MD Manufacturing, Inc. has the best warranty program around! Our SilentMaster, ModernDay and AirForce power units are warranted against electrical component failure for up to 6 years. Any parts (excluding filters) required within the first 6 years will be supplied free of charge to our customers by the Authorized Dealer who originally sold the power unit to the customer.

Each SilentMaster unit is also guaranteed for life against defects in materials and workmanship. In the event an Authorized Dealer is not nearby, SilentMaster will honor and perform warranty services provided the power unit is returned to the factory, freight pre-paid. This warranty does not apply to commercial applications, misuse, abuse, acts of God, or if the unit has been worked on by an unauthorized person.

See also MD’s “Write Your Own Warranty” policy for more details on our commitment to having the most outstanding warranty in the industry.

In addition to warranties on our central vacuum units, MD also offers a Lifetime Warranty on our Stealth Belt, a 5 yr warranty on the motor, and 3 years on everything else.

Check out our competitors’ warranties. You’ll find that their warranties consistently last for shorter time periods, they often include “wear and tear” qualifiers, and they cannot be transferred to the new owners of your home.

Thru-flow motors (which depend on air traveling through them for cooling) are generally not used on central vacuums. This is because when they are sealed for any length of time, the motor does not get adequate airflow and it will often overheat. Since the power unit is in a remote location, the user has no idea that the motor is revving up while not receiving the necessary airflow—they cannot hear it.

Sadly, many central vacuum manufacturers are stooping to thru-flow motors to reduce their costs and boost their performance stats. I have seen them on Beam, VacuMaid, Nutone, and Air Vac units.

Thru-flow motors typically cannot be used on cyclonic units because the fine dust not caught by the filter is easily blown into the armature and windings, which causes premature failure. Ametek is one motor company that does not cover this issue in their warranty.

For more information about central vacuum motors, visit MD’s definition of thru-flow motors or our FAQ section where we answer the question, “Do all central vacuums use the same motors?”

We are quite familiar with the Powerupsystem by Beamco. In fact, we were in full negotiations to buy them out about three years ago but had it completely dependant upon their achieving UL approval. The system is brilliant and clearly the technology works. They are correct in operating an electric powerbrush with 110 volts using the low voltage control wires. I believe the system has sufficient safeguards in it to keep from causing electrical hazards.

In fact, we even showed it in our booth at VDTA about four years ago! At the time Beamco (aka Grand Central) was controlled by Stuart Breslin and they were more of an engineering company than a marketing company. Apparently someone has come in as an investor and created a wonderful marketing presence including slick brochures and a beautiful website. Please note, though that there are no pictures yet of the system.

The system uses a Flexible Technologies hose (Hayden plastic type) with a wire reinforcement. It is only a two-wire hose which is good but they have installed their own end on it. A headphones-type-jack is mounted on the end of the hose and they have modified their own inlets from the early 60’s to accept the hose. The connection looks quite “kludged” and is not, in my estimation, up to modern standards. I would hope that they have changed it by now.

I would whole-heartily back this system if, in fact, it was UL approved. Unfortunately it is not. The main issue is that the NEC (National Electrical Code) requires any wire less than 14 gauge to be installed in a conduit if it has the potential of carrying 120 volts. Plain and simple, that throws a huge amount of liability on any installer who installs these systems into any home. If the system has any trouble and causes any damage to the home, the installation company will have a non-defendable lawsuit on their hands.

Beamco’s was left with two options: Either change the NEC code or market the product without UL approval. I would hope that they are in the process of changing the NEC and then being able to obtain a UL approval but my fear is that an excited investor is willing to accept the risk of it never causing any damage in any home. Oddly enough, these systems have been being installed in homes in the San Francisco area for almost 20 years. Somehow they have been able to pass electrical inspection. It is my belief that the inspectors see it as a normal low-voltage-only system and thus they have not bothered to reject it. As the system’s notoriety spreads to other municipalities and states, it will get caught and the word will get out to watch for it. At this point they will have a difficult time with additional marketing.

It is my hope that they would receive UL approval because then it would save installers a tremendous amount of labor and costs. The technology is solid but changing the NEC will take an act of Congress. Unfortunately there are union interests at stake when you take away the need for electricians to run electrical outlets and wires. I believe this obstacle was too difficult for them to overcome. I would even put my backing behind the product to get it through the NEC but I doubt that this direction was chosen.

