I love my HAH - In my old house I had the regular. What I love is I don't have to store the hose somewhere and I don't have to lug it around to plug it in. I also can use only what length I need to do what is needed, such as when I spilled a bunch of rice when I dropped a grocery bag on the way to the kitchen. Just took out the length that was needed.

$750 per connection? i don't think it's nearly that much. ours isn't installed yet but i have tried them out and it's SO much easier than lugging around and connecting a hose. i think people who have no prior experience with things may tend to stick to what they know and deter others based on their limited knowledge. we'll have four hose connections and eight vac pans and i can't wait to vacuum! i also got a v-room for under the sink (in lieu of the archaic dustbuster) and as it sat in the corner uninstalled i decided to pull out all 24' of hose to see how flexible it was. the unit itself is not heavy, and when i pulled out the hose the box didn't move at all. the hose was easy to maneuver and it retracted back with little effort. i have a feeling i will be very happy with it!
we bought our imperium system from centralvacuumstores.com. pricing was very competitive and their staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. i went to them on the suggestion of someone from this board. definitely talk to them or someone else who is familiar with HAH and base your decision on information coming from people who have experience with the product. good luck!

Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay! Did I say yay?

I think I may have been the member who suggested Central Vac Stores, Kate. I too have a feeling you will be very happy with HAH! Our HAH has been in for over two years now and it may be my single favorite feature of the house! It just makes so much sense!
I can understand a contractor being reluctant to install something he is not familiar with but it would be more helpful if he would educate himself rather than discourage you from something you feel would make your life so much easier, as it most certainly has made mine! I feel strongly that a CV with HAH should be offered every owner of a new build home! Good luck!

We got an estimate on 2 50 ft. hide-a-hose connections for $2,400. I believe the company is the same as kateskouros's original estimate which led her to centralvaccuumstores.com. Kate, if you read this can you tell me the difference in price from your first estimate? I think I'll check into that website if the difference is significant. I'd like to add some vacpans in a few areas, but I'm hesitant because each vacpan installed is another $200.
Thanks,
Lori

Thanks for all of the words of encouragement. When people feel this strongly about a product, I think I should pay attention! My gut feeling also is that I would prefer the HAH and always regret not getting it. Also, thanks for the tip about the website. I'm going to call them tomorrow for an estimate. I would never have known about HAH if not for everyone here!!

I definitely want HAH. I lived with a central vac  non HAH - and thought it was a PITA. Like Sis3 said  It just makes so much sense! And, I donÂt think I have read a single post from anyone who regretted it. Plenty of folks that love it  not one who regretted it. That really says a lot.

I would really like to hear from someone who has the 60 ft hose thoughÂ

Anyone???

sis3: thank you for the recommendation! i couldn't be happier with the professional advice and service from CVS. they were extremely patient with me. a side note: i got my first quote a few months back and our build is behind schedule so i put off ordering. they sent a revised quote with lower prices which was great. we packed in many features not included in our original quote from a local distributor of the vac-u-maid system (which btw came in at over $6K).

robinson622: below is the pricing i received from CVS. i'm sorry it may be a little difficult to decipher since some of the pricing is for MULTIPLE items. example: in the case of the 50ft hoses, the total for four was $552, each costing $138. we actually are installing a fifth since we added one to the playroom which is above the garage, between the first and second floor. GC recommended the additional hose after consulting with the plumber. he is getting $2000 to install. i hope this helps.

7585 1 Central Vacuum Imperium CV15000-400/cv1240 Power Unit $945.25 $945.25
2782 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose Air Turbine Tool Kit $142.50 $142.50
5914 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS3000R Valve Rough In Kit $28.50 $114.00
5913 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS3000W Valve Trim Kit White $161.50 $646.00
2768 4 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302122 - 50ft Hose $131.10 $524.40
7818 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302140 - RF Handle Kit $172.90 $172.90
7817 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose HS302141 0 RF Sender Only $95.00 $95.00
8719 1 Central Vacuum Hide-A-Hose New Style 2x2 Adaptor Installation Kit $142.50 $142.50
7407 1 Central Vacuum Vacuflo Vroom Central with 24ft Hose #9120-DS $236.55 $236.55
1959 1 Inlet CV Stores Utility Kit $0.00 $0.00
1947 10 Central Vacuum Components 2 x 2 Adaptor Fitting $0.00 $0.00
7566 10 Central Vacuum Components Vacuum Pipe 2in OD 4inch Stub Piece $0.00 $0.00
7206 4 Central Vacuum CV Stores VacuSweep - White $28.50 $114.00
6181 8 Central Vacuum CV Stores VacuSweep 2x2 Adaptor Kit $5.70 $45.60
7205 4 Central Vacuum CV Stores VacuSweep - Black $28.50 $114.00
7210 4 Central Vacuum CV Stores VacuSweep Trim Plate - Black $4.95 $19.80
7203 4 Central Vacuum CV Stores VacuSweep Trim Plate - White $4.95 $19.80
6242 1 Central Vacuum Vacuflo Lint Brush Vac Attachment $14.95 $14.95

