Installing a Central Vacuum in Your Home

ACCORDING to a recent research by the University of California at Davis School of Medicine, a central vacuum system installed in a home can decrease allergy-sufferer’s symptoms by as much as 61 percent. According to professionals at the National Association of Realtors, a home with a central vacuum system is easier to sell.

Why, then, don't most houses have central vacuum systems?

''One of the biggest problems with our industry in this country is that we haven't gotten our message out,'' said Larry Hartley, marketing director for Beam Industries in Webster City, Iowa, one of the largest manufacturers of central vacuum systems. 

And, Mr. Hartley said, even some of those who consider central vacuum system installation hesitate because of a misconception that it is very difficult, and quite expensive, to retrofit such a system in a prevailing home. 

A number of industry specialists agreed with Mr. Hartley's observation that misplaced perceptions about central vacuum system cost and installation difficulties keep most homeowners from even thinking about trading in their upright and canister vacuum cleaners for the quiet and expediency of a central vacuum system.

'Anybody with a mild to moderate mechanical aptitude can install a central vacuum system in an existing house,'' Mr. Hartley said. ''And they can usually do it in one day for under $1,000.'' (Most manufacturers also have a network of dealers and distributors, who would charge an estimated $300 to $600 to install systems for homeowners who do not want to do the work themselves.)

He said most central vacuum systems have three common components: the power unit, a three- or four-foot high canister-shaped, vacuum-producing motor enclosure, which is typically placed in the basement or garage; the hose and attachment set, which is what is employed in the actual cleaning; and the plastic tubing and inlet valves that are used to connect the power unit to the hose and attachment set.

''Most central vacuum systems have three to five times more suction power than traditional vacuum cleaner,'' Mr. Hartley said. ''And one of the most common misconceptions is that you have to have an inlet valve in every room.''

Because the hose that comes with most systems is 30 feet long, it is often possible to have a system that can be utilized in every room of the house with as few as three strategically located inlet valves. ''We need one inlet valve for about every 700 square feet,'' he said.

Richard Kitney, director of sales and marketing for Hayden Industries, a manufacturer in Branford, Ontario, said one benefit of a central vacuum system is that the exhaust from the system is usually released to the exterior of the home. ''That's the true spirit of a central vacuum,'' Mr. Kitney said. ''The only way to create a healthy home environment when you vacuum is to exhaust the system to the outside.''