Depending on how much a central vacuum is used, the motor(s) may last decades or just a few years. When a motor goes bad, some of the common signs include an electrical “burning” odor, only a click is heard, and the motor can turn on when the central vacuum unit is bumped. Depending on how old the motor is when it goes bad, you may want to consider only changing the motor brushes. Motor brushes are much less expensive to change than an entire motor; however, they may not always fix your problem. It may be that the motor ware is so great that the whole motor must be replaced.The most common central vacuum motor brand used is Lamb Ametek. Builtinvacuum.com carries the most popular Lamb motors and some of the lesser popular central vacuum motors as well. Removing and replacing a central vacuum motor is easier than most may think, and shouldn’t take an owner too much time to accomplish.

At MD’s website search brands to find out what motor is inside a unit or if an owner knows what motor they need, they can more than likely find it on MD’s motor pages. Many of MD’s staff have decades of central vacuum experience and can troubleshoot motor issues in a matter of minutes. Builtinvacuum.com provides contact forms, or you can give MD technicians a call, toll-free, for a quicker response.

MD Manufacturing is proud to announce the release of the new Flo-Master M60 Central Vacuum! Just over a foot tall, this compact unit is absolutely perfect for any tight space or modest application. Here are just a few ideas for an M60 installation:

- Kitchen for VacPan, VacnSeal, Vroom
- Media room addition
- Fits in cabinet, stairwell, crawl space, closet
- New and retrofit RV installations

The RV vacuum boasts 453 Airwatts, which is quite impressive for such a small unit. MD Manufacturing also provides 3 types of installation and attachment kits with this unit (Basic, Deluxe and Electric). This not only makes installation in most small applications easy, but it also makes the vacuum the most effective when in use, especially when it is paired with the Stealth electric brush.
To learn about the whole Flo-Master central vacuum family including the M60 RV vacuum, visit the Flo-Master web site or view this PDF.

Many central vacuum users may not know that every season MD Manufacturing gives away either a central vacuum, central vacuum attachment kit, or BOTH! At the MD Central Vacuum Giveaway web page, users can access past winners and sign-up for a chance to win a SilentMaster S44 during the Summer Giveaway session. Check it out. It’s free!

Have you ever wondered how much energy your central vacuum uses in stand-by mode per year? It is a simple calculation with a pleasant outcome.

MD unit transformers draw 16 milliamps. Multiply that times the voltage (120) times 24 hours and you should find around .046 Kw.

Let’s say that your electrical rates are $.14 per kilowatt. At that rate, an MD system costs about $2.35/year. This is the total cost of “ghost” power for the unit to remain in the ready position.  If you desire to conserve this energy, the most effective means is to change the electrical outlet for the central vacuum to one that has a switch on the plug. This way, you can turn the unit power on and off whenever you desire to use the low voltage system. If you were building a home and wanted to plan for this conservation, you would locate this switch in the closet where you intend to store the central vacuum hose. Each time you grab the hose you would switch the switch “on” and then the low voltage portion of the inlets would be activated. When you are done vacuuming you would put the hose away and flip the switch “off.”