Central Vac?

[tsew22]

Has anyone installed a central vac after construction? I know The Villages do not have this as an option when you build. Just wondering if it is a huge project to do? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

[lovebirds]

Installing a central vacuum in an existing home is possible. Accessing the interior walls of the home can be done through an attic or crawl space. No heavy construction or remodeling is necessary. I had it done in my house. Let me know if you need the number of who did it for me.

[tsew22]

Thank You, we will keep that information in mind. I'll get in touch if we need it.

[golfnut]

If you do it don't forget the one on the floor (usually in the kitchen) that you kick to open and sweep small messes into...gn

[elevatorman]

I did this up north and it was not a big project. Here I think it would be even easier with the attic access. Stratigically locating the outlets can save on the material and time. I had a 25 foot hose so I could go 25 feet in each direction for a 50 foot range. Also I put some of the outlets back to back, one in a bedroom and one in the living room (one down pipe between 2 studs). Also I had 1 outlet in a closet. It was easy to open the door and plug the hose in. If you are doing it yourself make sure you have an electric outlet near each hose outlet. The system I had, had a rotating brush on the head that required electric. Good luck.

[graciegirl]

Never had a central vac but I love my Dyson sweeper. If you are thinking about a new vacuum sweeper look into Dyson. It is terrific!

[faithfulfrank]

I installed a Nutone central vac in my home. It was an easy fun project. Planning is key as to where you put the outlets. The newer ones have both 110 volt and low voltage in the outlet, so no additional plugging in is required....just the hose itself. This means the hose has the power cord for the beater brush inside the hose.

The auto-dustpan feature is great for the kitchen....very cool. I also have the shop hose that is 50'.......perfect for basements up north or garages down here as it can reach all of the garage and cars in driveways, etc.

It seems much more powerful then a stand alone vac, and an outside exhaust means minimal stirring up of dust, etc.....

Frank

[BogeyBoy]

I can't tell you much about the installation but I can tell you that central vacuums are great. We've had them in two houses and one was a big two story house. Seemed quiet, efficient, and easy to handle.

Wait, on second thought I can tell you about installation. We remodeled the basement and had extensions installed for the central vac. I had forgot about that, it was a simple job for our contractor, he had to go through existing walls to connect to the system but it was easy. I would think running the lines through the attic and down the walls would be a pretty simple task. I see ads in the Daily Sun, give them a call for advice or an estimate.

[Minnesotalyn]

So good to know that it is still easy to do after you move in. We have it up north and I asked about it when we were down last summer,and was told they couldn't put it in when you build. I've always loved mine. I think it would be great with all those tiled floors and high ceilings.:BigApplause:

[tsew22]

Thank You all, I do have a Nutone up North, and I love it, so would love to have in the Villages. I guess my husband will be very busy, lucky to have such a good guy!

[faithfulfrank]

Not trying to cause a stir, but why can't you have this installed during your build?

I've helped build many homes, and have designed and built my own,and even the ones who have not ordered Central Vac sometimes have the builder "stub in" the outlets, as it is SO EASY prior to the drywall install.
The thinwall pipes would just terminate through the cap plate of the wall into the attic. Then down the road anyone could just connect the pipe ends, install the unit, etc.........

These homes are not that big, and 3 outlets placed correctly would cover the whole house......This could be done in less then two hours.

The outlets, thinwall pipe and bellwire is so inexpensive that they could offer it, triple the cost, add labor, and it would still be a good deal for both builder and buyer. As an option it would be viewed as a good selling point even if years later the current owner never finished the upgrade. It is one of those upgrades that is much cheaper and easier during the build........

Kind of reminds me of the old saying with the Model A Fords.....you could get any color, as long as it is black.....:confused:

Frank

[graciegirl]

I think I am jealous. The central vac seems more effective than my dearly beloved Dyson.:sad:

Frank,

Here in The Villages there are things that you can choose when you build a home and a lot of things that are NOT options.

There is not a lot of flexibility.

But it is still absolutely wonderful.

