particular job reminded me that I give installation advice to many of our customers who call in and purchase this type of equipment, and often time our customers are tackling central vacuum installation projects that far exceed this one in difficulty.

I guess what amazes me, after being out on this job, is that our customers are doing these installations themselves, and doing them in a professional manner! Kudos to all of you and I hope your installation and the satisfaction it brings gives you a great feeling of accomplishment. It does me, every time I wrap up an install and turn on that hose.

Central Vacuum System Installation and Planning Assistance

If you are planning a DIY central vac installation you are not alone.  Thousands of people across the country tackle this project every year.  At Central Vacuum Stores, we've been installing systems in new and existing construction for almost 30 years.  We have trained experts standing by to talk you through any installation project. 

If you are just beginning to plan your system and have questions, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 or if you want us to look at your plans and help you with the design, just email them to faith@centralvacuumstores.com.  Faith Elliott is available to look at your plans and give you expert advice on a level not offered by many central vacuum companies.  Faith's grandfather started Central Vacuum Stores and she has worked in the business since she was a teenager.  She has expertise that comes from sales and installation experience.  In addition, Faith recently passed her P.E.(Professional Engineer) exam and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Florida.  She can look at your plans and tell you the best way to install a system.

And as always, at Central Vacuum Stores we'll help anyone with their installation, even if they aren't our customer, yet.  We treat everyone as if they were our customer because we want them to become our customer.

Check out our online installation guide.

Do-It-Yourself Central Vacuum Installation Photos

The team of experts at Central Vacuum Stores is committed to helping the do-it-yourselfer successfully complete their central vacuum project.  Sometimes our customers are so proud of their central vacuum installation, they send photos to share on our blog.  We assure them if they send us photos, we'll publish them on the blog. So feel free to send photos of your job and we'll publish them here.  Here's a big blog shout-out to Leslie H. who sent us an email and the following photos of their progress...

"We are building a new home, we got the electrician to bore the holes thru the floor and rough in the units before drywall for us.

When the house is finished, we will finish up the plumbing in the basement, and install the unit. Probably in a few weeks we will be back for the vacuum unit and floor tools.

I have attached some photos of the rough-in work.

Les"

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.

Do It Yourself Central Vacuum Installation

People are often surprised to learn that installing a central vacuum system is something the average do-it-yourselfer can accomplish.  At Central Vacuum Stores we have built our entire site around offering everything you need to install built-in-home products(like a central vacuum system). We offer the products and technical advice you need.  If you check out our knowledge base you will find detailed instructions for installing a central vacuum system.  You can also go to our eHow articles or YouTube channel to find videos to help you with the task.  You can learn almost anything on YouTube.

This weekend our Administrator and I went on our annual planning getaway.  Usually we go to a nice hotel or spa.  Last year we went to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  We work really hard, then we relax on Saturday.  Well, this year we decided to do something different and went to our vacation house on the Withlacoochee River.  By Friday night we had scheduled all our events for next year, chosen a new health insurance plan, and worked out some other administrative details.  Saturday it was time to relax.  We are both "foodies" so we decided to try to recreate some cupcakes we had seen in a picture. These cupcakes were so beautiful...they had been decorated to look like flowers.  We went to YouTube and watched some instructional videos.  Then we found the closest Michael's and bought our supplies.  This is the result of our endeavour....and I think if we can learn this in a day then you can most definitely learn how to install a central vacuum system.

More Truth About Venting Central Vacuum System Exhaust

The following was taken from a Vacuflo bulletin.  Vacuflo is one of the leaders in the central vacuum industry.  We have been an authorized Vacuflo dealer for years and thought we would pass this information along...

