On 4/6/2017 7:33 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
"Danny D." writes:

On Thu, 06 Apr 2017 08:54:27 -0400, opined:

Both of the two central vac units that I have owned -
diffferent makes - had an additional inlet at the machine -
if yours does - you coulld check IT for suction - carry your
hose to the garage.. and listen to the motor..
Also - if IT doesn't have suction - ta-da.

Inlets?

I never noticed if there is an additional "inlet".

There is an outlet for exhaust which is near the vacuum motor and which
blows to the outside of the house.

I guess I could take it apart and disconnect the main inlet hose though.

I'll look later on today when it gets light and see what I can see.

Like hubops, my unit has an outlet right on the vac unit that is not
part of the in-house system. Disconnect the in-house system, seal it
with a cap or duct tape, then use the outlet on the vac.

Since you are trying to play qualified vacuum repairman, you might
want to by a tool the repairman would use the actually measure
the vacuum. Not sure what it's called, but pretty sure it exists.



Have an old auto service vacuum gauge. Drill a tight hole for the gauge
in the middle of a 3"x3" piece of plywood and place the gauge/wood over
the vac inlet to read the max vacuum value. If the reading is
significantly higher at the motor than at the house inlets, you may have
a leak.

How much air comes out of the vac unit? High flow suggests a leak. Low
flow could be a plug or bad motor unit. You have changed the
filter/bag, right?