page_title: Central vacuum cleaner
section_title: Tools and accessories
hierarchical_section_title: Central vacuum cleaner / Tools and accessories
caption_attribution_description: English: Tube for a central vacuum cleaner Deutsch: Rohr für eine Zentralstaubsauganlage
context_page_description: A central vacuum cleaner is a type of vacuum cleaner appliance, installed into a building as a semi-permanent fixture. Central vacuum systems are designed to remove dirt and debris from homes and buildings, sending dirt particles through tubing installed inside the walls to a collection container in a remote utility space. The power unit is a permanent fixture, usually installed in a basement, garage, or storage room, along with the collection container. Inlets are installed in walls throughout the building that attach to power hoses and other central vacuum accessories to remove dust, particles, and small debris from interior rooms. Most power hoses usually have a power switch located on the handle.
context_section_description: Central vacuums can be equipped with either an electrical power brush or an air-driven power brush. The air-driven (or turbine) systems are frequently less expensive since they do not require electrical wires for power to be run to each wall inlet.  Turbine-driven brushes tend to be louder than electric brushes; the noise from either is more noticeable in the absence of the "vacuum whine" produced by a portable vacuum. Many users find that the high suction of central vacuums is more than sufficient by itself for most casual cleaning jobs, but reserve a powered brush tool for more difficult tasks.
  The average standard central vacuum system is equipped with a 30 foot (9 m) hose, plus standard cleaning tools similar to those used with portable vacuum cleaners.  For further convenience, some owners will keep a hose and set of tools on each floor of a multi-story building. When not in use, the hose is loosely coiled around a wire rack mounted on a closet wall, or on the back of a door.
  An alternative for storing vacuum hose is the "Hide-A-Hose" system, which uses suction to draw the hose into the vacuum tubing in the wall for storage.  Hose lengths used are typically 30/40/50 ft (9/12/15 m). Successful installation of such systems requires special fittings, and careful design and workmanship, to ensure smooth hose retraction into the tubing for storage. A scaled-down 10-foot (3 m) version (such as "Spot by Vroom") is available for quick cleaning in locations such as mud rooms and laundry rooms.  The original "Vroom" system, which is still available, uses suction to operate a cabinet-mounted hose reel with a 24 ft (7.3 m) hose, rather than storing the hose within the wall tubing.
  A modular vacuum hose called "QuickClick" is available in 10/15/20 foot (3/4.5/6 m) lengths, allowing a custom-length hose to be quickly set up or taken apart by an end user. In addition, a promotional article in a trade magazine says that arthritic testers were able to connect and disconnect the hose in spite of their disability.
  Automatic dustpans (e.g. "Vacpan" or "KickSweep") can be installed in the kickspace under a kitchen, bathroom, or workroom countertop, enabling a person to use a standard broom to sweep debris directly into a vacuum inlet located there. Alternatively, a "DrawerVac" inlet which pulls out like a drawer from the underside of a table or counter can be used to dispose of debris from a shop or kitchen work surface.
  The "VacnSeal" is an accessory intended to be installed on the underside of a kitchen cabinet, over a countertop used for food preparation. The nozzle of the device is used to evacuate excess air from a zipper lock plastic food storage bag (e.g. Ziploc), which is said by the manufacturer to preserve food freshness for a longer period of time.
caption: Central vacuum cleaning tools and hose (partially covered by a protective gray "hose sock")
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