Are you certain he meant a '22,000ft2 house"? That is1/2 an acre of house! Sorry- I don't know anything about cost/system, but do want one of them in the next house!

The price difference between the 760 model and the MaxAir model (the one you were quoted) is only about $300. What you're paying for here is the labor to install.

We just bought a top of the line Beam system with all the bells and whistles for $1400. Hubby is installing in our new build. Any chance you can do the labor? If so, shop around. I saved A LOT just by making phone calls. :)

i wonder why someone who would build a 7500 sq ft home in this market would complain about a few bucks on a vac but these to sentences go together.

"VacuFlo MaxAir Power unit Twin Motor. Recommended for homes up to 22,000 Sq. ft. Maximum sealed suction 208" & air flow
122 CFM for Hide A Hose applications"

"This system has an extra large
Power Unit to efficiently retract the hoses."

ooooh... good research vhehn! ;) Need all that extra power to retract the hoses. Makes sense.

yes, vhehn. i see the point. thanks for being so kind in offering an explanation.

and as for your remarks about the size of our home as well as the timing of the build... what's your point, exactly?

thanks again for clearing up my confusion. and also for berating me for wanting to save "a few bucks" as you put it. i didn't realize it wasn't appropriate to look for what might be a better alternative. i offer my sincere apologies.

Our install for two 50' hide hoses, motor in the attic and canister in the garage was around $2300. I think we used vaccumaid. Our house is about 1/3 of your planned size, so the quote does not seem out of line to me.

We didn't get the vaccupans or a garage kit (our shop will be detached and too far away and that is where we'll do our detailing).

I didn't get the vaccupans either because I never saw the use for them. I don't sweep the floors with a broom ever. I either use the vacuum hard floor attachement or a swiffer type. I've never gotten a broom that was good at getting all up without way more effort than I wanted to spend or at the risk of scratching our hardwood floors.

The VROOM does sound like a PITA with the bending. How far away is a HAH outlet? Might be better to have a HAH outlet nearby instead.

Do you have anyone that you could have install the system for you? If not, I suspect that Central Vac will have cheaper prices. I found out about them from here, and although I haven't used them, yet, they seem very knowledgeable and helpful. My house is quite a bit smaller so I couldn't compare apples to oranges, but my guess is that your quote would be less if you could find someone local to install (or install yourself). Also, almost all of my friends really do like those vac-pans, so I am planning on getting several of those, and have no idea what a VROOM is :)

I don't know what a VROOM is, but I have been thinking that something like what you described would be great in a bathroom to vacuum up hair and now it turns out that something like that actually exists! I have two vac pans, and use the one by the cat's litter box all the time but rarely use the one in the kitchen. However, the one in the kitchen is great to clean up big, dry spills. I have thought about adding a vac pan to the bathroom, but I really would like a hose so I'll have to check out the Vroom!

Doesn't sound bad to me; ours was about $2300 for two HAH outlets w/ 50' hoses & one vacpan (mine's by the litter box, too!) The enormous motor is to give enough power to retract the hoses; our house is 2500 s.f., and the motor is rated to 1200 s.f. I have to say, I just love it.

If you have carpeted stairs, you'll want to get a RugRat. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: RugRat

thanks very much for the suggestions. i got a quote in from centralvacuumstores.com that looks much better. i think the unit also looks very good. if anyone has any opinions either way please let me know.

Central Vacuum Imperium CV15000/cv1240 Power Unit $899.00
2763 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302114 Door Assembly - White $28.00 $112.00
2769 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302130 - RF Handle Kit $182.00
2761 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302148 - Standard Valve with Switch $165.00 $660.00
1962 3 Central Vacuum CV Stores Vac Pan 2x2 Adaptor Kit $5.00 $15.00
1975 3 Central Vacuum CV Stores Vac Pan White $30.00 $90.00
1800 1 Central Vacuum Imperium GKB30 - Ultra Garage Tool Kit $95.00
2768 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302122 - 50ft Hose $138.00 $552.00
2952 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose 2x2 Adaptor Installation Kit (04) $78.00
2782 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose Air Turbine Tool Kit $150.00
44 1 Central Vacuum Vacuflo Rug Rat $40.00
1967 2 Central Vacuum CV Stores Exhaust Kit $10.00 $20.00
1959 1 Inlet CV Stores Utility Kit $0.00 $0.00

SUBTOTAL $2,893.00
TAX * $0.00
ADDITIONAL AMT $0.00
SHIPPING/HANDLING $0.00
CREDIT $0.00
TOTAL $2,893.

at this price i will definitely get a RugRat. i'm also thinking i should get another vac pan for dd's bathroom. she's only four now but she's got a LOT of hair. when she grows up her head will be exactly like mine. i tend to shed like no one's business! i've read some good things about the imperium. any nay sayers? as always, thanks for your help.
we're supposed to break ground on wednesday and i will post updates regularly. i appreciate the hand holding more than i can say. hopefully i will return the favor.