"Indoor Air Quality continues to remain a "hot topic" for builders and new homebuyers.  Energy efficient homes are tightly sealed to keep conditioned (heated and cooled air) in the home.  At the same time, this exterior wrap reduces air exchange in the home.  A recent trend by some builders has been to connect "exhaust -type" appliances into a home air recovery system.  Typically they are connecting appliances with a high CFM rating. We have seen an increase in the number of inquiries regarding central vacuums and how they affect the air exchange in the home.  It is important to understand that a central vacuum exhausts much less air than bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans as well as clothes dryers - as shown in the table below.
_________________________________________________________
 HOME APPLIANCES AND AIR REMOVAL RATE (Cubic Feet Per Minute)
_________________________________________________________
Typical 10’ x 10’ Bathroom Fan                                                             

100 CFM
_________________________________________________________
Average Kitchen Range Hood Exhaust Fan                                              

175 to 250 CFM
_________________________________________________________
New Large, High-Powered Range Hood Exhaust Fan                                

600 to 1000+ CFM
_________________________________________________________
Average Clothes Dryer                                                                           

175 to 200 CFM
_________________________________________________________
Typical Operating Central Vacuum System                                               

55 to 60 CFM
(with tubing, hose, and powerhead installed)                                                       
_________________________________________________________

The benefits of a central vacuum system that removes 100% of vacuumed dirt and allergens from the home far outweigh the low volume of air being expelled from the system. 

How does this affect the Central Vacuum Installation?
If a builder is concerned about the CFM of the central vacuum system, you need to share this information with them.  To sum it up, the central vacuum moves such a low volume of air compared to other common appliances it is not a concern.  However, if a builder is connecting fans and clothes dryers to an air recovery system, you may want to discuss the central vacuum CFM with them.  "

Central Vacuum Installation Tips: Venting Myths Debunked

Things I have read online....

• JFK is still alive.

• I can lose 20 lbs. in 5 days.

• If I wake up in a bathtub filled with ice I should not stand up because someone has kidnapped me and stolen my kidney.

But perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have read online recently is this, if you vent your central vacuum system, you risk causing a fire.  Like all myths, this one has no basis in fact.  We could refute the information point by point, but that seems like a huge waste of time, and I don't think you all want to read that anyway.  So we decided to go to the other experts in our field and let you know what they have to say about central vacuum systems and fires.

1.  Roger has made calls to the "Big Four" in the central vacuum industry, Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo, to confirm that venting a central vacuum system will not put you at risk for causing a fire in your house. Each and everyone of these companies agreed that venting will not cause a house fire, nor have they ever heard of a fire being caused by venting a central vacuum system. 

2.  Winston LIndsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing (VacuMaid), referred us to the  National Association of Home Builder's "National Green Building Standard"  which awards 5 points for central vacuum systems "VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE".  I can hardly imagine that the NAHB would recommend venting to the outside if there was a risk of causing a fire. 

3.  HGTV Pro has an article on Central Vacuum Systems, and this is what they have to say, "High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

4.  Tim Carter of "Ask the Builder" has an impressive resume which includes years as a builder of high end homes.  He now writes a syndicated column and has a website, askthebuilder.com.  In an article titled "A Central Vacuum Gets the Dirt Quietly", he is very clear about the benefits of  a central vacuum system vented to the outside.  The most interesting thing is that at the end of this article, you will find reader's comments.  One reader asked about the possibility of a central vacuum fire, and Tim replies "I have never heard of this". Well Tim, neither have we.  Which brings me to my final point. 

5.  We have been installing central vacuum systems since my oldest son was 3 years old, that's 29 years.  We have vented thousands and thousands of systems to the outside, in addition to the  thousands of online customers that have done the same,  and we have NEVER heard of a central vacuum system causing a fire due to venting.  In fact, we are all trying to think of a time when we heard of a central vacuum system causing a fire. 

The last fire we experienced at Central Vacuum Stores was when Roger thought a vacuum was unplugged and pulled the switch out with his bare hands sending sparks everywhere and catching the workbench on fire.  Sometimes people will get zealous and clean the warm embers from their fireplaces with a central vacuum system, and this could cause a fire!  But venting a central vacuum system to the outside is not a fire risk.  Rely on the expert opinions of Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, Vacuflo, NAHB, HGTV Pro, Tim Carter, and Central Vacuum Stores. 

(I know that once this post is published, Roger and I will be asked to join the cast of MythBusters.  Loyal customers, have no fear.  We are having too much fun running our company, we'll turn down the offer.)

