Which central vacuum should I buy?
Customers find themselves confused these days about which central vacuum they should buy due to huge price differences when comparatively the units look the same.
Although the differences might not be apparent to the visual appearance of a central vacuum unit, its components definitely are. The problem is customers become confused when they see big numbers for power with a low price.
In this article I hope to provide some basic information that will help educate the buyer and hopefully take away the marketing confusion. If you’ve been looking for a central vacuum, you no doubt have encountered the many brands out there using ‘airwatt’ motors. Consumers should not base their purchase on airwatts as the smaller, cheaper motors are the high airwatt motors out there and unfortunately many customers have been fooled and ultimately disappointed when basing their decision to purchase solely on that.
There are three styles of motors that are being used today in the central vacuum industry. Tangential Bypass motor, Flow-Thru motor and Periperhal Bypass motor. The higher-end central vacuums use the Tangential By-Pass motors which use varying diameters and are the best for use in central vacuums as they have a horn discharge making sure that all heat and exhaust air is removed from the motor chamber which ensures a long motor life. Flow-Thru motors are usually used in portable vacuums. Buyers need to be aware of this type of motor as it does not have a dedicated cooling fan to cool the inside motor mechanics thereby reducing the life of the motor. The Peripheral By-Pass motor units are not much better as the hot dirty exhaust air vents around the motor area which in turn also causes a reduction in the life of the motor. Ask the salesperson to show you the motor so you see exactly what you’re paying for.
It goes without saying that everyone would prefer to purchase a trouble-free central vacuum. As mentioned above, the best style of central vac unit to buy would be one with a tangential bypass motor. Also a unit with lower maintenance is best like the Canavac brand which allows for the optional use of a paper bag that filters out 99.4% of allergens which makes it a lot easier on allergy sufferers.