Vacum d Manual

7/30/2019 Vacum d Manual

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CENTRALVACUUM.COM M.D. MANUFACTURING CENTRAL VACUUM SYSTEMS 1

Central Vacuum System

INSTALLATION

MANUALCongratulations, you have joined

the growing number of house-holds to enjoy the many benefits ofowning a central vacuum system. Thisbooklet contains an overview of howto install a central vacuum system.

TOOLS REQUIRED...• 1/2” Right Angle Electic Drill

2 1/2” Hole Gutter• 1/4” Masonry Bit• 1/8” Drill Bit Hack Saw or Small Hand Saw• Pocket or Utility Knife• Steel Measuring Tape• Screw Driver (Philips)• Screw Driver (Slot)

• Electrical Tape and Connectors• Wire Coat Hanger

Repurposed by M.D. Manufac-turing for internet use by per-mission of Vaculine (CanplasIndustries in Ontario, Canada).Vaculine manufactures highquality central vacuum fittingsat exacting standards to providepositive seals, easy installationand superior air flow character-

istics.

Installing a central vacuum systemis a straightforward do-it-yourselfproject that doesn’t require specialtools or skills. The procedure isquite simple if you take your timeand follow the instructions carefully.Always fully consider the implica-tions before you cut into a wall.

Make sure you have chosen theright location and are not cuttinginto any hidden electrical wires orplumbing.

PlanAhead!Planning is the key to the suc-cessful installation of a central

vacuum system. A balancebetween the best locations forthe inlet valves and the practical-ity of installing in these locationsmust be obtained. With a littleingenuity most locations can bereached.




The Power Unit LocationThe power unit can be located in thegarage, basement, utility room or anyother area that is dry and remoteenough that living areas will not beaffected by the sound of the electricmotor. The unit must be mountedwithin three feet of an electricaloutlet. Electrical specifications of thepower unit should be checked toavoid overloading the circuit. The unitshould be mounted so that it is out ofthe way but still accessible for empty-ing. If the system is to be exhaustedto the outdoors the power unit shouldbe located on an exterior wall. Vent-

ing to areas such as patios andentranceways should be avoided.** Vacuums must breath…do notenclose. If the unit is to be located in a closet or utility room it must be vented. Louvered doorsfulfill this purpose. A muffler can, of course be used to minimize noise.

Inlet Valve LocationsCorrectly positioned inlet valves will

ensure trouble-free vacuuming overthe many years of service that willbe received from a central vacuumsystem. The hose must be able toreach every corner of the house andgo around furniture to get there.Drapes, closets and ceiling cornersall must be reached. Central loca-tions such as hallways, besidedoors and adjacent to the bottom of

staircases are ideal. Areas such asbehind furniture or behind doorsshould be avoided. A thirty-footstring or the hose itself can be used to help plan the layout. If working with 1/4” scale blueprintsa seven-inch string can be used to represent the hose. If an electrical beater brush is to beused at present or in the future the inlet valve should be located within five feet of an electricaloutlet. Air-turbine driven beater brush heads do not require electricity and thus allow moreflexibility when choosing inlet valve locations.




Planning the Piping System

The amount of airflow that reaches the hose isdependent on the efficiency of the layout of thetubing system. Lines are to be kept as straightas possible. Tight 90 degree fillings are to beused only at inlet valve locations and sweep90’s used in all other applications.

1.The Trunk LineThe trunk line connects the furthest inlet valve

to the power unit. Branch lines flowing into thetrunk line will connect all other inlet valves. Ifthe basement is unfinished the trunk line is bestrun beneath the joists in the basement ceiling.The upper floors can be accessed throughclosets, cold air return ducts or in partitionwalls. Alternatively the trunk line could runstraight up to the attic and service the floorsbeneath by branch lines dropping throughcloset ceilings or partition walls. The location of

the trunk line will greatly depend on theconstruction of the house and the location ofthe power unit.

2.Branch LinesBranch lines join the remaining inlet valves tothe trunk line. As with the trunk line these lines

should be kept as straight as possible. Forty-five degree fittings should be used to avoidsharp corners (90 degree fittings) when pos-sible. Airflow direction should always be consid-ered when installing branch lines.

Avoid

Gravity

Drops!A branch line locateddirectly below an over-head trunk line willaccumulate dirt due tothe effects of gravity.The result will be a pileof dirt at the base of theinlet valve every time it

is opened. To avoid thissituation the followingtechniques should beused.




Cutting and Cementing PVCTubing and FittingsMeasuring: When sizing a lengthof tube, measurements should be

taken from the base of the pipe-stop on the inside of the fitting. Aseach section of tubing is cut, itshould be dry fitted before the nextmeasurement is taken.

Cutting: The tubing should be cutas straight and square as possible.A miter box should be used ifavailable. All rough edges must beremoved with a utility knife or

coarse sand paper.

Dry Fitting: Once all the piecesare cut they should be dry fitted tocheck for correct fit. The markingson the fittings can be utilized toassure proper alignment.

Gluing: PVC solvent cementactually welds the fitting to the

tubing. A chemical reaction perma-

nently joins the molecules fromeach surface to produce an

airtight seal.

Before cementing, both thetubing and the fitting must befree of PVC burrs, dirt andgrime. The components shouldbe wiped with a clean cloth ifnecessary. Cement should beapplied to the tubing only ascement applied to the fitting willbe pushed ahead and create a

rough bead on the inside of thefitting. This bead will reduceairflow and could cause a clog.The tubing should be inserted allthe way into the fitting andtwisted a quarter turn to evenlydistribute the cement. All excesscement should be removed witha rag. The glue should be al-lowed several hours to setbefore the vacuum system isused.

