I am happy to report that I have finally tried the Tornado Power Cloths on my own home. While I am not thoroughly convinced that they improved the power of the system, I do believe that they have marketable value.

Initially the performance of the system did improve because I changed the paper bag. The cloths then did run through the system and did come out dirty. Because I ran the first one through from the furthest inlet, it would come out as dirty as possible. The subsequent cloths were less and less dirty. My system is about 9 years old and the longest run is about 80 feet of pipe.

Because the cloths stay in the filter, they do provide a scent that identifies that they were used. This is a good marketable issue. Of course, Andrew, my e-commerce director used some on his home and he was offended by the smell as he is highly alergic to scents.

One minor problem, I initially put the cloths in with the rough side inwards rather than outwards. This caused me to use a second one to insure the best results.

Did my performance improve? Not that I could statistically quantify. There still may be some sort of anti-static force that opens up the airflow better in the pipes by using these cloths so I recommend that Wincor run a few scientifically quantifiable tests and they will have a winner.

Just about this time of year we field a few calls from concerned dealers and homeowners stating that their central vacuum shocked them! They are not imaging this phenomenon; they really are being shocked. Naturally they are concerned because the hose does contain 120 volts for the powerbrush. Their fear stems from it possibly being a 120 volt shock.

I am happy to report that this is not a malfunction of the central vacuum. I have experienced it myself. This often can occur during times when rapid changes are made in barometric pressure, specifically before and after storms. It seems that the air becomes charged and the vacuum hose becomes a tremendous conduit for the electricity.

You could take the same hose in another home with the same floor plan facing the same direction and you would not have the occurrence. There is something about the particular electromagnetic field surrounding that particular application. Negative ions are etched off of the interior surface of the plastic hose as the air passes through. This somehow creates a charged field and a human operator standing on carpet becomes a great shock conduit.

Never fear! We have a very simple solution. It may seem silly but simply purchase “Bounce®” or a similar fabric softener sheet that contains an anti-static agent. Wipe the hose, handle and wand with the Bounce sheet, and the problem is solved. No expensive ground wire integrated into the hose and no more obnoxious shocks!