Ducted Vacuums

[silentC]

Anyone got one of these? Are they worth the money? Any recommended brands? SWMBO wants one, and therefore so do I :)

[bennylaird]

They work great till they get clogged up.
Ours has a blockage somewhere that I can't get to. Drives me mad. It's old though using pvc piping, main run is under the floor then it goes vertical over the garage roof. Seems to collect heavier stuff there but this time it's elsewhere.

[bitingmidge]

I've had dozens of clent's who swear by them, and the same number who wouldn't bother again.

Their best feature is that they aren't recirculating microscopic dust through the house, which most vacs do. This IMHO is their only redeeming feature, but even cheap HEPA filtered vacs now overcome that, except for the cost of replacing filters, (which doesn't happen).

The other perceived advantage; no big machine to lug around, is a bit misleading, you still have miles of hose. MILES of hose, and the points never end up being EXACTLY where you need.

The trouble with miles of hose is that you end up taking it through doorways, and that in turn rubs on architraves, which eventually leaves scars and marks. Also: you still have to put the sucker (:D ) away.

For me, less than $800 will get a Dyson HEPA machine which doesn't have any consumable filters, and you can take it out to the verandah, or where-ever you are going to need it which is six inches out of reach of your nearest point.

Cheers,

P

[Termite]

For me, less than $800 will get a Dyson HEPA machine which doesn't have any consumable filters, and you can take it out to the verandah, or where-ever you are going to need it which is six inches out of reach of your nearest point.

About 3 years ago when SWMBO sent our vacuum up in smoke (not joking) we ended up with one of those Dysons that look like a green and purple R2D2.
Mate, that thing SUCKS big time. Its been pulling dog hair out of the carpet and our last dog died 6 years ago.

Calling Sally Dyson ....Calling Sally Dyson. :D

[bennylaird]

Dyson have great service to, had ours fixed and serviced for $80 and she is good for another 5 years. Everytime we vacuum we get enough to make another dog.

[craigb]

I've had dozens of clent's who swear by them, and the same number who wouldn't bother again.

Their best feature is that they aren't recirculating microscopic dust through the house, which most vacs do. This IMHO is their only redeeming feature, but even cheap HEPA filtered vacs now overcome that, except for the cost of replacing filters, (which doesn't happen).

The other perceived advantage; no big machine to lug around, is a bit misleading, you still have miles of hose. MILES of hose, and the points never end up being EXACTLY where you need.

The trouble with miles of hose is that you end up taking it through doorways, and that in turn rubs on architraves, which eventually leaves scars and marks. Also: you still have to put the sucker (:D ) away.

For me, less than $800 will get a Dyson HEPA machine which doesn't have any consumable filters, and you can take it out to the verandah, or where-ever you are going to need it which is six inches out of reach of your nearest point.

Cheers,

P

Thanks for that Midge.

I'd always thought those ducted vacs were a GOOD THING.

I don't think I do anymore.

[silentC]

Hmm I'm not getting a positive vibe here, chaps...

[bennylaird]

Get a Dyson

[Gumby]

About 3 years ago when SWMBO sent our vacuum up in smoke (not joking) we ended up with one of those Dysons that look like a green and purple R2D.
Mate, that thing SUCKS big time. Its been pulling dog hair out of the carpet and our last dog died 6 years ago.

Calling Sally Dyson ....Calling Sally Dyson. :D

Friends of our have one of those and it's nearly stuffed their carpet. :rolleyes: That much suction can't be all good. We borrowed it to see if it was better then the Meile we have and after a run over with the Dyson, the Meile still picked up some fluff. I also found the Dyson a pain to keep clearing out the plastic tube where all the dust gets clogged up.

[doublejay]

We've had a Valet ducted system for more than 15 years and we love it. We worked out where we needed the connection points to allow us to do the whole house from two points. I agree that there is an issue with the hose being dragged around corners but doubt whether the damage is any more than you'd get wheeling a conventional machine around the house for 15 years - if it lasted that long.

[arose62]

What about one of those robot vacuum cleaners??

[silentC]

I think they're a bit of a gimmick at present. Not very big, so you'd be emptying them all the time. Now if they could go to the bin and empty themselves, I'd get one :D

[Termite]

What about one of those robot vacuum cleaners??

