In this article:• Installing a Central Vacuum in New Construction
• Installing a Central Vacuum in an Existing Home
• Installing a Central Vacuum Power Unit
Step-by-step advice for installing a central vacuum system in new construction or an existing home.
A central vacuum system consists of four main components: a power unit, inlet valves, PVC tubing, and a lightweight hose with cleaning wand. The power unit is installed outside the living area, most often in a garage, basement, or utility room.Inlet valves are strategically located throughout the home in wall-mounted (or sometimes floor) receptacles.
A hose attached to the cleaning wand plugs into the receptacles, activating the power unit. Tubing, which runs through the walls and floors, carries dirt to a collection bin mounted in the power unit. (For more about how a central vacuum system works, see How a Central Vacuum System Works.)
Though central vacuum systems are easiest to install in new construction, they can be retrofitted into most existing houses with a relative amount of ease. Just how easily depends on your house or, more specifically, on access to a basement, crawlspace, or attic for routing the tubing. If access is good and you are handy with tools, you may be able to handle installation yourself. Following is advice for both new and existing construction.Installing a Central Vacuum In New Construction
If you are building a new home or doing a major renovation, this is the perfect time to install a central vacuum system.
The method shown here is for a situation where tubing will run beneath the floor; if you’ll be running tubing through the attic (less desirable because the system must suction against gravity), modify the instructions accordingly. Start by planning the layout of the system. (For information about connecting PVC vacuum tubing, see Working With Central Vacuum System PVC Pipe.)
At the first location, use a wall-mounting bracket to measure for the location of the 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.
Installing a Central Vacuum in an Existing Home
Installing a central vacuum system in an existing home can be a bit tricky, especially when it comes to installing inlet valves and PVC tubing in the walls.
Below we show you how to do this if you have access from under the floor for the horizontal runs of tubing. If you do not have under-floor access, you may be able to modify these instructions to run the tubing horizontally through the attic.Start by selecting locations throughout the house for the vacuum system’s inlet valves. Space the inlets so the vacuum hose can reach every corner of the house. If you will be using an electric cleaning head, make sure an electrical receptacle is within 6 feet of each inlet.
Mark the positions of the inlet valves on the interior walls at the same height as the electrical outlets. It is best to mount the receptacles next to wall studs—fittings are available for mounting valves directly to wallboard only—but it is not essential. Use an inlet valve as a template to mark the wallboard for cutting the inlet hole.
Using a keyhole saw or wallboard saw, cut the hole.
Drill a 1/8-inch-diameter hole through the floor directly below each inlet hole where the base shoe or the base molding will cover the hole. Push a wire through the bored hole so you can find the hole’s location when you go under the floor.
Go below the floor and use the wire as a reference point for measuring the location for the tubing that will go up through the center of the wall. Cut a 2-inch-diameter hole up through the floor and through the 2-by-4 bottom plate of the wall, using a hole saw. You’ll probably have to do this in stages, using a combination of cutting with the hole saw and prying out chunks of wood with a chisel. Be sure to wear eye protection throughout the entire process.
Run a suitable length of the vacuum system tubing up into the wall cavity to the inlet hole and have a helper hold it there. Go back into the room above, cement on a 90-degree elbow, and then slip the mounting plate through the hole and onto the elbow.
Finish by running low-voltage wires from each inlet valve to the power unit. Installing a Central Vacuum Power Unit
A good place to begin the installation of a central vacuum system is to mount the power unit to a wall outside the living area. Plan to position the unit on or near an exterior wall so the exhaust line can be easily routed outdoors. (For more about proper planning and layout of your central vacuum system, see How to Plan a Central Vacuum System Installation.)
Use 2 1/2-inch-long screws to mount the plate to the wall; be sure to drive the screws securely into a wall stud.
Hang the vacuum canister on its bracket and then hold up the exhaust line assembly, complete with muffler and elbows, and mark where it meets the wall. Cut through to the outside and mount the exhaust vent and its exterior wall cap.
