To begin, we will start this central vacuum buyer's guide by exposing some of the performance claims that are used within the central vacuum industry and show you what they really mean.

The performance numbers you see in a product brochure often mean little in an actual home installation. Sadly, the consumer knowing little about central vacuum motors, take the product brochure and the specifications printed as the benchmark among which all central vacuum brands of varying quality are compared. -- Caveat Emptor “Buyer Beware”.

As Benjamin Franklin once said "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". We hope to provoke the idea that product serviceability, quality along with better central vacuum motors that last longer outweigh the sales flash, gimmicks and often meaningless performance numbers published in sales brochures.

It is our hope that regardless of brand you choose, that you feel confident in your choice so that you can tell your friends and relatives, now and many years from now, that you LOVE your central vacuum system.

Do NOT base your buying decision on “AIRWATTS”

Perhaps the most commonly used performance term you will find advertised and promoted by vacuum sales people is "Airwatts".

Airwatts is a term that became the popular performance benchmark of choice in the early part of 2000 with the introduction of “Airwatt Series” motors.

Since these motors showed such high Airwatt numbers compared to previous generations, marketers jumped on the Airwatt band wagon to promote this as the new benchmark of central vacuum cleaning performance and indeed, Airwatts (when and only when measured at the motor) is a true measure of performance. However, Airwatts is a brilliantly disguised term because few truly understand it (least of all the consumer). It allows the manufacturer to use smaller less expensive motors yet publish high Airwatts in a product brochure giving the false perception that a unit has more cleaning power and is thus a better value. Sadly, Airwatts is term which has been used to blind consumers. If there is anything that we hope you learn from this guide, is not to use Airwatts as the basis for your purchase decision.

Here are a few examples where you could be fooled by Airwatts. We will discuss these later on in the buyer's guide.

1) Dual motor systems - Manufacturers of these systems simply add the published peak Airwatt specifications of one motor x 2. This is impossible!!!

2) Motor type - There are numerous types of motors each of varying longevity and reliability. Just because a motor has high Airwatts does not mean that it is a good motor! Tiny flow-thru motors are often hidden inside what appear to be large units. Unless you know what you are buying you could be getting less than you bargained for and the selling price doesn't necessarily mean you are getting a high quality central vacuum.

3) Airwatts (as you see published in a product brochure) are calculated at their maximum value at the motor. It does not account for Airflow performance loss within a typical system. Airflow restrictions due to filtration, piping, bends, hose and accessories lead to decreased Airflow performance which is why systems with higher suction will have better cleaning performance as you will discover later in this guide.

Consider the illustration on the right [Figure 1].

You should immediately notice that the smaller motor on the left has a whopping 717 Airwatts whereas the larger motor on the right has only 673 Airwatts! What?

If you are being fed marketing propaganda and assuming these motors are hidden inside a central vacuum unit, you would believe (based on a product brochure) the smaller motor is more powerful. In fact, in a typical showroom or if shopping from an online store, the central vacuum motor is completely hidden from view. Of course, this is exactly the way manufacturers and retailers like it hoping to divert your attention to comparing peak Airwatts, a relatively meaningless number as a gauge of overall performance and value.

All brochure specifications are always taken at their maximum and do not accurately reflect a working central vacuum system in operation.

So what happens when these peformance numbers are viewed at the "working orifice"?

What is the "effective working orifice"?

To derive the average "working" orifice point at which a typical central vacuum operates, the motor engineers at Ametek/Lamb conducted tests to simulate a household installation which included the typical performance robbing restrictions found in an average home installation (i.e. 30 foot hose, piping, elbows etc.)

The result is, as an average, the typical central vacuum operates at an ‘effective working orifice’ of 5/8 Inches (0.625”).

Applying this knowledge, your initial instincts that the larger motor with more suction should be more powerful now makes sense. In [Figure 2],  you will notice that the smaller motor with less suction now has less Airwatts than the larger motor in a working vacuum at the effecitve working orifice.

Despite this evidence, the sales pitch of almost any vacuum salesperson would have you believe contrary.

Don’t play the Airwatts game! Be informed, ask to see the motor inside...it's your money!