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I need something with a VERY strong suction...I have pets and their hair works its way into the carpet.
I also have asthma so I prefer something that is not going to overload me with dust and all manner of mess when I empty it.
Right now I am using a Rainbow which is nice because the mess is emptied into water but its hard to take apart and put together and clean afterward, hard because I also have a bad back. I also generally shampoo the carpet afterward, it all becomes alot of work.
I have always thought a central vac system would be a good idea.
Frankly I am thinking of tearing the carpet out of my bedroom and painting the conrete, they have some very nice stencils and paint techniques for it and I would'nt have to worry about the dust mites and so forth in the carpet. When I have the money I am going to tile the entire house.
Lisa, get a system. The best thing for your dog hair and allergies. 1. Get a good unit with atleast 550 airwatts. 2. You need a good Power head-stay away from air turbines the hair will clog it. 3. vent the system outside. 4. Buy a BAGGED UNIT(no dust when you empty it)That rainbow vacuum you are using now is very inconvieant and does not filter the dust. A system installed shoud cost about the same as a new rainbow. thanks
We have one in our current house...it's a Beam and it was already in the house...I like it, the one we installed in our previous home was a workhorse....it was an Aerus...built by electrolux..we paid about $1200 for it...hubby installed...I don't think it was a huge deal because we had wood floors and space under the house...It was great and if I were to buy another on I would get an Aerus..it was much more powerful than the Beam unit we have now.
I like the central vac idea..I have shoulder problems and uprights are too hard for me to use...central vacs are very light and easy to maneuver...
Does anyone have a central vacuum system in their home? I am interested in learning about the pro's of having this system. I know one pro will be not lugging a vacuum up and down stairs...I saw a few exhibits at the home show back in April....peeked my interest.
Can anyone share their experience installing a system in an existing home? What does it involve? I was thinking about this during the building process, unfortunately Centex Homes does not allow outside contractors to do anything to the home while they are building, so even if I wanted to at the time of framing, I would not have been able to install one.
I invested in a canister vacuum a little over a year ago, with a powerhead and attachments, etc...that will do fine for the hardwood, wall-to-wall carpet, and stairs in the new home, but was thinking of purchasing a second vacuum for the upstairs...maybe an upright since its all carpet....this way I don't have to carry a vacuum up and down stairs...hope this doesn't sound lazy... any thoughts?
Is a central vacuum worth the money?
I have a 2 story 2800 sq ft house, all tile downstairs, all carpet upstairs. We got tired of different vacuums, buying bags/belts, etc and I looked at a central vac. After a lot of thought I wanted one. You need to be pretty handy, but you can install one yourself for a HUGE savings. I spent less than $1000 for the central unit, power head/hoses, and the fittings/pipe/wiring to install it. I ordered everything online and got it in a couple of days. It took me about 8 hours to do, after some careful surveying of my floor plan for hose reach and acceptable locations for the outlets. I was able to put in just one outlet downstairs and 2 upstairs to cover corner to corner. The hardest part was getting the pipe from the 2nd floor to the first floor, but I followed the hot water flue for access. (The vacuum pipe is safely distanced from the flue).
For installation pointers, go to web sites such as "mdvacuum" (I don't work there, just a satisfied customer) and read about it. For systems after the house is built, you can run the piping in the corner of a closet. It is almost invisible and only requires a hole to be cut in the closet ceiling and then through the wall to your outlet location. I did this for one outlet and it was very easy, worked out very well, and I have been very happy with the appearance and performance. The web sites tell you how to do this.
As for is a CV worth it? Depends on how much it cost you. If you pay $4000 as some people have reported, then no, probably not. But for the $1000 I spent it was definitely worth it. We love it. The exhaust vents outside so the dust is removed from the house. The canister holds a ton of stuff so you empty it once a month. The motor noise is in the garage so it is much quieter to operate (unless you are working in the garage). The power nozzle works great and is much lighter than a regular vacuum. Get the electric power nozzle for better results, the air driven ones give lower performance--it's mechanical science/physics/whatever that only makes sense. If your CV system doesn't have normal house electricity wired into the cord, you can get a "pigtail" suction hose that has a 6 foot electric cord on the end of it so you can plug it into a regular house outlet and still use a power nozzle.
