Although not strictly related to home automation, I wanted to include this article I posted to the comp.home.automation newsgroup 6 months after I installed the central vacuum system. The installation took about one week, near the end of 5/96. The parts were purchased from a friend, who is an authorized dealer of Vacu-Maid.

>Scott A. Brooks wrote:
>Are there any Beam or Vacuflo owners out there who would like to e-mail
> or post their opinions of their systems?

I do not have either one, but I do have a Vacu Maid system, which I installed myself. It was challenging since I did this as a retrofit to my home. I installed two outlets per floor (3 floors), and was able to (fortunately) hide the entire installation in closets and existing chases in my home. The installation was a good experience since it allowed me to prepare for the day that I would be wiring Cat 5 and RG-6U to every corner of the house when a successor to X-10 is crowned.

Some pointers for installation:

• the only place a tight 90 degree turn should be used is right behind the vacuum receptacle. In this manner, the tightest turn in the system is right where you can reach the obstruction (after you remove the vacuum hose). The rest of the system should use sweep 90s and sweep Tees. Thus if you vacuum up a pencil, it will get stuck right at the receptacle, and you can remove it by unplugging the hose.
• On horizontal runs, do not connect to it from below. Dirt travelling in the horizontal run can drop down into the connecting tube. A friend of mine did not do this, and while vacuuming glass shards, had them drop into the connecting tube, filling a vacuum outlet with glass....
• Design the system such that you do not have to turn the pipe upwards. This advice was given to me by the dealer, a trusted veteran installer. The only exception is at the 90 right behind a receptacle. The upward turn can cause plugs. If you do need to turn upwards, install an access cleanout: a sweep 90 and a plug.

It cleans better, quieter, and all dirt is ejected from the house. The system is light and maneuverable. Since it is built in, it will add to the value of the house. Since it has no substantial filter, there is no obstruction to the unit's power. No restriction on the power consumption, size and weight of the motor, so it can be powerful too (and contrary to how it sounds, I am not a vacuum salesman ;-).

> 5) Do you have an electric powerhead or an air turbine powerhead? Does > it work well? Does it need periodic cleaning?

I decided to spring for two sets of electric powered heads. They work well. My powerhead's OEM was Eureka (repackaged). I also bought the turbine powered stair sweeper. It is a hand held turbine brush. Great for cars as well. The air turbine units are more prone to clogging (all dirt needs to pass thru the vanes of the turbine), and reduces power a little. If you get the powered heads, I recommend the hose that has the power cord molded into it. The alternative (a hose with a cord ty-wrapped) is a pain.

To give you a point of reference, this was the cost of my system: 250 - vacuum motor 150 - pipes and fittings 300 - toolkits, two hoses, two powerheads, one stair head 700 - total

> 6) Have you ever had to replace a motor or fan in the power unit?

No, but I hope you will allow me an anecdote. On my first night there when I worked at KSC (Kennedy Space Center), I opened the door at night and FELT something run over my sneaker. After frantically looking around the house for a few minutes, I found (what the natives called) a Wolf Spider. Big hairy thing, the size of your fist. Fortunately, the house I lived in had a central vacuum system, and I used it to shhhhhuck the thing out of the house. Whew, I was so glad to have the system.

• May 1996 - System installed.
• December 2004 - replaced drive belt on Sweep 'n Groom II powerhead (belt is part number 36995, same as 52201C) at Eureka's on-line web site.  Other than that, the system has been trouble free.
• May 2010 - Bought a used Sweep 'n Groom unit for $40 shipped.  I used it for parts to replace the case of my powerhead which has been damaged due to many years of use.  New units are available for $130 shipped on Ebay.
  
• August 2010 - Found an advertisement on Ebay (seller id: storefront-22) for a replacement sweeper motor made by Lamb Ametek.  I think the Eureka part number is 118154-54, and the Lamb Ametek number is R5409-33.  The price was $40+$5.  Also available here.
  

Replacement motor.  Click for full size.