I've got one.......you have obviously never seen SWMBO doing the vacuuming. :D

Ow..Ow....Ouch......sorry Dear.:o

[Andy Mac]

Hi Silentc,
We installed a Valet in a (stumped) house we built, and the wife loved it. I actually did the vacuuming a couple of times and what impressed me (besides having the confounded noise outside:p ) was the quality of the head...the rollers, the swivel, everything worked as you would expect most vacuums to, but don't. The hose is mega long, so could be a problem to store in the closet, felt like you were wrestling a flaccid python:eek: The outlet closest to the motor unit was a repository for the heavier items sucked from further down the line, but that doubled as a safe house for Lego etc!! The only negative was we had no vacuum cleaner to take to the car in the carport, which could have been avoided by 1. not getting rid of our mobile one; or 2. placing a strategic outlet.
To put it another way, if we build another house, or move into one on stumps, my wife definitely wants another ducted unit!

Cheers,

[Tikki]

Hi Silent

Had a Modern Day 2000 installed when our house was being built ... love it!! The unit is outside under the pergola and has one outlet which is great for vacuuming the car and outdoor area (purchased an additional hose for outside use) and have three outlets inside (only need 2). Have not had any problems, it's never been serviced, and the beauty is only having to empty the dust bag about once every two years :D

Cheers
Tikki :)

[silentC]

Well, looks like Midge was right: two affirmative, two negative and a few indifferent.

If we put one in, there will be a port in the garage for sure. Friends have one and that's their only complaint.

So I'll look into Valet.

[silentC]

Three affirmative. Looking better :)

[Gumby]

Guys, why are we wasting time on this ?

It's women's work !!!

:p

[gsouth]

Had one installed when we renovated - 3 years ago and not a hitch -
Mum and Dad put theirs in, and it's been going strong now for over 10 years.

When we had it installed the guy came out with a long piece of rope to get the ducts in the right position.

Another neat feature he added was a vent in the kitchen kick board... you simply sweep the crumbs near it, cick the on switch and it's gone... no need to drag the vacuum out for a small cleanup of crumbs....

Would do it again without hesitation - minimise the 90 deg bends... put pipes when you can access if you need (Roof or Floor cavity)

Geoff

[Tikki]

Guys, why are we wasting time on this ?

It's women's work !!!

:p

Looking for a reddie Gumby????? :D :D :D :D

[Auld Bassoon]

I think they're a bit of a gimmick at present. Not very big, so you'd be emptying them all the time. Now if they could go to the bin and empty themselves, I'd get one :D

In some parts of the world these are available. They're called a "maid":eek:

[Harry72]

One of them ducted lads would sure be a great system for the workshop...

[Zed]

one of the rellies has a ducted one he's never complained.

I had a dyson cyclonic and it was a POS once it clogged up the hepa. the hepa filters aint cheap.

I have a pullman now that I wear on my shoulders as I promenade around my house suckng up crap which my wife "makes me do". it has bags which are cheap ($10 for 10) or 3 bags for $19... from the vacuum shop - the bags are the plain brown ones without special attachment doodads for the fittings (oyu know thew ones that look like sanga bags ?) never clogs, takes ages to fill and useful for chasing and sucking up insects flying around the house. not even particularly noisy.

BTW; id never get a dyson again . the pullman is only 400w but out sucks the 650 to 100 w home machines by far... the pullmans are all industrial so can go all day. it was also cheaper by a few hundered too...

dont forget the built in ones have lots of inertia in the pipelines that they have to suck all the time reducing the efficiency....

my 2c.

[Groggy]

My neighbour has a ducted vac. Every time she turns it on my poor dog goes troppo trying to get away from it. Something special about the noise it makes, as the shop vac, dusty, BS, TS, jointer, thicknesser and just about anything else doesn't phase her.

[soundman]

I recon the same laws applying to pool filter pumps should apply to built in vacks.
One of our neibours has one & I ca hear it clear as a bell 80 metres away & its on the other side of the house.
Imagine the noise in a suburban location.
cheers

[Driver]

We installed a ducted vacuum system when we built this house about 17 years ago.

For all the reasons Brother Midge mentioned (miles of hose, damage to architraves etc etc) and because it was never very efficient, we gave up on it and bought an Electrolux some while back.