I wouldn't EVER go back to a traditional vacuum. A well designed, quality unit gives great performance and is much easier to use. That 35' cord that some complain about is easier to handle than a 2 piece canister set with a power cord you have to mess with, etc. We gave our traditional vacuums to Goodwill and haven't missed them.
I had an Electrolux in our old home. I did like it, but when we moved to a new home that didn't have a CV, that was the FIRST thing we did. Except this time we went with a Beam and I love this one even more. I have three long hair dachshunds and my DH and youngest daughter both have allergies.
We live in a multi level and I would much rather lug a lightweight hose up and down my stairs than a heavy vacuum.
I would never ever have just a regular vacuum again!
Researched this thread b/c we are moving to a house with central vac. The current owner doesn't use but we are considering reactivating the system. Is there any updated information on manufacturers, performance, etc. that we should consider? Many thanks!
I read the posts and the negative ones make me laugh. Did you know that you can have a shorter hose central vacuum. Instead of lugging around a 35' how about a 25' one. Attachments can be attached to the hose OR there is a parts caddy you can carry.
Remember canisters and uprights HAVE to be replaced, they just wear out. How long they last depends on how well they taken of. Lets face it we use the vacuum then put it away. Do we care for them properly? OH Hell no. So about EVERY 2-4 years we replace them...at $200.00-$600.00 and up. Buy one for less than $200 and you get what you pay for.
The biggest complaint I hear about Central vacuums is the hose. Yes they can be somewhat cumbersome but when you think of the benefits of a central vacuum there is NO comparison. ANYONE who says that a central vacuum doesn't clean very well is 1. Not doing it right or 2. Not using the correct attachments.
When was the last time you swept your floor only to find where is that dam dust pan? A central vacuum has a Vac-Pan. Sweep your dirt to it use a toe to turn it on and finish sweeping, no more dust pan. Central vacs have a automatic hose re-winder. It hides in the wall. Pull out the hose do your vacuuming flip a switch and it auto-retracts. No more carrying a hose. Also the last time I checked on central vacuums there was an attachment you can use to pick up WET debris. Try that with your upright.
HEPA filter? Yep central vacs have them. Upright/canisters have HEPA filters on them BUT where does the rest of the dirt the HEPA filter doesn't get go? Right back into your home. Where does the dirt from a central vacuum HEPA filter go? NOT BACK INTO YOUR HOME that's for sure.
I LOVE Central Vacuums. Can you tell? OH one more thing Central Vacuums are a SEALED system there is no loss of suction no matter how long the system and hose is. Sealed system means what is at the main power unit is what is at the Vacuum ports.
I read the posts and the negative ones make me laugh. Did you know that you can have a shorter hose central vacuum. Instead of lugging around a 35' how about a 25' one. Attachments can be attached to the hose OR there is a parts caddy you can carry.
Remember canisters and uprights HAVE to be replaced, they just wear out. How long they last depends on how well they taken of. Lets face it we use the vacuum then put it away. Do we care for them properly? OH Hell no. So about EVERY 2-4 years we replace them...at $200.00-$600.00 and up. Buy one for less than $200 and you get what you pay for.
The biggest complaint I hear about Central vacuums is the hose. Yes they can be somewhat cumbersome but when you think of the benefits of a central vacuum there is NO comparison. ANYONE who says that a central vacuum doesn't clean very well is 1. Not doing it right or 2. Not using the correct attachments.
When was the last time you swept your floor only to find where is that dam dust pan? A central vacuum has a Vac-Pan. Sweep your dirt to it use a toe to turn it on and finish sweeping, no more dust pan. Central vacs have a automatic hose re-winder. It hides in the wall. Pull out the hose do your vacuuming flip a switch and it auto-retracts. No more carrying a hose. Also the last time I checked on central vacuums there was an attachment you can use to pick up WET debris. Try that with your upright.
