Conference 7.286::home_work

    I installed one in my house 3 years ago. They are the only way to
    CLEAN a house. Any other vacume I dont care what the ad or salesman
    says just spread the dust around. The central units have an exterior
    exhaust vent that puts all of the small dust particles outside where
    they belong. With the motor unit installed in the basement the noise
    is reduced to a level that I can listen to the TV with the volume
    at a nornal level.
    I put mine in the basement where i had access to all of the walls
    from the underside to install the tubing and inlets. I also designed
    a low voltage system that turns on the motor when the inlet flap
    is opened. The total install time was less than 6 hours!
    The unit I purchased was a sears and has a 2 hp motor and 5 gallon
    tank more than adequate for anything I have needed to clean up.
    I even use it to clean up in my bird room and that involves sucking
    up cedar chips to feathers. It just keeps on pulling it in.
    I have never had any kind of plug in the tubing that couldent be
    cleared by sending a wadded kleenex thru the hose.
    
    As far as I'm concerned there are no disadvantages(cons) to the
    system. The only thing that comes close is the long 25 ft. hose
    which can get in the way at times. The hose takes no more room to
    store than a standard vacume.
    
    I also installed an outside inlet on the side of the house so I
    can clean out the car.
    
    The prime advantages are: less dust in the house and no noise.
    
    Now I realize that several out there cant stand the name Sears
    but the price on their units was below the other vendors by mucho$$$
    and they were the only one that had the power mate beaterbar head.
    Also the bags(some use them others dont) are easy to come by and
    I dont have to worry about them being around next year as a source
    for bags and parts. BTW- I change the bags around every 2 months
    and havent had to replace any parts.
    
    My mom liked mine so much I put one in their house about a year
    ago.
    
    Price was ~$300.
    
    I will never use the dust spreaders again.
    
    
    -j
    

    More on -1
    The reason I switched to central in the first place is that i have
    allergys to dust that would reduce me to a sneezing blob whenever
    I would try to clean house. My doctor was the one that suggested
    a central system. I never sneeze now from cleaning.
    
    -j
    

    
    
    anyone ever install outlets on the second floor
    of a 2 floor house?
    
    steve

< Note 1015.0 by COGNAC::GRISE "Tony Grise" >
>    	Does anyone out there have experiance with central Vac's.
 >   	I am considering putting one in and would like to hear
>    	the pro's and cons, also who makes the best one.
    
In addition to all the good points in .1:

When I built a large addition to my house, I installed a Pullman-Holt central
vac system.  This was 2 years ago and I have nothing but high praise for the
system.  I think P-H is one of the "Cadillac" brands of vac systems but I'm no
expert.  When I was ready to buy I went to a local shop that deals only in 
vacuums and asked for the top of his line.  Total cost was 720.00 with me
installing it. (@ $100.00 more if they do it.)  Mine was in new contruction, so
that made it a little easier.  After having bought a Rainbow and an Airway 
(both of which I hated!) for about $500.00 apiece, $720.00 doesn't seem out 
of line. 

I installed two outlets downstairs and one upstairs.  I also put a special
outlet near my wood/coal stove with it's own, permenantly attached, 15' hose.
You can't imagine the how easy this makes the cleanup of this normally messy
area!  If you've got a stove, consider this in your design!


						--Mike

< Note 1015.3 by MILVAX::SOTTILE >
    
>    anyone ever install outlets on the second floor
>    of a 2 floor house?
    
 Yes, I did.  If you do, I suggest a second length of hose (1 for each floor).
At about $30.00 for a 32' length, it's a  lot more convinient than
carrying one hose up and down all the time.

						--Mike

    My father-in-law had one.  I didn't like it in the parts of the
    house that had deep pile carpet.  I think you really need a vaccum
    with a revolving brush head to kick the dirt out of that kind of
    rug.
    

    My parents have one, and wouldn't be without it.  You can get beater
    brushes for them.
    
    (theirs is a Pullman, and is about 20 years old by now.. never any
    problems, and it cleans the whole house once a week.)
    
    ...tek

>I think you really need a vaccum with a revolving brush head to kick the dirt 
>out of that kind of rug.
    
Guess I forgot to mention in my previous note...Beater bars are, of course,
available (and again, one upstairs and one down is very convenient).  

Keep this in mind, too, while installing the outlets--put them near an
electrical outlet or install a new one next to the vacuum outlet.  This makes
it easy to plug in for power to the beater head. 


							--Mike

    re: .3
    
    I am in the process of install one now.  Given the layout of the
    second floor, there is only one good spot to get a pipe down to
    the cellar.  Our house is 65 years old (balloon framing with random
    fire stops) and the only good spot has a fire stop down 53" from
    the floor !!!  So I just bought 5 12" extensions and put them
    together with the hole saw on the end.  The drill wobbled a little,
    but it worked.  So if you run into the same problem, you are welcome
    to borrow the extensions - I'm sure I'll never use all of them at
    the same time ever again !
    
