What are the Advantages of Central Vacuums?
Brandy always felt her 94-year-old brick Victorian was close to flawless, but cleaning it was a chore due to the two flights of stairs. "I looked for a housekeeper for years," Brandy recalls. "However, as soon as they learned they'd have to lug a vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs all day, they'd bolt."
"The thought of having three machines sounded ludicrous," Brandy says of her and her husband, Jim, who flirted with the idea of buying a vacuum for each level of their Toronto house. As a result, they chose to build a central vacuum system.
How does a Central Vacuum Work?
A central vacuum, sometimes known as a central vacuum system, is a device that suctions dirt into a 12-gallon canister in the basement using concealed 2-inch pipes. Instead of lugging a bulky, loud portable, they just connect a lightweight, 30-foot hose into specific wall outlets, which turns on the vacuum's two engines instantly.
The system has a capacity of 185 cubic feet per minute, which is two to three times that of a portable and does not emit dust. "We really like it," Jim adds, "and I never thought I'd say that about a vacuum cleaner."
How Much do Central Vacuums Cost?
The cost of a complete home central vacuum system, including installation, is around $1,500. Despite the fact that most new houses in Canada are equipped for central vacuums, they remain somewhat of a novelty in this nation, owing to the high initial cost.
What are the Benefits of a Central Vacuum System?
The device requires very little maintenance. It is suggested to replace the motor brushes every three years and discarding the paper filter bag every six months.
A 6-year warranty is included. The guarantee for central vacuum systems is more extended, but most portable vacuums only have a one-year warranty. "You're dealing with a larger motor that lasts a lot longer than the tiny ones in portable machines," says George, which manufactures the vast majority of central-vacuum motors in Canada.
Old houses can be modified with them. The majority of people believe central vacuums are exclusively for new homes; however, they can be adapted into older homes.
It simply takes a day to install and does not do any harm to your home. One lengthy workday was spent by the installer and his crew snaking roughly 100 feet of PVC pipe through walls, mounting the hose outlet covers, and connecting the low-voltage wires that tell the motors when to start and stop. It took about 20 minutes to hang the canister on the basement wall. The technician next inserted the device's wire into an electrical socket. "I was afraid that the home would be torn apart during the installation, but there was no damage at all except for one closet wall where the pipe shows," Brandy says.
Cleaning is a lot easier and faster now. Brandy can now clean two flights of stairs at the same time with ease. Despite the fact that she is currently seeking domestic help, her new housekeeper will not be required to vacuum: She explains, "I'm genuinely having joy doing it myself."
Central Vacuum Parts
There are three techniques to collect dirt in the realm of central vacuums:
Spinning the air in the canister causes the dirt to settle at the bottom and the dust to escape the home (the cyclonic types)
Invert filters at the top of the canister to catch dust while allowing dirt to fall through.
Like a portable vacuum, sucking dirt and dust into a disposable paper bag (right).
Machines with inverted filters or bags provide the option of venting outside or within. The interior of a central-vac motor is one area you don't want dirt to gather; even the so-called filterless cyclonics include screens or filters to protect their motors from dust.
How did Central Vacuums Become Popular
The concept of utilizing in-wall plumbing to clean dwellings dates back to the 1850s in Sweden when horse-powered fans generated suction. Horses were eventually substituted by slaves who pushed enormous bellows or, later, pedaled stationary bicycles. Even when electric motors were introduced at the turn of the century, only wealthy magnates like Henry Ford and George Eastman could afford them. Then, in the 1920s, portable vacuum cleaners arrived on the scene, leaving their whole-house counterparts in the dust.
Central vacuums, on the other hand, were not completely ignored. They were specified in a number of Frank Lloyd Wright's later designs because of their clutter-free convenience. When plastic pipes began to replace copper pipes in the late 1950s, the systems became more affordable. Still, they didn't really take off until the 1990s, when improved filtration, more powerful motors, and more effective vac attachments coincided with growing house sizes and concerns about indoor air quality.