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Thread Number: 43546
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
The horrible truth about central vacuum systems and why every non-Canadian millennial hates them. |
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| Post# 454712 , Reply# 1 7/11/2022 at 20:26 (922 days old) by beagledad (Florida) | ||
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Can an admin please deal with these trolls? | ||
| Post# 454715 , Reply# 2 7/11/2022 at 20:48 (922 days old) by vaclab (Pickerington, Ohio) | ||
Geez, hold up their dude
And stop putting words in my mouth. Let me state this plainly
I LIKE ALL VACUUMS, PERIOD! Central vacuums have their place but aren't very efficient at what they do. It's by design. Now let me respond to your claims: Your Claim: "losing 95% of their cleaning performance due to their long hose and long piping" My Answer: They do not lose 95% of their cleaning performance and I have no idea where you obtained that number. Example: motor starts out with 150 CFM and ends up with 80 nozzle CFM. Not a 95% loss. Do the Math! Your Claim: "The hoses are bulky, clunky, and hard to store" My Answer: Some can be, hide-a-hose models not so much Your Claim: "Central vacuum systems burn almost 2500 watts of electricity a day" My Answer: Uh, do you mean 2500 Watts/hr. or something like that? If you run a 1700 Watt machine with a PN for 30 minutes, that would be 850 W/hr. If you run it for 1 hour that would be 1700 W/hr. Not sure where you grabbed 2500 Watts from. You need a time component. Your Claim: "They're prone to clogging" My Answer: The typical person barely understands how to use/maintain any vacuum and can clog anything as I've previously stated elsewhere. BUT, if you actually pay attention to what you're sucking up, clogs are rare in any vacuum. Your Claim: "They're not aerodynamic AT ALL" My Answer: This is a repeat of the first "95% loss" claim. While there are some that clearly "kowtow" to central vacuums, all I want to accomplish is show everyone that central vacs are inefficient. Merely having a big motor does not equate to big performance at the nozzle. VacLab | ||
| Post# 454716 , Reply# 3 7/11/2022 at 20:55 (922 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah) | ||
Seriously Andrew?
This is like maybe the third or fourth time now you've created a thread recently about central vacs, I don't get why you keep on making new threads while I've noticed you rarely post back into a thread that you would create. I honestly find it annoying. And I'd get less interested in visiting your new threads.
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| Post# 454717 , Reply# 4 7/11/2022 at 20:58 (922 days old) by vaclab (Pickerington, Ohio) | ||
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Annual Cost of Running Vacuums
You have to make some assumptions. Adjust your usage as required.
Say you vacuum 50 hours per year (typical). A machine that uses 1000 Watts would consume 50 kW/hrs per year. My electric costs 11 cents per kW/hr, so I would pay $5.50 USD per year. A Starbucks fancy coffee costs as much (or more). If your "suck the paint off the walls" central vacuum uses 2000 Watts (including the PN), you would now pay $11.00 USD per year. Whoopdeedoo... Bill | ||
Post# 454724 , Reply# 6 7/12/2022 at 02:32 (922 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac  ( Canberra, Australia ) |
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Reply 5 | ||
| Post# 454728 , Reply# 8 7/12/2022 at 07:27 (922 days old) by wstonehockertv (North Carolina) | ||
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ajr2993 I understand this is all your opinion, but I feel you are doing this to attract attention. If I have an opinion on something, I try to not show my bias towards it. Remember, central vacs are not for everyone. | ||
| Post# 454736 , Reply# 9 7/12/2022 at 09:49 (921 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
It all depends upon how the unit is installed. My installer is my friend who not only is a fellow vacuum collector, he also installs and services central vacuums for a living.
