By Grant Olewiler

Why is it that more than 65 percent of the CE Pro 100 companies are not offering central vacuums? Is it the ugly step-child the industry only offers when it’s absolutely necessary? Is the category not sexy enough? Is the price point too low to include in a package?

Our company participated in a recent CE Pro 100 Summit and even offered a free vacuum system for each of the participants. Yet, they still didn’t pursue the offer.

How do you reconcile this with regular statements from industry leaders that claim that central vacuums are one of their most important category products?

It’s time for the industry to wake up. Maybe you’ll never get excited about selling vacuum cleaners, but you should have a proper perspective of this as a “must have” item.

In Canada every home has the central vacuum pipe-work automatically installed during construction. This year in the U.S. a paltry 145,000 central vacuums are projected to be installed, according to Appliance Magazine. That’s pathetic compared to the over 12 million portable vacuums sold.

Central vacuums have been clinically proven to provide one of the greatest health benefits for allergy and asthma patients because the air is exhausted outside the home. The aging population loves the lightweight convenience and versatility, especially in multi-level homes. The product fits the green initiative perfectly with tremendous efficiency.

Get Educated

So why doesn’t the average CE pro install them? I believe the acceptance of this product centers around education and information.

The major gaps in knowledge are related to the profit potential, ease of sale and installation and technical aspects. No one wants to add a category that will contain a huge learning curve, but central vac offers one of the easiest entry pathways.

Profit Potential

A central vacuum installation in a 3,500-square-foot home sells for about $2,500 with about $800 in component costs in the U.S. A pro should be able to complete the installation in less than eight hours. Do the math. The quick-added profit is hard to argue with.

We are told regularly that dealers love the central vacuum because it does not require any tweaking after you leave the home. In fact the accolades for the central vac are higher than most other installed devices. The central vacuum is often what brings in the referrals of new clients.

Ease of Sale

Matt Panter of Waco, Texas-based Panter Home Theater received an Internet referral for a Silent Master Central Vacuum on George Bush’s home and ended up doing over $30,000 of electronics because of the quality of the lead. The central vacuum can be your entrance into projects you never knew existed.

Upon gaining the clients’ trust on any one of your trades, the add-on sales are far easier.

Ease of Installation

I believe this is the major barrier keeping CE pros out of the C-Vac market. Having exhibited at 12 CEDIA Expos and almost all EHX events, I’ve had the dealers come up to me excited about selling central vacs but lost with the installation. New or existing construction projects are actually quite easy with the aid of training manuals and videos. Or subcontract out the installation to other experts in the area who would love the additional work. They can often assist with ongoing maintenance as well.

Technical Aspects

“CFM,” “waterlift” and “airwatts” are all Greek to the average integrator. Take an hour to browse the thousands of educational pages. Over 12,000 product reviews there can help you understand what the clients appreciate and what they don’t like. And if you can’t find an answer, technicians can respond to your e-mails.

Don’t let a lack of education keep you from adding this great category to your package of products. Give central vacuums an opportunity to prove themselves and you’ll find a bright spot in these tough times. The market for existing home central vacuum installations is unbelievable and now is an ideal time for you to educate yourself on it.

Come out to California and I’ll train you myself!

There are essentially three major options for pipe choices for installing a central vacuum: Plumbing Pipe (such as schedule 40 PVC), Flexible Hose, and Vacuum Tubing designed specifically for central vacuums. Herein please find the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Plumbing Pipe: This installation would include standard plumbing pipe that is used in the construction of homes for carrying waste water or even supply water. Generally it has an inside dimension (ID) of slightly greater than 2” (50 mm) and is available in 10 foot or 20 foot (3-7 meter) sections.

The advantage is that this pipe is readily available in most countries and can be found at local hardware and plumbing stores. It has a thicker wall and is generally inexpensive as it is mass-produced for various applications.