    
    Mark
    

    I just purchased a central vaccuum cleaner system and am now looking
    at installing it. Has anybody done this before in an existing house?
    If so, do you have any tips or did you have any problems that might
    help me when I get ready to install it?
    
    The biggest problem I can see that I will have is going to the second
    floor. I can go up through my livingroom closet but I think this
    will put me right in the hallway. I will then have to put the inlet
    in the floor not the wall. Has anybody done this? Any problems?
    
    Do they make a child proof inlet valve? I have a concern about kids
    putting toys or whatever inside them.
    
    Thanks for any help, Jim.

    Check out 1015.*

>    I will then have to put the inlet
>    in the floor not the wall. Has anybody done this? Any problems?
 
In-the-floor outlets are available.  I didn't have to use them, but since they
are designed to go in the floor, I can't see what problem you would have.
   
>    Do they make a child proof inlet valve? I have a concern about kids
>    putting toys or whatever inside them.
 
The outlets are made in such a way that the exposed diameter (the part you 
stick the hose into) is the smallest diameter in the system.  Therefore, 
anything that will fit into it will make it through the whole system
and can be fished out of the canister. (a voice of experience 8^)

					--Mike

Where's a good place to buy a central vac system in the Worcester -
Framingham corridor?

- Sears doesn't seem to be pushing them. No models on display in the
Auburn Mass store. One model on display in Natick but the sales people
didn't seem to want to be bothered. Nothing in the sales catalogs for 
about a year.

- Somerville Lumber in Westboro has a Nutone model for about $500.00.
Anybody familiar with this brand?

Any suggestions for a good place to shop for one?

Thanks for the info.

Jim

    GENIE Vaccums in Manchester NH has a couple of central vacs on sale
    for $499. Regular price is $699. They said they were for a contractor
    and he backed out so they are selling them at the contractors price.
    I just talked with them yesterday, so I know they still have them.
    
    Hope this helps, Jim.

    Sears peddles them out of their home improvement catalog. Once and
    awhile they will have them listed in their sale catalogs.
    They are a catalog order only item. I only waited 3 days when
    i ordered mine. 
    
    -jerry
    

    A-Z Vacuums (or some name like that) in Fitchburg & Worcester 
    carries a lot of different kinds.  They recommend the Zenex
    as top-of-the-line.  It uses a self-cleaning microfine filter
    and no bags, and is supposedly picks up wood ash and plaster
    dust without clogging.  $725 for the unit + accessories + enough 
    fittings for 2 outlets.  You can get a beater head for it; I'm
    not sure if it's part of the standard package.  They'll install
    for $125.

    A-Z Vacuums offers an air driven beater head as an option to their
    package. Another oprion is the motor driven beater head for an
    additional amount of money (can't remember how much). I checked
    what they had to offer because I want to install a central vac in
    my house, but being short of money while I finish the second floor,
    I only wanted the pipes and fittings now and buy the unit later.
    They would only come up with a finance plan with an 18% interest
    rate. I told the guy I could get a better deal from my home equity
    credit line or even my Chavy Chase MC if I wanted yet another monthly
    payment. I ended up buying the pipes and fittings from The Clean
    Location in Northboro with no strings attached. If I want, I can
    go back in a few months and get one of their units (comparable to
    the Zenex) or I could buy the unit any place else. One word of caution
    to those interested, the PVC pipes for central vacs don't have the
    same outside dimensions of plumbing pvc pipes. You can only get
    the right ones from a central vac supplier. I don't think they vary
    between brands.

    re: .14
    Hmmm...which salesman did you talk to, and where?  I saw Scott
    Nelson at the Fitchburg store, and I believe he said they'd let 
    me pay over 90 days in 3 equal payments with no interest charge.  He
    also talked about some other plans they offer, but since I never
    buy things on installments I didn't bother to listen much.
    The number of the Fitchburg store is 345-5103 and Scott Nelson's
    home phone number is 537-7170.
    

    I can't remember the salesman's name, but he is from the Worcester
    branch. He did not mention anything about other payment plans, but
    I wouldn't have done it anyway. Like yourself, I prefer to do as
    much of my buying as I can cash in hand.

This note's been inactive for awhile and now I'm getting ready to look for a
central vac myself.

From rereading all the previous replies, I had no idea there were so many brands
to choose from.  I've been to a few lighting stores and they only sell Nutone.
An earlier note asked for comments but got none, so I'll reask.  Does anyone 
have a Nutone and what do they think of them.

They're currently on sale for $399 at Standard Electric in Waltham and $436 at
Marlboro Electric.  The list price is supposedly over $600 but I don't take that
too seriously.

comments?

-mark

    -mark, why do you want a central vac ?. my in-laws have one,
    they are pleased with its performance on floors. However on 
    carpeting, wall to wall, area, oval rugs, they work poorly.
    
    jim.

