Central Vacuum | Some Disadvantages of a Central Vacuum System

Some Disadvantages of a Central Vacuum System

The advantages are many, but in the interest of a balanced forum, here are some of the disadvantages that could be taken into account when you are considering installing a central vacuum system (or a ‘ducted vacuum cleaners‘) and before you make your selection.

Permanency: If you are ever going to move, upgrade or rent out your home, you will most probably have to leave your lovely central vacuum system behind.  You could take it apart and bring it with you, but there would be a lot of holes left in the walls by the time you were finished.

Hose Lenght: The lenght of the hose can be an issue, as it is designed to be able to reach quite a distance.  Thats great if you are doing a regular vacuum, but a bit of a nuisance  if you just want to whip out the vacuum to clean up that bit of popcorn you spilled on the carpet.

Expensive Extra: A central vacuum system is not a problem if you are at the building stage, with carpenters, electricians and plumbers on hand,but if you are talking about putting it into a existing home, you are calling out these tradesepeople especially, and this can run up the installation costs considerably.

Manufacturer Longevity: Try to pick a trustworthy manufacturer that has a proven track record, otherwise, when you need additional accessories or replacement parts in the future, the company may not still be around.  It is easy to find manufacturers with a good reputation Vacom, Nutone, Hayden, Vacuflo, Eureka – oh why did I start, now I’m going to insult somebody by not mentioning them !

Inage courtesy of www.cuttingedgehe.com

Central Vacuums. Image courtesy of www.cuttingedgehe.com

Location of  base unit: You would think that the obvious place to locate the base unit would be in the basement (if you had one).  However, with some systems, by the time the power of suction reaches the upstairs, it can be very much reduced.  So a better place to put it is on the ground floor.

Base Unit Bags: It can be difficult to purchase base unit bags in your local shop – order them by the box from a supplier so you don’t get caught out.

Accessories / Attachments Storage: Some of the central vacuum systems come with a heap of accessories (yippee !!), but it can be difficult to find a suitable location to store all of these in a convenient place and remember, they do need to be accessible for when you are vacuuming.  Also you will need to have some sort of trolley / container to carry all of them upstairs and downstairs with you.

So, no doubt the benefits of a central vacuum system still far outway the central vacuum disadvantages, but there is no harm in looking at things from every angle.

Related posts:

  1. A Laypersons Guide To A Central Vacuum System.
  2. Central Vacuum Accessories.
  3. Central Vacuum Systems
  4. Central Vacuum Installation Issues.
  5. Central Vacuum Parts

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2 Responses to “Some Disadvantages of a Central Vacuum System”

  1. Bill Brewer on October 14th, 2009 9:21 pm

    Beam Central Vacuums has come up with an answer to the hose issue you raise. It’s the EasyReach retractable hose. It’s electrified so it can operate an electric power brush to clean carpet. A push of a button on the hose handle reduces the hose length from 30- to 13 feet. So, it takes up half the storage space.

  2. Ted Waggoner on October 27th, 2009 10:20 pm

    The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The top of my list is the fact that all of the dirt or dust is sucked outside of the home leaving no dust to be left recirculation inside the house. Eliminating the fine particles in your home can improve the indoor condition for you, your family and friends that live or visit that have allergies, asthma, respiratory problems and better the living condition for everyone.

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