Congratulations on your new CV and especially your Hide A Hose, tracyb! You are going to love it!

I have copied a response I made to a question about what accessories to use with a CV from a thread earlier this year.

"I too have only hard floors (tile, stone and hardwood) and rugs. I have the regular Turbo Cat and accessories. I use the Turbo Cat mainly for the wool rugs. On some of the jute or seagrass type rugs I either use the TC or just the regular brush on rollers. They both work really well. The brush on rollers does a great job of cleaning the tile and stone floors and even hardwood floors. I like the circular dusting brush that came with the TC package - it's great to actually remove dust from the house rather than just recirculate it with a duster! I use the same brush for the stairs so that I can clean between the iron spindles as I go.
For the hardwood floors I now have the microfiber dust mop and I purchased some extension tubes and an angle connector so that I can vacuum our higher window sills and skylight wells without having to use ladders! Cleaning this house has never been so easy!
There is also a very long flexible crevice tool that cleans out the dryer vent and most any other obscure spot......I know, I know, I have all the toys! For the first 3 years I just used the tools from the original Turbo Cat accessory package and was very happy with them but then I decided to treat myself and my CV to a few extras! You can always add on later once you know what your needs and preferences are.
I don't use my CV in the garage, and it isn't located there, but you can get a special (orange?) hose for the garage if you have an outlet there. I would if I could!"

As far as the switching on and off of the CV goes, I don't know if it will affect its life span but I doubt it will make a significant difference. Vacuuming, and switching on and off, habits vary. I would imagine that CV's are designed to accommodate this.

Thanks, Sis. I guess I need to check and see what comes standard with the install. I'll definitely check into Turbo Cat AND the microfiber dust mop--that sounds great!

I can't wait to try it all out!!!

I canÂt wait to try it all out!!!

Me either! Mine should be up and running tomorrow!

We are DIY as time and money permits. IÂve been planning this baby for a long time and TOMORROW I get to finally use it!

I only purchased the basic package but will probably be getting more stuff now that it is up and running. I also have to report back on the 60 foot hose and it appears I am the only one who installed one. :-)

Fun Stuff!

Jeri (High Sis!)

Hi Jeri.
Exciting times! I just hope you love your CV and HAH as much as I love mine!
I am very interested to hear how well the 60' hose works.

I forgot to mention when posting about the accessories that I was a little disappointed with the microfiber dust mop the first time or two that I used it. Then I realized that it was simply shedding a few loose fibers. It has worked fine ever since!

So tell me Sis, when it's time to clean the hard surfaces, which do you use--the microfiber dust mop? If not, what's your go-to tool? I won't know how to use mine or where to start!

Do you do all the hard surfaces, then change heads and do the rugs, etc.? I need a game plan to get off on the right foot. Do you use the CV exclusively, or do you swiffer between times, etc>??????

Sorry for so many questions, but thanks for your guidance.

i got a vroom unit that goes inside a base cab. i always had a hand held mini vac but none of them had much power. the vroom looks great because you just lift the hose out and it starts right up. i got the unit with the 24 foot hose and it doesn't seem cumbersome and it slides back inside the base when you're done.

since we're not in our new build yet, i haven't had the opportunity to actually clean with it. but i did try it out and it works amazingly well.

Here is a link that might be useful: vacuflow vroom from CVS

I didnÂt get the Vroom or Vac-Pan  I had a hard enough time selling the HaH to DH! But, we are DIY so I know these things can be added down the road. :-)

However, I did make sure to have a hose on the wall that separates my kitchen and laundry so I could easily whip that puppy out and take care of lint, crumbs, cat litter, etc. IÂm sure that hose will get used daily.