SUBTOTAL $3,347.25
TAX $0.00
ADDITIONAL AMT $0.00
SHIPPING/HANDLING $0.00
CREDIT $0.00
TOTAL $3,347.25

hi,
We don't have HAH but I heard that it can be kind of messy.
I have been told - correct me if I am wrong:
The hose is covered in a nylon making it easy to slide in and out. The hose/nylon cover goes back into the same tube that your debris went into SO the nylon hose cover picks up dust/debris from the inner tube and then brings it back out when you pull the hose out.
Does that make sense?

abma we have certainly not experienced any problems of this nature! The hose does slide back into the same tube that the dust and debris pass through but the nature of a vacuum is that the dust etc is all sucked safely away into the container. The internal surfaces of the tube are smooth, so the dust doesn't stick around! My HAH hose after 2 1/2 years is still clean.

I would suggest that this objection was initiated by someone not familiar with the product.

Thanks, Kate!!!

I was on the site trying to figure out all of the parts we'd need. I guess there's no warranty if we install ourselves. That's the only thing that bothers me. I think I only need 2 hoses. The house is 3,800 s/f. I'm considering vacpans in the mudroom and kitchen. I posted a message a while back about vacpans, and many people with the hide-a-hose said it's so easy to pull the hose out they don't use them. I'm torn.

Lori

lori, call them and they'll walk you through. tell them what you need and they'll send you a quote with everything you asked for plus what you will need for install. out of everyone i know with central vac, no one has ever had any issues. my sister has a model that's over 20 years old and she's never had a problem. good luck!

Lori - have you considered installing a Vroom unit in the kitchen/mudroom? They are basically "mini-HAH" systems that you just pull out from underneath the cabinet. I'm considering using these instead of vacpans because I never use a broom anyway.

Can anyone comment on their experiences with Vroom units as opposed to vacpans?

Thanks!!
Tracy

kate - you're right! I don't know too many people with central vac (except for the people on this site) and everyone here raves about theirs as the OP stated. I'm going to call centralvacuumstore.com this week. Thanks!

tracy - I've seen the vroom online, but didn't consider it because of our budget. However, if I can save by installing ourselves maybe I can add it. You see my logic...instead of saving $$$ add more things to the list. :)

Get it! It is the most convenient and easy to use cleaning system you'll ever have. No more lugging vacuums up and down stairs. It's so easy to vacuum. I have a 50' hose in my basement, one on the first floor and one on the second floor. I have the "traditional" central vac in the attic (drag out the hose) and in the garage. All of this is done with once vacuum unit which is mounted in the garage. I used the same on-line source that is noted above. My electrician installed, even though he was not familiar with the HAH system. Honestly, it isn't that different from the traditional systems - it just makes so much more sense.

there is a new system HOSE MAGIC that looks a better system, and it is easy to install, and the cost is less.

The Hose Magic does look interesting, tommat. At first glance the advantages seem to be that it automatically expends as well as retracts and there is a powered carpet cleaner. The only disadvantage I noticed is the rather large outlets.

I have a HAH and absolutely love it. It has worked flawlessly for over 3 years in our 3400 square foot home. When our friends that have traditional systems installed take a look at our hose retracting automatically, their jaws drop.

I have seen the Hose Magic system, now called the Dock-it. It is a much heavier hose, and unlike the HAH, uses a motor and geared system to pull the hose back into the wall. The main thing that I don't like about this system is that the access door for the hose is huge and difficult to conceal compared with the HAH outlet.

We installed our HAH system only for the upstairs portion of our house. The 60 foot hose covers all of the upstairs plus 3/4 of our down stairs, around 3000 square feet. The total installation, with tools and a carpet head was $1795.00.

Since the thread was revived, we have HAH w/ only one 60' hose for our entire 1-floor, 2600 sq ft house. It is AMAZING. I would pay the money again in a second....