Your posts have convinced me to get a central vacuum; we have huge asthma and allergies at our house too.
Cyclonic vacuums sound the best, avoiding clogged filters. But which one?

Can someone write why you decided for / against the
Vacuflo,
Vacu-Maid, or
Electrolux / Imperium? (I don't even know if anyone local installs Imperium).
Or ???

Vacu-Maid claims that they're best because their air channel allows dirt and debris to be collected in a disposable liner bag. And that the air doesn't go through the motor and reduce its life, unlike other brands' airstream. Haven't talked to other dealers yet.

What about external exhaust?
Vacu-Maid does that. Some websites claim that's great, but another central vacuum site says it's terrible: fine dust & dirt blown toward nearby windows or kids playing outside.

What about the Hide-a-Hose (HAH)?
Has anyone noted reduced suction after installing the HAH? The Vacu-Maid dealer really discouraged HAH, that it doubles the cost, and the ridges really add turbulence and reduce suction effectiveness. But if the ridges are those of the hose itself, the air has to go through the hose whether part of the hose is inside the ductwork or it's all outside, right?

I really look forward to a central vacuum; I just hope I choose the right one. Thanks!

Not only does it do a great job of vacuuming, but having the hose suck into the wall is SO convenient, I don't have to be lugging a great big pain in the butt hose down in to the basement for storage. Love it! I never thought I'd see the day where I was gushing over a vacuum...but here I am...maybe I need to get out more :)

Anyway, it wasn't cheap but I do think it was one of the most worthwhile upgrades we made!

Good luck!

So, which brand and motor did you purchase? Ours is a 3000 sq foot house on four levels (split-level x3), and I'd rather get too much power than not enough.

Anyway, we have a vacuflo maxair canister (model #88100). We're in Canada where Vacuflo is the only dealer of the HAH. It's their biggest, most powerful canister and the only one that requires the special wiring. I also really like their powerheads which run on the suction rather than a motor. Much quieter than our old one and work really well. I also got the "rug rat" for stairs, it was the first I'd heard of it - good lord whoever invented that deserves a nobel prize!

We have 2700 sq. feet and a hose on each story. The basement's currently undeveloped so we just put a regular outlet down there.

Good luck!

I intended to have the HAH feature but didn't get it -- neither of the two installers here have ever done one, so they're very sceptical and negative. Their attitude, along with the fact that it almost doubled the cost (putting it quite bit over what we had budgeted) meant we gave it up.

But I am getting a hose and an accessory kit for each floor, and two Vrooms -- one in the kitchen and one in the laundry room, which will be my dog's headquarters.

I wish I could have had the HAH, but I'll be happy with what I'm getting!! I can't imagine going back to a non-central vac!

Arlene

Cyclonic is not the best, especially if you have allergies. When you empty the bin into a trash can, all that dust and dander is going to fly up into the air. It will completely contaminate the basement or garage (wherever the unit is). Cyclonic units exhaust close to 4% of the particles vacuumed up, while a bagged central vacuum exhausts much less than 1%. Cyclonic is a fun concept because it makes a pretty tornado inside the unit, but don't be fulled by "cool" technology.

The only reason that cyclonics do so well on the market is because people are lazy and think that a cyclonic vacuum easier. Normally they are bulkier, heavier, and less efficient than a good "bagged vacuum".

So when it comes to a central vacuum. Look into a bagged unit. MD MFG makes bagged units. So do a couple other companies. I would highly research the SilentMaster before you decide on anything.

http://builtinvacuum.com/silent_master/index.html

Sorry, harold, I don't consider myself "lazy" for liking a cyclonic.

My BF steered me to the VacuFlo. She's had one in every house but one since the late 60s. That one house couldn't be retrofitted with a VF -- and after a year, they sold it. Why? Because without a VF, her allergies were so bad she couldn't live there anymore.

I loved my Vacuflo. I had a 960 in my last home and it was the best of the 3 systems I had installed in my former homes. It was a pain to clean but no worse than the Silent Master. Dust will fly no matter what! With the VUF, U have to clean the screen, there is a sharp metal suround, around this and then the inverted funnel. U can cut your hand. Once U have done it once U will know about this. U have to clean this with another vac or it will fall on the floor. With SM, in the event U let the bag gets too full , it will split at the top of the ring. The paper bag gives way and all of the dirt goes into your cloth bag and U still have to bang the 3 filters on a tree, or what ever. The dust will fly no matter what so just get 1 as they are great! ! !

Since I'm vacuum obsessed I had to have a central vacuum (There was NOT one, believe it or not) and we're going with Vacuflo and HAH. For 9706sqft we ended up needing eight outlets.

I've already got to play with it and I'm in love!

On another note, though... Retrofitting a house that DIDN'T have a central vacuum, that is three stories and has almost ten THOUSAND square feet. Well... Expect it to cost not several hundered but several thousand dollars.

Oh, and did I mention you have to have power nozzles and tools for all this stuff? :)

Justin