Oh! And Good questions Tracey! I look forward to Sis (and anyone else) to respond. :-)

tracey I use the microfiber mop for the hardwood floors although the wide brush with the little wheels cleaned them very well before I had the microfiber mop. I use the wide brush for all the stone and ceramic floors. For all the other surfaces I would normally dust I use the small round soft brush. There is a tool for upholstery too. For wool rugs and sometimes for the woven natural fiber rugs I use the Turbo Cat, other times I simply use the wide brush for the woven rugs. I guess the wide brush is my go to tool!

I have a large laundry bag for all my accessories (I have quite a lot now but it's not heavy). I just hang it in a central location on each floor as I clean so that if I need to change the tool I can quickly grab what I need. You will soon discover which tools works best for your surfaces and what game plan works for cleaning your house. I can say that cleaning is much easier now and quicker, and my home is cleaner than ever. Also DH will not hesitate to pull out the CV to clean up any mess he creates!

I do use the CV exclusively. If I had a swiffer I might use it between times but honestly the CV is so easy to use and store that I haven't felt the need for a swiffer. Also I confess I love the idea that all the dust etc is being actually removed from the house by the CV.

Just a little tip. If you have the same type of wide brush I have you might find that hair eventually winds around the little wheels. It's easy to pop them out to remove the hair but DON'T do it with the CV running. You are likely to suck up the wheels or the little spindles!

We built before the HAH was available. I'd skip the vac pans. Why go get a broom and sweep if you can whip out the vac hose and *get it all* without raising dust?

My only caution is to measure from the hose outlet to the highest thing in the farthest corner that will need cleaning. My installer didn't realize I'd need to vacuum the the screened porch. My hose doesn't reach all the way to the far wall for the porch carpeting, much less the screening.

I never thought about the screened porch. Can you get an extension hose for the end of the HAH?

Those of you with lots of hardwoods--how often to you CV? I've never had wood floors before, so I only vacuumed once a week (just 2 adults). I know I'll have a change in my cleaning routine with different flooring.

I designed our system unfortunately without including the porches, pool deck etc too! In addition we would like to use the CV to clean the cars but couldn't put an outlet in the garage (the CV unit is not in there either for the same reason - no access). The nearest outlet indoors is close enough for the hose to reach the garage but I don't want to drag the indoor hose across a dirty garage floor! For these reasons I too have been wondering about add-on hoses, so I turned to the ever helpful Central Vacuum Stores for the answer.
You can attach either a 30' or a 50' hose (Gray with metal handles - Part #'s 98566 or 98577) to the end of your regular hose using the Hose to Tool Adapter (Part # HS502118). There is also an orange hose with plastic handles that comes with the Garage Kit (Part# 98450). So there are solutions to our outdoor cleaning needs, tracey and chisue.

Tracey, I also checked with CVS about your frequent switching question with regard to motor life. They confirmed that this should not have any significant effect as CVs are designed to operate this way.

We have no carpets. Most of the house has dark mahogany floors that could show every speck of dust. I like the house to be clean but I am not a creature of habit so I vac the floors whenever I feel they need it. We have some good friends who are cleaning obsessed who comment that they have never seen as much as a speck of dust at my house. I think perhaps they should get their eyesight checked :), but seriously I do appreciate their compliments! I do find that the house stays very clean, more than it did before the CV. I suspect that this is because the CV vents the fine particles to the outdoors rather than recirculating them as a conventional vac tends to do, and perhaps the lack of carpets also helps to make less dust. Also we have no pets.
On average I vac the hardwood floors once per week but if we have a houseful of guests, or DH is working on a woodwork project in his shop, then the vac may see the light of day daily!!!

I hope this helps.

Dk Floors - vacuum hardwoods 2x a week. The vac pan with a powerful motor for the HAH is LOUD! I've had vacpans before with an old system and it was pretty quiet. The new one is obnoxiously loud. Just something to think about. We might sweep and then wait for the baby to be awake before running the vacpan.

That being said - there are always times to sweep and use the vacpan rather than breaking out the hose.