I wish that you and your bride lived here.

I have said this before.

The two of you have to stop over sometime for something cool to drink....

[barb1191]

My choice of a central vac is, IMO the best!! Her name is Jamie and she make the whole place shine....b :BigApplause:

[Canabarrybarb]

I've installed central vac myself in 2 homes but decided to have a contractor install for me here in The Villages just so that I didn't have to crawl around in the attic insulation.

They did a great job and cleaned up well afterwards.

To simplify the installation, I got a 50 foot hide-in-the-wall hose that reaches to all corners of the house. When I'm done vacuuming, I just unlock the hose and it gets sucked back into the pipe in the wall ready and waiting for the next time.

I have a separate outlet and hose in the garage for cleaning the car.

My powerhead is air turbine driven. I was skeptical but it works very well.

[jamat]

Love the idea of a central vacuum! Can anyone give us an idea of the cost to have one installed?

[faithfulfrank]

Thank you Gracie,
Actually, we are flying down there in the morning...should be at our Florida home by lunch. It's been six months since we have been in Florida, and while we had a wonderful western NY summer, we long for our Florida home.
Sadly, we will only be down there this time for about 2 weeks. Hopefully we can get up to The Villages at least for lunch or dinner this trip, as we are only about 13 miles south of you all.

The good news is that We are getting our NY home ready to sell now, and our goal is to be full time Floridians by next summer or fall.....

Anyway, did not mean to get off topic...I apologize.

Benefits of a central vac-
1) Quieter, since the motor and main unit is in your garage.
2) Exhaust is piped outside, so you are not stirring up as much dust.
3) Powerful.
4) less to lug around. No cord to wind up.
5) Change the bag like once a year or longer. Easy to do.

Downside-
1) Perhaps higher initial cost
2) You don't get a new one every few years. (Nice you don't want to)
3) Sometimes a long hose gets to be a slight pain.
4) Have to hang up the hose in a closet. (Although I'm not familiar with the unit that hides in the wall.)
5) Sometimes your wife might leave the hose lying around the floor to trip on in the middle of the night if she forgot to put it away, maybe hoping YOU would try to use it....:22yikes:

We've vacuumed up tons of pine needles, drywall dust, etc....never ever clogged the pipes, etc.

What is REALLY fun is when you have the automatic dustpan thing under a kitchen cabinet. First, make some popcorn. Then ask your dog if they want some popcorn. Then throw a piece of popcorn on the floor in front of the dustpan. NOTE: you got to have the dustpan turned on. Then you watch your dog try to get the piece of popcorn before it gets sucked up.

Your wife will tell you that you are mean. You on the other hand will almost wet your pants laughing. your dog will not think it is funny, so it might be good to let her get a few every so often. NOTE: if you do this too long, wife will get mad.

Frank

[tsew22]

Hi Everyone, Thank you again for all your good information. We just love this site, our home is under agreement here in MA. Please cross your fingers all goes well. We should be in TV, first part of Dec. to start our process of building. Three long years of thinking about this, but we are confident we have made the right decision. God Bless all of you, and look forward to meeting soon.

[mulligan]

tsew22-where in MA ?

[tsew22]

We both grew up in Quincy and have lived in Easton for 20+ years.

[mulligan]

I seem to remember, when I was a kid, about 200 years ago, there was a big barn in easton, that had been converted to an ice cream stand. We used to stop there on the way home from the cape on sunday night. Absolutely the most incredible ice cream.

[bike42]

I've installed central vac myself in 2 homes but decided to have a contractor install for me here in The Villages just so that I didn't have to crawl around in the attic insulation.


Would you mind sharing the name of the contractor and the approximate cost?
Thanks!

[Canabarrybarb]

Sunshine Central Vacuum of Summerfield installed our system for about $2K (including the hide-a-hose system which sucks the hose back into the wall when you are finished). The are affiliated with The Solar Guys. Phone 352-307-6581. We were very pleased with their professional approach.

I've installed 3 central vac systems myself so I was watching their work carefully. Excellent staff.