I think central vacs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Have you thought about getting a second, shorter vac hose to keep near and use in the kitchen?

When I had my central vac, I used three attachments - the motorized brush for carpets, the hard floor tool and the round brush. I loved the ease of switching the attachments.

I love my cents bad too! Mine also gets left out unless I drag into the garage. But the vac is powerful and I love it. I have considered getting a trunk for the hose so I could quickly dump it in.

I'm definitely in the minority where our summer home is (maybe GW too) in that I absolutely h-a-t-e it. The maid grumbles with it, the dog hates the sound and I detest lugging the hose which catches on everything. Lol. Mostly, the components stay locked, hidden away in a bedroom closet off the butler's pantry like a Gremlin fed after midnight.

In January I bought the Capricorn canister and an S7 upright from Miele, threw in a Shop Vac for the garage and haven't looked back.

Graywings, I actually had to get a longer hose - my original was 30' but did not reach the farthest corner of my kitchen so I got a newer, lighter one that is 35'.

Our house was built in '81 and we gutted and reno'd it. The CV was already in place - one outlet in the centre of each floor (except the basement which we finished and put in two).

Westvillager, ooooo, sounds great. I am currently trying to decide which is better for me (S7 or canister). I am leaning to the canister for practicality but I really like the upright. Since you own both, what do you recommend? Top floor has three bedrooms and a hallway with broadloom. One bedroom hardwood with an area rug - all bathrooms are tile. Stairs are all carpet (for now  thinking of changing to hardwood). Main floor is all tile and hardwood with 4 wool area rugs (one Persian). Basement is laminate and tile with one area rug.

Last night I was awake pondering it. It just seems easier to pull out a very small Miele canister for frequent clean ups than a 35 hose. The Miele is incredibly light and so well planned out  love that you can hook the power head on in two different positions  so smart! I have a walk in pantry off the kichen that doesn't have tons of space but could hold this little canister.

I think Miele prices are less here in Canada and I actually live near to the Miele "unboxed" store that sells discount items. Also, I live near another outlet that sells refurbs and dint/dents. They currently have BNIB the S7 lotus white - $399.99 and the S5580 Saturn with HEPA (with the parquet tool and SE236 powerbrush) - $599.99. Seems like a really great deal. Miele unboxed also has the S7 lotus white for $350 (they have about 17 units available).

Without providing excruciating detail, lol, the canister is the best all around. It's so much easier to maneuver on hard flooring (wood, lam, tile, stone, etc.) and under furniture. Not to mention the stairs! The combination rug/floor tool is a must-have, I think, for daily clean ups. It's got natural bristles for hard and clicks to a flat surface to use on a low pile/flat rug. The powerbrush would be great for deeper cleans of your wool rugs.

The S7 works amazing but it's kinda hard on the bathroom tile. The only reason it was purchased was b/c there used to be more carpet to vacuum. If I had all carpet, I'd choose the upright but would be totally satisfied with the canister alone plus powerbrush. Hope that helps some! :)

Westvillager - do you a sock covering the central vac hose?

There are accessories for your Central System, to make cleaning easier. There is a clip-on attachment holder for the three smaller attachments. There is also a stretch hose for quick clean-ups.

If you want another vacuum cleaner, I think the canister would be the better choice. If you have quite a bit of hard surfaces to vacuum, a floor brush is easier and quicker to move around the floor compared to moving the whole upright across the floor.

I would suggest the S5 series if you have alot to vacuum, because it has a larger bag. If finances are an issue, check out the S2 series. The S2 series is their cheaper series.

What you could do is pull out the canister during the week, for those quick clean-ups and then use the CVS for the once a week thorough cleaning. Though, I have a feeling you will be using the Miele all of the time.

graywings: There is indeed. This house is base molding city and I suspect the original owner wanted to protect them. The noise is still troublesome for the dog. Lol.

We have a Meile S4 canister with HEPA filter, and love it.

We've got all hardwood, two wool area rugs, and a small rough slate entryway. Three levels, hardwood stairs.

The (horsehair) swiveling parquet floor brush is great. The canister itself is very light and maneuverable. Small and easy to store.

Is there a good vacuum retailer in your area? I'd go in and just test-drive a few models. Doing that with a knowledgeable salesperson can be very helpful.

So, I test drove the S7 and the S5580. Wow! The S7 is a heavy sucker ... it was easier to push when running but it is truly heavy.

I don't know if all canisters are the same but I found the hose on the S5580 not the most flexible. I also found the SEB236 large ... hmmmm ...

I'm wondering if I should get a small S2 Contour from Costco for quick pick ups on the main floor and keep with the CV for major cleaning ... decisions ... decisions ...
S2 price is slightly less in the warehouse.

I found someone willing to sell me an S7 (less than a year old) for $200. Even though it's heavy - I think it would be great for the broadloom upstairs instead of lugging the house out .... hmmmm ....

Here is a link that might be useful: S2 Contour - Costco Canada

I leave my central hose hanging on the wall in the garage.
I use it to clean the car in which case the long hose is very helpful. Occasionally I vacuum the garage floor with it.

Inside I have an intake under the kitchen cabinet that requires no hose, just sweeping trash up to it with a broom and kicking a switch. I seldom use it.

I have the animal Dyson for most inside cleaning, and really like it.

Next. We just bought a house 2.5 months ago and it has piping for a central vacuuming. But I been hearing a lot for both central and canister. For canister my choice would be either the Dyson DC37 or DC78. and all the reviews to date on Dyson are good. But what to do canister or central ?? All hardwood floors and next summer good chances for a dog and cat

I have had a central for the past 38 years. First at my parents house who designed and built their house. Dad an architect that researched everything and purchased the best. That original Vac was replaced about 8 years ago... got their moneys worth.. heck yea. When I got my home a central was installed right away. That's been 16 years still going strong. Our brands were/are Vacuflo. if you call other providers they don't have nice things to say about Vacuflo. Why? cause their good and they don't have the territory. I can't say enough good things about this brand. I would also suggest if you don't go Vacuflo, don't get one with a bag! Why in the world would you want the expense of a bag! NO Bag and when mine was installed I had a real slick installer and he found a line of cbs blocks where he dropped the pipe through them then out the bottom on the outside the cbs block acts as a muffler. I can run my vac at midnight and no one knows. I have 2 border collies plus just rescued 2 more and 4 cats I don't even want to think about a regular vac. The central has a huge can. The vacuum itself is light weight. If I had to pick one thing I don't like and really its more of a me problem, Its the hose. I vacuum so much I leave it out. But I would leave out an another vac too. So like I said its a me problem. Central Vacs have a very strong suction and you can add additional pipes to get as high as you want. We placed our canister in the garage and we clean the cars out with it as well. Nuff said Get a Central! oh btw they have a system now that sucks up the hose into the wall. It's pricy tho.