Everything in the world has a downside, as far as I can see. So, without a doubt central vacuum systems have negative points also. Some potential purchasers have a fear that the system will clog up with dirt and as all of the pipes are within your walls, you might have to cut holes in your lovely partitions to get at the blockage.

I know quite a lot of people that are using a central vacuum cleaner for many years and they have not had this problem solutions to this is to put all of your inserts at 90 degrees in the wall, so that something like a pencil will not be able to around the corner and you can remove it before it can enter your piping.

Expense is always an issue, but central vacuum systems are becoming more price competitive and you also have to take into account that people that purchase a central vacuum system, usually do not change it for many years, whereas owners of regular vacuums tend to change them surprisingly often, so over an extended period central vacuums can become quite reasonable in price.

When we are thinking of making a purchase, especially quite a substantial one, we tend to ask the advice of our friends and neighbours that may already have something similar to what we are looking for. This can be a problem for homeowners that are thinking of getting a central vacuum cleaner, as often they do not know anybody else that has one.  Firstly this means they have no one to talk up the system and tell them how good it is and secondly the get suspicious and think that if nobody ha one, there must be a good reason for that.

That is why most newish products find it hard to gain traction in the marketplace, and central vacuum systems are no exception.  I know someone that nearly insists to me that there is no such thing as a central vacuum system, and that it is all a big con by some marketing folks!

If you do not know someone who has a central vacuum cleaner, phone up one of the C.V.S. companies and get a rep to call to your home.  They will have information, samples and should be able to put you in touch with someone in your neighbourhood that has a central vacuuming system and you maybe could call them up and ask to see their system.

The installation of a central vacuum cleaner system is a relatively straightforward one in a new build home. The beauty of having the option of setting out your system off the plans means that you can get everything correct and run the piping, put the inlets and place the base unit where you wish, and not be constrained by obstacles that may exist in an already existing residence.

This freedom to design the layout of the central vac system means that you can run the system in the most direct route possible, thereby saving on length of piping, possibly number of units, etc. You can have inlets in the floor if you wish and this is much easier to do when you are at the planning stage of a residence.

There would be usually 2 inlets per floor in an average residence so estimating the length of your hose (which can be different lengths), you need to be sure that from each inlet you can reach all parts of the rooms that the inlet is supposed to cover, (from the floor to the ceiling).

I have heard of potential customers for central vacuum systems having doubts about a system based on the worry that they will be noisy.  The last thing that you want is to introduce a central vac that will have either a loud base unit, (where the motor will be), or air-sucking type noises all around the residence while you are vacuuming.

Neither of these issues should be a problem.  For people that think that a central vacuum cleaner will be loud, remember that you are probably cleaning your house using a regular vacuum at the present time.  Think of the noise that the vacuum is making as it follows you around, just behind your feet.  A central vacuum base unit can be located in a room of your choice and is usually placed in an area away from the living rooms of the residence, such as an attic, basement or garage.  Central vacuum units are mainly pretty quiet anyway and some manufacturers have made a virtue of producing sound suppressed base units.

With regard to air sucking through the entire system and whistling through the inlets, this is not the case.  The inlets are gated until you open them for operational purposes and usually operate one at a time.

The first time you turn on your newly installed central vacuum cleaner is very exciting.  The first surprise you will get is how silent the system is, if you place the unit in a room away from the living area, such as an attic, which is often insulated from the rest of the residence anyway.

You will need to give a small bit of thought as to where you are going to store your hose and accessories when they are not in use.  A press, settee, monks bench or any other place with a small bit of space should suffice.  You would like them reasonably close to hand, (you do not want to have to go to the shed at the top of the garden for them every time ).

When you are ready to go, just open one of the inlet sockets that you have placed around the house, insert the hose correctly, which will activate the vacuum unit, and off you go.  Some hoses have an on/off switch, which means you can turn them off at the handle and others need to be unplugged from the wall inlet.