Thanks, I am wondering about the bagged system too, and cyclonic motor vs. something else.

What ever you pick, don't forget to add a kick sweep in the kitchen (in laundry rooms are useful too!). Cheers

thanks but I am not getting the kick sweep, I don't use a broom, too much dust and allergens get stirred up, I only vacuum. I am getting the spot of vroom for under the kitchen sink, and laundry sink, for lint in the dryer and kitty litter on the floor.

Are your hose handles RF?

So no sock with those hoses? Seems rougher on trim. I use one of those in my garage but not my house.

David, I don't have any hose handles this is a new build, they are framing. I am asking some questions in my original post.

When our neighbors built their house they went with a hide - a hose option. Not sure of the make. They thought they had measured and measured again for the hose length but they didn't account for the hose having to go around corners, furniture and the island. It was short by about 15 feet to get into two rooms. So, they needed to buy a regular hose that now takes up room in a closet. Please make sure the length you get will be suffiicient.

thanks, I have talked to one sales/installer, I'm not able to DIY, and he told me they can custom add to the length of the hide a hose. However, I am definitely going to be watching the length so it can go around furniture.

Anyone have any comments on the cost, is this what it is? What about getting a bagged unit, I have allergies/asthma and the emptying process, even a couple times a year is too much with dust, dirt, and dander, and who knows what airborne.

One thing that jumped out to me about your proposal is the power unit. I had the Dirt Devil version of the Vacuflo FC650 power unit when my home was built. Vacuflo built it for Dirt Devil. It's a very powerful unit but it's not truly cyclonic. There's a cartridge filter that must be replaced every year and cleaned each time you empty the bin. I was religious about this but our unit died within 3 years of owning the home. We replaced it with a bagged unit from MD which was significantly cleaner and easier to maintain. The MD unit is quieter too. As of now, it is almost 5 years old and still going strong. That being said, if you want bagless get a true cyclonic Vacuflo unit if possible.

In regards to the powerhead for rugs, we orginially had the Turbocat and it does work fine for area rugs and very, very low pile carpeting. However, I never felt like it was deeply cleaning any wall to wall carpeting. They now make something called the Volt or CX1000 battery-powered powerhead for central vacs. Its base is a Riccar/Simplicity upright but instead of having a bag there's a wand where you attach your hose. It cleans the carpets and rugs really nicely. Apparently they now have a cheaper battery powerhead from Cen-tec. It looks like my old L-shaped Electrolux powernozzle. I would try the Turbocat but know you have options down the road.

The Chameleon hose seems similar to the old socked hoses from HAH. I think the difference is that the wall outlet is a little smaller. I'll admit our HAH outlet is fairly large like a 3 switch light plate turned on its side. Nobody has ever pointed it out but it's not exactly discreet.

All in all, I think you'll be happy with the system. It certainly makes cleaning a less painful task.

Ocscott, thank you for the information. I definitely want a bagged unit. With allergies and asthma it is a need not a want. I have see the batterpowerhead, I had a Simplicity upright over 30 years ago, great vacuum, it still gets yearly maintenance and my daughter loves it. For the last 20 years have used a SEBO upright, again maintenance, still going strong, when I move into the house with CV, all my daughters are asking for the old SEBO. I heard SEBO actually makes a power head for CV, lithium battery and am investigating for use in the carpeted master. Looking int0 the Chameleon vs. the blue flex hose, so far haven't found found much comment.

I would love to have some feedback from the forum on the pricing? I am aware that HAH is more expensive that a regular CV, understandable with the extra layout and designing needed for in the wall storage. I have decided to get the HAH, just wondering if the price is reasonable for the proposal as I don't know anyone that has a CV let along HAH.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Hi Cht155, I'm sorry I cannot help with pricing as when we built our house the home builder just had us check a box for YES/NO to central vac. We didn't get to choose the power unit or the number of inlets. That's why we ended up with a builder-grade Dirt Devil/Vacuflo FC650 power unit. I believe the end cost was about $3,200 but I retrofitted a HAH outlet a year later for an additional $1,000. So all in all, my system with 9 standard inlets, 1 HAH inlet, garage inlet, and vacpans cost about $4,200 for a 5,000sq. ft. home. My parents have a Sebo and it's been durable but I don't think they make a battery powerhead yet. I only know of the two mentioned in my previous comment.

I can help with hoses as I've had both kind - the socked style and now the blue Rapid Flex hose. My original hose in the HAH outlet was a grey socked hose. One day I accidentally ripped the cuff off the hose and when I went to purchase a new one the dealer recommended the rapid flex. Personally, I prefer the Rapid Flex hose. It glides really smoothly and in 4 years hasn't caused any scuffs on my trim work. It seems to have better air flow than the original grey socked hose I had.

If I had to do it over again from the start I would -

*insist on HAH outlets only except for the garage where I'd keep my regular outlet

*have a bagged unit since my bagless broke after 3 years

*use the blue Rapid Flex hose - more airflow and no dog hair clinging to the sock

*skip the vacpans and do what you're doing - get Spot/Vrooms in my laundry room, mudroom and kitchen. The vacpans are terribly loud and I'm not a fan of brooms either. Not helpful with dog hair.

Bless you heart for all the details. My long hair English Lab is blowing his coat, brushing, shaking, I could build a new dog a day with the hair, and I was worried about the hair sticking to the hose. His hair is 4-5 in. long with a barb on the end, sticks to everything. Good to know that the Rapid Flex isn't too hard on the woodwork, and there's always paint. I appreciate the advice about the Spot/Vrooms, I selected them for the kitchen and laundry with kitty litter pan there, and think I will add the master bathroom. My dealer is saying only 30' hoses so I need 5 of them. With the exception of the bedroom/apartment above the attached garage which needs one, I wonder if going a bit longer would at least allow the elimination of 1 of the outlets, The original house in pier and beam, and the addition will be also. Plenty of large attic space, it will all be foamed conditioned space so laying out the piping should be easy, at least working on it and getting to it. Does the unit spec'd only have enough power for the smaller hoses? The house and addition form an "L" shape if that matters.

I can relate - currently dealing with crazy amounts of shedding at the moment. My HAH outlet has a 40ft hose and it's installed in the center of my main living level. I can clean about 1,700sq. ft using just that one 40ft inlet. I'd prefer a longer hose over having to pull out a 30ft hose several times to vacuum one level of my home. I was told power units are rated by sq. footage and you should pick a unit that's rated for nearly twice your sq. footage.

Good call on the master. I regret not doing a Vroom or Spot in there to keep things tidy in between weekly cleanings.

I will ask about 40' hoses and check the square ft. capacity of the unit spec'd. I am getting the regular hose for the garage, and wonder if that sq/ft. is part of the capacity. Originally, I didn't include the master, but read several times here on the forum of bathroom use. Thought about the mudroom area for a spot but the inlet valve for the family room in right there.

so I talked with the store and they are telling me at 50 ft. it will be awkward, heavier, and the longer the hose the suction can diminish. The Model is now going to be DB 7000 which is bagged. The house is 4100+ sq. ft.