Central Vac, wall mounted shop vacs etc...

[Fastback]

Does anyone here use a central vac in the shop? I am really ready to throw my shop vac away, the short hose causes the vac to spin around and blow the dirt around, it crashes into things etc.. Please dont bring up the "get a longer hose" idea, Im over it. The hard plastic hoses are **** and you cannot keep the attachments connected as it is, I cant imagine adding yet another connecting point.

I was wondering if anyone here has a unit that mounts to the wall and uses a long hose? Do they work in a shop environment cleaning up grinding dust and metal shavings very well? I have concluded that I rarely use the "Wet" option of a shop vac so not having that option is no biggie.

It would really help keep the place clean if I had a wand with a brush head to keep the floor clean at the end of every day under the car, not to mention cleaning the inside of a nice car out without the crappy shop vac banging against the side of the car everytime.

What works, what doesn't?

 

[JoeMopar]

We have a central vac for the home and I use the outlet for it in the garage all the time. I have a 30' hose and all the attachments for garage use only. I'd recommend them.

 

[Full Size 66]

Yeah, I got your point, I do not like the shopvac any longer either. I have seen some much higher rated wall mount stuff but can not remember where...

 

[cowboyjosh]

I have the following vac from Metro; been extremely happy with it. I don't really use my garage as a working shop, more of a place to park the cars and hang out, so I don't use the vac for anything other then vacuuming cars and cleaning up light messes on the floor. I also have a small Shop Vac but its only the 2 gallon $20.00 model from the big box store.

http://classic-motoring.stores.yahoo.net/jumwalmounva.html



Im personally not a big fan of central vacs in homes, even though my company sells and installs them, we see allot of problems with them over time; and most of them are mounted in the garage so that the exhaust air doesn't discharge in the house and for noise consideration. Probably the biggest reason I dislike central vac is the hose, its clunky and a ***** to store, its like wrapping up a hose, I like stand alone vacs that I can use and quickly put away since Im a clean freak that vacuums everyday.

 

[santagary]

Does anyone here use a central vac in the shop? I am really ready to throw my shop vac away, the short hose causes the vac to spin around and blow the dirt around, it crashes into things etc.. Please dont bring up the "get a longer hose" idea, Im over it. The hard plastic hoses are **** and you cannot keep the attachments connected as it is, I cant imagine adding yet another connecting point.

I was wondering if anyone here has a unit that mounts to the wall and uses a long hose? Do they work in a shop environment cleaning up grinding dust and metal shavings very well? I have concluded that I rarely use the "Wet" option of a shop vac so not having that option is no biggie.

It would really help keep the place clean if I had a wand with a brush head to keep the floor clean at the end of every day under the car, not to mention cleaning the inside of a nice car out without the crappy shop vac banging against the side of the car everytime.

What works, what doesn't?

Check out the Hoover GUV with a 30' hose and VERY quiet on Amazon.

 

[PassnThru]

http://http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-19698.html

 

[BADSIX]

i'm with you, we have one in the house but my shop is detached. i've been looking for a used central vac but they are hard to find, and new will break the bank. i wonder how a regular shop vac would work just mount it somewere and plumb it to where you wanted it.

 

[Fastback]

Check out the Hoover GUV with a 30' hose and VERY quiet on Amazon.

I saw that on Ebay for $170 shipped.

Hoover L2310 Garage Utility Central Vacuum Cleaner

Good call on Amazon! Even less!

 

[ujmchris]

This is what I have
http://www.shopvac.com/wet-dry-vacs/default.aspx?series=Hang+Up®

Its basically a shop vac that hangs on the wall. It detaches fairly easily form the wall if you do ever need to move it around. I use it in my wood shop for clean up and even dust collection. It has a 18' hose and ***** up pretty much everything I've asked it too. The hose can be a little unwieldy. At first I tried to coil it up and hang it. Now I just have a small wooden bin that sits under it that I just throw the hose in. Overall it works well for me, doesn't take up any floor space (except for my bin), and reaches everywhere I need.