I have three electavalves installed in my home, and a 30 foot "Lux" style electric hose with the 'super J' type grip. I have a Cameleon retractable hose for the bedrooms, located in the main hall. I have a Wally Flex in the laundry room as well as over my work bench in the garage. I have a Vroom under the kitchen sink. I have a vacpan along the baseboard in the kitchen. I have a garage inlet near the garage door for cleaning cars in the driveway. And of course, Modern Day central vacs have a utility valve I use when vacuuming the garage floor. At vacuum convention time, my friends try different power units on my 'pipes', with different results. They run every power nozzle I have at home at the end of the different hoses. We had Central Vacuums as a theme a few years ago. The central vac is like a very, very quiet canister vacuum with a long hose. As the late Stan Kann used to say, "it only needs enough suction to get the schmutz into the end of the hose". | ||
| Post# 454737 , Reply# 10 7/12/2022 at 10:10 (921 days old) by Ocscott3085 (DMV) | ||
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Tom, just curious, is your electric hose wire-reinfoced like the older style hoses or the newer, crush-proof design? | ||
| Post# 454739 , Reply# 11 7/12/2022 at 10:38 (921 days old) by maytag142c (Somewhere over the rainbow. ) | ||
I have an MD M-715H with a crushproof hose. The unit has 4 inlets on it plus the utility inlet for the basement and it’s vented outside. Apparently this unit is one of the more powerful units that you can run on 120v before stepping up to a 240v model. Not once have I ever had a clog, have I ever had suction loss, nor have I ever had an issue with the unit and I suck up all sorts of stuff, some stuff shouldn’t even be sucked up but if it can fit it goes. The same friend Tom got his unit from, I got mine from and I couldn’t be happier. It’s the vacuum I use the most.
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Post# 454740 , Reply# 12 7/12/2022 at 11:03 (921 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I thought about it in my old place. I found a HOOVER unit on ebay...but couldn't get it here. It's the only one I'd get. I really don't need one. But, Owen Perkins was very kind to me about it. A few yrs back, someone else tried to sell me one...didn't work out.
I'm told it wouldn't be THAT hard to retrofit this 12 room place. But..................... There is a Hoover Central vac in the basement. Good enough. | ||
| Post# 454751 , Reply# 13 7/12/2022 at 16:54 (921 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
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Scott | ||
| Post# 454791 , Reply# 15 7/13/2022 at 15:54 (920 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN) | ||
I think people vastly underestimate and do not think about what goes into installing a central vacuum. This is not something you just buy and use. You have to spend weeks renovating your home to fit one in which is why they are only found in new constructions. There is a lot of damages done to walls, floors, ceilings , et cetera to install central vacuum tubing. it's at least $1,000+ in labor to install.
the people that actually use central vacuums are maybe less than 1% of America. in canada most new home construction requires central vacuum systems - why i don't know. canada is very strange. I would highly advise you to stop watching clickbait youtube channels which will cut out these paranoid rants. central vacuums have existed for over 100 years and they are still a very little used and little bought cleaning system and the top vacuums are still hoover and shark and dyson. there is absolutely nobody rushing out in the middle of the night to buy a central vacuum system. | ||
| Post# 454794 , Reply# 16 7/13/2022 at 17:27 (920 days old) by vaclab (Pickerington, Ohio) | ||
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Canadian Central Vac Requirement? | ||
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Post# 454799 , Reply# 17 7/13/2022 at 19:15 (920 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada) |
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| Post# 454801 , Reply# 18 7/13/2022 at 22:22 (920 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN) | ||
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I think what I must have read must have been a builder's requirement for certain estate homes as their furnishings and not the national code.
pacesetterhomessask.com/wp-conte... pacesetterhomessask.com/about/... I just figured it was a requirement because so many homes had them from new. But Canada does have requirements in the building code on how the piping can be run and protected from fire.
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| Post# 454853 , Reply# 20 7/14/2022 at 14:47 (919 days old) by Ocscott3085 (DMV) | ||
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Yes, I put off changing the bag in my MD central vac unit by about two months. It was JAM packed with dirt, dust and enough dog hair to make another beagle. As Beagledad mentioned, there had been no noticeable loss in performance. Love my MD central vac. | ||
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Post# 454864 , Reply# 21 7/14/2022 at 20:26 (919 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada) |
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Many new homebuilders do the rough in for central vac as it is so much easier but I would guess that most builders do not provide the power unit/accessories nor do the home buyers have the install finished. I see ads all the time on Facebook, etc. for central vac units & accessories with the sellers saying they don't use the vacuum, don't like it and instead are using their stick vacuum.
