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.

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.

We are often asked why MD does not recommend or sell the Double Wye fitting that is commonly seen other places in the industry. This fitting is quite convenient for attaching two runs together to then flow into the power unit but unfortunately it has also too often been installed improperly. Because many central vacuum installers only work at the trade part-time and are unfamiliar with proper installation techniques, they end up producing systems very susceptible to clogs. Here are the two most common errors committed with this fitting:

To properly make this connection we used a 45 Wye (#509), 90 Sweep Spigot, a short piece of pipe, and a 45 Ell (#504)

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.