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.

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.

Under normal operating conditions, a typical central vacuum will move about 40-100 CFM (airflow) if used with a power brush on carpet. An avg. 2,500 sq. ft. home contains appx. 20,000 cubic ft. That would equate to replacing the entire amount of air in the house in about 3 to 8 hrs. Vacuuming for 30 min. would suck up 6 to 6.25% of the air in the home. But where does that air come from? It comes from the outside. But how does it get in? Our homes are not so tight that the windows implode when we run the vacuum too long! Air must come through microscopic holes and pores in every surface. It comes through the drywall, flooring, windows, and doors. One open door for 10 seconds could bring in 1,400 cubic ft. of air (or 7%)—this is estimated from a person walking in at 4 mph and the airflow associated at a 7′ x 3.6″ opening. If we were really concerned about this we would air-lock the doors to our homes!

It is true that outdoor air has less particles per million. But they often contain pollens and other irritants. For the most part, these agents are filtered out as the air enters the home. This is because airflow from the vacuum into the home through the microscopic permeations is of such a small total volume that these bothersome particles cannot come in. Indeed, they can hardly move. When a vacuum nozzle is set two ft. from a dust column, the dust will barely move!

All this to say that homes really can be cleaned extremely well. And by far, a central vacuum is the best appliance for maintaining the cleanest home possible, since it removes much more dirt than conventional vacuums. For more information, visit MD’s health facts page.

MD is the only central vacuum manufacturer who offers the most-admired power brush in the industry. In fact, we are the only company who sells and distributes the highly-acclaimed Stealth power brush. We have trademarks on the Stealth name and have created a vast cornucopia of information about it on our website.

The Stealth brush comes in 12″ or 14″ and we carry the kits with 25′, 30′, or 35′ Plastiflex’ hoses. The rest of the kit includes top of the line equipment comprising a 14″ wide horse-hair floor tool, and other notable items.

Take a look at all the features offered on the Stealth @ the Stealth page of our website.

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?”

I am happy to report that I have finally tried the Tornado Power Cloths on my own home. While I am not thoroughly convinced that they improved the power of the system, I do believe that they have marketable value.

Initially the performance of the system did improve because I changed the paper bag. The cloths then did run through the system and did come out dirty. Because I ran the first one through from the furthest inlet, it would come out as dirty as possible. The subsequent cloths were less and less dirty. My system is about 9 years old and the longest run is about 80 feet of pipe.

Because the cloths stay in the filter, they do provide a scent that identifies that they were used. This is a good marketable issue. Of course, Andrew, my e-commerce director used some on his home and he was offended by the smell as he is highly alergic to scents.

One minor problem, I initially put the cloths in with the rough side inwards rather than outwards. This caused me to use a second one to insure the best results.

Did my performance improve? Not that I could statistically quantify. There still may be some sort of anti-static force that opens up the airflow better in the pipes by using these cloths so I recommend that Wincor run a few scientifically quantifiable tests and they will have a winner.

Just about this time of year we field a few calls from concerned dealers and homeowners stating that their central vacuum shocked them! They are not imaging this phenomenon; they really are being shocked. Naturally they are concerned because the hose does contain 120 volts for the powerbrush. Their fear stems from it possibly being a 120 volt shock.

I am happy to report that this is not a malfunction of the central vacuum. I have experienced it myself. This often can occur during times when rapid changes are made in barometric pressure, specifically before and after storms. It seems that the air becomes charged and the vacuum hose becomes a tremendous conduit for the electricity.

You could take the same hose in another home with the same floor plan facing the same direction and you would not have the occurrence. There is something about the particular electromagnetic field surrounding that particular application. Negative ions are etched off of the interior surface of the plastic hose as the air passes through. This somehow creates a charged field and a human operator standing on carpet becomes a great shock conduit.

Never fear! We have a very simple solution. It may seem silly but simply purchase “Bounce®” or a similar fabric softener sheet that contains an anti-static agent. Wipe the hose, handle and wand with the Bounce sheet, and the problem is solved. No expensive ground wire integrated into the hose and no more obnoxious shocks!