Gary | ||
| Post# 454872 , Reply# 23 7/14/2022 at 23:11 (919 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN) | ||
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| Post# 455004 , Reply# 25 7/19/2022 at 16:44 (914 days old) by BrianNC (Long Island NY, living in NC) | ||
I love my central vacuum, everyone is entitled to their opinions and preferences for vacuums.
I don't see where my central vacuum is inferior, it's very convenient for me and my home. I'm a canister vacuum guy, I dislike upright vacuums but wouldn't sway anyone from buying/using them. Happy vacuuming. :) | ||
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Post# 455035 , Reply# 26 7/20/2022 at 12:59 (913 days old) by Vinvac (Dubuque IA) |
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I am not a fan of central vacuums but I see the value in them for some folks.
I personally think the hose being so long is cumbersome at best to use. Air flow is fantastic. I don't like them when used with a turbo units as the powerhead. An electric powerhead cleans much better in my opinion. All of the units I have used are the bag-less type and cleaning those filters and tank is just plain disgusting. I would opt for a bagged unit over the bag-less any day. Although not for me, I think they are an awesome convenience for those who like them. Just my two cents | ||
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Post# 455037 , Reply# 27 7/20/2022 at 13:26 (913 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I agree | ||
| Post# 455039 , Reply# 28 7/20/2022 at 14:41 (913 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 455044 , Reply# 29 7/20/2022 at 15:28 (913 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN) | ||
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| Post# 455046 , Reply# 30 7/20/2022 at 16:02 (913 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
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| Post# 455051 , Reply# 31 7/20/2022 at 18:56 (913 days old) by Ocscott3085 (DMV) | ||
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I agree with Tom - the sealed bags in the MD units are such a great addition. My parents Silentmaster has the open bag style that can be quite dirty to change. I like that I can just pop my bag on and off the collar. Bag changes are super quick, clean, and easy. | ||
| Post# 455410 , Reply# 32 8/2/2022 at 13:06 (900 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell ) | ||
Either this is a troll or somebody incredibly ignorant.
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| Post# 455416 , Reply# 33 8/2/2022 at 15:31 (900 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
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And references the "Canadians" but leaves out those of us who Love our sanitary Central Vacuums in the Heartland of America.
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| Post# 455422 , Reply# 34 8/2/2022 at 16:44 (900 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell ) | ||
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| Post# 455540 , Reply# 36 8/7/2022 at 05:53 (896 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN) | ||
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vacuumdevil
The userbase on the site is fine, there is new members all the time and plenty of active posters. Not sure where you are pulling your statistics from.
It's better to have quality users than more users. This ain't reddit bruh. It's a laid-back forum, not a chanboard. People don't come here for the "high user count" nor does it matter. If you don't like the topic, hide it. That is why that button is there. As the old Geico commercials went - "it's so easy a caveman could do it." | ||
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Post# 455725 , Reply# 37 8/11/2022 at 10:34 (891 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I have friends who have them and love them | ||
| Post# 455732 , Reply# 38 8/11/2022 at 12:03 (891 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
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Mike
Your Drain Vac was awesome. 240 volts of pure power.
As you are aware, this year's Vacuum Cleaner Collectors Convention's theme is Power Nozzle Canisters. I guess a central vac hooked up to an electric hose at the utility valve with a power nozzle would count for the Cleaning Contest. Remember last year there was a $50 prize to the winner. There are plans to film the cleaning contest for YouTube (along with some colorful commentary). Charlie Watrous is going to host the contest, like last year. Always a riot. | ||
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Post# 455807 , Reply# 39 8/13/2022 at 13:51 (889 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States) |
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using the Drainvac for the contest Well, if a central vacuum is legal for the contest than I just might bring that Drainvac again. The question is, which power nozzle to use? I'm thinking either the Sebo ET2 or the Wessel-Werk EBK360, the suction on that Drainvac will beat any portable canister. Mike | ||
| Post# 473754 , Reply# 41 10/20/2024 at 08:05 by Kloveland (Tulsa) | ||
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Post# 473763 , Reply# 42 10/20/2024 at 19:18 by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan ) |
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At Kenny.
