Central Vacuums - Information

The History of Central Vacuums:  There are, today, a considerable variety of Central Vacuums available for home and office use. The Central Vacuum System (CVS) industry in the United States has, essentially, come from Canada where almost 85% of homes have CVS - in the USA the amount of CVS installed in homes is still relatively small.  In the 1980s a variety of existing American vacuum pic of newscastermanufacturers decided to infiltrate the growing CVS market and, with the inclusion of their products and additional advertising, the public awareness of CVS increased.  In addition to these new CVS manufacturers swelling the ranks, additional Canadian CVS manufacturers occasionally choose to enter the United States market; and, thus, the choice of CVS for the consumer is steadily growing.

The Nature of a CVS:  A Central Vacuum System in its inherent design performs like a traditional canister vacuum.  This is to say that a CVS provides cleaning power (suction & airflow) by means of a motor - or, in some systems, two motors - located in the main canister. This cleaning power is made available throughout a house (or office, etc.) by means of plastic (PVC) tubing (usually PVC - sometimes metal is used) located inside the existing walls, ceilings & floors of the house which is ducted to various CVS outlets into which a vacuum hose can be inserted.  Thus, in normal usage, the user inserts one end of the hose - usually 30 feet to 35 feet long - into the CVS wall outlet and the CVS obediently turns on.  Some hoses incorporate switches on the accessory end of the hose that enable the CVS to be turned on or off from the hose; rather than plugging or unplugging the hose from the wall outlet.  On the other end of the hose can be mounted various, traditional cleaning accessories such as dust brush, crevice tool, upholstery tool, wands & rug nozzle, etc.  As well, revolving brush accessories can be used for cleaning carpeted surfaces.

Locations of CVS Outlets:  The CVS outlets are normally located by the installer - usually after consultation with either the homeowner or the builder (or architect) - in judicious locations in particular areas of the house to maximize the use of the CVS hose in that area to clean as much as possible before cvs layout picrelocating to another CVS outlet.  Thus, in a wing of the house with three bedroom there might possibly be only one or two CVS outlets in a common hallway - not one in each bedroom, etc.  It is common in the average-size house (2,000 to 3,000 square feet) to have 3 to 5 CVS outlets.

Types of CVS Outlets:  CVS outlets come in various types and colors.  Most common today are plastic CVS outlets although metal is still used.  Usual colors are the traditional white or ivory.  Most CVS outlets are wired with low-voltage relay wiring which carries 24 volts to the outlet from the main CVS canister's relay.  Then, either when the CVS outlet door is opened or when the hose end is inserted into the CVS outlet the relay on the main canister switches the vacuum on.  Sometimes CVS use wireless methods to activate the main vacuum unit; however, this is usually the exception rather than the rule.
Some CVS outlets are also wired with 110 volts.  In this instance, a small 110V receptacle is included in the CVS outlet immediately adjacent to the round opening on the CVS outlet into which the hose is inserted.  The end of the hose, then, is designed with a small set of 110V prongs which plug into the corresponding 110V receptacle on the outlet.  This provides 110V through the current-carrying CVS hose so that a motorized nozzle head can be used to clean carpeted surfaces.  This design eliminates either separate extension cords or pigtail extensions off the end of the hose which would then be necessary to power the nozzle head.

Types of Central Vacuum Systems:  
 

Size & Power of CVS:  CVS come in different dimensions and power ratings to provide effective cleaning efficiency in various sizes of environments.  In most standard, in-home installations the need is to have a fairly large dirt chamber.  Some CVS have quite small dirt containers and thus the cleaning power can be quickly reduced as the dirt chamber begins to fill.
 

The power/efficiency of a CVS is directly connected to the size & type of motor - or, motors - that is/are used:
 

Types of Cleaning Accessories:  The same types of accessories used on portable (canister) vacuums are available for CVS use:
 

Do-It-Yourselfers:  We welcome do-it-yourselfers and will provide them with everything necessary to install their own CVS including free advice & the loan of a video showing a typical installation

We install:
 We have been installing CVS since 1975 and offer fast, expert installation at competitive prices.

Free Quotes:  Simply call, fax or e-mail us for a free quotation.  We install in new and existing construction in New Jersey, and parts of New York and Pennsylvania - we do not install out of the tri-State area; although, we are happy to provide you with the product for out of State use.

Click here to go to our webpage on Central Vacuum System Suggestions