How often central vacuum cleaning happens will significantly affect the health of your system. If you’re a homeowner looking into installing a central vacuum cleaner, make sure you’re thinking about future maintenance. Maintaining a central vacuum can be costly, so make sure getting a central vacuum is worth it for you. Keeping your investment safe will keep your wallet and your household happy, especially if you own a top-tier vacuum cleaner.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- There are substantial health benefits associated with keeping central vacs clean since they are responsible for filtering a lot of your breathable air.
- Central vacuum cleaners are costly to install, so keeping up with regular maintenance and cleaning is crucial.
- You can call in a professional to clean things out if you feel like there is a clog in your central system that you can’t fix yourself.
Why Central Vacuum Cleaning is Important
If you’re trying to figure out when central vacuum cleaning should happen, there are a few things you need to know. Your lifestyle will be a huge factor in figuring it out. It is not much different from trying to figure out when and how to clean a vacuum cleaner.
Insider Tip
A central vacuum system is also called a whole house vacuum cleaner.
Explaining Central Vacuum Systems
A central vacuum system is also called a whole house vacuum cleaner. This is because the “vacuum” lives in your basement as a vast, powerful unit. From this unit comes the suction power, which is accessed through long hoses you attach to special wall outlets.
The Benefits Of Central Vacuums
There are quite a few benefits associated with central vacuum systems:
- Excellent suction power
- Less to lug around
- Better at removing airborne allergens
- More convenient than traditional vacuums
- Less storage space is necessary
Cleaning Central Vac Systems
Now that you’ve been formally introduced to what whole house vacuum cleaners are, it’s time to look into how you should clean them. There are a couple of different answers to this question.
Why You Should Clean Them
First off, there are many reasons why you should be cleaning them in the first place. It wouldn’t make sense to give you the “how” but not the “why?”:
- Clogs can cause serious problems
- Repairs will almost always be expensive
- Your vacuum will lose suction power when dirty
How to Clean a Central Vacuum
There are a few different ways you could go about doing this. One of them is to call in a professional to take care of it for you. For example, lots of pool owners choose this option because they can’t be bothered to learn how to clean a pool with a vacuum. Sometimes it’s the most convenient way to do things, especially if you can afford it. Otherwise, there are a few things you can do during routine maintenance:
- Change the vacuum bag or the debris collection canister
- Use specialty cleaning cloths for central systems as directed
- Try to clear clogs using by attaching the hose in reverse to the vacuum’s central canister
- Replace the filters regularly
How Often You Should Clean Vacuums
How often you should clean a central vacuum system will depend on your lifestyle. For the most part, you can expect to run through the list above at least once a month. Filters should be replaced as directed. Your installation team should tell you how often you should empty the canister or a vacuum bag needs replacement. If you know or eventually learn that your home collects large amounts of dirt and dust, that will call for you to clean out these machines and their filter systems more frequently. Plus with regular maintenance, your indoor air quality and floor appearance will be consistently clean over time. Though you already know that central unit maintenance takes more effort and/or money than portable vacuums, keep that mind, because if that responsibility doesn’t suit your lifestyle, maybe central vacuums aren’t the best choice for you and portable machines would be better.
F.A.Q.
How Much Does a Whole House Vacuum Cost?
This depends on where you’re from and how large your house is. You can generally expect prices for central systems to range from $1,200 to around $2,000, with different factors shifting that number up and down. The best thing to do is call around and find the best bang for your buck through price comparison. You will want to note that in the United States, these systems remain relatively unpopular despite success in other countries.
Where and When Central Vacuum Systems Became Popular?
The 19th Century birthed new ideas of all kinds. One of them was the central vacuum cleaning systems. The concept can be traced back to Sweden, where horses were used to generate power for the fans. Once technology advanced a little bit, these horses were replaced by household servants. It was only relatively recently that this type of vacuum cleaner was introduced into mainstream households due to affordability issues.
How Does a Whole House Vacuum Work?
Instead of being a heavy appliance to lug around, central vacs install directly into your basement. Special outlets are installed throughout the floors of your house, which you attach large hoses to. As soon as they’re connected, the vacuum powers on, and you’re able to clean up any mess quickly.
STAT: On average this robotic cleaner picked up a greater amount of sand (36%) across low-pile carpet and rugs than the Roomba did. (source)