I'm guessing because there are times where you need something that might be just a little easier or quicker. I know for myself if I had a central system I would have a back up maybe a stick or something I can just grab out of the closet for a quick clean up in I have company coming and I don't want to deal with the hose. When we were shopping for our house we went to several houses that had central cleaning systems and most of the time they weren't being used. They had uprights.
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| Post# 473769 , Reply# 43 10/21/2024 at 09:15 by kloveland (Tulsa) | ||
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| Post# 474152 , Reply# 45 11/12/2024 at 16:01 by panasonicvac (Northern Utah) | ||
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One of my neighbors across the street has two Beam central vacs in their house. Originally started with one but when they extended, one of the Beams wasn't powerful enough to cover the extended side so they added another Beam to the other part of the house. Anyways later on, they've gotten several uprights for their house. My best guess was is that their maids told them they'd rather use those than the central vacs because they don't clean the house. When I use to vacuum for them, I'd usually use the central vacs because I find they're better. That's another example of Brad's point I thought I'd share, there's several more but I won't share them as it's too long. But here's what I've been through personally.
From what I was told, my parents installed a Beam central vac to their home they built in 1991 because my Montana grandparents have a central vac. They brought the Kirby from their previous home and kept it there for a short while until they gave the Kirby back to my tractor grandparents. That has always been the main vacuum for the home and I won't count any of the ones from my collection that I've used as well. My aunt also installed a Beam central vac to their home they built in 2000 because they were temporary living in my parents' basement and used their Beam. They brought her Hoover Concept Two from her previous home and rarely ever used it, maybe only a few times when they lived their for 21 years. They added a Allegro central vac to their home they live in now because it's similar to the Beam from their previous home, they gave their Hoover to me because they felt like they no longer needed it. I did had to use it a few times when something was wrong with the central vac but it's a night and day difference, I was super happy when the central vac was back up and running again. My uncle added a VacuMaid to their home because my Montana grandparents has a VacuMaid, previously had a Hoover Turbopower 1700 and I believe a blue Eureka hard case Bravo II. Those two were gone when the VacuMaid came along but for whatever reason they later bought a Dyson DC25 Animal. My uncle bought a vacation condo that already came with a MD Flo-Master M85 and it was the only vacuum he's ever used. When he sold that condo and built the house he's living in there now, he got the same central vac installed cause he loved it so much. He did had two Panasonic uprights from his previous home but he gave them to me after he moved. And my Montana grandparents from what I recall has only ever had the VacuMaid since their house was built in 1982, my grandfather did buy a Hoover Floormate later but it rarely got used so now it's in his storage trailer. And when the VacuMaid's motor died a few years ago, he opted to have the motor replaced. I did recently tried to see if a central vac was still possible to be added to his cabin because it got flooded this past winter and everything had to be gutted inside. Just as it was before, we still couldn't put one in. So unfortunately this is one of those homes where only a portable vacuum can be used, I'm already working on getting the insurance company to pay for a new canister vacuum since I want it to be so similar to using a central vac unlike the old one where it's a little cumbersome to use. | ||
| Post# 474167 , Reply# 46 11/13/2024 at 15:16 by kloveland (Tulsa) | ||
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Or central vacs owners got tired of dragging out the long hose and bought another vac. That would be the most obvious answer. Either way I don't care. Just thought I would mention it. Collectors are a different breed! Myself included. I don't think our experiences would align with the average person who doesn't think about vacuums 24/7. | ||
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Post# 474168 , Reply# 47 11/13/2024 at 16:37 by luxlife (Under a Pecan Tree) |
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I don’t know a single central vac owner who doesn’t also have a conventional vacuum or two. I do know plenty of them who have all said that they save the central vac for cleaning day and not for quick cleanups. | ||
| Post# 474172 , Reply# 48 11/14/2024 at 09:19 by Kirbyman65 (USA) | ||
I don’t think there terrible  | ||
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Post# 474188 , Reply# 49 11/15/2024 at 18:16 by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan ) |
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Something that people don't realize...
