Thread Number: 40180
/ Tag: Pre-1950 Vacuum Cleaners
1911 Central vacuum system help |
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Post# 426611 , Reply# 1   6/7/2020 at 11:11 (1,390 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )   |   | |
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Post# 426628 , Reply# 2   6/7/2020 at 17:16 (1,390 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Pictures of where ever the vacuum system used to be might help. As long as none of the pipes have been butchered, I'd imagine the plumbing is still sound. I'll bet hooking up a modern central vac unit to the old pipes would be a trivial matter. Fabricating an adapter to connect a hose to the old fittings would be more difficult, but not impossible. It may not be needed, but if it is, I'm sure any machinist could help you with that.
As for the wall fittings, they look like solid brass. You could polish them fairly easily and they'd look brand new. They may have some kind of sealing gasket that would need to be replaced. I bet you could test the plumbing by connecting a normal vacuum hose where the original unit used to be, and checking the suction at each access hole. |
Post# 426630 , Reply# 3   6/7/2020 at 17:59 (1,390 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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I'm betting the old pipes were lead pipes. If they are lead which I'm pretty sure they are you have to replace them. They realized lead was bad when kids would peel paint off the wall and eating it.
The wall fixtures look old. They probably would work. Its just the pipes that would need to be replaced. Les |
Post# 426649 , Reply# 4   6/7/2020 at 22:22 (1,390 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 426667 , Reply# 5   6/8/2020 at 08:10 (1,389 days old) by Real1shep (Walla Walla, WA)   |   | |
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I posted earlier on this, but it didn't come out...hmmm. The piping could be copper, but more likely old Durham fittings with steel pipe. Once you figure out how to adapt a new hose to those outlets, it's just simple plumbing to hook back up a CV. Kevin |
Post# 426670 , Reply# 6   6/8/2020 at 12:26 (1,389 days old) by Collector2 (Moose Jaw, Sk)   |   | |
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Post# 426672 , Reply# 8   6/8/2020 at 13:48 (1,389 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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Post# 426682 , Reply# 9   6/9/2020 at 02:26 (1,388 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)   |   | |
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Lead was used for wall pipes and drains, cast iron for sanitary (toilet) waste, and clay was only underground from the house to the street.
Pipes are likely steel. Best idea to preserve the heritage of the house and for the unit to be compatible with the existing fixtures is to find a period correct unit or something close. The existing piping will be way too narrow for a modern vac. It probably had one of these huge units in it: www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bi... |
Post# 426686 , Reply# 11   6/9/2020 at 09:43 (1,388 days old) by kb3pxr (Waynesboro PA USA)   |   | |
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Here is a film from 1915 called the Home Electrical on a 1980 reprint. It shows both an inlet and a key operated switch. I take it they weren't always push button switches. CLICK HERE TO GO TO kb3pxr's LINK |
Post# 426732 , Reply# 13   6/9/2020 at 22:13 (1,388 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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I researched this quite a bit this last weekend.
The inlets range from 2-1/2" to 5". The size is still the same on the hoses. Its the electrical connections built into the piping. You can get a hide a hose which would hose slides into the wall. They also have where you use a house outlet for power nozzle. There many variables. The pipes smallest are already 2" through the whole system. Les |
Post# 426738 , Reply# 14   6/9/2020 at 23:37 (1,388 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA)   |   | |
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Post# 426744 , Reply# 15   6/10/2020 at 06:02 (1,387 days old) by Real1shep (Walla Walla, WA)   |   | |
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Not really....especially if the piping is undersized it could overheat a modern CV because of the restriction. The CV gurus would know. I'd be really worried about the electric part of it, if any. Any knob & tube type system needs great scrutiny today. I wouldn't use it. Kevin |
Post# 426748 , Reply# 16   6/10/2020 at 09:07 (1,387 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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