I'm not sure if it's worth discussing all the merits of central vacs since they
are quite subjective.  Having never owned one all I can say is from comments by
others both here in this file as well as "off-line", you're the first to ever
say anything negative about them.  If your in-law's doesn't work well on carpets
I suspect either they're using it wrong, got an el-cheapo, or have something
defective with it.  I assume they have a power beater bar, without which I
wouldn't expect it to be capable of doing much with a carpet.

What brand is it?

-mark

    Mark -- I have a Nutone -- bought it at Standard Electric in Nashua.
    The tubing for the system was installed when the house was built,
     then I put the canister up and finished the wiring.  I bought the
    canister, beater bar and hose, and a tool kit.  Been using it since
    July and have been happy with it. (Well, "I" don't really use it
    too much.)
    
    I don't remember the exact price info (although I can find out if
    you want) but I do remember that all the "extras" such as tubing,
    connectors, etc, added up quickly.
    
    Some quick comments -- NEGATIVES - its a little cumbersome pulling
    30' (or whatever it is) of hose around corners.  We only use the
    vacuum on the 1st floor and do the 2nd floor with an older machine.
     Storing the hose and unit is awkward as it does take up some space
    in a closet.
                           POSITIVE - the thing DOES suck, that is,
    its got plenty of suction.  The power beater seems to be well made
    and solid.  Haven't had to empty the canister out yet.
    
    - Bruce

Thanks to the Boston Home Show, I got to talk to a bunch of people about central
vacs.  However, I'm still puzzled over several conflicting stories.  There seem
to be 2 major technologies at work.  The first is the plain old bag.  You have
to replace them periodically.  The second is the cyclonic type which requires
no bag and filters to the great outdoors.

Actually, one vendor - XENIX, is NOT cyclonic an doesn't have a bag because
they have an integral filter which does the same thing.  These folks said that
a cyclonic system somehow pass the fine dust back through the motor and that
was why they had short short guarentees.  XENIX had a 10 year one and most 
others were under 5 years (if that long).  The thing he said that did puzzle me
was that since a cyclonic vented to the outdoors, it sucked out lots of nice
warm air in the winter time where the non-venting type keep that air in your
house.  He said the volume was some rediculously high number, but I'm left
somewhat skeptical.

Everyone agreed that NUTONE is not very good.  When I talked to the NUTONE guy,
he didn't even seem to understand his product.

One of the cyclonic people had his machine installed last year in TOH and had
a non-stop vidoe of Bob and himself.  Talk about tacky...  BUT - he did seem to
understand his product the best (but alas, I can't remember the name - the
literature is at home and I'm not).

-mark

    Mark, please keep us up-to-date in your research (and final choice)
    for a central vac system.  Once my tax refund arrives........
      
    Thanks,
    
    JZ

    Re: .21
    I've got a Zenex (not Xenix, unless we're talking about two different
    brands here) with the integral filter.  It works quite well.  I
    find that it is kind of messy to empty because I have to shake 
    the filter to get the fine dust off and out of it, and I end up 
    with an arm covered with dust.  That may be party because I've been
    picking up plaster dust with it, and that clogs everything.  It
    doesn't seem to be as big a problem with normal sorts of house dust,
    but I suspect it will always be a problem to some degree.

Ah yes, Zenix...

Anyhow I believe he was the salesman who stated thay had a patented conical 
filter that was sucked upwards during operations and when you shut off the 
system it fell back down, shaking all the dust off the filter...

Sounds like it was HE that was shakey...

-mark

    Re: .24
    
    Well, that's the way it's SUPPOSED to work...and it does, partly.
    I'm really not sure if I *have* to shake the dust off - it would
    probably continue to work just fine if I didn't - but I'm sure
    it works better if the filter is shaken out occasionally.

    HELP!!!  I still haven't seen any comparative data about the different
    kinds of central vac systems.  I saw a number of units at the Home
    Show at the Worcester Centrum this past week-end, but walked out
    more confused than when I went in.  This was mainly because each
    supplier had different criteria to measure their system against
    the others, but it was impossible to make an objective determination
    from the information provided.
    
    What is the difference between C.F.M. (airflow) and waterlift (suction)
    and what kind of balance between the two is optimum.  What are the
    advantages/disadvantages between top and bottom mounted motors,
    outside venting vs five stage filtering in a sealed unit.  What
    is the minimum HP that is reasonable for the motor?
    
    As I said, I walked out of the show with more questions than I went
    in with.  Any comparisons between systems would be appreciated.