The disadvantage is that the interior of this pipe is not very critical to the manufacturing process. Generally it is assumed that it is carrying water which weight will easily push any obstructions through the pipe. The wall thickness varies greatly and the joint between the pipe and the fittings normally leaves rough transition points where stiff objects can easily lodge. Because the pipe is also fairly thick, it is normally cut with a chop-saw or hack saw and the edge of the cut normally results in a crooked and/or rough finish. This too creates a strong potential of debris getting stuck. Some retailers have offered a transition fitting for this pipe to mate with central vacuum pipe but one must always be extremely careful when transitioning from a larger pipe back down to a smaller pipe at it will increase the potential for obstructions. No known USA manufacturers of central vacuums recommend this pipe for central vacuum applications and it is not an acceptable standard for installation based upon IAPMO or ASTM F2158 standards.

Flexible Hose: This option was attempted in the early 1960’s with central vacuums and was soon abandoned as a disaster. This method employs a 2” (50mm) flexible hose in lieu of the fittings and elbows in the system. Currently this flexible hose is only used within the first few feet of VacPan locations to allow for more accurate installation capabilities. The hose currently is available in two styles; one as a vinyl material with a wire reinforcement and the other as a more rigid PVC material. Both exhibit the issues listed below.

The advantage is that the installer can reduce his inventory of fittings and the complexity of the installation process. He would simply cut short pieces of the flexible tube any time the installation requires a bend. Some installers have even proposed running the entire system in flexible hose except where one pipe intersects another to add it into the flow. The cost savings is mainly achieved by reducing the skill required for the installer to properly install the system; having a solid knowledge of proper installation techniques.

The disadvantage is that this flexible piping adds a tremendous amount of friction loss to the system. The air bounces as it passed the ridges of the pipe that are intended to flex when the hose is bent. Also in short radius turns, the propensity for a clog greatly increases as sharp pieces of debris could easily lodge in the corrugations of the flexible pipe. This pipe is often much thicker walled to allow for the absorption of the radius of the bends and thus this ledge is accentuated and the smaller diameter of the pipe further increases friction loss. This “ledge” is where debris and long objects can permanently lodge. Because of the unique structure of this pipe, it cannot be cut with a pipe cutter but rather only a saw, again creating additional opportunity for problems. All of this friction loss results in a major decrease in the useable AirWatts of the system. No known USA manufacturers of central vacuums recommend this pipe for central vacuum applications and it is not an acceptable standard for installation based upon IAPMO or ASTM F2158 standards.

Vacuum Tubing: This pipe is made specifically for the central vacuum industry and almost all manufacturers adhere to a strict guideline established by American Standard of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Ruling F2158. This standard was developed by pipe manufacturers, central vacuum manufacturers, installers, and consumers as a means to build consistency into the manner that central vacuums are installed. Most municipalities in the USA have adopted this as a part of the Uniform Building Code (UBC) and building inspectors in these regions have a right to reject any central vacuum installation that does not meet this standard or have this value stamped on the pipe and fittings. This pipe maintains a very concise wall thickness and rigidity to allow for maximum airflow through the system.

The advantage is that it is specifically designed to minimize the potential for clogs in the system. Its thinner wall allows for cost savings but more importantly it exactly matches the thickness of the hub of the fittings; almost creating a bob-sled run inside the pipe wherein there are no potential gaps or crevices. The thin pipe can easily be cut with a special plastic tubing cutter to obtain a precise flat surface each and every time and professional installers also use a pipe reamer to insure that the pipe-to-fitting transitions will not present any possibility of restriction. The thinner wall also bonds more easily to the fittings without the aid of any PVC primers. All currently know back up plates in the industry are designed to fit this size pipe whereas schedule 40 pipes require a special adapter. As of the date of this publication, every central vacuum manufacturer is recommending solely the use of this type of piping over any other of the options.

The disadvantage is that this pipe is not readily available at the local hardware store or plumbing supply house. Because of its limited production, the freight expense to obtain this pipe has become a major cost as part of the system. Countries where central vacuums are not manufactured require even greater costs to import the pipe as the pipe product is not even produced in their country. Some retailers have begun to suggest that the do-it-yourselfer should use one of the other options mainly because it is difficult for even the retailer to handle and work with storing the pipe. In the entire scope of the cost, an average installation may only incur a few dollars of additional cost for the correct pipe.

Conclusion: All central vacuum manufacturers recommend using the proper Vacuum Tubing for very logical reasons.

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