Renee's blog

I've been in the central vacuum business for many years. Central vacs are now considered a green option in new construction. Sometimes central vac systems get clogged, and folks are perplexed by this. You can call a professional in your area, or you can try to unclog it yourself. Here are some steps you might want to try.

First determine if you have a leak or a clog...
Disconnect the pipe that comes from the house to the central vac unit. Turn on the unit and put your hand over the opening directly at the central vac unit.(Using the utility inlet at the unit will not accomplish the same thing.)

If your suction is good, then reconnect the tubing and turn on the switch at the unit. If there is no switch, plug your central vacuum hose into one of your inlets to start the system. Then have someone completely seal the hose with their hand. You can also call 1-800-221-8227 for free technical assistance on how to bypass the relay on your system.

While the unit is running go to the exhaust. With everything closed you should feel almost nothing coming from the exhaust. If you feel very little exhaust, then you do not have a leak. Go to **.

If you do feel exhaust, while your unit is still running, walk around the house and listen for air leaks in the walls, ceiling, and basement. If you locate the loud whoosh of air, you may have found the leak location. You will have to access the tubing and make a repair.

**Now you need to determine if the clog is in your tubing or your central vacuum hose. Check your hose first by dropping a nickel in the handle end to see if it makes it through the hose to the other end. If it doesn't make it through, then your hose is clogged and can be unclogged by plugging the hose in reverse into the inlet located on your unit and turning on the system. This should aspirate the clog out. Or, remove the hose from the inlet and push a garden hose through hose to push out the clog. Most importantly, the garden hose must be turned off and there should be absolutely no water entering your vacuum hose. Or, remove the hose from inlet and drop in a heavy object such as a screwdriver to push out the clog.

If the nickel does make it through, then turn on the unit at the canister and insert a TornadoPower® Cloth (call 1-800-221-8227 for more information on the TornadoPower Cloth) through each inlet. If the cloth gets to the canister in one piece you do not have a blockage in that inlet, move on to the next inlet and test again. If at any time the cloth does not make it through to the unit, then you have a clog/obstruction. Even if you find a clog in one of the inlets, test all the inlets one at a time to make sure you don't have more than one clog then go on ****

If the cloth gets to the canister but is torn or ripped you probably have a partial clog or blockage. Even if you find a clog in one of the inlets, test all the inlets one at a time to make sure you don't have more than one clog. For partial clogs read the next paragraph.

If you have a partial clog, plug your central vacuum hose into each inlet and place you hand over the hose end in order to build up air pressure and then release. Try this a couple of times in each inlet. If you are still unsuccessful in clearing out the partial tubing clog, free technical assistance is available at 800-221-8227.

****For full clogs, after you find which inlet run is affected, turn off your central vacuum system and then remove the dirt canister from the system. Next, plug the hose of a separate portable vacuum (such as portable wet/dry canister) into the inlet and try to aspirate the clog out. This method works most of the time.

Once you have unclogged your system and removed the debris, reconnect your dirt canister, and run a Tornado Power Cloth through your tubing at each valve to remove any remaining debris. It is a good idea to use these cloths on a monthly basis to prevent future clogs.

If your system is still clogged ... Purchase an inexpensive plumber' s snake from your local home center. It should be no longer than 15 ft. with an auger end.

Insert the snake into the valve until it will no longer move. At this point, give the snake right turn twists to help it pass the fittings it encounters. Once the snake refuses to move any further, begin to pull back on the snake until the auger tip comes out bringing some of the debris with it. Repeat step 9. You may have to do this several times if your system has a serious clog. Free technical assistance is available at 800-221-8227.

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We've been busy working on the project in Istachatta, Florida. It is keeping us busy. We've rebuilt a bathroom, rescreened a 50' porch, redone the flooring on the porch, reworked a rotted bay window, and replaced some doors. There are two front doors, one upstairs and one downstairs. Replacing these doors was great! We went to the local recycled building supply store and found two fabulous front doors for $100 each. One is solid mahogany. We lovingly refinished the doors and they are beautiful. We are probably going to use an Imperium central vacuum system, made in the USA, that is definitely a green alternative to other central vacuum systems. It's made of all recyclable steel, has an on/of switch at the unit to prevent energy loss from vampire power, and has 100 % recyclable packaging. It's also earned the Rug and Carpet Institute's Indoor Air Quality Seal.

