When choosing your central cleaning system, consider:

• How large is your home?
• Do you have pets and/or children?
• How much and what type of carpeting do you have? (Thick knap or low knap)
• Do you have mostly carpeting or hardwood/ceramic flooring?
• Do you buy an Air Driven Powerhead, or an Electric Powerhead?
• Do you buy a Cyclonic unit or a filtered unit?

The above considerations will influence what system is best suited for you.

In homes, we recommend a filtered unit. For commercial applications, we recommend the Cyclonic units. For homes that have carpeting, we always recommend a package with an electric powerhead. Most commonly we recommend the K3080 premium accessory package. This is simply because it is a very durable kit, with many features that make the chore of vacuuming much more pleasant.

In fact, when working within a budget, it is better to choose a premium accessory package and opt for a less powerful central vacuum than it is to buy the top of the line central vacuum with a basic accessory kit.

Choose a system within your budget, yet is powerful enough for the size of your home. Our model of choice is the model V25, which offers incredible power yet is affordable at the same time (This is our number one selling unit).

If your home is a large floor plan, we recommend the GTP240L unit capable of cleaning homes and commercial buildings of up to 20000 sq ft. Sometimes it is better to install two separate systems in a very large home, much like you would with an alarm system or furnace.

We all know that when it comes to pets and children, there generally tends to be a little more cleanup which is why we offer a large body series that has improved performance and increased dirt capacity making for less frequent emptying.

Overall, it is our experience that our model V25, matched with a K30-CT14QD accessory package is best suited for the majority of all household applications.

Types of built-in vacuums:

• Cyclonic Units – These units have no bags or filters, but a screen mesh that you have to clean and regularly to maintain your suction. Not recommended with homes with pets, but ideal in commercial applications.
• Cartridge Filter or Foam Filter – Paper filter, or foam filter needs cleaning every time you empty the unit and should be replaced once a year.
• Self Cleaning Filter – This is the most common unit type, and the best suited for residential use. It is a bag-type filter that moves up when the unit is turned on, down when the unit shuts off. This movement of the filter bag maintains optimal airflow, by cleaning out the pores of the filter every time it moves. This filter is permanent and is most popular amongst all makes. Best suited for homes with children and pets.
• Disposable Bag – This type of unit has become very popular for those who don’t like to deal with a dirty vacuum. The new fabric type bags used today, do not lose performance like the paper bags did years ago. This has now become the most popular option amongst most consumers and is definitely the cleanest way to go. Most Thoro-Vac units have the option to use disposable bags, or just the self-clean filter.

Types of Powerheads:

• Air Driven Powerheads – Air-driven powerheads are driven by the suction of your central vacuum.  They are not as aggressive as the electric powerheads but do a decent job cleaning.  The more expensive versions are also the best.
• Electric Powerheads – Electric Powerheads are much more aggressive, combing the carpet fibers, and agitating the dust and debris out of the carpet. The electric powerheads also have no restriction in the airflow, as they do not require a turbine to drive the brush roller. The electric powerhead gives all around the best cleaning performance, and are much quieter in operation.

Types of Motors:

• Tangential By-Pass – These motors have been the most popular for decades.  They have a horn on the side of them and a cooling fan on top.  They tend to be a bit noisier also.  The Tangential By-Pass motor is sealed 100% to the exhaust and as a rule, they are also more expensive motors. They usually have either 2 and 3 fans in the motors
• Flo Thru Motors – These motors have become the most popular as they have higher numbers in the form of air watts and cfm’s and are much quieter. They are also less expensive to manufacture.  The cooling of these motors is done by the air that is pulled through the vacuum system along with the dirt and debris however it is filtered once it passes through the filtration system in the unit then cools the motor.  (you may have heard about the myth out there that dirt goes into the motors this is not true as the filtration system prevents that.)  They also run at room temp all the time as they draw air from the heated home in the winter and a/c home in the summer.  The Flo Thru motors come with 1 fan or 2 fans.  You will find most of the box stores carry only a 1 fan motor that also dramatically reduces the price.