 

[Lotek]

I have the Hoover garage vac, it works well for cleanup, I also have a dust collector for the woodworking machines, and a rigid propack shopvac, the one that looks like a toolbox, that I grab first, it is hard to tip over, it fits on the boat, and everything fits inside the case.

 

[sc3013]

I have an older central vac. removed from a house I had redone for resale. I'ts nice for the cars and such but not the shop. It's dry vac only and the canister is small, just a gal. or two at most. I just coil the hose around the unit itself for storage.

 

[jmh21586]

I have one of these. DeWalt cordless vac. I love it!! Runs on 18 volt battery. It may run on others too. The thing works awesome. I bought a big RidGid shop vac last year and havent used it since. It was a big pain in the *** to roll it out and then roll the hose back up.

 

[ToolLover]

I have made 7 central vac systems using shop vacs.
You will be pleased when you do yours.
It so simple to do.
Most electrical supply houses have the pipe, outlets, hoses and accessories.
Most shop vac hoses will slip over the standard white pipe.
The only extra needed part is the 120v/12vac transformer and relay that must be installed to run the vac. It is easily acquired at any electrical supply.
Go for it, you will be happy with the end result.

 

[tcianci]

I have an outlet to our entral vac in the garage as well. I bought a NuTone garage hose (big orange thing from Depot, 50 foot i think) It works great

 

[Vicegrip]

I built one from a 30 gallon barrel and a 3 stage side port discharge vacuum motor. The 3 stage 7.5 inch fan vacuum motors are way stronger and move more air than any standard shop vac. This let me put it in a back shed and not loose good suction. I rigged a cheap paddle fan control into a remote on off switch. I can take the switch with me as I use the vacuum hose in the shop. Works on the media blast cabinet as well as clean up and on a hanging fume hood when I am welding in the winter. It ***** the fumes right up and out. The air that goes into the vacuum is ejected from the shop so no fine dust to deal with. No sound other than the sound of air going in the hose end. I plumbed pipe with ports and plugs around the shop.

 

[BADSIX]

TOOLLOVER, i would like to mount a shop vac in my compressor room then pipe it out to several differant places maybe 5-6 outlets. but how can i turn it on at the differant locations. i could probibly get the hose and all, like in my house (nutone) it has a switch on the hose. but these are expensive and i would like a hose at each place.

 

[Vicegrip]

$20 fan control switch or a $10 Christmas light remote. I made a control from a fan control and little relay I had laying around in some discarded appliance and later found the Christmas light control at Home Depot that handled the vacuum motor amps directly. Plug and play for $10. Works well even from 30 feet away.

 

[Greatbear]

I have one of these:

It has a 12 amp motor and a 32 foot hose. I love it. The detailing tools it comes with are terrific. It's also rather quiet.

I have the DeWalt wet/dry vac in the above post as well. It gets used a lot, in the house, garage, the vehicles, and it goes RVing with me as well.

 

[Fastback]

I have one of these:

It has a 12 amp motor and a 32 foot hose. I love it. The detailing tools it comes with are terrific. It's also rather quiet.

I have the DeWalt wet/dry vac in the above post as well. It gets used a lot, in the house, garage, the vehicles, and it goes RVing with me as well.

I am considering that one also and have a few questions.
Would that survive if you used it to clean up grinding dust with metal in it?

How durable is that housing? Is it plastic? Does it need a filter?

 

[Auzivision]

I have the Craftsman wall unit and would give it a solid B-

It ***** okay, but not as good as my floor unit and it’s really loud. Also, the hose is very rigid and not easy to maneuver.

On the plus side, the attachment as storage area is nice and it’s real easy to pop off the wall to carry around... reattaches to the wall really easily too.

Overall, a decent product… the concept is great, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. I’d get a better quality wall unit if I had it to do over.

