Bob wrote:
Wayne Boatwright wrote:

Bobby, the truly simplest approach is to relocate the unit outside
the living space. My parents had central vacuums in their homes since
the first ones were introduced. There were three scenarios of their
installations. (1) Garage, (2) Basement, (3) Spare Closet, where the
interior walls of the closet were heavily insulated. Another
possibility would be the attic.

In an attic installation, how much performance is lost with an uphill
pipe run?

Even if it actually works, sounds like a lousy place to put it. You have
to haul the dirt back out through the house, and it is a pain to get to.
I'd probably never get a central vac (even if I won the lotto), but if I
did, I'd want it as close as possible to where the trash cans were, ie
the garage. I'd only consider the basement if it was a walkout.

Personally, I put central vacs in the same category as trash compactors-
a solution in search of a problem. Unless you a clean freak that vacuums
multiple times per week, dragging the vac around is simply not that big
a deal (especially since they aren't made out of heavy steel any more,
and modern super-magnets let them make the motors tiny). You already
have to shove the furniture around. But YMMV, of course. Only place
where I could see a central vac being useful, is in a wood shop, with
dedicated hoses at each tool station. AKA, dust collection system. But
those aren't really the same thing.

--
aem sends...