Central Vacuum Cleaner

[Amateur Hunter]

Few years back we bought new house and didn't have central vacuum cleaner ( only roughed in) We had Dyson ( it was great for vacuuming dogs hair, golden retriever) so we didn't care about it. Dyson has start breaking down now and instead buying new Dyson I would like to put central vac in.
What is your experience with CV, what should I know when purchasing one, which ones are good, bad and ugly? Should I go with CV or new Dyson?
Any help is appreciated
Thanks

[S_Mooj]

Had them, hated them. Ended up buying a dyson.

[wags]

Originally Posted by Amateur Hunter

Few years back we bought new house and didn't have central vacuum cleaner ( only roughed in) We had Dyson ( it was great for vacuuming dogs hair, golden retriever) so we didn't care about it. Dyson has start breaking down now and instead buying new Dyson I would like to put central vac in.
What is your experience with CV, what should I know when purchasing one, which ones are good, bad and ugly? Should I go with CV or new Dyson?
Any help is appreciated
Thanks

What are your needs? If you have any serious vacuuming (pets for example), i don't think the CV has the suction power to do well. If you're just vacuuming because that's what you do every sunday afternoon, probably the way to go.

I will add that the floor sweeper feature for the kitchen is the fricken' bomb!

Cheers

[Buckhead]

I have the CV and never use it. Dragging that hose around is a pain.

Would never get one on purpose.

[Amateur Hunter]

Upper floor ( bungalow) is hardwood and some tiles , basement is carpet. Teenage son and Golden Retriever are in basement Dog sheds like a LOT , and long hair that is capable of pluging Dyson's hose. That is why am afraid it might plug hoses to CV as well , CV should have crazy good suction not to get plugged I think, but not sure.

[Smokinyotes]

My wife rarely uses our cv. She always uses the dyson.

[Dean2]

House came with a top of the line Beam and all the attachments. Total cost installed would be over $4,500. Despite that 99% of the time my wife uses a cordless Dyson Turbo I won from Homestars.

[play.soccer]

CV and roomba here, 2 golden retrievers in the house and it seems sufficient. Not sure I would ever (over)pay for a dyson.

[MR.K]

I've bought more expensive but the Husky from Costco sucks like a dream
Never used the power head as all i have is tile and hardwood
3 years old and no issues
Reviews are great

[Stinky Buffalo]

I uninstalled the CV in order to move it to a better spot in the garage (original installation had the exhaust run across the entire width of the garage...)

IncrediGirl hasn't even noticed that it's been missing for almost two years now...

We have a cordless Dyson for touch-ups (I love/hate that thing - I'm the only one who ever cleans it) but the bulk of the vacuuming is done with a Miele canister vac - which really sucks.

[Amateur Hunter]

I am the only one that vacuums in our house. Wife consideres that is mans job
Who am I to argue

[MK2750]

Had central vac, upright Hoover, Dyson Animal and now a Miele. If I ever need another vacuum (and I doubt I ever will) it will definitely be another Miele. It is not even close. The German made Meile is better constructed, light weight and cleans at least twice as good as the Dyson. Ask any professional cleaners as most use Miele. The Hoover was pretty decent but it was many years ago and it was heavy. The central vac was/is the least effective but they may not all be created equal. Mine is a Dynovac and is still hooked up but never used.

Miele also markets another cheap model made with German parts in Asia somewhere. I am not familiar so couldn't recommend the cheap ones only the German models.

[CaberTosser]

When I installed our central vac I ran the piping myself as I built the house and it's just another variety of plumbing. I went to a vacuum specialist store and the owner recognized that I was a service tech took me back to their repair area to educate me. He noted that there are essentially 3 or 4 different vacuum pumps and showed me the differences between the heaviest-duty one and the run of the mill units. I bought a used one featuring the best pump & motor combo from his inventory and saved a lot over retail. I bought a new hose and power head to accompany the used power unit and it's been great. It's best to pipe the exhaust from them out of the house as the stale scent isn't nice.

[CNP]

Many (most) cv's do not come with a powered head for carpets. They will come with an air-spun-brush head, which are next to useless for carpets. Go for a real powered head with a cv purchase or upgrade to a powered head.

[beerhunter]

VACUFLO is what was in our house when we moved in. It is great. Sucks the hose up into the wall and you don't every have to store it anywhere. We have one upstairs and one downstairs. We have a hose for the garage to do the vehicles. It is a great system and really sucks too.

[Weedy1]

Originally Posted by MK2750

Had central vac, upright Hoover, Dyson Animal and now a Miele. If I ever need another vacuum (and I doubt I ever will) it will definitely be another Miele. It is not even close. The German made Meile is better constructed, light weight and cleans at least twice as good as the Dyson. Ask any professional cleaners as most use Miele. The Hoover was pretty decent but it was many years ago and it was heavy. The central vac was/is the least effective but they may not all be created equal. Mine is a Dynovac and is still hooked up but never used.

Miele also markets another cheap model made with German parts in Asia somewhere. I am not familiar so couldn't recommend the cheap ones only the German models.

^^^^^^You won't find a better answer than this ^^^^^^

I strongly suggest you take his advice.

[ColdFlame]

Originally Posted by MR.K

I've bought more expensive but the Husky from Costco sucks like a dream
Never used the power head as all i have is tile and hardwood
3 years old and no issues
Reviews are great

I also purchased the Husky from Costco (Storm model). It has all kinds of power and the powerhead works very well also. Most of our floors are hard surface (vinyl plank), but we do have an area rug which our dogs (lab/bouvier cross) hair tends to stick to really well. The powerhead makes short work of it.