We wish them the best of luck in their efforts.

I hope to use this forum to keep you updated on the latest breaking news from our industry. The few trade journals that cover our industry are quite weak and almost all the reporting is simply manufacturers bragging about color changes or repackaged products.

Here’s a few tidbits from CEDIA.
First, the Filtex brand name is back. The name began in the late 40’s I believe as a portable vacuum sold door-to-door. Originally based out of Los Angeles, they added central vacuums on in the late 50’s. They actually used to make a few parts for us in the early 60’s and we made a few parts for them also. They company was sold a few times to VSI, Nader Mfg, M&S, and Chamberlain. Chamberlain sold out their central vacuum division to Linear late last year and apparently everyone forgot about the name. Well Lindsay Manufacturing noticed the gap and wisely picked up the name. So we now have a re-invented central vacuum called “Filtex” that looks just like a Vacuumaid. It is blue and silver will likely be sold to the builder/installer market.

Beam had their new”Prism” RF (Radio Frequency) hose at the tradeshow. I believe it contained two-way communication verifying that the power unit was operating with a led light on the end of the hose. (Something MD has had for 4 years). They really weren’t showing off the hose at CEDIA and no one we spoke to said they demonstrated it. Also they had their Electrolux Power Brush at the show but we noticed that the neck was completely broken off of the mount. They state that this was only a sample piece and not a production item so it will ikely be strengthened before they introduce it. Maybe they can’t slam it on the ground like we do when we demonstrate our Stealth Brush?

Also Beam had a new Electrolux Solaire unit at the show. It was an aqua green color and rather small. We’ll be posting the stats of it on our website as soon as we can.

Nutone displayed their new style unit that is egg-shaped and plastic. It looks cool but we really doubt that it will improve their performance. Somebody has to teach their booth design crew to install vacuums. This is the second show in a row where they installed their tees completely backwards! No one coming to our booth even mentioned that they saw it.

Of course MD, as always had a ton of new things. Their 5.0 version of the AirForce was a big hit turning off when the phone or door bell rings, but this version now offers a fool-proof way to check all the communication before you leave the job site. Simple test procedures are now built into every device to determine background noise, signal strength, and if any devices are not on the same phase. A laptop computer can also be used to run a series of tests to determine fluxuations over time. All this, without having to run low voltage wires. They even demonstrated turning the unit and or the power brush on and off from any laptop that had the software installed! MD also has it’s new CentraMop attachment that essentially gives you a “swiffer” on the end of the central vacuum wand. It’s pretty cool. And then they introduced their new website with new graphics and a far-easier means of drilling down into the tons of info found there.

Hope this helps bring you up to speed. I’ll be telling you more as the weeks progress.

I just have to get this off my chest and you guys are the lucky recipients! I have a major confession to make:

Two weeks ago I slicked back my hair, applied sun glasses, put on a baseball cap and wore shabby clothes and made a mad dash to Costco. It wasn’t going to be a normal Costco run where I always run into someone I know. Usually an additional half hour must be planned due to Costco being such a “meeting place” in our town. Not this time! I went at 11:15 in the morning, their least busiest time on a weekday.

So my mission was to purchase a portable vacuum. I already know what you are saying…. “why didn’t this guy buy one of his dealers… the real salesmen pounding the pavement….. what a traitor!” No, I couldn’t do it. I had to anonymously bag the goods and get out of there as fast as possible. The 8 minutes and 14 seconds from leaving my car to returning and starting the engine seemed endless!

Never before in my life had I purchased a portable vacuum and I wasn’t about to let anyone see me betraying my central vacuum heritage! This was beneath me! So there I was standing in the Costco aisle looking for a cheap, high amperage piece of junk to test a new invention of mine. This was a sad day that I never thought would come upon me. There was Dyson alluring me.. Sorry but I wanted inexpensive, not just cheap! So I made a selection at about $100 and left as quickly as possible.

With the goods in my cart, I found the most obscure route back to the check-out counter. What would my friends say if they caught me? What if one of my central vacuum dealers caught me in this compromising position? My heart raced as the clerk rung up the sale!

So I got the product back to the shop and sure enough, my invention worked. As soon as I get the clearance from our patent attorneys, I’ll let you in on a great new idea that is sure to help all my faithful independent vacuum dealers.

Will it all be worth the humility of having to purchase a portable vacuum? Time will only tell!