Having central vacuum system takes a lot of work out of house cleaning. It is much easier to plug the central vacuum hose into an outlet to do the vacuuming than hauling a hand held or drag a floor model vacuum around the house, not to mention lugging it up and down the stairs. Having had central vacuum systems in several different houses I have built I can’t imagine going without it.

Installing a central vacuum system is usually done during construction, before the walls are covered with sheet rock. It certainly is the easiest way but a central vacuum system can be installed after the house is built. However, installing the system in a house after it is built can be a challenge.

A central vacuum system consists of the canister, outlets to plug in the vacuum hose, the vacuum hose, a two inch pipe network that runs from the outlets to the canister and the electric wiring.

One of the mistakes often made when installing a central vacuum system is putting in too few outlets. You must account for the size of the room and the location of furniture so the length of the flexible hose will reach all locations in the home. You'll never regret having too many outlets. Typically there are five outlets that come with the standard installation kit. Additional outlets are inexpensive so don’t make the mistake of having to few.

Often central vacuum installers forget the garage. At least one outlet should be located in the garage to make vacuuming out the garage or automobiles an easy task.

The canister contains the motors that create the vacuum. The motor (motors) can be very loud so I recommend putting it in the garage or the basement. Its exact location will depend if the system is installed during construction or after construction. If the system is installed during the construction the location is much easier to determine than after construction.

The exhaust should be run outdoors as there is a very fine dust that is exhausted from the unit. If the canister is located in the garage you will not need a separate garage outlet because most all canisters have a built in outlet.

A central vacuum consumes vast amounts of air when it is operating and should have an air inlet from outside. If it does not have a separate air inlet in the garage or basement where the canister is located there should be a vent equalizer so there is not a negative pressure created when the unit is operating. A negative pressure in the basement can cause a back draft that will affect the boiler or furnace and cause a down draft in vents and chimney which could cause a carbon monoxide problem.

Installing the piping for a central vacuum system is done with regular PVC cement and pipe couplings. The pipe is cut with a hacksaw and the couplings between sections are glued in place. A low voltage wire runs from and between all the outlets to the canister motor.

After the system is installed, check your canister one a month to ensure that it's not full of debris. As the canister or bag fills with dirt, the suction power of the vacuum will start to drop which indicates that it is time to change the canister bag.

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