Central Vac vs a regular push vac?

[pampam]

We currently have a beam central vac, but we need a new beater bar and hose. $328.00 If we replace the brushes in the motor $16.00 plus labour it should bring it back up to par but it will still be a 20 year old vaccuum. It cleans fine, and these vaccuums have a good history. Still, it could have problems later on. Should I bring it up to standard or just buy a good push vaccuum. I was wondering about a Dyson. I like the light weight of the central vac, however, but I can't justify buying a whole new unit, when this one still works ok. What do you recomend?

 

[rmattman]

We had a central vac in a previous home and would do almost anything to be able to have central vac again. Quieter, lighter and don't have to drag a vac up and down stairs (I don't know if you have stairs). I would revamp the central vac in your situation.



Ron

 

[merekc]

I do not have a Dyson. The vacuum salesperson talked me out of it. Said it wasn't good for Frieze carpet (which I have). With that being said. My vacuums only last a couple of years at about $200 a pop. They just aren't made to last anymore. I'd be inclined to invest in the central vac if you think it is going to extend the life greatly.

 

[mrodgers]

We had a central vac in a previous home and would do almost anything to be able to have central vac again. Quieter, lighter and don't have to drag a vac up and down stairs (I don't know if you have stairs). I would revamp the central vac in your situation.
Ron

Just out of curiousity, isn't it more hassle to drag a giant coil of hose up and down the stairs and all around the house? On top of that, it would take much more space to store?

I remember my mother hating the central vac that was in the house when we moved in when I was a kid. She hated dragging the huge hose around. Now she has a small regular vac that is easy to store and easy to haul around the house.

 

[MrsPete]

I'm planning to put hardwood floors in the house we're building . . . and instead of either one, I intend to install those "kick plate" dustpan things. I guess they're essentially a central vac item, but they're just little "holes in the wall" into which you can sweep dust.

I do despise vaccuming.

 

[DawnM]

I LOVE our central van!

I don't find it burdensome at all to "drag around" the hose. Sure beats dragging a heavy vacuum cleaner around.

We need a new hose and some other things have already been replaced.

I have a hardwood floor attachment that we use often as our main level is mostly hardwood floors.

Are you sure all of those things need replacing? Does it still work at all? We did replace a motor about 3 years ago for $70. Dh installed it himself. Ours has 2 motors, only one went out on ours.

We looked at getting an entire new unit, but the price tag was steep. For $70 we have had it work just fine for the 3 years so far.

Dawn

 

[pampam]

OP here. Yes, the hose and the beater bars do need to be replaced. I was told by the dealer, who are friends of mine and completely reliable, that usually when the motor stops running, it's just the brushes inside the motor that need to be replaced. As it is, the motor is working fine. It's just that the system is 20 years old, so I wasn't sure which way to go. I figured that since I ws doing a rehaul of the vaccuum, I'd replace the brushes inside the motor before I had a problem, and be good to go for a while.

 

[pad406]

Well I wouldn't buy a Dyson. Had one at home and also in the office and both fell apart very quickly <1yr with normal use. They are flimsy. Great suction when they work though

 

[thomas998]

Just out of curiousity, isn't it more hassle to drag a giant coil of hose up and down the stairs and all around the house? On top of that, it would take much more space to store?

I remember my mother hating the central vac that was in the house when we moved in when I was a kid. She hated dragging the huge hose around. Now she has a small regular vac that is easy to store and easy to haul around the house.

We got around that problem by having two hoses, one up and one down... we still have to take the attachment with the brushes up and down but it is fairly light.

 

[Sadie22]

We got around that problem by having two hoses, one up and one down... we still have to take the attachment with the brushes up and down but it is fairly light.

That's what I did when I lived in a house with a central vac.

OP, I would do what is necessary to maintain the central vac in good working condition. You may have no plans to sell your home now, but if that became necessary or desirable in the future, you would want to have a working central vac, and parts might be harder to find at that time.

 

[rewok]

Love having a central vac! Had one when I lived with my parents, went to using a regular vac when I moved out, and got back to central when we bought our house. We upgraded our system last year, The motor was starting to make strange noises, the hose & attachments were old, damaged, ... Got a brand new system for only 700$ with full of "modern features". Much easier to run about the house with just the hose, instead of hauling the canister around. For stairs, there is no comparison, the canister is VERY cumbersome.

Around here, central vac are very widespread (much more than in the US I believe), so we have lots of choices of brands (some made here in Canada), shops, ... I don't know anybody that want to go back to regular vac. If you think your vac is not powerful enough, you'd better to change the unit, but I see no reason to get a Dyson (very expensive IMHO).