Central Vacuum: Clean Your Rooms in Silence
QUESTION: I am considering installing a central vacuum cleaner myself. I need extra clean air for my allergies and quiet for my baby. Which central vacuums are best and do they use more electricity?
ANSWER: Central vacuum cleaners provide the best deep cleaning for dust and allergen-free indoor air. Dust is sucked away to a remote power unit. Exhaust air can be vented outdoors to eliminate all dust recirculation.
With the power unit (suction motor and housing) located in a garage, basement or utility room, vacuuming is very quiet. You can easily talk on a cordless telephone or hear a baby crying while vacuuming.
Even though the super-powerful suction motor (some have two or three motors combined) does use more electricity than a portable vacuum, you save overall. Since central vacuums deep-clean so well and none of the dust leaks back out, you vacuum less often and for a shorter period each time. Deep cleaning your carpet and furniture provides a hidden savings. Residual dirt left in fabrics is a primary cause of wear. With deep cleaning, carpeting and furniture will last longer and look better.
Central vacuum cleaners are designed for easy do-it-yourself installation, even in a two-story house. Other than commonly available 2-inch PVC pipe, every part--elbows, screws, fittings, etc.--is included in the kit.
To install a central vacuum, mount the power unit (only 3 feet high) on a wall near an electric outlet. Run PVC pipe under the floor or in the attic with branches to wall outlets. With a lightweight 30-foot hose, only three or four wall outlets are needed to reach all rooms in most homes.
There are several filtration designs. One type uses a large disposable paper filter bag. Since it is big (up to 6 gallons), it has to be changed only twice a year. These special high filtration bags are very effective.
Another common design uses inverted cyclonic “funnel cone” action. Incoming dirty air spins around very fast inside the power unit. Centrifugal force pushes dust and dirt out to the sides and it drops into a canister.
Cleaning power of central vacuum systems is determined by suction (inches of water lift) and air flow rate (cubic feet per minute--cfm) and is rated in air power watts. Some have as much as 160 inches of lift and 225 cfm.
New convenience features are a power touch handle with a built-in on-off switch. A Vac-Pan is a flat long outlet mounted in the baseboard. On smooth floors, like a kitchen, just sweep dirt over to the Vac-Pan and it is sucked away. A built-in high power outlet on the power unit is useful too.
Write for Update Bulletin No. 740 showing a buyer’s guide of 11 central vacuum cleaner manufacturers listing type of filtration, cleaning power, features, installation layouts and prices. Please send $2 and a business-size SASE to James Dulley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.
How to Fix the Element on the Old Home Range
Q: I have an old electric range and only the inside part of the large element heats up. I use this to boil water fast and save electricity. How can I fix this element myself?
A: It is most efficient to bring water to a boil and start cooking as quickly as possible. This reduces cooking time and heat loss from the pot.
Most large elements include an inner and outer coil and one of the wires to your outer coil is burned out. Unplug the range first. Pivot the element up and remove the screw that attaches the bracket to the cooktop. Remove the ceramic insulating block to expose the terminals and the burnt wire.
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Letters and questions to Dulley, a Cincinnati-based engineering consultant, may be sent to James Dulley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244.
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Central Vacuum
* Powerful one, two or three-motor design
* Optional outdoor exhaust outlet
* Filter bag or permanent filter bags last six months
* Cyclonic action causes dirt to drop to bottom
* Powerful vacuum inlet on power unit for use in garage, basement or utility room
* Bottom snaps off for easy cleaning