    I put a total system into my new house, basement level where unit
    resisde, 1st floor, 2nd floor, and walk-up-attic. Two outlets on
    the first floor, and the second floor and on in the eve for the
    future. I did lots of research that I have since pitched.
    In the lowell, lawrence area there are quite a few people that 
    sell equipment, and a few companies that even make their own.
    I finally wound up in a store in lawrence on broadway called
    AAA vac. They have on display 3 or 4 different brands, plus the
    one they of course push the most made by BEAM. I checked into SEARS
    but like some other people mentioned the salespeople wern't 
    interested, and the prices on the unit and the supplies were much
    more than what I purcahsed it for ( 1986 prices).
    In any event if you want to compare all the different units
    AAA will show you all the literature from on all the systems 
    availiable and giove you a course on whats different.
    Of course they lead up to the model that they sell the most of the
    BEAM. Which I bought You can spend from $199 to $299 for the top
    of the line. I bought their best one seeing it was going into a
    new home. They helped me with all my supplies, and even took back
    what I didnt use. My whole job cost around $450.00 including
    the rental of a large drill bit for a borrowed 1 1/2 horse drill.
    My vac is bagless only a fine screen, and I haven't had a chance
    to vent it outside because the plasterers beat me to the basement.
    But its in the gararge and I dont get any dust from it. It has
    tons of suction right up to the third floor !!
    I put two outlets on each floor beacause the 30 foot hose reaches
    most spots but when you go around furniture you loose footage
    and while your there its cheap to put them in. I use my sears beater
    bar with my central vac, old unit in ths closet. The hose plugs
    into
    an outlet next to the vac outlet, its a little more for the electice
    hose but with the combination of the vac and the beater bar
    its worht it.     .... good luck .....
     

    This note hasn't been used for a while, but since its the proper loc,
    here I go. I plan to install a central vac system and have been
    collecting info on such brands as ASTRO-VAC, Beam, Filtex, Central Vac
    International, and Sears. For a change, the Sears comes in cheaper (of
    course the fact that my wife works there helps). Since the sales help
    is next to useless (as reply .27 said), does anyone know who makes the
    central unit for Sears. Also, is there any ay to calculate the water
    lift from the HP figure given (2.8 for the unit I'm looking for). Any
    other tidbits of infor would be appreciated. Thanks for the help.
    
    Eric

    According to a Sears salesman.......Sears CEntral Vac is manufactured
    for them by NuTone.
    
    The system that has been most recommended to me by building contractors
    and vacum supply specialist is ZENEX.  You might want to check it
    out.
    
    Jonathan

    Actually, after entering this reply, I got a call back from Central
    Vacuum of Nashua, who it turned out, installed the existing pipes when
    the house was built. They carry beam and will be dropping off a quote
    for all the materials I need. A rough estimate was not much more then
    the parts would cost me at Sears.
    
    Eric
    

    
    
    If you want to compare estimates, I installed a BEAM Central Vacum
    system in my house.
    
    I bought the unit and all the supplies from AAA Vacum in Lawrence.
    Give them a call and compare prices.

    
    I installed a central vac system last year in my house.
    After looking around I bought a ZENEX ! It is a commercial
    type system with alot of power. I bought it at a vacuum shop
    right off the John Fitch hwy in Fitchburg. They knocked off a
    few bucks off their price and included all the pipes, hangers,
    elbows, and glue. Plus they threw in a beater bar with a 30'
    hose. If I remember correctly I paid $275.(not possitive)
    
    I have a fairly large two story house and this thing could suck
    up a small kid !! (honey I sucked up the kids) I think the store
    was A to Z vacuum (big help I am eh?)
    
    I vote for ZENEX
    
    Randy
    

    Randy, could you look up if indeed you paid only $275 'cause for
    that price I'll get one tomorrow!  $475+ is more what I've been
    seeing for complete systems......
    
    John
    

    
    
    John
    
    so I was alittle off !! I asked my wife and the price was $875
    
    sorry  !!
    
    Randy
    

    That's ok, Randy.  I figured you had "tee many martoonies" when
    you had written that reply!  :-)
    
    John

    Go to a home show, as central vacs seem to be strongly discounted.
    Two  weeks  ago  there  was a rep at Shopper's World in Framingham
    offering  a  complete  system  for under $500 including the beater
    bar.  They  seemed willing to negotiate to a lower price. I didn't
    buy  it  because  I  was  only looking for one part (and a not too
    critical one at that.)

    I've had  trouble  with  AAA vacum. I ordered a gasket for my Beam
    system  from  them  in  early May, and despite repeated calls, and
    their  assurance  that  it  would be shipped the next day, I still
    don't have it.  I'm going to call A to Z next week.

--David

    
    I just finished building my house and installed a VAC system.  After
    checking out all the models I choose NuTone.
    
    I have been using it, two 32' hoses, power handle along with everything
    else for over 1 month.  I have 5 outlets on 3 floors and haven't
    changed a bag yet. I vented it outside and even put a muffler on
    it.  The floors are  Wall to Wall and ceramic tile floors.
    
    Plenty of suction, and better performance over the Eurka Vac I use
    to use.
    
    Cal.
    

