CENTRAL VACUUM CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS

Awesome Vac is available to help at all phases of your project from planning to implementation, as well as meeting with your staff, clients and builders. Service designed to make you look good.
If you are charged with designing a home and considering incorporating a central vacuum system in your plans, you’re off to a great start. A central vacuum system adds 1 point in the LEED H standard and 5 points in the NAHB Green Building Standard.
Awesome Vac offers conventional central vacuum system as well as the new and more popular self-retracting-hose systems.
Central Vacuum Design Considerations:
Conventional Central Vacuum System:
30 – 35 foot hose needs to be inserted into each inlet for use and covers an area up to 850 sq/ft depending on room and furniture configuration. The system hose needs to be moved from inlet to inlet to clean larger areas.
Self-Retracting-Hose Central Vacuum System:
Hoses remain inside of the inlet and are stored within the air return pipes within the walls.
Each inlet contains it’s own hose. Hoses are lightweight and crushproof. Hoses are available with or without a soft-sock covering and are available in lengths of 30, 40, 50 and 60 feet.
The advantages of a self-retracting hose system over a conventional system is that you can pull a hose out to any length needed for the task at hand. When finished, the hose easily retracts back into the inlet. Hoses come in longer configurations – fewer inlets are needed. Hoses are 1/2 to 1/3 the weight of traditional central vacuum hoses.
30 Foot Hose covers upto 700 sq/ft.
40 Foot Hose covers upto 1300 sq/ft
50 Foot Hose covers up to 2000 sq/ft
60 Foot Hose covers up to 2800 sq/ft
Drawings typically show show placement of the power unit, inlet valves and vac-pans. Pipe placement gives priority to other internal structures and utilities and is traditionally configured on-site and not necessary to be shown in the plans.
Valve height placement is determined by the pipe-runs. When plumbing from above, inlet valves are placed at electrical switch height. When plumbing from below, are placed either at electrical inlet height or in the baseboards.
Inlet Valve Measures 4.6 x 6.3 and are designed to fit in standard stud-wall.