As we said before, the first step in choosing your contractor is determining your priorities.  But before even deciding on your priorities, let alone which central vacuum contractor you want to hire, you need to determine if you actually need a contractor. We had a more in depth discussion of this earlier, but what you ultimately need to decide is if you want to install it yourself, meaning you have the skills to run the power, open your walls, run the tubing, and handle any other special needs which your house warrants, you have the technical understanding of central vacuum systems to choose an appropriate system for your house, and you have the knowledge to determine where to place the inlets for maximum efficacy.

If you do not have the requisite skills and knowledge, then it is time to consider which contractor to hire. Now, the best central vacuum contractor is going to vary person to person based upon their needs, but what you should really look for is their work history, previous reviews and recommendations, their service agreement (if they have one), and cost. If cost is your most important factor, then your best company will be vastly different than the best company for someone who is looking for an experienced, well reviewed central vacuum contractor.

Ultimately, you need to contact contractors to determine who is the best fit for you. If you have any other questions about the selection process or the process of installing a central vacuum system, please contact us.

As with any other service, there are plenty of clients who have the ability and knowledge to perform this task. But many wonder what the required skills and knowledge are, as well as what else is needed to install a central vacuum system.

To install a central vacuum system yourself, you will first need to learn about systems, how they work, and which one is right for you. After you make that decision, you have to learn what, specifically, your system requires; does it have an external exhaust? Can it go in either an attic or a garage, or only one? Does it require any special mountings or filters? After you have figured all of this out, your next step in installing a central vacuum system is determining where the inlets should be placed so that they will have maximum efficiency and usability. Installing unnecessary inlets is time consuming and can affect the strength of your system, and installing systems in the wrong places can make it cumbersome to connect a hose, get around a bend, or into a room.

Once you have figured out all of this, it is time to begin the actual installation. Installing a central vacuum system involves opening up walls, running cables, running pipes, installing an exhaust, going into crawlspaces if available, and hooking up the electric wires. If this is all stuff you are comfortable with, then you need to plan it out and determine how long it will take you to research and install a central vacuum system. Most contractors will have one short consultation with you to go over your needs and options, then spend one day installing the system. They can also often get a discount on the system, or help you find cheaper options than you will ever find by contacting the manufacturers.

So, if you have the time, resources, knowledge, and skill required to install a central vacuum system yourself, then it might make sense to do it yourself. But if you don’t, then it might be a good idea to contact a professional central vacuum system contractor who can help you make these decisions and install the system.

We have heard time and again from customers that they wish they could have a central vacuum system, but that they are not building a new house. Luckily for them, and you if you are interested in a central vacuum system, a house can quickly and easily be retrofit for a central vacuum system.

There are two ways to retrofit your house – if you are handy and have some experience with running pipes, cutting walls, and doing basic electrical work, you can purchase a system and do the installation yourself. Installing a central vacuum system falls somewhere between installing a front door and installing a central air conditioning unit in difficulty, and ranges within that basic area based upon your home’s layout. If your house has a crawlspace, basement, or attic, the installation is much easier than in a house without that easy access space to run the requisite piping. If you do decide to install a system yourself, it is recommended you consult an experienced installer to help you determine the best locations for inlets.

If you are not the DIY type, or if you simply do not have the time to fuss with a system installation, you can also hire a professional to come take care of it – usually within a day’s time. People are always amazed at how quickly their system is installed, and how inexpensive the entire process is. The most difficult part of having a system installed is choosing the right central vacuum contractor.

If you are interested in purchasing a system and installing it yourself, or if you are interested in hearing about having a system installed for you, please contact us so that we can walk you through the process and give you a quote.

Everyone with a central vacuum system gets a clog at one point or another.  But, it does not have to be a costly and tedious problem if you understand how to unclog them yourself, or who to call if you can’t unclog it yourself.

The first thing to do if you think you have a central vacuum system clog is make sure it is actually a clog and not an issue with the vacuum unit. To do this, you must go to the unit and unplug the hose from the intake. Once you slide it out, turn the unit on by either flipping on the manual switch on the vacuum unit or connecting a host to any of the inlets. If you feel full suction power at the intake hose, you know you have a clog. If, on the other hand, you feel weakened suction at the intake, then the issue is with your vacuum unit, and you might want to call in a serviceman to avoid further damaging the unit.

But if it is only a clog, the next step is to reconnect the intake hose and test each inlet with a napkin or tissue – if you put in one of these and they make it through the system, there is no clog in that inlet. If they do not make it through, then there is a clog which needs to be removed. To remove the clog, you simply set a high powered compact vacuum (something akin to a wetvac) up to the inlet, sucking the clog out through the inlet. This usually will be enough, but for some tougher clogs you may need to alternate between the wetvac suction and using the central vacuum system. Once the clog is removed, again put a tissue or napkin through the system, to ensure the entire clog is removed.

If this does not work for you, or if you do not have the machinery required to do this, contact a professional to help you out. The more information you can give the professional, such as which intakes are clogged, and what steps you have already taken, the easier it will be for the service person to fix your clog, and the cheaper it will be in labor and time. Do not, under any circumstance, try to dislodge the clog with a plumbing snake or other snake tool. Plumbing snakes are used on thicker PVC and can damage your piping. You also do not want to use a snake that can damage the piping in other ways, which is possible if you do not use the correct tools.

The first step in central vacuum clog maintenance is prevention.  But there are things you can do to help yourself have fewer clogs.  Avoid sucking up water or damp things – dampness is the biggest culprit of clogs.  Also, avoid long firm objects.  This would be things like pens, toothpicks, safety pins, and paperclips. Just avoiding these two things, will dramatically reduce your chance of getting a clog.

Should you think you have a clog, it is important to identify it as a clog, and not another issue. To identify a clog, unplug the main hose from the central vacuum unit, then flip the manual switch on.  If there is full suction at the unit, you have a clog.  If not, there is a different issue.

Once identified, to remove a clog you need to determine which intakes have a clog.  Do this by sucking a tissue or napkin down each intake. If the napkin or tissue makes it to the central unit, there is no clog. If it does not make it, then there is a clog in that inlet.  Once you have identified the inlets with a clog, simply set a high powered compact vacuum (i.e. a wetvac) up to the intake and suck the clog up.  Once everything is sucked up, turn the central vacuum system on so that it can suck back down.  Then resuck up with the compact vacuum.  Repeat 3 or 4 times. Once the clog is removed, run another napkin or tissue through that intake line, if it makes it through, then the clog is taken care of.  If not, you may need to contact a professional serviceman to help dislodge the clog.