More Central Vacuum Information

Central Vacuum Clean-up Tips

I couldn't mention my favorite blog posts of 2009 without mentioning the posts written by our own Brad Prince.  Brad has been installing central vacuum systems and intercoms for over 25 years and now offers phone tech support to our customers.  Brad wrote one of my favorite fun posts this year about the RhinoVac.  Read it Here

Today Brad sent me another post...he thought our customers would be interested in some clean-up tips for their after Christmas chores....

Whew,  It's over. Not that Christmas this year was a negative...it's just... well, you know. Come to think of it, it's not quite over. There's the clean up. And I want to remind everyone to use caution while using your central vac systems. Typically during the next two months, we get service call requests for unclogs. While performing these service calls the clean out yields clogs of pine needles mixed with paper and otheritems. To save you the cost and frustration of a clog I'd like to suggest a few pointers:

1. Pick up any twigs or sticks left over from the tree.

2. Pieces of paper mixed with pine needles should be avoided by your vac nozzle.

3. While using your power head, move slowly to ease the amount of pine needlesbeing picked up, putting fewer in the air flow.

4. After the big clean up, check your secondary filter, inverted filter bag,or paper bag.and clean or replace.

I'm sure we will get the usual post season service calls this year but, for those of you who are our cherished and valued customers across our great country, I hope these few tips will keep your system in good health and you as well.

Happy New Year! 

Brad Prince

How to Vent a Central Vacuum System

There is nothing like being an alarmist.  I usually am accusing our CIO of being overly dramatic.  Wait till he sees this picture.  I think this could be a little over the top, but I do know that contaminants in the home can lead to a variety of health issues.  At Central Vacuum we have been telling customers for years that venting a central vacuum system to the outside guarantees 100% dust free cleaning. It is the best way to trap the dust, dust mites, and contaminants in your home. Indoor Air Quality is becoming very important to people and so they are asking how to vent their central vacuum system to the outside.  I've added a new article to eHow.  If you have seen our advice on venting  a central vacuum system, and you would like to see what it involves, take a look at our eHow article "How to Vent a Central Vacuum System to the Outside".  Also, just let me know if you have any other installation questions...we use emails from our customers to come up with ideas for articles like the ones we have on eHow.  Email Renee

Central Vacuum Motors can be Replaced

The heart of a central vacuum system is the power unit.  Typically, a motor in a central vacuum power unit will run anywhere from 7 to 10 years, depending on the type of motor.  We have seen units with Lamb Ametek motors that are still running strong after 20 years.  We sell an Imperium central vacuum unit that has a Lamb Ametek motor with a motor interrupter and replaceable carbon brushes.   This particular Imperium central vacuum power unit could be like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going and going, as long as you replace the carbon brushes. 

Replacing a central vacuum motor is not extremely difficult.  We put together a very simple how to article.  You can find it in two places:
On  our website
On eHow.com

This is by no means a comprehensive explanation, but we believe it gives customers the basic idea of how to go about changing their motor.  Of course, if you run into any difficulties you can call 1-800-221-8227 and our technical experts will be glad to talk you through the project. 

On our website we have an easy to use motor replacement interactive tool that will help you find the correct replacment motor for your system.  Again, if you need any help just give us a call at 1-800-221-8227.

Central Vacuum Hose Help

Customers are often confused about replacing their central vacuum hose.  There really is no mystery, but with all the different brands, it can be confusing.  Hoses usually aren't brand specific.  Recently we added another page to our website to help our customers understand what hose they need to buy.  This page has all those buzz words used to describe hoses and their components.  Take a look here.  If you still want some help, you can read our "how to" article on eHow.com.  Once you are ready to order, use our Central Vacuum Hose Selector.  We are doing everything we can to make replacing your central vacuum hose as painless as possible.  If all else fails give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 and we can help you through the process of replacing your hose. 

Replace a Central Vacuum Hose

Many people think their central vacuum hose is brand specific and so they go about looking for a central vacuum hose in all the wrong ways. One of the most important things to consider when replacing a central vacuum hose is the type of inlet you have. Once you have determined the type of inlet you have, there is a good chance you will be free to purchase whatever brand hose appeals to you. This eHow article is a good place to start.
How to Replace a Central Vacuum Hose

How to: Central Vacuum Articles

We want to take this section to feature our continuing series of eHow articles.  We really believe the best way to promote central vacuum systems and intercoms is to let the general public know they can install and repair these things themselves, if they are so inclined.  It is always nice to have someone install a new product in your home...but if you want to save money, or just like the satisfaction of doing it yourself, we are here to help you with any information you need. 
Check out our articles on eHow