central vacuum recommendations needed
cctray
13 years ago
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susanelewis
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Vacuum Cleaner Recommendations Needed
Comments (8)jamrock, I understand your hesitation of opting for a central vac. The last thing you want to do after an entire gut remodel is put more holes in finished drywall. Given that, I would certainly recommend a canister over an upright. As you've heard, most people prefer them for stairs, and uprights tend to be pretty lousy on wood floors for actually picking up particles. You are probably going to hear a lot of recommendations for Miele. And rightfully so; they're excellent machines. Keep in mind, they're bagged, so that is something to consider (I prefer bagged, but there are also a lot that prefer bagless). A less pricey option is a Sanitaire. My mother has had hers since 1972 and is still as powerful as ever. Sorry I wasn't incredibly sepicific about model numbers, but I do not personally own a Miele, so do not feel the best qualified to give an exact recommendation. However, hopefully I gave you some things to consider....See MoreBag or bagless central vacuum? Airvac anyone?
Comments (5)Well, since this thread is back from the dead, I suppose I should provide a followup: My Aqua air is in and running, and I'm really pleased. It goes forever between filter net changes, and lets me scrub all the hard floors without ever getting my hands wet, or lugging buckets of dirty water around. We have the exhaust air going outside, and it seems to make a huge difference in terms of not having much dust accumulate. It doens't work with the 'hide-a-hose' systems, which is unfortunate, and when you do empty the net bag [catches the larger particles, the rest go down the drain], it's usually damp and unpleasant. For any system NOT using the hide-a-hose, I'd strongly reccomend putting in a few extra outlets so the detachable hoses are shorter....See MoreAnyone NOT recommend the Hide-A-Hose with their central vacuums?
Comments (9)It is really easy to pull out the hose and I love not having to store a 30 ft hose either. Also you don't need to pull the full length out if you don't need it. You only pull out what you need. Since it is attached there is no lugging around a heavy hose to move it to another outlet and it is very light weight. Lighter than in my old house where I had the 30ft hose I had to lug around. As for retracting. That is the easiest. You just cover the hose hole with the vaccum on and it retracts itself. Depending how much you cover controls the speed in which it retracts. We don't have carpet so the air powered is not an issue for me here, however it never was in my old house either where only the spare bedrooms were carpeted. Cleaned those really good. A Kirby guy tried to sell me his vaccum and he tried to show me how dirty my carpet was, but couldn't. Of course being that they were spare rooms they didn't see as much use as a living area would....See MoreCentral vacuum
Comments (17)I hated my central vac system! Hated the long thick hoses / tubes that you had to maneuver around to walk and vacuum. Previously with a regular upright vacuum, I hated the cording that I used to have to flip around to get to that area to vacuum. And I thought that with a central vac, no more cord! Well, no cord yes, but instead of that annoying 1/2" thick cord that got in the way, I had a massive 2-3" hose that was 10x more annoying than the cord! The head never had enough suction for carpet and it did not seem to get as clean as a regular upright. Plus storage of those 30 foot long hoses PLUS the vacuum heads was a huge storage problem for me! Now with all of these new improvements of the hide-a-hose and the opening you can just sweep into with your broom, I might have taken a second look. But if it were me, looking now, I'd try out the actual systems if you can in someone's home and see how they like their system. The custom and hybrid sounds the ONLY way to go. But I would still hate that huge hose - that part would be a deal breaker for me personally. The only other note of caution I can add with the older systems is that when I worked in the new homes industry with a couple of builders several years ago, they frequently had problems with the systems clogging up with things getting stuck in the walls. It was determined later (after expensive and destructive opening walls for the hose repair IN the walls), that the blockage was due to a combination of new carpet fibers and small toys or objects that children likely stuffed into the vacuum wall openings. When that happened, the entire system wouldn't work. A central vac was a liability and no longer an asset so they stopped putting them in. Maybe in an individual's home that wouldn't happen but with so many different cleaning crews and visitors, it was common then. I have not heard of that being mentioned lately so maybe with all of the hard floors instead of carpet, that this is not a problem these days. Just wanted to add that as something to watch for and to teach children not to play with. I came across another GW thread on this topic with some great details and specifics especially on the hide-a-hose system and them trying out several and their comments. Very timely. Link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Central Vac testing GW link...See Moresusanelewis
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