Thanks again for the good info, Sis! I'll certainly be getting an extra hose extension for use in the screened porch. Luckily, we did put an outlet in the garage, so that area is covered. One other thing I did was put in a regular outlet into the closet in the mudroom. I'll have a short piece of hose left attached to it so all I have to do is reach for it to use in cleaning up the mudroom, where the litter boxes will be. Doing that was cheaper than a vac-pan.

Sis -- Well, duh, I never thought about an extension. Thanks!

We have medium dark oak throughout and (modern) orientals with low pile. I just use suction on everything. No power assists. We're a retired couple with one Westie. (Westies don't shed -- but our puppy mill rescue DOES.) I break out 'The Anaconda' every 5 - 7 days.

Chisue - just thinking - you will have to check what extension hose will be compatible with your existing hoses. The part numbers I quoted apply to my system but may not apply to yours, or others, especially as you don't have Hide A Hose.

'Anaconda' good name :)!
No power assist here either - I find that the suction only does a great job.

tracey - cheaper than a $20 vacpan? You have to close the outlet to have the system work. I like the idea but am worried about the particulars. If you leave a hose attached, it will not allow the other points to work properly. I was thinking of adding a homemade "Vroom" like you are talking about but I haven't seen a closing valve that would work for cheap.

Hey David. Since I've never used a CV, I don't know how they work. I didn't know I couldn't leave a hose attached. I sort of thought there was some sort of switch at the outlet to get it started (unless plugging it in starts it)? I figured this solution was less expensive than a Vroom (which I'd like, too).

They guy installing the HAH CV said vacpans with trim-out were $300 each. That's high compared to the other guy's vacpan price, BUT the other guy didn't do HAH, and his over-all price for a regular CV was higher than the HAH guy.

I guess I have some more questions.....

First Weekend with Hide-a-Hose  Love it!

We could not get the 60 foot hose into the system. The 50 foot hose works great in both locations, but the 60 foot house would not go in more than about 25 feet in either of the 2 locations. DH was like a dog with a bone  didnÂt want to let it go  but in the end, he did give up. We canÂt see any difference in the 2 hoses  but there must be something. As it turns out, a 50 foot will work, so we will be exchanging the 60 for a second 50. So ends my 60 foot hose saga!

Other thoughts after 1st use...

I remember someone giving the "Tip" to use color markers to mark how far to pull the hose out for each room  Red for Master Bedroom, Pink for DDÂs room, etc. Others commented that this was not necessary as there was not that much pull to make it difficult if you did not latch off (or what ever it is called) the hose. Well  the pull on mine is significant  I have to latch it off. But, I think I will just always pull the full thing out  even if doing just one room. This may change with more experience, but seems like it will work best for me. Thoughts?

Sis  My floor brush doesnÂt have rollers  I must have something different than you do.

I think I need a tool belt to carry all the attachments in. I found it very convenient to swap the attachments (crevice, dusting, etc.) but was always running back to where I left it last.

Hi jeri. So glad to hear you love your CV, have been waiting anxiously to hear!

It is very strange that you can't retract the 60' hose! Have you talked to CVS?

I purchased the 'Deluxe Bare Floor Kit' with my CV. It includes the 14' bare floor brush, which has small plastic wheels underneath. I have linked it below - the description mentions the plastic wheels.

I use a large laundry bag for all my tools. It is large because it has to accommodate the usual chrome telescopic wand plus two extension wands for reaching high places, in addition to all the other tools. I carry it with me, or at least to a central location if I am doing an entire floor.

My HAH may be different from yours as it was one of the early ones, but if I am cleaning up say a spill close to the outlet I just pull out enough hose to reach the spill, but I always clamp the hose ('latch it off'?) as this is what creates the vacuum. The only time it is not clamped is when I am withdrawing or retracting the hose. I hope I have understood your question.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bare floor brush

Hey Sis--are those little wheels easy on the wood floors? The website says so, but I'd like to hear it from someone who uses it.

Are most HAH hoses standard? Meaning--can I order these extras from the CVS (or such) online store and save some money over getting them through my installer?