Check out the Imperium CV7700

We bought our second house on the Withalacoochee River in Florida. This is a neat stilt home on about three and half acres. The river frontage is actually wetlands and we rebuilt a 300' dock leading down to the river. We used the old lumber for the foundation of the dock. So far we have torn out the kitchen and the bathrooms, plus we pulled up some nasty carpeting. I am looking for green options as we remodel the place. We sell some very high quality green cleaning products in our business, and I think this is what I am going to use to clean windows, screens, etc. We have a septic tank on the property, but the nearby neighbors just completed building their home and they have composting toilets. When they first told us about them, I thought the process was going to be really yucky, but I was surprised by how clean it really is. I don't think we're going to replace the septic tank, but they were quite interesting. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

We all know that recycling is an essential part of any conservation effort, and that's what green building is all about. But if we are honest, there are a lot of us that have to weigh the benefit of recycling against our own time constraints. There are lots of businesses that recognize this and now offer their customers free recycling. I first noticed this on the Apple website, but then I began to notice many other online companies joining in. If you are replacing an old appliance, look for a company that offers free recycling. They should have a green page on their website where their recycling policy is clearly stated. What seems to be the usual policy is this: if you send them the old appliance they will recycle it for you. This works great for smaller appliances, like toaster ovens, central vacuums, or intercoms where your shipping costs may only run twenty or thirty dollars, but for larger items like stoves and refrigerators check out recyclingcenters.org. They will give you the addresses for all the recycling centers in your area.

Since my son first developed asthma in 1994, indoor air quality has been a crusade of mine. Information has now become readily available for consumers and you can find all kinds of information and products to improve the indoor air quality in your home. I recently spent some time on the website of the American Lung Association, and they have a wealth of information on the topic of indoor air quality. These are their top ten tips for a healthy home:
1) Declare your home a smoke-free zone. Secondhand smoke can cause serious health problems, especially for children. Ask smokers to take it outside.
2) Good ventilation reduces indoor air pollution. Leave doors between rooms open most of the time for better air circulation. Open windows when possible to allow for a good supply of outdoor air. Install exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove moisture and chemicals from the house.
3) Keep humidity levels low with a dehumidifier or air conditioner, as needed. Clean both regularly so they don't become a source of pollutants themselves. Fix all leaks and drips in the home, as standing water and high humidity encourages the growth of mold and other biological pollutants.
4) To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, have all fuel burning appliances inspected by a qualified technician once a year. Install a carbon monoxide detector near your sleeping rooms. 5) To keep dust mites and other allergens to a minimum, clean regularly. Wash bedding materials in hot water (at least 130°). Consider replacing carpet with area rugs that can be taken up and washed often.
6) Fit your gas range with a hood fan that exhausts the air outside. Use the fan or open a window when cooking to remove gas fumes.
7) Check commercial cleaning products and pesticides for toxic ingredients, and use according to manufacturers directions. Keep your home well ventilated when using these products. Consider switching to less toxic alternatives.
8) Test your home for radon. Use a radon test kit labeled "Meets EPA requirements".
9) Never leave a car or lawn mower running in an attached garage or shed. Avoid the use of unvented heaters or charcoal grills indoors.
10) Call you local Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA for more information about avoiding indoor air hazards in the home

The Codding Cottage is a state of the art home located in the historic neighborhood of Laurel Park in downtown Sarasota. According to the website for Josh Wynne Construction (the builder), this home will easily surpass the minimum scores required by USGBC's LEED Platinum for Homes accreditation. They even have a green certifying agent overseeing the project. We are very excited about this home because our company is installing the central vacuum system. Central vacuum systems are an important addition to any green building project, because of their sustainability and positive impact on indoor air quality. A central vacuum system vented to the outside earns 5 LEEDS points.

Just a little continuation of our outside venting discussion. We knew most major manufacturers gave the green light for outside venting...so I spent a little bit of time and went to the websites of some of the better known central vacuum brands. Very quickly I found their endorsements for venting outside. Here is a compilation of all that information. Manufacturers Recommend Venting Outside

Myths I have read online....