The hose is a pain in the ass for storage purposes, but frankly the unit works so well that I'm happy to deal with that frustration. Costco puts it on sale quite frequently, and at the sale price, I'd recommend it to most.

[calgarychef]

I hate dragging the hose around but I really appreciate that the exhaust on the CV goes outside. I had a Dyson thigh and loved it too, unfortunately it had to stay behind when we moved.

[HyperMOA]

If you are in Edmonton, I would suggest Dominion Vaccuum. The owner is a great guy to deal with and extremely helpful. I bought a CanaVac from him, and that thing could suck-start a Harley. The under counter "dust-pan" is a must.

[Drewski Canuck]

I have had 3 so far. One in the old house that my brother and I did mid 80's retro on a 1960's house with a BEAM system. One in my present house with a Dynavac, and the cabin with a BEAM system.

Get as much power as you can with 110 volt power. Every bend robs power and you need at least 550 watts to make stuff go away. Current models are even stronger and quieter now.

Garage mount so you can clean vehicles and vent to the outside if possible.

You cannot generate the suction with a Dyson, or any other small 1/4 horse motor and small vacuum chamber. A built in is so much bigger in every way.

Hoses and wands on each floor so you do not pack stuff, and a well thought out outlet routing so the hose can reach easily.

Now the UNFUN stuff. A plug can happen and when it does, it is a pain to clear. The unit has to be emptied once in a while and we are talking 2 - 3 gallons of dust to deal with. But it does up the value of any home.

Drewski

[270person]

CV is the only way to go if you have a decently sized house. Get a "dustpan" installed in the kitchen too. Little kick open vacuum slot you can sweep crumbs etc into.

Dyson is crap. All advertising propaganda. Like a previous poster mentioned the Miele is a very good vacuum and there are about 25 other names I'd buy before a Dyson. They're awesome at sucking the dirt up then firing it back into the air.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

The unit has to be emptied once in a while and we are talking 2 - 3 gallons of dust to deal with. But it does up the value of any home.

Drewski

Hey Drewski, I have an adapter on the inlet that I attach bags to. Every six months I replace my furnace filters and vacuum bag. The bag takes about 15 seconds to change and basically no dust at all.

[Amateur Hunter]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

I have had 3 so far. One in the old house that my brother and I did mid 80's retro on a 1960's house with a BEAM system. One in my present house with a Dynavac, and the cabin with a BEAM system.

Get as much power as you can with 110 volt power. Every bend robs power and you need at least 550 watts to make stuff go away. Current models are even stronger and quieter now.

Garage mount so you can clean vehicles and vent to the outside if possible.

You cannot generate the suction with a Dyson, or any other small 1/4 horse motor and small vacuum chamber. A built in is so much bigger in every way.

Hoses and wands on each floor so you do not pack stuff, and a well thought out outlet routing so the hose can reach easily.

Now the UNFUN stuff. A plug can happen and when it does, it is a pain to clear. The unit has to be emptied once in a while and we are talking 2 - 3 gallons of dust to deal with. But it does up the value of any home.

Drewski

A plugged pipe is what worries me, since I have Golden with long hair, and that hair mixed with dust could plug CV pipe.
How do you unplug it in case it gets plugged? And how to find where is plugged?

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Amateur Hunter

A plugged pipe is what worries me, since I have Golden with long hair, and that hair mixed with dust could plug CV pipe.
How do you unplug it in case it gets plugged? And how to find where is plugged?

We or I should say the wife really likes here's I installed it in 99, got a good one with a electric motor powerhead the thing will suck the carpet off the floor, I installed the floor pan in the kitchen its perfect when wife cuts kids and my hair, just sweep floor right in vac. We also have a shepard/healer cross and has no issues from hair.. The 2 times I've had a plug in the pipes it has been my fault as I never emptied the collection can..usually mine clogged at the unit itself.

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Amateur Hunter

A plugged pipe is what worries me, since I have Golden with long hair, and that hair mixed with dust could plug CV pipe.
How do you unplug it in case it gets plugged? And how to find where is plugged?

We or I should say the wife really likes here's I installed it in 99, got a good one with a electric motor powerhead the thing will suck the carpet off the floor, I installed the floor pan in the kitchen its perfect when wife cuts kids and my hair, just sweep floor right in vac. We also have a shepard/healer cross and has no issues from hair.. The 2 times I've had a plug in the pipes it has been my fault as I never emptied the collection can..usually mine clogged at the unit itself. I had to just get a hack saw cut the pipe clear clog the get a coupler piece and glue back together..

[Sporty]

Originally Posted by Amateur Hunter

A plugged pipe is what worries me, since I have Golden with long hair, and that hair mixed with dust could plug CV pipe.
How do you unplug it in case it gets plugged? And how to find where is plugged?

I have a shedder that continually amazes me with how much fur one little dog could have. 12 years my CV has never plugged up with the almost daily vacumings at certain times the year.

I love my CV, will never have a house without one again, the suction beats out any portable vacuum I've ever used. It has never lost suction and the venting outdoors is a major plus.

[CaberTosser]

My mother once plugged her central vacuum lines by vacuuming up needles and small twigs from the Christmas tree. The easy first step is to vacuum the outlet in reverse using a shop vac, but IIRC I had to resort to using my small drain auger. Those systems are not piped the same as plumbing drainage, but if you auger from the plugged outlet you should have success. To this day multiple decades into my plumbing career that instance was the sole central vacuum system that I ever had to auger.