    As previously mentioned, I too have a Velux central vac system. The
    unit is mounted next to my work bench. Yesterday I was fiddeling there
    w/ something and VROOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!, wifey was vacuuming
    upstairs. I think I need the aformentioned "muffler" or external
    venting option. Does one work better than the other, or do you use
    either or both together? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
    
    

    As a followup to my reply .30, I installed a complete Beam system
    including the power head. The system ran me $690 for the top of the
    line unit, power head with 35' of hose, and one large collection of
    pipes, fittings, wall plates (including enough materials to add
    3 more outlets to the existing 3 that were partially roughed in),
    wire etc. It is vented out the back wall and we love it. The suction is
    gread and no dust is recirculated.
    
    Eric

    .38 
    
    It is not easy to decrease the noise from a central vac system, I got
    a Beam and they are selling a small muffler (12 inch long). This small
    muffler hardly works,  special the high frequencies are hard to kill.
    Increasing the size of the muffler may help a little, (an experimental
    one was 4ft long)
    
    Another solution is to enclose the unit in a cupboard, linning with
    noise reduction material, but you will need a entry for air to cool
    the system. The noise will escape from this entry, or you need a
    special construction for the air-inlet.
    
    Conclusion noise in combination with airflow is not easy to solve,
    more engineering of the system itself is needed to reduce noise.
    (not yet competitive dB ratings among the different systems ?)
    
    Another option I would like is a sensor on the system to indicate the 
    dust level in the canister.
    In case the canister is almost full, the vacuum will drop, resulting in
    easy clogged pipes. So this option may prevent it.
    
    Any idea ?
    

I installed mine in the basement lag bolted w/shields to a concrete wall
you can hardly hear it inside and outside the only noise is the sound of air
blowing out the exhaust. What kind of noise are you hearing the motor or 
the exhaust? Mounting the unit on a more solid wall that wont resonate the
noise might help.

-j

    My house has a "roughed in" central vac system (pipe in place, wire 
    running from outlet to outlet, and blank plates over the outlets).
    
    I have the feeling this precludes the use of a powered head if I ever
    complete the system.  The wire is thin low-voltage doorbell stuff,
    and I presume that the systems with powered heads must have some 
    heftier (110V?) supply to each outlet.  (Also I would think there
    must be two circuits to each outlet - one for the on/off toggle and
    the other for the power head).
    
    Anyone confirm the above?
    
    
    
    

    The central vacs I've seen do NOT run 120 volts to the vac outlet.
    Instead, they require a separate (standard) 120 volt outlet within
    a few feet of the vac outlet if you want to use a powered head.

    re .41
    
    It is mounted on a solid wall, with special plugs and it is the sound of
    the motor.
    It is also a concern from my local Beam dealer, over here in Europe
    noise polution is likely more serious, also the house are smaller or
    don't have a basement. So he is working on some solutions.
    
    The main reason is the size of the motor,the vac-makers will 
    use small and cheap motors with high turns up to 20.000 RPM.
    Larger engines with less RPM and with the same vacuum performance
    will make less noise but are more expensive.
    Another alternative will be to make a "noise reduction cap around the 
    motor, this may reduce the sound by some 20dB.
    
    There is a consumer report on central vac cleaners ('Sept. 87), only
    four brand were rated excellent (including Beam model 167/178) and
    a large number in the class of very good (Beam model 190 + Nutone)
    
    Only two scored fair (Filter queen,Hoover).
    
    I don't have the source of the report, likely a Canadean, most of the
    models are from Canada.
    
    The air capacity is about 180 m3 (1m3= ca. 30 cub feet ?), so that will
    be the output of air to the outside. It may be a lost of warm air,
    but you need ventilation in your home, special if it is well isolated.
    So this is may be a benefit using such a vac-cleaner.
    
    Another option is to put the exhaust under the floor and set up a
    forced ventilation in this space and get rid of the build-up Radon
    concentration. One concern if there are leaks  between this
    space and into the house.
    
    .... but when using a central vac-cleaner you may get the new-air
    (Radon) by the space under the floor if there are leaks ?
    
     
    	regards, Henk

    reply .42
    
    
    	The contacts are on the hose recpitcle. A contact ring is built
    	into the end of the hose that is inserted into the wall, making
    	the 2 contacts, this in turn complets the LOW VOLTAGE 24V-AC
    	circuit which in turn energises the 120V-AC circuit for the
    	main motor.
    
    	The outlets that are refered to here in this notes file are
    	for the "beater-bar head" that you should have for deep and
    	thick carpets.
    
    	I had a Zenex installed for $750.00 including the "beater"
    	and a few other small goodies. 2 outlets on the 2nd floor,
    	2 on the first plus one on the machine it's self for the
    	basement and on in the garage for the cars....I've used it
    	to clean out the fireplaces, the garage, plaster dust, wood-
    	chips and sawdust...and it's GUARENTEED for 10 years.
    
    	A-Z from worcester installed it and did a SUPER job.
    
    RTH

For anyone who might be interested I found out about a
sale on the Electrolux central vac system.