Great! Looks like a good price! Will you be installing yourself?

hi whidbey, no. our contractor will hire out the install. the sad part is my dh could probably do this with his eyes closed, but he's so busy with clients these days it wouldn't get done. i'm going to speak with the contractor and see about a price for install. so you think the imperium looks good? i was comparing to the vaculfo and seemed more powerful at a much better price.

We have an Imperium. After one year I can say it works perfectly. Certainly the central vac with HAH is the single best thing we did!

We installed ours ourselves. It was quite easy, but there is a little more involved than in installing a regular CV system. I hope your equipment, materials plus labor cost compares favorably with your original quote, Kate.

Kate, I had a VacuFlo in my old house and wouldn't even consider another brand in the one we're building. That said, I fully intended to have the HAH option, which wasn't available when we built the last house.

There are two FacuFlo vendors in my area. Both bid on our job. Neither has ever installed a HAH system and both were very iffy -- maybe I could say downright negative. I'm sure it's their lack of experience with it. One even admitted that. They did encourage the Vroom over the dustpan, and I decided to put them both places I'd planned dustpans, but sadly, gave up the HAH. We were told it would double the price. My biggest concern was that neither really knew what was involved on a first-hand basis. I do know that it requires a larger motor to retract the hose back into the wall.

The first bid was almost double what we'd budgeted, based on our square footage. I panicked, seeing my CV flying out the window! The second one came in just a bit over budget, and we felt more comfortable with that installer, anyway. So I'm getting the system I wanted, less the HAH, which I regret, but it's not a disaster. I'm getting a hose and an accessory kit for each floor, so I won't have to lug them up and down.

My main point is just to look around. If we'd just called the first place, I might not have a central system at all.

Good luck!

kateskouros, Can you tell me who the Vacuflo dealer was that you got the quote from? I think I remember reading that you live in Colts Neck which is where I live and we are currently building a new home. I want to get the HAH central vacuum system. Thanks so much for any info you can give to me!

hi eyegolf. yes, we live in colts neck. i visited the warehouse and they were helpful. if you follow a GPS it will land you in the middle of a cemetary. as soon as you see tombstones make a left and you're there! good luck and please let me know how you make out.

Enhancement Systems,LLC
603 Washington Avenue 10-B
South Amboy, NJ 08879
(732) 727-4970
Fax (732) 727-0655

Kateskouros,
Thanks so much for the info. Did you make an appointment or can you show up unannounced?
I am enjoying your posts about your build since it is coinciding pretty closely with our new home build. We moved into a rental house in June but the demolition of our home didn't occur until Aug 24th due to delays in getting all of the shut off letters from all of the utilities. Very frustrating. Wish I could have done what you are doing and lived on the property and demo'd after the new house was built but our new home is in a similar location due to the pool already in place. At least we are renting a house in Colts Neck that is close to our property. I'm sorry I didn't read up on Nichiha until very recently in your posts or I would probably have gone that route. It's so hard to try to research everything! What windows are you using? Thanks again for the info. I'll try to post photos of our progress. Our basement walls are completed and the garage was poured yesterday. This week is waterproofing and back fill and wood delivery. My contractor is putting 2 framing crews on the job to try to make up some time. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter!

hi eyegolf,
i made an appointment. we're not certain we won't go with them yet; i need to get a price for install of the system i priced on the internet so you never know. as of now we're supposed to be getting the andersen 400 series (double hungs & casements w/ wood prairie style grills) although we are exploring other options. we renovated our last home and used bonneville windows (canadian) and marvin and were very pleased with them. the bonneville's in particular seemed like a lot of window for the money.
you seem to be moving along a bit quicker. we lost a few days due to the weather last week and a miscommunication the GC had with the masonry crew. no big deal though, as they were back today. GC says he will begin framing in the next ten days. i hope the weather holds out for us. it looked like rain in the late part of the afternoon...

Kate - which system did you end up gong with, VacuFlo or Imperium? How did the installation + parts compared to your original quote?
We are in the same boat as yours and I'm not sure if VacuFlo is the way to go or the Imperium. Any advise would be appreciated.

$5710 for a vacuum cleaner? And I thought a Dyson is expensive.

I love gadgets but this is one I don't understand economically. Why not just hire a maid?

QUAVAC (The Netherlands) has been the market leader of vacuum technology for wastewater disposal for decades. QUAVAC has patented this technology under the name Vacuflow�. Wastewater is transported to the vacuum station by means of aspirated air using negative pressure. Compared to the traditional natural gravity and pressure system sewerage methods Vacuflow�� has several advantages. It is easy in maintenance, environmentally friendly, easily expandable and blockage is impossible.
Moreover, Vacuflow� sewerage is often applied in certain situations where no other system is possible. Such sites include marinas, harbour, islands, rural areas and industrial areas.

QUAVAC provides free quotes for vacuum sewer design and visit
http://bit.ly/PL0oNU
Name: Ricky YD
Vacuum Sewer Engineer
Netherlands/Germany/India

Here is a link that might be useful: sever system