HEPA filter? Yep central vacs have them. Upright/canisters have HEPA filters on them BUT where does the rest of the dirt the HEPA filter doesn't get go? Right back into your home. Where does the dirt from a central vacuum HEPA filter go? NOT BACK INTO YOUR HOME that's for sure.
I LOVE Central Vacuums. Can you tell? OH one more thing Central Vacuums are a SEALED system there is no loss of suction no matter how long the system and hose is. Sealed system means what is at the main power unit is what is at the Vacuum ports.
I have central vac. Had it installed years after building the house & using a Kirby and several other top of the line stand up vacs.
I have have the vac pan in my kitchen. Sweep the floor, no dustpan needed. Just kick the lever and the crumbs/dirt gets sucked up.
We're just changing over to the hide-a-hose - the hoses that you have to loop up and hang/hide can be a pain in the neck. I grew up with central vac (hoses were much thicker and didn't kink up as easily), but back then they also had an electrical cord wound around the hose. Needed to plug the hose in to the vac outlet and the cord in to an electrical outlet. Don't have to do that any longer.
I will say that as far as cleaning goes? You can't beat a central vac. The proof is in the collection canister - that is in our garage. Also there is no spilling of canister/bag dust or dirt back in to the home when you have to empty it change the bag in the middle of vacuuming - because the red light went on.
For a friend of mine a central vac system was a key component to her recent home purchase. Her husband wanted an older house in a specific area. She wanted one that would be easy to install an extensive home network for computers and video. They found a 60 year old house with a central vac system. The vac system provided the conduit to run her network wiring throughout the house without having to cut into walls! The central hub for both fibre and network wiring is mounted where the central vac motor and collection tank used to be and she has network outlets in rooms throughout the three story house!
For a friend of mine a central vac system was a key component to her recent home purchase. Her husband wanted an older house in a specific area. She wanted one that would be easy to install an extensive home network for computers and video. They found a 60 year old house with a central vac system. The vac system provided the conduit to run her network wiring throughout the house without having to cut into walls! The central hub for both fibre and network wiring is mounted where the central vac motor and collection tank used to be and she has network outlets in rooms throughout the three story house!
We have a central vacuum system that has never, as in never worked right. First the hose was too short to reach the corner of our bedroom. Then, despite the assurances of the salesperson that this cannot possibly clog ever, it did The clog required the hose to be cut shorter and the suction was never up to the promise, so the clog wasn't blown loose but the hose was cut. Being the idiot, I mean, trusting person that I used to be I thought that the seller would 'fix' the problem. Nope. So, we have a too short hose and little suction. Then, the motor burned out. If memory serves they did replace that but a working motor is just that. A working motor. I'm even sure about that. All of these things make me extremely leery but we're, God willing, going to sell this house and all the parts of this system are here. It's 23 years old so fat chance it can be repaired now since it hasn't been working right ever, but my question is: would it be worth using the system installed and purchasing a new system? I have come to trust consumers far more than sales people, ok, so I caught that train late. How much would it cost approximately. If you were buying a house would the central vac be a + or are we past that and into the Dyson era totally? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
We really tried to make this non sucker work and so did the sellers but they sold me a bill of goods that makes me leery of a central vac in general.
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Helpeth Me Please
First the hose was too short to reach the corner of our bedroom. Then, despite the assurances of the salesperson that this cannot possibly clog ever, it did
The clog required the hose to be cut shorter and the suction was never up to the promise, so the clog wasn't blown loose but the hose was cut. Being the idiot, I mean, trusting person that I used to be I thought that the seller would 'fix' the problem. Nope. So, we have a too short hose and little suction. Then, the motor burned out. If memory serves they did replace that but a working motor is just that. A working motor. I'm even sure about that. All of these things make me extremely leery but we're, God willing, going to sell this house and all the parts of this system are here. It's 23 years old so fat chance it can be repaired now since it hasn't been working right ever, but my question is: would it be worth using the system installed and purchasing a new system? I have come to trust consumers far more than sales people, ok, so I caught that train late. How much would it cost approximately. If you were buying a house would the central vac be a + or are we past that and into the Dyson era totally? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
