Central Vacuum System Guide

What Are Central Vacuum Systems?

Just as central heating and central air conditioning systems, central vacuum systems are pipe-driven systems running throughout the house, which help you to clean any area within the home at will. There's a basic difference, though. While the central heating and central air conditioning systems will do their work without any intervention from your side, the central vacuum systems will need you to attach a hose to various inlets running through the house. The hose will then vacuum the specified area where the hose is connected.

Central vacuum systems are very much different from the traditional hand-driven vacuum systems that we operate currently. The traditional vacuum systems – I am using the word 'traditional' to differentiate them from the central vacuum systems – are a piece of single unit machinery with a hose that we need to move from one area to another. In that way, the traditional vacuum systems are localized. But the central vacuum systems run through the house, and there is no equipment to be carried from one place to another, apart from the hose connection that needs to be made at the particular inlet.

Structurally, the central vacuum systems contain several pipes running along the length of the home, preferably in every room of the house, a hose and an outer canister. The pipes contain various inlets. This is where we can fit the hose. Typically, the hose is 30 feet long. Hence, we can assume that a single inlet can vacuum about 700 to 800 square feet of space. But that will of course depend on the length and breadth of the room in question. The canister is the heart of the entire central vacuum system. This canister has a huge capacity, about ten times more than that of traditional vacuum cleaners. Typically, the canister is connected to the basement or any area outside the home. The dirt and debris that is cleaned up from the various inlets throughout the home are driven to a dust bag located inside the canister. The canister needs to be connected to a power source; no other power connections are needed.

Why Are Central Vacuum Systems Becoming Popular?

One of the basic problems with the upright vacuum systems that we traditionally use is that they need to be lugged from one room to another. Agreed that most upright vacuum systems are quite light and easy to move, but even then, they require someone to do the pushing. This problem is nicely solved by the central vacuum systems. Once the hose connection is made, there is no lugging, except moving the hose inlet in the desired directions. Also, since the capacity of the central vacuum systems is much higher, the hose is able to suck out dust and allergens from the total volume of the room, and not just particular surfaces. That does make them more efficient at providing a cleaner atmosphere to live in.

Then there is the convenience of low maintenance. The canister has a huge dust bag, and it can easily be allowed to accumulate dust for as long as three months without changing. Repeated changes are not required, and that means more time saved.

One more benefit is of the long hose. The 30 feet long hose can easily be directed at difficult spots, such as ceiling fans, chandeliers, drapes and difficult nooks and corners of the house. This is very difficult to do with the traditional vacuum cleaners, which might actually require to be lifted and pointed to the vertical areas.

People with disabilities and people who are otherwise unable to use the upright vacuum cleaners will feel the most benefits of the central vacuum systems. Without much movement, they can keep their homes impeccably clean. The same can be said for people who are too busy to spend an hour or more vacuuming their home. Once the hose is put on, a very little time is required to clean up the entire room.

With all these advantages, there is no doubt that the central vacuum cleaning systems are becoming much popular today. They have all the qualities that a good home appliance must have – efficiency, convenience, time-saving and low cost. And they require very little maintenance.

How Are Central Vacuum Cleaning Systems Installed?

Ideally, central vacuum cleaning systems are installed during the building or renovation of the homes. This is because the pipes of the central vacuum cleaning systems can be made concealed within the ceilings and walls of the home. Also, there is some amount of mathematical calculation required to properly assess the number of inlets required for the entire home, and the distances at which they must be placed. That is the reason why people hire professional services or handymen to install their central vacuum cleaning systems. Do-it-yourself installations are also possible, but not advised because you might not get the maximum efficiency from the system.

Of course, you can install a central vacuum cleaning system after your home is built too, but that could mean additional costs, especially if you want the pipes to be concealed. Professional services would think of ways to maintain the aesthetic look of your home even if you decide upon central vacuum cleaning systems after your home has been built.