Cleaning Performance
How Central Vacuum Accessories Impact Performance
Your central vacuum system (depending on the motor chosen) is an ultra high performance cleaning system.
Picture a central vacuum system as though it were a high performance sports car. Filtration protects the motor from dust, baffling and exhaust systems dampen the sound level for a quieter ride and the suspension, brakes and tires chosen determine the vehicle’s overall handling and ride performance.
The same is true with your central vacuum system. The motor is the engine which powers the system utilizing filtration to protect the motor and sound dampening to reduce motor noise. But what about cleaning performance? Using our example of a sports car, choosing high performance tires versus regular all season tires dramatically increases performance. After all, what good would it be to have a powerful Ferrari without the tires and suspension to match the performance of the engine? You’d simply have a fast car with poor handling.
Of course this is a generalization, but the same can be said about choosing the cleaning accessories that work in tandum with your powerful central vacuum.
Next to choosing your central vacuum unit, the electric powerhead is the single most important contributor to actual cleaning performance. In fact, if on a budget, it is advisable to choose a better accessory kit with a high performance powerhead then to choose a very powerful central vacuum with inadequate cleaning accessories!
We cannot stress enough the importance of choosing top quality accessories and how it will effect the cleaning performance and overall satisfaction with your central vacuum system!
Just as automobile manufacturers specialize in the manufacturing of cars, they rely on tire manufacturers to produce tires and match tire performance to the vehicle being produced.
The same is true for virtually all central vacuum manufacturers who rely on specialized manufacturers who produce electric powerheads (some good and some not so good). And just like tires, there are loads of choices on the market each with their unique characteristics, performance and durability.
There are far too many powerhead choices to go into infinite detail so we will show you some examples of what we call ‘cross platform’ powerheads that are available to central vacuum manufacturers and canister type vacuum manufacturers alike.
Since most manufacturers buy electric powerheads to accompany their systems, it is likely that you may recognize the powerheads shown sold with other central vacuum systems. These powerheads are usually are available in Black or Grey to match the other cleaning accessories, but may also find them in various in colours.
Powerheads take the most abuse of any cleaning accessory so choosing a good quality powerhead is a key to having a trouble free system. In addition, the cleaning performance of the powerhead you choose is critical to the overall cleaning over your entire system.
Cogged Belt Drive
This is the best of the drive systems available delivering constant performance for the entire life of the belt.
It is somewhat louder than either the V-Belt or Friction belt but delivers the best long term performance without belt replacement.
V-Belt Drive (Good)
This type of drive system strikes a balance between cogged belt and friction belt drives.
Ridges on the belt provide greater surface area and more positive contact delivering a more constant level of performance over the life of the belt.
This system is quieter than a cogged drive.
Friction Belt Drive (Average)
This type of system is the least desirable and fewer and fewer manufacturers use this type of belt because it offers the least amount of performance over the life of the belt which as it ages stretches allowing slippage.
This belt requires the most service of any type and the cost savings at point of purchase may well be negated by the long term cost of belt changes.
Air Driven Powerheads:
It is widely accepted that any good quality powerhead will out perform any ‘Air Driven’ type powerhead on a carpeted surface.
Sometimes referred to as a ‘Turbo Brush’ these floor attachments do not use electricity to power them, rather utilize the Airflow from your central vacuum system to power a turbine inside.
These types of powerheads and associated kits, should be cheaper which is a benefit for those on a budget because they do not require central vacuum hoses which carry 110V of current nor do they have electric motors inside thus reducing the overall cost of the brush.
Depending on your application, this type of brush may be suitable and generally perform well on berber type or any other low pile type carpet.
The downside to this type of brush is they rob Airflow performance from your system to power the turbine within which is why these systems do not offer the superior cleaning found on an electric powerhead.
Having said that, if you are on a budget, or your home is mostly hard floors with some area rugs. These powerheads are ideal because they are cheaper and do offer better cleaning then just a standard floor brush.
Carpet Height and Quick Wand Disconnect
In your evaluation of powerheads you will notice that many powerheads come equipped with a carpet height adjustor which allows better precision and cleaning performance.
In our experience, powerheads which have a carpet height adjustor perform better on plush type or heavier pile carpets because unlike ‘floating’ type powerheads (which do not have a height adjust option), there is less drag making it easier to man oeuvre as well as push and pull.
In addition to a carpet height adjust, most powerheads today come equipped with a quick wand release system which allow the user to disconnect the vacuum wand from the powerhead with a tap of the toe. This comes in handy for quick tool changes or for using the wand to reach into corners or along crevices which would otherwise require the user to remove the nozzle from the wand assembly.
A word of caution when using a quick release wand system. Please remember to turn off the electric power when connecting or disconnecting the powerhead from the wand assembly to prevent electric arcing which could damage the contact points of the powerhead or hose.
At the end of the day, each central vacuum manufacturer will generally offer a selection of powerhead choices that they feel best represents their brand and brand performance, after all it is their reputation at stake.
Unfortunately, you will often find vacuum salespeople trying to sell cheaper accessories kits available to them in the market with your central vacuum brand of choice. This is simply to hit lower retail price points and does not guarantee the performance of your system.
In our opinion, this is an injustice to not only the consumer who thinks they are buying a complete system from the manufacturer, but also could potentially hurt the reputation of the central vacuum brand being sold. The consumer blames the central vacuum brand, not the inferior cleaning accessories that were sold to them.
Furthermore, manufacturers only offer warranties on the powerhead accessory packages they sell. If you are buying a kit that is not supplied by the central vacuum manufacturer, it will not be covered under the manufacturer’s product warranty.
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