Central Vacuum System - Keep or Remove It

witch_ie

We just bought our first home and it has a central vacuum system in it. I'm wondering what value if any, keeping this will add to our home or lifestyles since I have no experience using them. The one we have takes up space in the garage that we could use for other things and the one hose and attachment we have for it is bulky and heavy. We also already have two good portable vacuums (Dyson). All the information I've seen online seems to suggest that these systems are better than portable vacuums because of complete suction of dirt, etc. They also seem to be put out there by people wanting to sell central vacuum systems.

I have no idea how old ours is or if it even works. Before I spend time figuring all that out, I wanted to ask around to see if others have had really positive experiences with these sorts of systems. So far, my thinking is:

Reasons to Keep: ???
Work involved to remove/dispose of

Reasons to Remove: We aren't currently using it - and probably won't without lighter attachments
More space in the garage

bowen

I think the newer hoses are a lot lighter than the older 1970s style ones.

But yeah they're a superior system for a few reasons. The hose tends to be lighter than pushing around a vacuum though.

A lot easier to maintain too.

SatanIsMyMotor

Pulling a central vac system out of your home for some garage space is not a great idea if resale is in your future. It's a pretty great and often sought after feature in a home when people are looking to buy.

That said, it's your house and if you want it gone then go for it.

dispatch.o

Central vac and a commercial style hood evacuation system in the kitchen are two of the big things people I know who have recently bought houses went looking for. It's worth keeping imo.

witch_ie

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone. I'm thinking about keeping it now - but either getting rid of the attachment or finding a better out of the way place to store it if we decide to sell/use it. We don't have any plans to sell our house - hope to live in it for the next 20 years, but life does sometimes bring the unexpected.

Steev

I will say that I really liked the central vac system in the house I grew up in, although it was definitely a bit unwieldy and probably from the 1970s. My parents finally replaced it in the mid-2000s with a much quieter system which also had a lighter hose. Sadly, it didn't last nearly as long as the old one, and my parents bought a more traditional vacuum which they've been using for the past 3 years. I don't believe they got rid of the central vacuum system, though.

Basar

I'd definitely keep it. They are really sought after and makes vacuuming much easier IMO. Advantages I know of: a lot less noise, a lot less allergens due to exhaust being outside, can easily pick up debris conventional vacuums cannot.

Donovan Puppyfucker

Does it have a motorised "beater" head? Because I struggle to see how a central vacuum system without one could possibly compare to a good normal vacuum like a Dyson with one. The central vacuum might have a bigger motor in it, but then the vacuum gets distributed through the ducting all over the house and from my experience with air compressors and hose lengths, the further you are away from the central motor the less power will make it to the outlet in the room. And that's not accounting for any leaky outlets you may have.

witch_ie

We probably wont' use the central vacuum. It was likely installed in 1995 and I have no desire to purchase additional attachments. It's just whether we keep it for potential, unplanned re-sale.

Djeet

The house I lived in during middle/high school had one. It did NOT have a beater/roller head; it was just a port for suction in most rooms, a really long 3" diameter ribbed plastic hose, a full length wand and a bunch of attachments. The suction was very good, but I wouldn't know how to compare it to Dyson; it's been too long. We didn't have much carpet in that house though. It was mainly tile and hardwoods, though we had low pile rugs and any carpet was pretty tight nap, nothing that really required a beater/spinning brush. The "filter" was a basket in the garage (in the housing with the motor) and I'd dump out the contents every month or few.

I don't recall the motor/housing taking up that much space, but we had a very large garage. I'd probably keep it and add storage to the garage if I needed more (wall/ceiling mount). I'd be worried that it would be a vector for rodents if it wasn't properly removed and sealed up.