The sale price is $399.95 and includes a 6 1/2 gallon unit
with a 3-stage by-pass blower system capable of servicing
7000 sq. feet.  Also included is a power nozzle and other
standard accessories; 30 foot hose, round brush, upholstery 
tool, floor/rug combination tool, swivel floor brush, crevice 
tool and stair tool.  No paper or cloth bags are required.  
It has a reusable foam filter, designed to last the life of the 
system and needs washing only once each year.  

Piping, inlets, etc are additional but I was quoted an
installation price of $65 per inlet for all parts and labor.

This is a special "Home Show" sale and was good for the month
of February.  The person I bought it from will take orders
until the end of this week - March 2.  Regular price is $699
and prior sale price was $599.  I was told this was an extra
low price because Electrolux is trying to get into the market.

Who to call for further information/ordering:

Dewey Morrell
Electrolux Sales & Service
Framingham, MA
(508) 473-2417

I also talked to a supplier who sells Zenex and he was aware of
the Electrolux offer and agreed it was a great deal.  He quoted
me $80/inlet for installation of the Zenex.

Deb

    	I don't know if I got cheated by A-Z or not based on -.24 reply.
     I just bought a ZENEX system and I also got the brand spanking
    new style power nozzle - unit has a motor inside it to produce even
    more suction to aid the central vac unit, (not made by ZENEX), the
    accessory kit (upholstery nozzle, etc...), 30' of hose with built
    in power cable, 4 outlets, hose hangar, installation, and taxes
    it all came up to either $981.10 or $986.10.  What's the story here?
    Is it possible that prices have gone up?  I bought my system from
    their store in Gardner, but the installers are based out of the
    Worcester area.  They are coming out to the house on Friday to install
    the system. 

    Re: .47
    Different stores may have different prices, and your situation may
    be slightly different than the other person's.  I don't think
    "cheated" is quite the right term; perhaps you could have gotten
    a better deal elsewhere, but that's common with almost everything.
    If you get a good product and good service, don't sweat it.  After
    suffering through my share of "bargain" products poor service,
    I've decided it's worth almost any reasonable premium to get a
    good product and good service the first time around.  5 years from
    now (or even 1 year from now) the extra cost won't matter a bit.

    Looking for stores in Southern New Hampshire that sell Beam Central
    Vacs. Does anyone know where I can find any?
    
    

    I bought my system from Central Vacuum Systems (883-3694) last October.
    They had a good price, but is sometimes hard to reach.
    
    Eric

    Any ideas on getting rid of clogs in the central vac?  
    
    We've had the system for 3+ years with never a problem until this 
    weekend.  After some heavy duty use (plaster, partical board remnants), 
    we apparently have a clog somewhere.
    
    What could you use to snake it out?  Especially when it could
    potentially be a great distance.
    
    thanks 
    - alison
    

    How about an electrician's "fish tape"?  You might be able to
    break through the obstruction that way.  Perhaps a drain auger
    would also work.

    This tends to be a problem....  I finally got a clog in mine, from
    the same source (plaster/lathe/etc.).  Due to my general paranoia
    about the possibility of a clog, I'd never glued the pipes together,
    so I just pulled them apart to get at the clog.  Even at that, it
    was quite a job to dislodge it.  The stuff really packed in.  If
    you do try a snake, I'd suggest starting at the vacuum end and
    going backwards, so you can push the clog away from the direction
    it got clogged in (if that makes any sense).  You already know it
    doesn't want to go towards the vacuum unit.
    If that doesn't work, it shouldn't be a big deal to cut the pipe and
    clean it out, then put in a coupling.  Use the snake to find where
    the clog is, and cut as seems appropriate.  Mine clogged at a junction
    where one pipe joined another.

    I have used a garden hose as a snake on mine as a flexible ramrod of
    sorts works real good too most of the obstructions are at bends.
    I left one side of any 90el's taped only to allow access but have never
    needed to take one apart. One handy snake for partial obstructions
    is a sheet of kleenex wadded up and sent thru the pipe. They also have
    a tendancy to clog up more easily if the canister is too full I have
    had clogs self clear after changing the bag.
    
    hope this helps, -j
    

    How about running the exhaust side of your shop vac into the vacuum end
    of the tubing to blow it back out?  (might be a little messy at the
    inlet end(s)).
    
    Carl

    
     The hose trick as mentioned earlier works great. I'd be careful using
    a drain auger. The tubing used for Cent Vac is much thiner than
    standard waste PVC. I've also heard of someone using water pressure
    from the closet outlet to the clog, and flushing the clog out. This of
    course can only be done with the Vac disconnected.
    

    Anyone have a phone # for ZENEX?  I would like to get some info from
    tehm on the various models.

    For Zenex, the company name is RMI Industries, East Longmeadow, Ma.
    01028.  There was no phone number listed on the label.
    
