central vacuum installation

Neil from Michigan recently sent me an email about his central vacuum installation. He was installing a central vacuum system because of the obvious benefit of improving indoor air quality. He wanted to do the install himself, but the fumes from the glue used to connect the tubing presented some problems for him. Neil got creative and solved the problem himself. I do not advise or recommend this method, but it was a unique solution to his problem.

From Neil:

"One tip learned from this project that enabled me to install the pipe myself: My reason for installing a central vacuum is to improve the quality of indoor air. I could not cope with glue fumes from joining the pipe and fittings, especially during the winter without good ventilation. I chose to seal all of the joints using teflon tape. This worked very well with care to support the pipe with straps and hangers that prevent joints from pulling apart. The joints between Sch 40 pipe and the 2" adapters needed a couple more wraps of tape."

If you are installing a central vacuum yourself check out our website for tips and advise or give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 and we will be glad to talk to you about your project.

Central Vacuum Stores

Winston Lindsay, President of LIndsay Manufacturing recommends the following when fumes are a problem:

"It is always important to glue the joints because in a building there are temperature changes and shifts that will cause movement in the tubing which will pull the tubing apart. If you are allergic or do not like normal PVC solvent glues you can use a product called Gorilla PVC Glue which does not have the normal solvents you find in PVC glue. Gorilla PVC Glue is more expense but easier to ship because the glue is not flammable. If you had to use tape, a small piece of regular PVC electrical tape on the tube would work better than Teflon tape. Teflon is too slippery."

The good news is that this customer purchased his products from Central Vacuum Stores and if his installation causes difficulties in the future we will be there to support him and help him solve any problems.