Home shows provide incredible advantages for Central Vacuum dealers and prospective buyers! They are great avenues for showing off the countless benefits of a CV. And there is no better CV to show off than those from the MD Manufacturing! 

If you are a CV dealer, have you ever set up a display at any Home Shows? They provide excellent opportunities to teach new salespeople how to get a higher dollar for quality products. It is really quite amazing to see people excited about the benefits of the products offered. Doing a CV product demo with a quality electric brush such as the Stealth will really show potential customers major product differences. You show off the CV’s power by picking up a handful of quarters while not even wincing as they make the loud racket going up the brush and through the clear tubing on the wall behind you. You can jam the brush with a rag and show how it cannot break a belt.

Meanwhile, your competitor, using an air-driven brush, can barely demo his product and you can even hear his loud turbine “whine” as you are giving your spiel. I even stop talking for a second and say, “Hear that loud whine? That’s one of the other central vacuums here at the show.” Immediately they recognize that they don’t want the other product.

Take advantage of the next Home Show in your area. It is one of the best places for any of the CVs from MD Manufacturing to be showcased. Conscientious customers will be introduced to MD’s outstanding product line, which stands out widely against the competition, allowing these central vacuums to practically sell themselves.

While it may not be as easy to install as a television or telephone, installing a central vacuum is a pretty simple process. Normal houses usually call for about 1 inlet per each 600 sq. ft. of living space. And don’t forget that the vacuum hose should reach far enough to be able to clean the cabinets, closet areas, tile flooring, entryways, and even the outside decks. An inlet is not necessary for every room in the house. Having a 30 ft. long hose, one inlet placed at the beginning of a hallway normally allows reach into two or three rooms. Place an inlet towards the base of the stairs if needed. Also, make certain that the inlets are not placed behind doors, furniture, or other hard to reach places.

Instead of using a hacksaw, cut the PVC pipe with a tube cutter. Be certain to get rid of all burrs from the pipe. Glue the male end of the pipe only in order that there are no ridges inside of the pipe run. Utilize wide sweep elbows all the way through the pipe run with the exception being the tight sweep elbow directly behind the inlet valves. Use two 45° bends for any offset jogs instead of two 90° bends. The primary runs can be inserted either above the house (the attic) or else under the house, provided that attention is made to trim down fittings wherever it is possible.

We at MD Mfg. suggest that homes greater than 5000 sq. ft. obtain a 110 volt power unit that is greater than 20 AMPS. Having more than one unit is only ever necessary when multiple users will be operating the units at the exact same time. New SuperValves or ElectraValves have both the 24 volt activation switch and also 110 volts for operating an electric power brush. You will need to have an electrician wire these vales into a close-by electrical outlet. The two conductor CL2 (18-22 gauge) low-voltage wires need to be tied to the piping every 5ft. They can be spliced together or be brought all the way back to the central vacuum unit. Consult your local building code regulations for the requirement of steel piping to penetrate the firewall if the central vacuum unit is situated inside of the garage. The majority of central vacuum manufacturers now carry steel piping and fittings.

During the assembly process, temporary plaster guards will safeguard the inside of the piping and the inlet valve extensions will also be much better off if the wall ends up being thicker than originally expected. Verify whether or not your manufacturer suggests that you vent the exhaust. And be sure it is not located in an area that will create exhaust problems. If the system has a good filtration system, it will probably not need venting at all. 

Tackling the central vacuum installation process in existing homes is nothing to be afraid of! This job can be very easy. During your installation, make sure to employ closets, soffits, pantries, return air ducts, and any other hidden spaces that might be useful in getting the job done.

MD Mfg. recently conducted a series of inspections on the newest version of AirForce central vacuum. The test results were dazzling. The first test performed involved an artificially created metal plate to notify us when the airflow was too low. The technology worked great. We were notified when the airflow had diminished to where the bag needed changing. The new AirForce technology was built around this.

When we came to the final part of the testing of the technology with real time “dust,” we were astonished to see how much it actually took to clog the bag. The quality in the new AirForce left us amazed. While checking the airflow differential switch power unit that shuts off automatically when the bag is full, the unit demonstrated much more than we expected. The new AirForce not only impressed us with its science & technology, but we also discovered a side advantage during the testing. 

For the second test, after plugging the unit in and attaching the vacuum hose, we ran the unit on an air-driven power brush (which easily identifies inadequate airflow since it will not run/spin unless adequate airflow is coming from the unit). We then took the hose off of the power brush and began ingesting flour from a 10 lb. bag. First we ingested 1 lb. and did not notice any difference in suction strength. Then 2 lbs., 3 lbs., 4 lbs., 5 lbs.— still no appreciable loss of performance. We lifted the lid and observed 5 lbs. of flour caked to the side of the unit.

