Thread Number: 40063  /  Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Kenmore Central Vacuums 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 425248   5/10/2020 at 20:34 (1,446 days old) by beagledad (Florida)        

I've always been fascinated with the Kenmore central vacuums, or rather "built-in vacuum" as Sears liked to call it. I have a few questions though if anyone is able to shed some light on them.

Who made the power units for Kenmore?

Who made the pipes, fitting, and hose for Kenmore? From what I understand the pipes and hose were a little narrower than the standard central vac fittings for most of the production. Which brings me to my next question...

What year did Sears switch to the universal pipes and fittings? Was it when they switched to more modern Centec power nozzle in the early 90's?

Have any of the accessory kits survived and if so do they ever show up on sites like Ebay? I always liked the looks of their accessory kit from the 1980's. It would be cool to have one.

Thanks!

Post# 425258 , Reply# 1   5/11/2020 at 00:10 (1,446 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

Everything on the earlier Kenmore systems was built by Whirlpool. The earlier systems used Whirlpool's own tubing and inlets. Because most Kenmore Central vacuums that were sold were sold either through the store or catalog they geared everything toward the do it yourselfer. Most of the connections were done with flexible hose to eliminate the use of elbows to install the system, it was easier but it reduced the airflow and over the years the hose dried out and became perforated and leaked. The original tubing size was 1 1/2", where as the standard of the industry was 2" thin wall, with the exception for VacuFlo and Black & Decker, VacuFlo used 1 13/16" tubing, they felt it was the optimal size for the best airflow and Black & Decker used 1 3/4" tubing. The earlier Kenmore attachments came in a caddy that was basically the top tool caddy of an early 1970's canister vacuum with a 25 foot wire reinforces 1 1/4" hose. When you chose the optional Power Mate it was the same Power Mate as they used on Sears Best canister with the addition of a small adapter pipe that connected into the Power Mates direct plug in connector, the adaptor had a switch on it to turn the Power Mate on and off and it had a 30 foot cord that would drape on the floor that would get plugged into the wall to power the Power Mate. The power units had to be vented outside, on the outside of the house it looked like a hood scoop from a race car, it was filled with fiber glass insulation to quiet the air as it would come out. In the late 70's to early 80's they changed over to 2" tubing and used a universal Beam type inlet, also now the hose end going into the wall was changed from 1' to 1 1/2". They came out with an electric hose in the late 70's also which has the switch on the handle end to turn the Power Mate on and off, it had a 6 foot pigtail at the inlet end to plug into a standard electrical outlet. The tool caddy became a vinyl bag with pockets for the attachments. The attachments over the years pretty much stayed the same, they were all the attachments that were used on the Sears Best canister vacuum. The unit itself was a very well designed unit, it did not use a bag nor a filter, however it had a cyclonic separator that kept the dirt in the container, the design worked well, it maintained full suction all the time because there was no filters or bags to clog, however the separator did need to be cleaned periodically to keep the lint, hair and carpet fibers from clogging it. The early inlet valves had a strip on the inside that you would press to turn the unit on and off, because of the momentary contact the power unit needed a ratcheting relay inside to keep the machine running, over the years it was changed to a set of contacts that when you opened the inlet the machine would turn on and when you closed it, it would shut off thus eliminating the ratchet relay in the system and just using a standard relay like most systems used. The later Beam type valves had 2 contacts inside and when you plugged the hose in a metal band would short the contacts, turning the system on. I hope this answers most of your questions on Kenmore Built In Vacuum Systems.

Post# 425318 , Reply# 2   5/12/2020 at 02:23 (1,445 days old) by beagledad (Florida)        

Thanks for the very detailed response vacman1961!

Post# 425912 , Reply# 3   5/23/2020 at 12:10 (1,434 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )        

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For the most part this was a great read. The only thing I actually disagree with was the switch on the hose to turn the power head on and off. That wasn't until the very end I believe. The only reason I say that is because one of my old neighbors had one from the 80's and there was no switch. I remember that unit well because I have always wanted one. Except good luck finding one.

Post# 425945 , Reply# 4   5/23/2020 at 22:26 (1,433 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

The switch was on the adapter that connected the Power Mate to the Curved hose end. It was a black sliding switch, encased in a white metal box on the back of the adapter want, attached to it was a long white cord that got plugged into the wall. (Sorry for the poor images)

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Post# 425956 , Reply# 5   5/24/2020 at 02:06 (1,433 days old) by gregvacs28 (U.S.)        

They had the right idea in terms of practicality. At the time, correct me if I'm wrong, Sears was the only CV with finger tip control like that.

I know they had such a feature before 1978 because in 2018 a person in Duluth, MN was selling on Craigs a Kenmore CV system along with a scuzzy hose which had a hose cord and the awkward wand extension with the switch. Plus there was a 1977ish green Kenmore power nozzle.
I have pics of the listing, but not handy.

It was around 1978 that Sears changed from the green vacuums to the blue models.



Post# 425965 , Reply# 6   5/24/2020 at 07:39 (1,433 days old) by Ocscott3085 (DMV)        

Any other live shots of a Kenmore central vac system or its attachments? One of my childhood friends had one in the first neighborhood I lived in from birth to 6 years old. I was too young to notice the outlets on the wall but I remember going in the basement one day and seeing a Kenmore powermate with a very long hose looped around it sitting in the rec room. My friend's mom pointed to the giant tank in their laundry room and tried explaining it to me but I didn't quite connect the dots LOL. I never saw them use it. The only time I ever saw them vacuum was with their burgandy/wine-color Eureka Rotomatic canister with the white powerhead and wide headlight. I'm assuming the long, heavy central vac system was relegated to the basement.

Post# 425973 , Reply# 7   5/24/2020 at 10:44 (1,433 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )        

rainbowd4c's profile picture
From what I remember with my neighbors they had it set up out in the garage and four inlets. Each inlet was close to a single electric outlet and each inlet and outlet had a switch so that they could just turn the system and powerhead on and not have to unplug the hose or cord. I know it was a Kenmore because of the hose and powerhead and I never saw any switches on the hose handle. I really liked the system and sadly I never had a chance to use it.


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