Is that we as a group have each other when it comes to this. A few posts up... There were a lot of reasons as to why people might not use a Central Vacuum System. No tools, no main units. The units might not work or the tools are in bad shape or whatever. Thats where we all come in. If any of us were ever in any kind of a situation like that we all know that we can come there and make a post asking for advice or say what exactly we are looking for and we know that somewhere in this fabulous group of people we are going to get what we need. We can strike up a deal for hoses and attachments, have our questions answered or whatever the case maybe. Here at this site we all have the same interests for the most part whereas the people outside of this site and who don't have the same interests are more than likely just going to be like. I'll put up with that inlet in the wall or the main unit hanging on the wall in the basement or garage.
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| Post# 474252 , Reply# 51 11/18/2024 at 22:02 by Durango159 (State College, PA) | ||
Central vacs have certainly come a long way over the years and there are many styles. The bagless ones can be messy as some involve sticking a brush up inside to clear built up dirt off a screen. Beam units were notorious for having what was called the Bean bag filter. You had to bang it out a while or replace it. I'm not sure they were designed to be washed so well. Granted you could do the trash bag method like a user mentioned and work to engineer a better way but a sealed bag system is the simplest and neatest.
Hoses have come a long way. As many homes are converting away from beloved carpet to hard flooring, the need for a motorized power nozzle or upright cleaner doesn't exist in some homes. Many of those homeowners are getting Hide-A-Hose or Chameleon valve systems where the hose lives within piping of the walls of the home. Typically many of those hoses are 60' in length when fully pulled out and they are very lightweight to use and maneuver. For electric power nozzle usage, the majority of current market electric hoses are plastiflex style crush proof hoses. They are about 1/3 the weight of traditional wire reinforced hoses like what was found on Kenmore, Hoover, Electrolux canister vacuums, etc. for many years. The new hoses are very easy to use and many are direct connect with two pin connector for the 120V to power the power nozzle and separate low voltage connection for suction unit control. Clogging is a very rare issue but it depends on the quality of the installation as well. The quality of the installation can make or break or the system as it's the design of the runs in the wall and number/ sharpness degree of the turns that make the system more or less efficient. A good installer puts the sharpest 90 degree elbow turn directly at the outlet level. That sharp turn at the outlet helps prevent items like hair pins, crayons, nails, large glass shards, socks, etc from getting lodged elsewhere along the way. The other downfall of a bad install is poor reachability. Installers do their best to measure and do outlet placement accordingly. However, I have done residential cleaning on the side for many years and a few of those had a central vac. There were parts of closets or back of the bedroom that the hose and wands of the central vac didn't reach. For those instances, I had to pull out a traditional vacuum to accomplish the task I fully wanted to do. Often it wasn't an issue or was only noticeable when you wanted to remove a cobweb of a far corner and your vacuum was just 3'short. Or that back closet corner that got cleaned a few times a year for carpet cleaning, but still the central couldn't reach, so I grabbed a traditional canister vacuum. For those reasons above, I definitely advise having a traditional vac around which answers @Kenny Loveland's question. In addition, for install difficulties and not reaching a certain area, I found at times, a standard canister or upright was easier. I lived in a home with a central vac for a few years. It was a good system. When I did a weekly full house cleaning, and we had two dogs and five cats living there, I used the central. For in between cleanings, small messes or say vacuuming one bedroom, I found it quicker to grab a standard upright or canister, whip out the cord, and off you go. The central is great, don't get me wrong.. It really doesn't take long to wind it back on the wall hanger hook that comes with most systems, but when you add the steps togethers, and plugging the central in the one and only hose outlet of a floor that is two rooms away from the only room you want to work in, it just didn't seem to add up at times. It also comes down to usability. If one person is inside cleaning the house and another person wants to clean another floor in the home or the car, maybe the system has enough power and the residence has another hose kit, or maybe it doesn't. There are many systems that can handle 2, 3 or more users hooked into it at the same time and each having enough power but that's often in more commercial applications. But there are also many homes with installs where that isn't the case. On times when it's all hands on deck to clean the house for the holidays, etc. you may very well have two users wanting to vacuum different parts of the home at once and need a separate canister or upright. It also doesn't hurt to have a backup system just in case! | ||
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