Our filtration system is very good, and therefore the exhaust had no dust coming out of it (if we had a cyclonic system, we would not have seen everything due to the dust particles that would have been emitted into the room). We then resumed the test with the bag of flour—6 lbs., 7 lbs., 8 lbs., 9 lbs., all the way up to 10 lbs. And we still had good suction—shocking! We lifted the lid of the central vacuum unit. The bag was coated but it was not full. There was 10 lbs of flour in the unit and we still had adequate suction!

We then sent Jason off to the store again to buy another 10 lbs. of flour. We figured that we would need maybe 2 or 3 lbs. of flour. Still using the air-driven power brush, we vacuumed almost every pound! And finally when we got to 19.35 lbs. of flour, the vacuum began to weaken significantly, losing power, having insufficient airflow and ultimately shutting off.

Obviously, this test proved our technology by having the unit shut off when the airflow differential diminished. There is no other product like this on the market. It is incredibly unique. And this test also demonstrated how amazing our filtration system is, which prohibits dirt from going through it yet simultaneously allows good airflow. This is because AirForce uses a tapered bag with a 2-ply microfilter. The first layer of paper is like Tyvek material and its grabs the major debris. It is slippery, causing the debris (e.g., dog hair, carpet fuzz, etc.) to fall off.

There is an air gap between 1st layer (porous) and the 2nd layer (fine filter). The air gap allows the air to channel through the large particles of dust into the finer pores and does not clog the pores of the finer layer filter. Therefore, over a long period of time, vacuuming up a lot of household dust, you will still have wonderful, longer performance until this bag is full as testified to by the homeowners who have this product. They will tell you that the bag must be almost entirely full before getting suction loss to the point where there is inadequate cleaning.

Once again, we have been convinced of the superiority of MD Mfg.’s products. Not only are we blazing the pathway in modern technological innovations for the central vacuum industry, with our award-winning UPB technology, but our products are incomparable in their quality of performance. This recent test proves once again that MD Mfg. produces the best, most powerful, most reliable central vacuum unit on the market.

To read this document in a full pdf version on the MD website, including dazzling pictures to prove the events, click here.

One central vacuum dealer recently told MD Manufacturing of a situation where a homeowner went into coughing fits every time the central vac was on. It did not matter that the central vac was in the basement, vented to the outside, or had a caulked muffler. It seemed that the carbon dust from the motor was being stirred up and the dealer was wondering what to do. He had sought out a true measurement of the dust particles, and ventured to think that a brushless motor might be helpful.

In this situation, however, the issue may be one of two things: dirty air from the central vacuum exhaust, or carbon dust allergies.

First, the problem may be dirty air. Just because there is a port on the side of the unit for the exhaust does not guarantee that the motor is housing air tightly and capturing all the exhaust’s dust. With the brand and model number, we can give you a definitive answer about this. Also, if there are any restrictions in the exhaust, it will cause accumulated pressure. This too would cause air to escape around other places of the motor. In fact, it can even force the air back out the exhaust cooling intake vent, possibly creating this particular homeowner’s coughing fits.

Most likely, however, this homeowner is suffering from the carbon dust from the motors. MD has two solutions for this: First we offer our Silent Master Model SR that contains a brushless Switch Reluctance motor from Ametek. The motor has a high-speed computer onboard and sends pulses to magnets evenly spaced around the motor armature. This magnetic force pulls the motor in a circular motion all the way up to 30,000 RPM. It’s absolutely fantastic engineering! The motor does not emit any carbon and is designed to last about 5000 hours. We have been using it for about 4 years. The cost for this motor is a bit more than the normal motor, but has these additional features.

Our other option would be MD’s AirForce central vacuum unit. Although it does contain carbon brushed motors, the motor is totally encapsulated inside the vacuum chamber and so all of the carbon dust is contained in the single exhaust port. You could actually install this unit in a closet and seal the door because it does not require any intake air-cooling.

Harmful carbon dust emissions are not only a problem to allergic homeowners, but they also prevent the home from getting as clean as possible. MD Manufacturing has taken a few steps toward remedying this problem, providing the best central vacuum units available.

Throughout the United States, the average price charged for central vacuum inlets is around $85-90 on new construction houses (electrified) and approximately $140 in existing homes. VacPans sell for anywhere from $125-150 each. These prices, however, vary based on the cost of living in a certain location, real estate value of homes, etc. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area, new construction valves go as high as $150. On the other hand, near the Canada border prices can be very low per inlet.

Most central vacuum dealers will charge retail price for the equipment. Conversely, for a dealer working with homebuilders or housing developers, it is not unusual for him to provide them with a small discount on the equipment. This can be done because they will naturally become repeat customers, not requiring the cost of additional advertising.

