If you are building a new home or doing a major renovation, this is the perfect time to install a central vacuum system. Be sure to check out the Central Vacuum Systems main page for a list of articles that deal with the benefits, buying, planning, and installation of a central vacuum. Here we focus on how to install a system in new construction, which is much easier to do than retrofitting a system in an existing home because you have easy access for routing the PVC pipes.

The method shown here is for a situation where pipes will run beneath the floor; if you’ll be running pipes through the attic (less desirable because the system must lift against gravity), modify the instructions accordingly. Start by planning the layout of the system.

Beginning with one of the outlet locations, use the wall- mounting bracket to measure for the location of a hole for the riser pipe. Then use a power drill fitted with a hole saw to bore a hole down through the wall’s bottom plate and the subfloor for the pipe. You’ll have to bore this hole in stages, prying out excess wood with a chisel every inch or so.

Assemble the elbow and wall-mounting bracket, and glue a length of pipe to the elbow to serve as a riser (this must be long enough to reach the horizontal pipe run beneath the floor). Screw the wall-mounting bracket to the stud.












Add a cover to the pipe to protect it from swallowing debris during construction (it is especially vulnerable to this during drywall installation).













Beneath the floor, glue the riser to a T and the horizontal pipe run. Run low-voltage wires from the outlet locations, connecting them to a wire that runs all the way back to the power unit. Use black electrical tape to secure the wires to the pipes. Strip the wire ends, twist them together, and secure the wire connections with wire nuts.