* JFK is still alive.

* I can lose 20 lbs. in 5 days.

* If I wake up in a bathtub filled with ice I should not stand up because someone has kidnapped me and stolen my kidney.

But perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have read online recently is this, if you vent your central vacuum system, you risk causing a fire. Like all myths, this one has no basis in fact. We could refute the information point by point, but that seems like a huge waste of time, and I don't think you all want to read that anyway. So we decided to go to the other experts in our field and let you know what they have to say about central vacuum systems and fires.

1. We have made calls to the "Big Four" in the central vacuum industry...Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo to confirm that venting a central vacuum system will not put you at risk for causing a fire in your house. Each and everyone of these companies agreed that venting will not cause a house fire, nor have they ever heard of a fire being caused by venting a central vacuum system.

2. Winston LIndsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing (VacuMaid), referred us to the National Association of Home Builder's "National Green Building Standard" which awards 5 points for central vacuum systems "VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE". I can hardly imagine that the NAHB would recommend venting to the outside if there was a risk of causing a fire.

3. HGTV Pro has an article on Central Vacuum Systems, and this is what they have to say, "High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

If you are installing a central vacuum system and indoor air quality is important to you, venting outside is imperative. Please consider what the experts are saying and do not be confused by myths about central vacuum systems causing fires.

Things I have read online....

* JFK is still alive.

* I can lose 20 lbs. in 5 days.

* If I wake up in a bathtub filled with ice I should not stand up because someone has kidnapped me and stolen my kidney.

But perhaps the most ludicrous thing I have read online recently is this, if you vent your central vacuum system, you risk causing a fire. Like all myths, this one has no basis in fact. We could refute the information point by point, but that seems like a huge waste of time, and I don't think you all want to read that anyway. So we decided to go to the other experts in our field and let you know what they have to say about central vacuum systems and fires.

!. We have made calls to the "Big Four" in the central vacuum industry...Beam, Nutone, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo to confirm that venting a central vacuum system will not put you at risk for causing a fire in your house. Each and everyone of these companies agreed that venting will not cause a house fire, nor have they ever heard of a fire being caused by venting a central vacuum system.

2. Winston LIndsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing (VacuMaid), referred us to the National Association of Home Builder's "National Green Building Standard" which awards 5 points for central vacuum systems "VENTED TO THE OUTSIDE". I can hardly imagine that the NAHB would recommend venting to the outside if there was a risk of causing a fire.

3. HGTV Pro has an article on Central Vacuum Systems, and this is what they have to say, "High-quality central vacuum systems usually come with highly effective filters and are vented to the outside. Because they're removing, not circulating, the filtered air, they create a much cleaner, healthier home environment than conventional vacuum cleaners."

If you are installing a central vacuum system and indoor air quality is important to you, venting outside is imperative. Please consider what the experts are saying and do not be confused by myths about central vacuum systems causing fires.

I usually talk about the indoor air benefits of central vacuum systems, which makes them ideal for green building. Lately, the idea of sustainability has caught my attention...it is not strictly about environmental issues, but that is definitely a part of it. Sustainability is about meeting human needs while preserving the environment so that those needs can continue to be met in the future. This is why central vacuum systems are without a doubt a great contribution to a building project developed around sustainability. A central vacuum system made of steel, means the materials are recyclable...if it has the Lamb Ametek motor with a carbon brush interrupter then the motor will last longer, which reduces the use of raw materials....and because central vacuum systems do last considerably longer than portable vacuum cleaners, again, raw materials are conserved.

Central vacuum accessories and parts are a bit more challenging when sustainability is the goal. Purchasing a cyclonic central vacuum system without bags or filters is a good place to start because you will have no paper bags or filters, thus reducing the impact on the environment. A powerhead with a cogged belt that shuts off when the brush gets jammed will mean you don't have to replace your powerhead as often, another raw material savings. Unfortunately tools with brushes wear out. There are some tools for floors, dusting, and upholstery that allow you to remove the bristles. Imperium makes an upholstery tool with slide on bristles. If you remove the bristles the tool would last for years and years...usually it is the bristles that wear out.

Just some thoughts on central vacuum systems and sustainability.