It's quieter, works fine and it hasn't got 15 miles of soddin' tubing that you have to coil up and thrust into a cupboard when you've finished (have you seen the movie: "Anaconda"? - it's like Bambi compared to this bloody boa constricting hose monster!)

[ivanavitch]

Another Affirmative
I put one in the last house I built. 2 points in the house an another in the garage where the unit was mounted.

Pros. Noise is outside, dust goes outside.
Cons. If you get another house you are up for another vac.

[Gumby]

Looking for a reddie Gumby????? :D :D :D :D

No thanks :D

But at least I'm the only one brave enough to speak the truth. ;) :D :D

And Zed, doing the vacuuming, you should be ashamed of yourself. You've let down a lot of primates who used to look up to you. ;) :cool: :D

Now I have to leave, got to wash the dishes before I go to work. :eek:

[RufflyRustic]

Guys, why are we wasting time on this ?

It's women's work !!!

:p


Not in my house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
RR

[RETIRED]

We have had a ducted system for 15 years. No problems. Ours goes through the roof and has an out side outlet for vacuuming cars and rugs.

It has blocked a little on the odd occassion but a marble sent through the system generally clears it. Bloody good fun too.:rolleyes: :D

A hint: if it can be done put the inlets at about chest height. It saves bending down to floor level and makes for easier connections.

[silentC]

Excellent. Thanks for the feedback all. I found out last night that a friend of my Dad's used to install these things and he still has contacts and has offered to help install it, so looks like Mrs Silent (jnr and snr, they both want one) will be wrestling with pythons in the near future :eek:

[Gumby]

Mrs Silent (jnr and snr, they both want one) will be wrestling with pythons in the near future :eek:

Way too much information ! :D

[savage]

silentC, we have had cheapies and top of the range cleaners, the cheapies are just that, the top of the range are not much better, we bought a Kirby which was excellent when new, but over time it became just another vacuum cleaner. It did have a good, not great shampoo system, but when it broke it was going to cost nearly as much as we had paid for it to get fixed so we cut our loss and tossed it out. When we moved in to this place it had a cleaning system and the hose reaches everywhere we want it to. It is a Valet system, a bit on the noisy side but the unit is in a "utility" room and the door can be closed when in use, I asked about blockages and was told it depends on how the piping is installed. If it is installed with 90 degree bends you are asking for trouble, the best way is nice curves in the piping as this allows free movement of debristo be swept along with the airflow. I feel if this system was not in the house when we bought it I would get a Dyson, as the nature of it's construction is very efficient and has been thought out over several years before going into production. I saw a show on how it came about and it was very interesting to see the chap who designed it and he was honest enough to even explain some of his failures and how he continually when back to the drawing board to over come them until he ended up with what you see today. My opinion, if you can put a system in (during reno work or re-building) good, but if it is an after-thought get a Dyson.

[Cobber]

I just sucked a big spider into the ducted vacumm at my parents house. Good way of getting rid of spiders. I have been thinking about getting it in my extension which is just started. Cant afford it right now though so will have to make room for it somehow. My question is if anyone knows what sort of room I need to make...the extension will be double storey. I might be able to run it up the stair cupboard into the linen cupboard maybe. Does anyone know the right way of allowing for it.

cheers

Cobber

[silentC]

Best place for the unit is outside, that way you don't have to put up with the noise and you don't get microscopic dust recirculated through your house. Ours is installed on an external wall under a fairly wide eave so it is protected from the weather but they are weather proof (if you buy the right one). We ended up with an Aussie Vac because my old man has a mate who sells them. We got it at cost and installed free. The wife loves it.

[journeyman Mick]

.......................We got it at cost and installed free.................

Now if only you could get it to work by itself.......;)

Mick

[silentC]

That's what the Roomba (http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122)is for! ;)

Yes, we have got one :o

[journeyman Mick]

So if you've got the little robot, why do you need the ducted system, or doesn't it get used now?:confused:

Mick

[silentC]

We got the Roomba last year. He still gets used a bit but the problem with him is that you have to get everything that he might choke on up off the floor. We came home one day and he had passed out after strangling himself on the phone cord. Poor little bugger's battery had gone flat trying to untangle himself.

