Choosing Central Vacuum Attachment Sets

Written The Vac Tech

Jacksonville, Florida

Choosing the right central vacuum attachment set for your home may be more important than the power unit you buy.The right set, for your needs, should provide maximum cleaning and convenience. This can seem complicated because the options are many but I will do my best to keep it simple. VIRTUALLY ALL INLET VALVES WILL EXCEPT ANY BRAND OF ATTACHMENTS.

Got Carpet! Then you need a revolving brush power head. The best power heads are electric and the best electric power heads have non slip belts for sustained carpet cleaning over the long haul. Rubber belts stretch and slip and you slowly lose cleaning power. When it comes to carpet cleaning it is the revolving brush that does the work. There are air driven power heads called turbo brushes that do not need electricity. A turbo brush will greatly reduce the cost of a set of attachments but the carpet cleaning effectiveness’ is limited.

Know your hose. The right hose can make or break an attachment set. The standard length is 30 ft but 35 ft hoses are available for those hard to reach places. The two main options are electric and non electric. Electric hoses cost more but are required when using an electric power brush. The best built hoses are the ‘crush proof’ and are much lighter than the old fashioned wire reinforced hose. Wire reinforced is much heavier and can flatten with one misstep. Some economy electric attachment sets come with the wire reinforced hose.

I have listed the hose types and their features.

Non electric: Low cost, can not be used with electric power brush. No on/off switch for main vacuum so you must unplug hose from the wall to turn off vacuum.

Low Voltage: Medium cost, can not be used with electric brush. Has finger tip on/off switch for controlling main vacuum.

Electric: Highest Cost, can be used with electric power brush. Has finger tip on/off controls for main vacuum and power brush.

Attachments can be tricky. When is a carpet tool not a carpet tool? When there is no revolving brush. A carpet/rug tool is an attachment with a ridged brush strip that you brush across the surface of the carpet. Marginally good for low flat carpet, but it is a lot of work. Here is a list of practical attachments.

Power Brush: aka power head or power nozzle: The best have no slip belt, quick release for wand removal, wire management, telescopic wand, height adjustment and head light. The rest have something else.

Floor Tool: Available in various widths with or with out wheels. Natural bristle is best for wood floors (won’t scratch).

Wands: Available in two section sets or single telescopic style, metal or plastic. Telescopic is good for setting a comfortable length when using the power brush or floor tool.

Dust brush, upholstery tool and crevice tool: Handy for above floor cleaning and usually attach to hose for convenience.

Hose sock: Use on hose to prevent scratching of baseboard and furniture. The best type is the quilted with zipper for easy removal for replacement or washing. The knitted hose socks snag and are difficult to take on and off.

At this time I recommend the H-P Edge attachment set which comes with a 30 ft or 35 ft hose. The power brush is made by Wessel-Werks of Germany and is used by high end vacuum manufacturers like Miele.

Sincerely,

Randy Kelly

The Vac Tech (Since 1966)

Jacksonville, Florida