 

[SMLDONZI]

Fastback--I've got the Bissell Garage Pro also and like it alot, Has good suction and grinding dust should be no problem for it. It does have a filter and the housing is plastic but plenty durable. Huge selection of included attachments. Worth the money. I chose this over the Hoover because (I think) it had a little more power and a longer hose.

 

[Greatbear]

I've picked up metallic grinding dust and all matter of nasties with the vac, so far it's doing pretty well for itself. I should pick up a couple extra filters to have on hand, they are not pleated cartridges like most vacs, instead it's a sewn HEPA fabric "cup" that looks sort of like a short fez hat. It's held in place with a sewn-in spring strap. The design of the tank is a lot like a woodworking dust collector, with a two level cyclonic separation setup. The tank is only about 5-6 gallons in capacity, but it's easy to empty by unlatching it and dropping it down if the vac is hanging in it's bracket.

The housing is plastic but very substantial. There is a set of LEDs for power on and warning if the tank is full of water (it will shut off the motor) or of the filter is completely clogged and/or the tank is full of debris. I find the smallish tank to be more than adequate for dry pickup, besides I try not to let any vac sit with a tank full of junk for too long else it starts getting smelly. The power cord is only about 6 feet long, but it's intended to remain stationary with the 32 foot hose giving you the big working radius. It can also be lifted off the wall bracket and used as a portable, but it lacks handles or casters for convenient moving.

The box-like attachment on the side of the unit is a silencer for the exhaust. The unit is the quietest of any shop vac I've heard. The long hose can sometimes get clogged with debris, but it is flexible enough to be squeezed along it's length to help clear it. You can also attach the hose to the exhaust while holding the attachment end in the inlet side to clear debris, but this happens very rarely. The unit had enough suction to pull most potential clogs on through. It also helps that the attachment end has the smallest diameter to catch anything that might get lodged in the hose. Such items wont make it through in the first place.

The attachment set is great. You have carpet and floor attachments, three wands, brushes of different sizes and some small tools meant to dig into nooks and crannies of car interiors, at least a dozen pieces. There is also a hose holder/hook thing to store the hose on the wall.

 

[91FE]

I have the Craftsman wall unit and would give it a solid B-

It ***** okay, but not as good as my floor unit and it’s really loud. Also, the hose is very rigid and not easy to maneuver.

On the plus side, the attachment as storage area is nice and it’s real easy to pop off the wall to carry around... reattaches to the wall really easily too.

Overall, a decent product… the concept is great, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. I’d get a better quality wall unit if I had it to do over.

I have the same and completely agree with everything you wrote.

 

[Jason B]

I have one of these:

It has a 12 amp motor and a 32 foot hose. I love it. The detailing tools it comes with are terrific. It's also rather quiet.

I have the DeWalt wet/dry vac in the above post as well. It gets used a lot, in the house, garage, the vehicles, and it goes RVing with me as well.

Still didn't get a garage vac yet. Was deciding between the Bissell and the vacmaster. The just put the Bissell on sale here for $149 though. Anyone know how the Vacmaster compares?

 

[Matt M PA]

I too have one of the Metros and have been well pleased. I got some extra hose so I can go anywhere in the shop.

 

[Weps]

What works, what doesn't?

Do yourself a favor and look at the better vacs, often sold at woodworking stores. Nilfisk, Fein, etc. As you've figured out, the stuff pawned off in big-box homeowner and department stores isn't worth the frustration to own if you use it regularly.

I have an older Wap/Alto and it addresses all of your concerns. Quiet, low-exhaust, long ultra-flexible hose, smooth rolling casters, stainless attachments. It's a pleasure to use. No way I would trade it for a central vac system.

 

[hammlm]

I agree with Weps. Take a look at some of the better central vacs. I have 2 of the NuTone CV353 (~10amps) in different parts of our house.

