Allergies and Central Vac/ Hide-a-hose in CA bay area
lalithar
12 years ago
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david_cary
12 years agolalithar
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Spouse says yes to central vac, but not hide a hose. please advis
Comments (28)I haven't read all the comments but I had a central vac in my old house and HATED it (not hide a hose). The hose is cumbersome and much more trouble than it is worth. The attachments and hose take up a lot of space, etc. I own 4 vacuums and am a major vacuumer:). I have two cordless vacs that stay charging in closets - one right outside our kitchen in our back hall (this is the Dyson cordless) for quick pick ups after people eat in the kitchen and for the back hall (use at least daily), and one upstairs (Hoover Platinum cordless vac). Both are EXCELLENT! They work great on tile and hardwood and almost as well on flat weave carpet (all we have in this house and last). We had plugs put in both closets so they could remain charging and this is an excellent alternative to the hide a hose. Frankly, 7k square feet is too big to clean yourself. I have been doing it for the last couple of months and even though our basement is basically empty and only needs mopping, it takes a full day to do it right. I have decided I need a cleaning team - had one before and they moved out of town - to hit the hot spots. If you do that, you won't need to vacuum the whole house up and down on a weekly basis and the central vac makes less sense. I think if I were to have a central vac I would do the hide a hose for sure - the vac pans sound awesome for bathrooms and kitchen - but the central vac is not worth the money. Cheaper and easier to buy a vacuum for every floor (which I did)....See MoreCentral vac? Yay or nay?
Comments (48)jencjudd: Your builder's response from the central vac installer clearly indicates improper installation techniques. It sounds like the installers either are not using gradual sweeps in the tubing, or the power unit is undersized. I can't even imagine how in the world a hose gets "hung up" with proper installation. LOL! Are they using an oversized pipe diameter?! There are no sharp turns (not supposed to be anyway) in the piping. Here is the proper translation to their response: "The HAH takes extra time and effort to install and I actually have to use my brain to figure out the configuration for a main trunk line and still have enough piping for hose housing that doesn't interfere with the trunk line. I have a much larger profit margin on Beam CVs.". I'm sure at some point they will also throw in my favorite phrase....."I've been doing this for 30 years....". Can your builder use a different installer? This one wouldn't make me feel very confident. : /...See MoreBuilding a large new home, Central Vac help needed
Comments (22)I didn't get any other bids since I was so dead set on the HAH, so I can't really compare. Knowing your bid amount and your square footage, it seems comparable and in line to my pricing. I have two hoses, one vac pan, all the tools I could possibly need, and the garage outlet/tools/garage hose. I think the extra costs are there not because he marks it up for profit, but because of the HAH requirements. He has to build in enough tubing to house each retractable hose, so the price difference is for the material and the extra time it takes him to install. The main trunk line can't really house the hose because it would render the system unusable. Also, because the HAH uses special sweeps, that can rack up the price as well. Is it worth the extra cost? That is going to entirely depend on you and the way you plan on using and storing the hoses. For me, the HAH was essential because I knew I would end up with the hose tangled up in the bottom of the coat closet rather than neatly put away. I just know myself and knew I would be neat with it at first, but would eventually give in and just not do it which would result in a mess (and then the toddler would probably end up climbing on it and smashing it, etc.). I didn't see the point of having the central vac if I was still having to take up space in the closet for it like I did with the traditional vacuum. I also knew I would drive myself and my neat freak DH crazy with the tangled hose! :) Frequent vacuuming is essential in my house (a minimum of 2-3 times per week) because we have three dogs that shed, so I have to stay on top of it or suffer the consequences. I have to make it easy on myself to be organized or I just simply won't do it. Since you have a two story home, you would probably also want a hose on each floor if you didn't go with the HAH, so that is something to consider as well. If you don't think you would mind dealing with the hose (and some people don't), then you may not see the $2,000 benefit of the HAH. I just know myself and have been able to come to terms with my weaknesses! If you are a person who always puts things away regardless of any amount of hassle involved, then you probably wouldn't miss the HAH. However, if you have the slightest suspicion you might ever get a little lazy (you have to be brutally honest with yourself), I promise the HAH is money well spent. Another point to consider whether you go with Bob or not, I'm not crazy about the Turbo cat with the amount of dog hair we have to control. We have all concrete floors with plush carpet rugs here and there. Just based on its performance with the rugs, I know I wouldn't like the air driven head if I had actual carpet. I don't know if I would have the same opinion if we didn't have the dogs though, but for our situation, it just doesn't work. If we had carpet any thicker than berber and animals that shed a lot, the electric head would be a much better tool. The HAH was my splurge in our build, and even my husband, who rarely sees the value in these types of things, has said on numerous occasions that it was by far the best money we spent in our entire build. That was a profound statement coming from him because I swear sometimes I can hear him squeak when he walks! ;)...See MoreCentral Vacuum(Hide-A-Hose)
Comments (6)Hi Brady! I have a Hide-a-Hose thanks to the Building a Home Forum! You simply must go over there and read all about it. I will be surprised if you are not sold - I was! We have had our Hide-A-Hose for about 18 months now and we *love* this thing! I'll try to answer your questions: 1) I used to have a central vac with a hose that you had to carry around. Hated it! I actually preferred using a canister vac to that thing. The HaH is not the same at all. As others will tell you, when you pull the hose out - pull it all out, because even though you only intended to get those crumbs off the kitchen floor, once you are moving you just keep going. This hose weighs next to nothing when deployed and you don't even think about it as you move from room to room. 2) Correct! No coil tendencies at all. I have 2 outlets - one is 50 feet and the other is 55. We have a 3300 sq ft single story and the hoses are on opposite ends of the house - just where I wanted them! I have quite a bit of overlap with these lengths - which is great! 3) The number of inlets is not important as you probably would not be using them simultaneously. Although I "could" use both of mine at the same time, the suction would defiantly be compromised, so I never do. In addition to the 3 inlets you mentioned - lots of people have even more! Have you heard of the vac-pan or Vroom? I don't have either of these, but I have been considering them in certain areas of our home. My husband is very handy and installed our system. I don't know if you are a DIY type or not, but if you are, you can save a lot of money installing it yourself. This too is discussed on the Building a Home forum. We purchased everything form Central Vacuum Stores out of Florida (we are in CA). They are wonderful to work with! Many people on the Building a Home Forum have used them - they are highly respected and recommended over there. We purchased a Imperium Power Unit. I hope this helps. Below is a link to several thread on the HaH. :-) Jeri Here is a link that might be useful: HaH Search...See Moresis3
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