I'm excited to think I can actually dust with the CV! I hate dusting. I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to cleaning my new house.

Thanks for all your advice, etc.
Tracey

Tracey - the HAH houses are standard.
I wasn't thinking the install on a vacpan - I hate to see that kind of gouging. Perhaps that could be a DIY later (unfinished basement?)

I always latch and almost always pull the hose all the way out. Sometimes for quick cleanups in the kitchen I only bring it part way out - but the problem is you invariably see something or want to vacuum just a little farther - and so you regret not going the whole way. I mean once you pull out the anaconda, it takes just a few seconds to do another area and another and another. Oh - I'll just hit up the stairs too, Oh yeah, let me hit up the screened porch.... At least in a relatively open ground floor. Upstairs it is easier to stick to a single room if that is your intention.

Tracey the little wheels are very easy on the wood floors. I have been using mine on the wood floors for 3 years now with no sign of scratches. I do like the microfiber mop for the wood floors though.

LOL....you mean I might clean MORE than I intend when pulling out the HAH for one quick chore? Yes--unfinished basement, so I might forgo the one vacpan, knowing I can add it later before the basement is finished.

Is there a floor head that works for both bare and carpeted surfaces? Or, do you just do all the hardwood in the room and then switch to the carpet head and do the rugs (we'll likely use a large, bound carpet piece for the GR rug).

Thanks again

Have you talked to CVS

I sent an e-mail yesterday and just heard back. They want us to remove the little white plastic cap on the end of the 60 foot hose and cut 10 feet off the hose and the sock and see if this makes a difference. DH was of the opinion that perhaps there was too much sock and this was causing it to jam  so perhaps this will work! Now that he has permission to cut, he will do his best to make it work. CVS said they are happy to send us a new hose if this doesnÂt work and will even refund the difference in price if it does. CVS is one of the BEST companies we have ever worked with.

but the problem is you invariably see something or want to vacuum just a little farther - and so you regret not going the whole way. I mean once you pull out the anaconda, it takes just a few seconds to do another area and another and another. Oh - I'll just hit up the stairs too, Oh yeah, let me hit up the screened porch....

Exactly! I did this just this morning! My kitchen floor is dark wood and I have a yellow lab that sheds tons. I thought IÂd just get the fur from the kitchen, but went further and further  I mean why not? Right? It is sooooo easy. I *love* my hide-a-hose. :-)

"I mean why not? Right? It is sooooo easy. I *love* my hide-a-hose. :-)"

This is too funny, Jeri, you sound just like me! The great thing is that I am still as enthusiastic 3 years after 'starting the engine' of my HAH, and I think you will be too! It makes you wonder why we never had these before, or why they don't build them into every new house! I just shake my head when I remember dragging around my old vac with its built in motor, hauling it upstairs, just to redistribute some of the dust around the room!

Please let us know how those modifications to the hose work out.

Happy vaccing!

60 Foot Hose Update

DH removed 4 feet of sock and the hose went in much further - but still not all the way. In the end, he removed 3.5 feet of hose and 7 feet of sock and the hose will not retract fully  but only if you cover the end of the hose as it is retracting. The 50 hose will retract fully without the need to cover the end. Not a big deal to us, just thought it was interesting.

We used Schedule 40 PVC for the runs  which I believe is wider than the standard vacuum pipes - Schedule 20 I think? I have to wonder how much this made a difference...

So, I have a 50 foot hose and a 56.5 foot hose and I am a happy camper. :-)

Wow Jeri! There is no way I would retract our hoses without covering the ends, it would be too much work! Your HAH must have great suction! When we purchased ours we were able to visit the CVS store as it is local to us. When they demonstrated the HAH they covered the end of the hose to create enough suction for the hoses to self retract, and I have been doing that ever since.

We also used schedule 40. I think that is usual for HAH.