You Can Repair Central Vacuum Tubing

One of our long time customers in St. Petersburg is involved in Poodle Rescue.  Recently, she lost one of her favorite dogs.  Our local newspaper, the St. Petersburg Times featured an article hoping to help Mrs. Bonati find her lost dog. View the article here.  Several years ago we had to repair vacuum pipe in Mrs. Bonati's home.  Over the years we have done this in hundreds of homes.  If your central vacuum tubing is damaged, you can repair it yourself.  Take a look at our eHow article to learn how to repair central vacuum tubing.

Central Vacuum Installation for Allergy Sufferers

We recently received this email from Neil from Michigan.  Notice his last paragraph.  He obviously had breathing difficulties and still wanted to install the system himself.  The fumes from the glue presented some problems for him so he got creative and solved the problem himself

"My reasons for shopping at central vacuum stores are:
1.  After reading much of the information on your web site and after receiving an e-mail from Mary Anderson answering my questions, I feel that Central Vacuum Stores is genuinely interested in providing the best customer support possible.
2.  There was no indication of price gouging. Only a few web sites posted  prices that were competitive.  Free shipping on orders over $50 were an incentive to plan and consolidate orders.
3.  The adapter from 2" Sch 40 PVC to 2" vacuum fittings brought me back to your web site because I wanted to purchase pipe locally.
4.  Orders were shipped promptly.
Thanks to all at Central Vacuum Stores.  You have gained my respect.

One tip learned from this project that enabled me to install the pipe myself:
My reason for installing a central vacuum is to improve the quality of indoor air.  I could not cope with glue fumes from joining the pipe and fittings, especially during the winter without good ventilation.  I chose to seal all of the joints using teflon tape.  This worked very well with care to support the pipe with straps and hangers that prevent joints from pulling apart.  The joints between Sch 40 pipe and the 2" adapters needed a couple more wraps of tape."

While we did not advise or recommend this method, it was a unique solution to his problem.  Winston Lindsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing, recently emailed us to  recommend  the following:

It is always important to glue the joints because in a building  there are temperature changes and shifts that will cause movement in the tubing which will pull the tubing apart.  If you are allergic or do not  like normal PVC solvent glues you can use a product called Gorilla PVC Glue which does not have the normal  solvents you find in PVC glue.  Gorilla PVC Glue is more expense but easier to ship because the glue is not  flammable. If you had to use tape, a small piece of regular PVC electrical tape on the tube would work better than Teflon tape.  Teflon is too slippery.

The good news is that this customer purchased his products from Central Vacuum Stores and if his installation causes difficulties in the future we will be there to support him and help him solve any problems.

Central Vacuum Attachments 101

There is a common misconception about central vacuum attachment sets.  Many people believe their attachments must be the same brand as their power units.  Manufacturers definitely feed into this, because they do want you to buy their attachments.  Beam is actually manufacturing attachment sets that have functions which will only work with their units.  There is nothing wrong with that...it's business...however, even with the Beam units you can use other brand attachment sets, you just won't get all the extra functions, but maybe those extra functions are not important to you.  Maybe you'd like a powerhead that is manufactured in Europe instead of China.  You need to decide what you want and what will work best for you. At Central Vacuum Stores we are all about what our customers want and we are going to do everything we can to help them understand they do not need to have a central vacuum manufacturer dictate the attachments or accessories they purchase. We believe in the consumer pulling our products through the supply chain based on their needs instead of pushing our products through based on what we need to sell.  We do sell genuine  attachment sets from most of the leading manufacturers, so you have choices. 

The only constraints on your choice of attachments is the type of inlet you have. Central vacuum inlets are, for the vast majority of homes, universal, like the ones pictured here.  So check it out.  If your inlets look like these, then peruse the wide variety of sets available on our website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a customer to fully enjoy the convenience of a central vacuum system we believe attachment sets are as important as the power unit.  So choose wisely, grasshopper and don't hesitate to call us if you need any help.1-800-221-8227

Central Vacuum Attachments