    
    Dave

    Try this one. Vacuum Engineering
    		  119 Industrial Drive
    		  E. longmeadow, Ma. 
    		  (413) 525-0300
    
    I believe they are a division of RMI Industries which lists the same
    address as above. RMI's phone is (413) 525-2200.
    

    
    Maureen Wong
    DTN: 237-7280
    CSCMA::WONG
    
    Does anyone have any experience with GALAXIE Built-In Cleaning
    System by CVC Inc. in Lawrence, MA?
    
    I'd appreciate any comments (both product/service) as we are 
    having them put in our central vac very soon.  I can be reached 
    via e-mail at CSCMA::WONG.
    
    Thanks.
    

    	We have a Galaxy central vac in our house.  They have several models
    to chose from and the one we have is their top of the line highpower
    unit.  We opted for the 34 ft vacuum hose with the on/off switch in
    the handle. It's much nicer than turning on the Vacuum with a wall
    mounted switch.   Also, we have the air powered rug beater atachments,
    both the large floor unit(12-14inch width) and the smaller furniture 
    beater attachment(about 6 inch width)  The rug beaters work well.  My
    only complaint is that they seem loud.  The vacuum spins an impeller
    that drives the beater brush and you can hear the small impeller whine.
    The attachments(cleaning tools, hoses, extension wands) are somewhat 
    expensive but they are a higher quality than other vendors attachments. 
        Digital has the same Galaxy vacuum installed in the Mill in the bottom 
    floor of building 3 to keep Bob Palmers office and lobby clean.
    	Overall, the unit is very powerful and well built.  It does not
    need a canister filter bag. Our unit is vented outside the house
    to help eliminate noise and keep any exhaust dust out of the house.  We
    looked at other brands but liked Galaxy the best.  We haven't needed any
    service in the two years we've had the vacuum but it's nice to known
    that I could drive over to the manufacturuer if necessary.  If we had to 
    do it over again, we'd get another Galaxy.
    	If your getting you house plumbed for a central vac, have an outlet
    installed in the garage (if you have one) and in the cellar.  The cellar
    outlets(2) cost us an additional $10 each and are worth every cent of it. 
    
						Bob
    
    

    
    Ahh-Ha!  So now I know where BP's 20% raise went for.  A Vacuum
    system for his Mill office!!..:)
    
    Re: -1
    What size HP motor does the unit have about how
    big is the unit?
    
    JD

    re: .56
    
    Well, not really.  The mill central vac system has been there for
    years.

    
    
    We have a Nutone central vac system, and yesterday when my wife pulled
    the hose out of the vaccuum recepticle,... the vaccuum kept going.
    
    Any ideas?
    
    (I took apart the recepticle in question such that it was OPEN,... no
    chance of a short at the recepticle, but it continued to run.  Also
    tryed hitting the reset button,.. w/out success.)
    
    thanks
    
    -John

    
    Take a look at where the small 24 volt wires attach to the
    unit. Should be "push on" type. With it running without the
    hose on, pull one wire off. If it stops, go checking each 
    hose recepticle. If thier ok, follow the wire and look for
    where it may have been chaffed and is shorting.
    
    If it don't stop when you pulled the little wire, there's a 
    control relay inside the unit which may have it's contact 
    points welded together.  OR - the small wires from the outside
    headed in could be chaffed and shorted en-route the relay.
    
    Fred

    My Sears has a over-ride switch on the canister in the cellar which
    will keep the unit on. This must be for maintenance purposes. This
    must be in the OFF position for regular operation. 
    
                                      -Steve

When I installed my unit I had stapled the wires coming from the
inlets down to the canister to the stud so it all looked nice and
neat...  Only problem was one of the staples cut through the
insulation on the wires causing a short and the unit ran constantly.

Removed that staple and all was well !

Randy

I have been shopping around for a central vac system.  Our new house 
is all "plumbed" for C. Vac, using the standard "beam" style wall 
plate covers (ie, the NuTone will not fit without replacing covers).

I've read all the notes here and talked to a number of dealers/models.  
Supprisingly I found the Electrolux to be very price competitive with the
quality, warranty and service that comes with the electolux name.

A total package, cyclone 3 stage, 2 power heads, hose, tools, etc is 
$669 delivered.  that includes 5 year on site warrranty on everything.
tThe power head, tools, hose, etc are the same ones they use on their 
$900 vacume canisters.  Looks like a good deal.

Anybody out there used this electrolux??? BTW they only make one C.Vac 
system.

thanks

re .71

Based on our experience with an Electrolux canister vac; nothing breaks (at
least in 10 years).  Only problem was a hose that we did in. 

If price were anywheres close, I would go with Electrolux.  

Electrolux prices are negotiable.  Just like buying a new car.  They have
enough slush in their prices that they told me I should have called them and
they would have delivered the replacement hose to my house - no charge for the
delivery. At which point, I negotiated downward the price of the replacement
hose that I was in the store purchasing. :-) 

FWIW,

Dave

    re-71  What is the location of the dealer you spoke with.  I am in the
    exact same situation as you and have not started my intense shopping
    yet!
    
