A Central Vacuum is Quiet and Gets the Dirt!
Whisper quiet is the best description I can give you of what it sounds like when you use a central vacuum system, especially ones that have the central power unit located in a garage or remote corner of a basement. You just hear a little bit of air passing into the end of the vacuum wand. The central units themselves make noise, as you might expect, but it can be controlled by placing the unit someplace where noise is not a problem. Traditional upright vacuum cleaners will never be able to solve this problem. The noise of these machines is just several feet from your ears every time you use them!
A Wonderful Setup
My wife and I installed a central vacuum system in our house when we built it. It was easy to run the tubing at that time. We planned the placement of the vacuum outlets just right and we are able to vacuum every square inch of the house with just one hose. We actually purchased two hoses so we can keep one on each level of the house. The hoses are light weight and if you need to vacuum, you just plug the hose into the outlet and the motor automatically fires up. I don't know what I would do without my central vacuum unit. I will never, ever go back to a standard upright type of vacuum cleaner!
Total Dirt Removal
I really like the fact that my central vacuum system removes all dirt from my house. In other words, there is an exhaust tube that extends from the power unit motor to the outside of the house. All the dirt that gets sucked into the vacuum hose passes through tubing to the power unit. There most of the dirt collects in a bag ( I don't have a 100 percent cyclonic unit yet - but will soon!) The air that is being moved by the motor continues on its journey past the bag and towards the exhaust pipe. Any small particles of dirt that make it past the filter bag exit the house. Traditional upright vacuums leave these small dirt particles inside your house. Make sure the central vacuum system you purchase does - in fact - have an exhaust pipe that is ducted to the outdoors!
Clogs in the Piping?
Many people I talk with are worried about clogs in the pipes that are hidden in the walls and ceilings. It is virtually impossible for clogs to happen because of the design of the systems.
The piping in the walls usually has a 2 inch inner diameter. The vacuum hose that you hold in your hands has a 1 and 1/4 inch inner diameter. If an object can make it through the hose into the pipes, then you can see that clogs are virtually impossible.
Clogs within the wall piping can happen but they are rare. The most common clog happens when the homeowner fails to empty the filter bag or the power unit canister on a regular basis . If the filter bag fills up, it greatly reduces the suction power of the vacuum unit. Heavy dirt particles might not make it down to the central power unit and a pipe can get clogged. If you change filter bags on a regular basis, then this is never a problem. Simply check the bags to make sure they never exceed the "fill" line.
Another clog problem can happen with playful and inquisitive young children. It is not uncommon for kids to place small toys, cars, trucks, army men, etc. into the outlet openings of the system. They can be retrieved and often the best way to do this is to open the clogged outlet and suck backwards with a powerful wet-dry vacuum cleaner. If this doesn't work, then you may have to cut into a pipe.
Cyclonic Cost
Now that I have used a system with a paper filter bag, I am ready to switch to a fully cyclonic system. I have been happy with my paper filter system, but I am impressed with fully cyclonic central vacuums.
These systems are really inexpensive when you take all things into consideration. You can often get a complete system installed in an existing house for just about $1,300 to $1,500. This is the same money you will spend for a top of the line upright vacuum, trust me! Get ready, you are going to love your central vac!
