Central Vacuum Systems

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Bewildered

106 posts

Master Geek

#289900 7-Oct-2021 11:27

Hey Peeps!

We have a house that is pre-piped/wired for central vacuuming and our old corded vacuum has almost had it - so it make sense to consider installing a central unit as the cost of a replacement drag-along unit is essentially a discount.

We've cast around a little for options but it is very much starting to feel like it's all sales pitch and little facts. Some companies are selling super expensive machines (Beam ~$3500+), super cheap versions of Australian machines (<$1000 but with a 1 year warranty versus 5 years for the 'not cheap' version), a bit 'home made' looking ones (like Kiwivac), super 'special' (e.g. Tubo / Husky), and so on.....

In some cases warranties also seem to be dependent on regular 'servicing' though heaven only knows why a good vacuum cleaner would need this every year or two.

Essentially we're looking for quiet and reliable....power doesn't matter much as we've pretty much only got hard floors so there is little carpet to worry about.

Does anyone have any recent experience / recommendations?

Thanks!

eracode

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#2791122 7-Oct-2021 11:42

We have a big Beam which was in the house when we bought it new about six years ago. It works really well but we seldom use it - it's much quicker and easier to just buzz around with a battery stick vac. TBH the Beam probably does a 'deeper' clean but we only do that once or twice a year. There's only us two oldies here - no kids or pets.

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timmmay

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#2791124 7-Oct-2021 11:47

Since we got a robot vacuum cleaner we only use the big vacuum every couple of weeks at most. Could a wheeled robot vacuum get to most of your house, or are you split level? A cheap robot vacuum is $400, but I'd buy a better one next time as they have better sensors, $1000 ish.

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#2791161 7-Oct-2021 12:17

Another +1 for a robot vac. Why spend your time vacuuming when automation can do it for you.

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Bung

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#2791172 7-Oct-2021 12:32

Does the robot vac send you an email advising that the (insert missing item here) is under the couch or does it just move around it and keep going 😀?

wlgspotter

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#2791174 7-Oct-2021 12:33

We've a central vacuum system in our previous house in Wellington, and when we moved up that was one of the things we missed. Can't remember what brand that was though but it came with the house when we bought in circa 2007, and it was still going when we sold the place in 2014.

So, when we got this house, one of the first "investment" we made to it is to look at a central vacuum system as we really missed having it. We had the KiwiVac installed about 3 years ago - chose the bagless option, and had it professionally installed by KiwiVac including 3 outlets. It is our main vacuum - we used it at least once a week to vacuum the whole house. TBH central vacuum systems are never really going to be "quiet" - we have the unit install in the garage, and if you close the internal access door while the vacuum is going it does get "queter", but noise wasn't really too much of a concern with us. In the 3+ years that we've had it we've never have to ring KiwiVac for service, so touch it it stays that way. Suction is still good after this time, especially so if you periodically empty the "bin".

Never used a robot vacuum before, for we are finding the central vacuum so much easier and convenient to use - don't have to lug a big, heavy vacuum around.

Oh yes we do have a little portable vacuum to supplement it when we needed to pick up little bits and pieces, or to catch bugs and creepy crawlies (like cockroaches or crickets) that managed to get into the house, but the central vacuum is definitely our main vacuum.

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#2791176 7-Oct-2021 12:34

You might be joking but some of the newer robots that have object detection capabilities do have the ability to recognise objects and avoid them...they'll also mark a picture of the object on the map in their app so you can see what it was and where it was.

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Bewildered

106 posts

Master Geek

#2791184 7-Oct-2021 12:42

Robot vacuum appeals and would work well on our hard floors....it's on my list for some stage once I've finished some minor renovations. Last thing I need it for is to go sweeping up plaster dust. Either way though I'd still need a 'real' vacuum cleaner so would need to buy another vac or a central system. Technically I could easily connect a normal vacuum cleaner (or a workshop vac) to the pipes and use a relay to control it but a smaller machine would not live for long under a much heavier load.

The Beam system looks nice and I have some friends who have one but it is just crazy expensive for what it actually is....it would be cheaper over ten years to buy three or four cheap systems than to buy one Beam. Give the relative costs of production it's clear that there's not an extra $3000 of value in a Beam....so it's a lot of profit for someone....

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Bewildered

106 posts

Master Geek

#2791185 7-Oct-2021 12:46

Obraik:

You might be joking but some of the newer robots that have object detection capabilities do have the ability to recognise objects and avoid them...they'll also mark a picture of the object on the map in their app so you can see what it was and where it was.

The new ones have poop detection as well after the pootastrophe of 2016...

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#2791186 7-Oct-2021 12:47

Most of the premium robots have mapping capabilities and with that comes the ability to draw areas on the maps that they create that you can mark as "no go" areas. They will then avoid that particular spot or for entire rooms you can tell it to only clean specific rooms in the house. Likewise, you can usually draw specific spots on the map that get dirty pretty quickly (such as around the dining table after meals if you have kids) and you can tell it to clean that specific spot outside of your normal cleaning schedule.

My suggestion would be spend some cash on robot vac and buy a cheap stick vac for the few times you might need to get into places the robot can't get to.

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scuwp

3885 posts

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#2791210 7-Oct-2021 13:34

Get a decent quality stick-vac. The price for a decent plumbed motor, and then still dragging a hose and fittings around is outdated now I think.

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dt

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#2791220 7-Oct-2021 13:55

we have central vac from kiwivac, its a cool "selling point" for new homes for people that have never had one before but like you have a have quite a bit of hard flooring downstairs its just so much easier and quicker to bust out the stick vac and buzz around.

Robot vac is on the cards for us this christmas to keep upstairs

Bewildered

106 posts

Master Geek

#2791262 7-Oct-2021 14:40

scuwp:

Get a decent quality stick-vac. The price for a decent plumbed motor, and then still dragging a hose and fittings around is outdated now I think.

I've got an older Dyson one but it is a SCREAMER and neither the battery nor the canister go the full distance....let's just say I get 'range anxiety' when I doing a thorough vacuuming job.

In contrast my sister recently bought an Electrolux UltraSilencer (or something like that) and it is freakishly quiet (almost like "Is that thing on?" quiet)...so I think I'more likely to get that (or a robot) than another stick.....though I absolutely agree that being untethered is awesome....

timmmay

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#2791263 7-Oct-2021 14:41

I'd get a decent standard vacuum cleaner for occasional use, and a good quality robot vac for standard use. The mapping features mean you can tell it where not to go. Go for one with Lidar or whatever it is, rather than the cheaper Xiaomi ones that have some sensors but generally find walls and objects by running into them.

nash

12 posts

Geek

#2791489 7-Oct-2021 20:36

Hi team,

We've got all three... Central vac, robot and a Dyson V10 stick vac.

Personally, we found the central vac to be a pain in the backside especially with having to store a long hose.

So we picked up the robot a Deebot Pro 930, which is amazing! Vacuum and mops, the bot 3d scanner allows you to easily map rooms and pick which ones to clean if you aren't looking to do the whole house; gets used at least 3 times a week for the whole house.

We do use the V10 for spot or deep cleaning the carpets occasionally.

The central vacuum has now been repurposed as a modified dust extraction for my garage tools.

According to the wife I have a vacuum cleaner fetish, lol.