    I am located in Haverhill Ma..
    
    						regards

re -.1

The Electrolux dealer I spoke with is in Nashua NH (DW Hwy).  
603-888-8625

I went there last night to look at the unit after talking to them
over the phone.  I was told that they will deliver to your
door for free.  They said that you NEVER have to go to a 
dealer for anything!!! for service issues (under warranty or not) 
they will come to your house for free to pick up and return.  
They even said that if you need to buy a filter bag they would deliver
to your door personally.  Hard to believe!

They were the only vendor I talked with that offered full
waaranty on all accessories, 5 years, unconditional (except
intentional misuse).

good luck... tell them I refered you, maybe I'll get something!

gary couture

    re-74  A refferal is yours!
    
    					thanks

My central vac has a tendancy to screech.  By that I mean it usually works
just fine but on occasion will set up a high pitched whistling noise that
is painfully unbearable.  It does not appear to be dependent on which port
we use but I've no clue whether it is in the hose or somewhere else.  I did
open the canister and cleaned it out but that had no effect.  Any ideas or
suggestions?

    See if you have a leak at a joint where the flexible part of the
    hose joins a coupling. Temporarily wrap a cloth around it, or 
    something, to see if the screech goes away.  It's almost certainly
    a small leak, somewhere.

    	Is the vacuum unit in the basement ? Are you in a ranch or is there 
    multiple floors ? I'm just trying to get some idea if the noise is coming 
    from the vacuum unit itself of from the hose ?
    
    	Does the unit turn on by itself when you insert the hose ? What I'm
    thinking is that if next time it's screeching you can pull the hose but 
    keep the central vacuum on, you can eliminate (or isolate) the hose as 
    the problem.
    
    	If it is the hose, the only other thing I can think of is that a
    piece of paper or plastic wrap got stuck in the hose, and it vibrates
    under certain conditions causing the screech.
    
    	Ray

Excellent suggestions.  I know I haven't investigated this fully yet cause
there were other priorities but I tried to use the flow-bee on my son's hair
and was puzzled when the noise only seemed to start if we completely blocked
the airflow.  That was almost sure to trigger it.  We never got the noise 
while the flow-bee thing was attached, presumably slowing the airflow.  But
if I tried to vacuum off his shirt or something and sucked it into the 
vac and that stopped the airflow, that would almost certainly trigger it.

This was on the second floor and the canister is in the basement.  The noise
has occurred when using the vac on both first and second floors.  I looked
the hose over and didn't seen any sign of damage but will check the couplings.
I think I'll put pressure in the hose by using my shop vac.  That will check
the hose for leaks.

I wish I knew how to start the vac going without the hose.  It would be nice
to isolate this to the hose or the piping.  Presumably I just complete some
circuit somehow.  Is it as simple as playing with a wire where the hose plugs
i?  It must be.  I'll have to look at that and report back.

Thanks,
Bob

    "to use the flow-bee on my son's hair and was puzzled when the noise 
    only seemed to start if we completely blocked the airflow."
    
    gotta be a story here...

    re: starting the vac without the hose....
    
    If you open a cover, you'll probably see a couple of little round
    metal dots on the surface of the socket, just inside the opening,
    perhaps 3/8" apart.  Just short those together with something.
    It's low voltage, so it's no big deal.  Use a screwdriver or knife
    blade or something like that.
    

    
    re.starting the vaccum without the hose
    
    On my central vacuum hose, the piece that plugs into the outlet can
    be twisted off the hose. Yours may be different.
    
    
    Eva

Starting the central vac without the hose was simple.  Close inspection revealed
two little bumps the size of pin heads and raised 1/16" that when connected 
with a paper clip completed the circuit to actuate the vac.  That was the only
success I experienced.  I could not make the vac howl without the hose but I 
did notice that with the hose attached I could quickly get it to shreek by 
covering the inlet of the hose and then if I quickly removed the hose and 
jumpered the contacts I'd still hear a trace of the nose without the hose.
Don't really know if that was my ears still ringing or if the problem is inside
in the pipes but requires the hose to set up the right oscillation or if it
is only the hose.  But I definitely could not get the horrible noise without
the hose.  

As my shop vac hasn't come home yet I was unable to test the hose for leaks
but could not detect any when I covered the hose end.  When plugged, the 
hose would forcibly contract and I detected no leakage into it so I suspect
the integrity of the hose is intact. 

So I remain baffled.

As a side note, I noticed lots of dust and filth on the snow under the 
discharge.  Am I missing some bag or filter?  Certainly everything that's
going into the vac isn't blowing into the yard but you could clearly see
that some dust was.

Thanks for any more wisdom you might have.

    
    It depends on your central vac, mine is filterless and bagless.
    The contents are collected in this big bucket/bin attached to the 
    motor. I never paid attention to what comes out through the exhaust, 
    as it is hidden behind bushes.
    
    Eva