I am so glad that you are happy with your system, jeri, but I also wish you had been able to make the 60' hose work so that others could benefit from your experience, especially as you tried so hard for so long to have a 60 footer!

For anyone who has not seen Hide A Hose in action I have attached a video below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hide A Hose in action

So, what do you do.......start in the closest spot and work your way out, or do you go to the furthest area and work your way back?

I had a typo where I wrote "not" instead of "now", but you read it right  it does work.

Really makes you wonder about that 60Â hose. My DH is anal about his work, so IÂm sure it was all done better than it needed to be. And if I had known in the beginning how easy it would be to modify the hose length, I wouldnÂt have suffered such angst over the decision!

But allÂs well that ends well. IÂm absolutely thrilled with the HaH & CVS!

Thanks again for all your help and support Sis! :-)

Sis--which microfiber mop did you get? The green one or blue one (or the Manta)? I'm just now getting around to ordering some accessories.

Thanks!

Sorry, tracey, I did not see your post until just now. I have the green microfiber mop.
Sis

Thanks, Sis!

I love my HAH but have been content to use just two of the many accessories that came with the it....the wide brush and the Turbo Cat. Seeing this thread revived, prompted me to drag everything out of the bag and check out what else I could be using. One of the "left over" items I found was a wireless transmitter that allows me to turn the vacuum off at the handle instead of the wall. Am I missing out on some super slick feature? If it switches on and off from the handle how does one retract the hose? Information on line is pretty sketchy I hope one of you can provide some feedback.

Hi Sidney! Oh boy, I couldn't imagine not being able to switch the HAH off from the handle! I switch on and off several times while I am 30 or 40 feet from the outlet!

Retracting the hose is a breeze. When you have finished cleaning you need take only the handle (with the end of the hose) to the outlet, unclamp the hose, switch on the vac using the switch on the handle and retract the hose by covering the end with your hand as usual.

Thanks Sis, I just had my son hook it up. I'm on the look out for crumbs so I can try it out :)

I don't have any instructions for my HAH, but I'm assuming it's pretty straightforward? I mean, I've been using it. But, there does seem to be some air leakage around the connections up near the handle (where the attachments connect)....is this normal or should it be "sealed"?

tracey I'll check mine tomorrow to see how much air leakage there is.

There are 2 different (gas pump style) handle types (at least) with 2 different mechanisms for adjusting air flow/leakage at the handle. Why I have 2 different ones I don't know. If you want maximum suction, there should be no leakage at the handle. There is a plastic piece to turn to change the leakage.

I don't have the remote shut off. It was a little pricey and I figure I could add it later if I wanted. Wife hasn't requested it and I don't mind not having it. The only time I think about it is with the turbo cat since that is loud when it isn't on carpet so going from room to room (hardwood in between), it is a bit annoying. Otherwise, our motor is pretty isolated that just leaving it on is no problem.

I have the handle with the remote shut-off. The air that I hear leaking isn't coming from the plastic piece (when it's closed), it is coming from where the extension tube sticks into the handle---that little hole-and-"knob" that fit together.

Thanks!

Hi Tracey. On my HAH there is some air noise around where the extension tube fits into the handle too, but not much. It's actually hard to tell where the sound is coming from as it is close to the air adjustment thingy mentioned above.
Are you finding a loss of suction? If not I think the sound you can hear is probably normal. The system is not completely airtight, for example I can hear some air noise at the outlet too. However my vacuum sucks up everything I want it to (and more!!!) so I am happy.

Thanks, Sis. I guess my bit of air-noise is normal, then. Not ever having used (or even seen a CV before), I didn't know what was normal or not.

The floor brush that came with it (doesn't have the rollers like yours) seems to just push some stuff (cat litter) around by the brushes, and I have to make sure it makes it inside the brush area before it gets sucked up. I sort of wondered if there was lack of suction causing it not to pick up everything. That was another reason I asked you which dustmop head you had. At least if it's not getting sucked up, it's clinging to the mop and not getting left behind.