[journeyman Mick]

We got the Roomba last year. He still gets used a bit but the problem with him is that you have to get everything that he might choke on up off the floor. We came home one day and he had passed out after strangling himself on the phone cord. Poor little bugger's battery had gone flat trying to untangle himself.

It's so hard to get good help nowadays isn't it, sigh........:p


Mick

[GraemeCook]

First, a disclaimer. I have never owned a ducted system so I know little about them and have no biases.

Now, I have noticed that ducted house systems are basically the downsized and civilised sibblings of the workshop cyclone system. The cyclones seem to have much more grunt.

Would it make economic and practical sense to use the cyclone as the core of a ducted house vacuum system ???

Cheers

Graeme

[Groggy]

First, a disclaimer. I have never owned a ducted system so I know little about them and have no biases.

Now, I have noticed that ducted house systems are basically the downsized and civilised sibblings of the workshop cyclone system. The cyclones seem to have much more grunt.

Would it make economic and practical sense to use the cyclone as the core of a ducted house vacuum system ???

Cheers

GraemeGraeme, the house systems are low-volume high-velocity whereas the shop units are high volume low velocity (relatively speaking).

The former is good to pick up small objects from a localised area whilst the latter is designed to pull a large amount of air, which contains dust, to pass through a filter.
The HVLP would not be suitable to vacuum carpet but may suffice if you had wood floors. How you would duct it into the house is another matter entirely (4" ducting). You may even have to go over 2hp to maintain sufficient suction over the longer distance.

[silentC]

I think it comes down to the design of the cyclone. The Dyson vac is a cyclone design and it's possible that it could work as a ducted system. The ones we use for collecting dust from machinery in the workshop probably wouldn't work very well as Groggy points out.

[Groggy]

Perhaps something to point out is the 'cyclone' is simply a separator, it does nothing to increase the efficiency of the collection system other than to ensure the filters are kept clean longer (thus keeping the unit near optimum efficiency longer).

It can be argued that by inserting the cyclone into the system you introduce friction and back pressure, and therefor loss. The most efficient systems go from the impellor direct to outside without filtration. Once you add filters, cyclones, ribbed flexible pipe, connections, shunts etc your system deteriorates markedly.

[Cobber]

Thanls - do I need to do anthing special though for the building or will this happen later on...I thought it would be easier to get it set up now rather than later

[silentC]

It's much easier to put the ducting in before you clad the walls. It can be done after but obviously takes longer. We got our mate to come around after the frame was finished to install the ducting and the switch wires. He came back after the plaster was up and the walls were painted to fit the connection point covers and install the unit. You'll also need a 240 volt outlet near where you want to install the unit.

[bpj1968]

This is the brand I have
http://www.astrovac.com.au/

Contact them as I think they have a brochure on selecting units and installation

The best place for one is down low. I have one in a 2 story house, with a garage underneath, so sort of 3 story. The unit is behind a false wall in the garage.

Never had blockages as everything falls down. If you are doing an extension, and want one in the future, buy the plumbing, and install the pipe in the walls. Don't forget to install the twin wire, low volt that turns the unit on. There are 2 types of 90 degree bends, sharp ones, which aren't good and more curved which are better.
If you have to run the pipes in the roof, don't have a T piece directly above an outlet. Have the outlet go up into the roof, then through 90 degrees and then into the side of a T piece. Otherwise, when using the outlet further away some of the debris will fall down the T piece and fill up the pipe.

Most hoses are 9 or 11 metres long, (Switched hoses are max of 9 metres) so get a bit of string and work out where your outlets will be, usually 2 or 3 per house. If you want a power head then you will need a power point nearby.

There are cyclone models available but then you have to empty a bin full of dust. The unit I have is bagged and the bags are about $7. Each one lasts for about 6+ months. So worth the money. We have a dog and cat and vacuum nearly everyday.

When you connect the unit to the plumbing use electrical or duct tape instead of gluing so that the unit can be easily removed for service etc. And put a outlet in the garage for the car and tools.

[journeyman Mick]

....................Would it make economic and practical sense to use the cyclone as the core of a ducted house vacuum system ???...............

Fine as long as you kept young children, dogs, cats, rugs and side tables away from the inlet!:eek: Naah, just kidding, what the others have said, plus cats are alright near the inlet.;) :p

Mick

[Auld Bassoon]

Especially when the grille is off eh? :D