Direct job-site marketing to homebuilders is also a great return on an investment. Showing up on the jobsite of a building location and offering knowledgeable solutions with a professional approach can easily win builders. There are also many areas of the country that make lists of projects available to the community which have applied for building permits. These lists  are public record and companies make a living recording this data and selling it to people who want to sell to the homeowners. (See www.buildingsunderdesign.com)

I used to love showing up at job sites on Saturday mornings to find the homeowners. They are the ones that will quickly get you a following! Across the nation home shows are also great forms of marketing. For this to be most effective, you need to have an active, flashy booth that draws people in. You cannot simply sit on your hands and wait for people to come up to talk to you. Central vacuum marketing takes a lot of work, but will build long-term customers who will certainly be more satisfied with a central vacuum than the alternative.

MD Manufacturing offers an incredible countrywide tool as a service to our customers. The Dealer Locator. Benefits from the MD dealer locator are enormous! It allows our loyal customers the advantage of easily finding an MD central vac dealer and installer at almost any place in the United States. Our dealer locator also provides you with a link to our representatives in other countries. 

The dealer locator is designed to assist out-of-town customers, and customers who are relocating to another part of the country. It is helpful for notifying friends, family about where to get a quality central vacuum. And it also may be useful for someone thinking of purchasing a central vacuum as a gift for a faraway friend or family member. This could be very helpful with the holidays right around the corner!

MD certainly welcomes all of our customers to use our dealer locator on the web for any and all of your central vac wants. MD has hundreds of reputable dealers who will be very helpful in meeting your needs for a new central vacuum cleaning system.

Whenever we are asked which central vacuum is our best, we always have a different answer. The fact is that MD has many “best ” vacuums but really needs to know what is the “best” central vacuum for your individual home. We really need to know your needs. Do you have lots of hardwood floors or lots of carpet? Is noise something that doesn’t bother you much, or is it more important that the unit be quiet? Will the central vacuum be used in a commercial or industrial setting? How large is the home where the central vacuum will be installed?

The best way to answer these questions is by a flowchart that MD Manufacturing has designed. After answering 3-5 questions from our System Advisor, you will be notified of which power unit and brush are the best for your application. You will also be given a link for your local dealer so that you can obtain the pricing of their package, including installation. Many of our dealers would also be more than happy to help you get started if you wanted to install the unit yourself.

There are reasons why someone would sell a portable vacuum over a central vacuum. But there are far more superior reasons to sell the central vac.

If a customer comes into a vacuum store showroom looking for a central vac, a dealer could easily convince him that he does not need one and switch him over to a quality portable vac. The customer would pay for the vacuum, and walk out of the store leaving the dealer a few hundred dollars in profit. Sale completed, the customer is happy and the dealer has been well paid. To sell a central vac, however, takes more work, requires the dealer to be far more convincing (and convinced of the superiority of the central vac) and most likely, even if the customer does want to buy a central vac, he leaves you little if any deposit or payment because his home may not be ready for the central vac for months down the road. The portable vac usually is the surefire sale, while the central vac is the “tough” sale.

This happens regularly every day! Unfortunately, the central vac is “disruptive technology” and needs to be sold more through relationship rather than brute sales tactics. The central vac is a completely different way of cleaning and the customer needs to be assured that the product will exceed their expectations. This is done through word-of-mouth, testimonials, and in-store, hands-on wow-factor.

The advantages of a central vac to a dealer can far outweigh those of the portable vacs. Of course, the large boxes portable vacs come in slowly inch dealers out of their precious real estate and counter space. And everyone seems to offer those portable vacs! A vacuum dealer must be unique, offering something that others cannot. This is why products are invented and businesses get started in the first place! At some point, there was a need in the community and the store founder or product inventor identified a way to make it a profitable opportunity. Since central vacs are sold more through relationship, dealers have good opportunities of getting the sale. And while a select few will buy central vacs over the internet as replacements, most customers will not purchase an installation over the internet from a company halfway across the country! Central vac sales make a profit far greater than portable vacs, the potential for referral sales also skyrockets, and customer loyalty (given excellent service) is unsurpassable!

Advantages of the central vac owner over the portable vac owner have been given here and here on the MD website. But they also have tremendous resale value, they only require emptying once or twice per year, they aren’t carried around the house and thus last much longer, they don’t beat up the baseboards and furniture as easily as a portable and you don’t have to live with a smelly closet where the portable vac is normally located. The central vac’s versatility allows the user to take full advantage of the suction in far more places of the home and its lightweight nature reduces back stress and fatigue. Most manufacturers offer an extra inlet on the unit for cleaning out the car as well.

Operated properly with a crushproof hose, electric beater brush and powerful motored system, the central vac will provide a far-cleaner environment. The UC Davis Study clearly proves that the central vac is healthier. The evidence then is quite overwhelming: the central vacuum is a far more superior product to handle.