Though few people count vacuuming floors among their favorite pastimes, one tool can help you handle this chore with a minimum of noise, dust and hassle: a central vacuum system.
With a built-in vacuum, there's no more lugging a heavy cleaner up and down stairs or from room to room. Instead, you carry a cleaning attachment on the end of a long, lightweight hose.
When you plug the hose into a wall or floor receptacle, the vacuum turns on automatically. Dust and debris travel through the hose into a pipeline of PVC tubing that runs through house walls, floors or attic to a large power unit/ dirt-collection cannister mounted in the basement, garage or utility room.
Because the motor and collector are remote, most units are much more powerful than portable vacuums and have a larger capacity.
Cannisters typically need emptying only two or three times a year. Noise is out of earshot, and fine dust particles aren't recirculated into living spaces as they are with most portable cleaners.
Selecting central vacuum equipment
Most central vacuum manufacturers produce three or four styles that range in power, size and price. Though they are typically rated by air flow, air power or horse power, these measurements have little to do with effective suction.
Perhaps the most reliable measurement is "waterlift"-- a test of a sealed system's sucking power (though these vacuums are not meant to be used with water).
As a rule of thumb, most smaller systems, with a waterlift of from 105 inches to 120 inches, will handle a 2500 square foot house. Consult manufacturer's literature to choose the best power and size model for hour home.
Differences between most manufacturers' power units are minimal. In fact, many of the motors are identical. Price, availability, service and warranty are the points to key on when selecting a brand. Look for a company that stands behind its product.
You can buy a variety of cleaning accessories just like those used on standard vacuums: floor brushes, dusting/upholstery brushes, small-space tools and power beater-bar brushes for carpets.
Two types of beater-bar carpet brushes are available: electric and turbo powered. For electric heads, the stronger of the two, an electrical receptacle must be located next to each vacuum receptacle and you must use a special hose that includes an electrical cord. With more economical turbo heads, the rush of air traveling through the head spins the beater bar.
For equipment and installation help, look under "Vacuum Equipment & Systems" or "Vacuum Cleaning Systems" in your telephone book (also see manufacturers' listings below). Other resources are electrical supply wholesalers and retailers.
Material costs can range from about $600 to $1500, depending upon the system's size, strength and the accessories you choose. Dealers typically price both installation and materials.
Central vacuum system installation basics
Though built-in systems are easiest to install in new construction, they can be retrofitted into most existing houses with relative ease. Just how easily depends on your house, or--more specifically--access into a basement, crawl space or attic for routing the piping.
If access is good and you're handy with tools, you may be able to handle installation yourself. One manufacturer, Broan Manufacturing Co., offers an instruction book and how-to-do-it video combination (see address below).
Mapping an effective central vacuum system
Whether you intend to hire an installer or do it yourself, you should figure out the best places for vacuum receptacles--both for your own convenience later and because locations will affect the ease of installation and, accordingly, the cost.
Most houses need one or two inlet receptacles on each story, centrally located so that every corner of every room is within the vacuum hose's reach (typically about 30 feet). Though inlets are best located along the base of interior walls, they may be installed in floors if placed away from foot traffic (floor receptacles should have metal inlet covers).
In a single-story house with a basement or crawl space, tubing can run under the floor and stub up a short distance into walls or directly serve floor inlets (by far the easiest method when retrofitting your house). Interior, non-bearing walls not supported by foundations or beams are generally easiest to penetrate from below.
If a house has limited access below floors -- a two-story house, for example-- tubing must route elsewhere. Typical solutions are to run tubing vertically through laundry chutes, behind cabinets, exposed in closet corners or boxed-in at a room's corner.
Another popular option is to run tubing horizontally in an attic, then drop it down through a wall or into a closet or cabinet. The best tubing runs are short, straight and direct.
Once you've established possible inlet locations, be sure they allow the vacuum's wand to reach every corner of the house (including the ceiling). Don't forget to consider furniture and obstructions. To test, stretch the hose and wand (or a small rope of equal length) from inlets to the far reaches of each room.
Plan to put the power unit/collection cannister in the basement, a utility room, the garage, or a similar location away from living areas. Though most types don't need to be exhausted outdoors, you can minimize dust around the unit by doing so. Don't put the unit where temperatures may get hot, such as in a furnace room, small closet or attic (for long life and proper operation, the power unit requires good ventilation).
