Installing a Central Vacuum in Your Home
Once you make the decision to purchase a central vacuum system for your home, you need to decide if you are up to the task of installing it yourself or if it makes sense to have it installed professionally. Some factors that may influence this are the choice of inlets you decide to use. If you are using electrical inlets, then power will need to be run to each of the inlets in your system. This takes a little more than average know-how and should not be an 'experiment' at doing it yourself. Remember, too, projects that should be undertaken by licensed trades people can be a problem for both product warranty and your home owner's insurance.
In many cases, a product with any level of complexity in installation will not honor a warranty if the product was not installed by a licensed professional. Homeowner's insurance is equally as specific when it comes to covering damages caused by a failed product. Check both of these carefully before making the decision to install on your own. Also, talk to the dealer from whom you are buying the unit. They can offer advice and give you a much better sense of whether or not you can handle the installation on your own.
Make sure you work with the dealer and map out the system you are creating. Electrical inlets in an existing home are going to be a much greater challenge then in a new construction where the walls are not yet closed in.
If after all that, you still want to do-it-yourself, here are the basic steps to follow:
Because there are multiple brands, you may wonder if the supplies retrofit. Since 1990, the installation supplies have been generic across brands. If you are expanding a system older than that, you'll need to contact the manufacturer.
Decide on a location for the central unit. In the garage or basement are the two most common locations.
Considering that you would need one inlet for every 600 sq. ft. of living space, locate inlets accordingly. For example, an inlet in a hallway can service 2 or 3 rooms if you have a 30 ft. hose. Make sure to locate them in easily accessible spots.
When actually starting to cut the pipe, use the proper tool, a pipe cutter, to get a nice clean edge, free of any burrs.
Make sure you have a skilled electrician hook up the electrical power to the inlets and that steel pipe is used to connect through the firewall to the garage. This is most likely a building code requirement.
Follow the manufacturer's requirements for the need to vent the exhaust of the central unit. Many units now have adequate filtration, such that this is no longer a requirement.
First and foremost, map your plan for your system with your dealer. It's much easier to spend a little extra time up front than the dreaded tear-out and re-do.
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