It blows away my shopvac, but I do still keep the portable around for really wet or stinky sucking jobs. It's quicker to empty out.

 

[jeep63]

I have the same and completely agree with everything you wrote.

qft for both auzivision and 91FE. I have it too and agree completely.

 

[BigSteve63]

This is what I have
http://www.shopvac.com/wet-dry-vacs/default.aspx?series=Hang+Up®

Its basically a shop vac that hangs on the wall. It detaches fairly easily form the wall if you do ever need to move it around. I use it in my wood shop for clean up and even dust collection. It has a 18' hose and ***** up pretty much everything I've asked it too. The hose can be a little unwieldy. At first I tried to coil it up and hang it. Now I just have a small wooden bin that sits under it that I just throw the hose in. Overall it works well for me, doesn't take up any floor space (except for my bin), and reaches everywhere I need.

X2 on the Shop vac - works great. I coil the hose around the unit and keep the attachments in a bin.

 

[vtx531]

I have the Bissell Garage Vac. It works great. Suction is excellent and quiter than a typical shopvac. It has a very long hose and a bunch of attachments. It is high quality. The only problem I ever had is the filter got clogged up from drywall dust when I did my walls but I just cleaned it and suction was restored. Also, it removes from the wall easily if you need to move it around into the house or basement for some reason.

 

[STClurker]

I have the same and completely agree with everything you wrote.

X3, its definitely a good little unit though

 

[Jason B]

I have one of these:

It has a 12 amp motor and a 32 foot hose. I love it. The detailing tools it comes with are terrific. It's also rather quiet.

I have the DeWalt wet/dry vac in the above post as well. It gets used a lot, in the house, garage, the vehicles, and it goes RVing with me as well.

I just got this. Nice suction.

For anyone that has this, is air supposed to blow out the top left and right sides??? Please check yours and reply. Not sure if this is normal! Want to know before I return it. I called Bissel and they said this wasn't normal, but I don't believe them.

 

[coldfusion21]

The 55 gallon drum is one of the best options I've seen so far.

How do central vac systems get triggered? Surely they don't run constantly.

 

[thrifty bill]

My one piece of advice is to make sure the exhaust vents outside. I have had a couple of them, where the exhaust just vented into the garage. Pretty pointless, blew dust all over the place.

 

[nissan_crawler]

The 55 gallon drum is one of the best options I've seen so far.

How do central vac systems get triggered? Surely they don't run constantly.

When you open the door on the wall to plug them in, a microswitch turns it on. On the farm, we had two central vac systems in series plumbed throughout the house and garage. Good lord, that thing would work. They would actually trip the thermal switches after half an hour or so. Dad ended up routing a 4" hole top and bottom of the closet door, and put a muffin fan in the top hole, wired to the motors. Worked great. The closet was probably 3x4'.

 

[BHR4CE1]

I've got the FLUSH-MOUNT version of this...

http://www.garagevac.com/index.cfm?gclid=CIiL6sSunqgCFQ12gwod_yFPHw

It is hardwired and mounts in the wall so it takes up no room. VERY powerful and no worries about exhaust. The hose is super long (40'), but coils back up to about 8' when you put it away. I love this thing so far! Comes in 4 colors too!

 

[tba]

I got the Metro Vac-N-Blow for two reasons, I needed less than 12" deep to fit the space and with the ability to blow I was able to downsize my compressor.

 

[GSCS11]

Hoover's Garage Vac works great.

You can find it under the accessories page here. http://www.garagestoragecabinetsystems.com/SS/page22.html

 

[BADSIX]

just found a nutone home central vac. about a year old on craigs list here localy. 200.00 and the guy delivered it, can't wait to get it installed

 

[nissan_crawler]

just found a nutone home central vac. about a year old on craigs list here localy. 200.00 and the guy delivered it, can't wait to get it installed

That's what we had, couldn't remember the name of it. Two of them in series will take care of anything.