Low Voltage WireOne of the greatest benefits of central vacuumsystems is that the power unit is turned on andoff automatically. Every power unit has an on/offswitch that is activated by completing a circuitat the inlet valves. Simply inserting the hose in

the inlet valve turns on the power unit.

To facilitate this, low voltage wire must followthe tubing system. At the junction of a branchline and the trunk line the wires can be splicedtogether as demonstrated in the figure.

There must be an uninterrupted route from eachinlet valve to the power unit. The wire should be

attached to the tubing with the wire ties at leastevery four feet.

On MD AirForce there is no need for a lowvoltage wire.




INSTALLATIONIn a Partition WallYou can use basic low voltage valve backingplates or electric valves (Canplas ElectraValve

which has romex and backing plate).Determine the desired location of the inlet valveand locate the point directly below the center of

the proposed loca-tion. Holding the drillvertical and as closeto the wall as pos-sible drill a small pilothole through the floorand sub floor. The

straight section of awire coat hanger cutat an angle makes agood pilot hole drillbit. (Be careful not tosnag carpeting.)

Locate this pilot hole from beneath and measureover approximately 2 1/4 (1/2 for drywall + 1 3/4”to center of the sole plate, that is the base of thewall) adding extra for the thickness of any

baseboards. Using a 2 1/2’ hole cutter, drill up-wards through the flooring and the sole plate. Us-ing a flashlight inspect the interior of the wall to

make surethere areno ob-structions.Alterna-tively apiece oftubing canbe used toprobe forobstruc-tions.

Having determined the location is suitable cut a2 1/2’ X 4 3/8” hole in the wall at the desired inletvalve location. Remove the side portion of the

mounting plate by cutting off the plastic with sidecutters. Tape low voltage wire to the end of asufficiently long piece of tubing and pass it upfrom beneath. If the trunk line is in the attic, tie aweight to the end of the low voltage wire andlower it through the opening. Remove the wireand pass it through the upper hole in the trimmedmounting plate. Bare an inch of both wire leadsand wrap them around the lugs on the back ofthe valve in a clockwise direction. Tighten thelugs with a Philips screwdriver. Run your wire inthe walls to the valves before you run the pipe.

Apply cement to the spigoton the back of themounting plateand attach ashort 90 degreefitting oriented inthe appropriatedirection. Tilt the

mounting plateforward and angleit into the hole in thewall. Center the mount-ing plate in the hole and pulloutward.

Hold the mounting plate in place with a bent coathanger. Open the valve lid and slide the valvespigot first over the end of the coat hanger. Keeptension on the coat hanger while inserting the

valve into the mounting plate with a twisting mo-tion. Do not use glue; the built-in mounting plategasket will provide a positive seal. Align thescrew holes in the valve with those in the mount-ing plate. Using the screws provided secure thevalve in place. Use the extra short screw if thelonger screw is going to interfere with the tubingbehind. Do not over tighten.

Existing Home




On the floor below apply glue to an adequatelength of tubing and aim it upwards through thehole in the sole plate and into the short 90degree fitting on the back of the mounting plate.Join this branch line to the trunk line using asweep tee. Note the airflow direc-tion of the tee. When strappingyour wire to the pipe, leaveseveral inches loose at thevalve. This facilitates servic-ing the valve by havingslack in the wire.

If the inlet valve is tobe serviced from theattic, shorter piecesof tubing joined bycouplings may be

required due to overhead space restrictions.Precut these pieces and work quickly to pre-vent the cement on the end of the tubing fromdrying before it reaches the fitting at the valvebelow.

Through a Closetdescribed above inthe partition wallsection. Then, frominside the closet,insert a short piece oftubing into the cou-pling. Dry fit a tight90-degree fittingpointed in the directionof the trunk line belowor above. Cut a 21/2” hole belowor above thefitting andfeed a length

of tubingthrough tothe trunkline. When you aresatisfied with thefit, permanentlyglue the fittings inplace.

If obstructions make it impossible to run verticaltube lines through partition walls the best andeasiest alternative is to go through the insidesof closets, particularly when a closet on thesecond floor is directly above a closet on themain floor. Look for other possibilities as well,such as return air areas or under stairs.

Drill a horizontal pilot hole through the center ofa suitable inlet valve location on the wall. Probefor hidden obstructions in the wall with a bentpiece of coat hanger. With the pilot hole as acenter drill a 2 1/2” hole through both sides ofthe wall. Using a keyhole saw cut a 2 1/2” x4 3/8” hole in the outside wall (the side that will

have the valve).

Feed the low voltage wire through from theinside of the closet, thread it through the tophole of a trimmed mounting plate and attach itto the lugs on the back of the valve. Instead ofa 90-degree fitting that was used in a partitionwall, glue a coupling on the spigot of the mount-ing plate. Attach this assembly to the wall as




Floor Mounted Inlet ValvesWhile the normal installation oninlet valves is in partition walls,occasionally one must be in-stalled in the floor. In this casethe location for the inlet valveshould be about two inchesfrom the wall and not in a hightraffic area. As with wall installa-tions use a pilot hole drill tomake sure the location is clearof obstructions below. Cut ahole that is 2 1/2’ x 4 3/8’ in thefloor. In the case of linoleum or uncovered floors the mounting plate will be installed from below. If thefloor is carpeted cut a hole in the carpet with a utility knife and slip the untrimmed mounting plateunder the carpet. Fasten the mounting plate to the floor with screws. A coupling and a short piece of

tubing may be required as a spacer between the mounting plate and the 90 degree fitting below.

Special Applications for Existing Homes:

Houses with Slab Floors and Flat RoofsHouses with flat roofs and slab floors require allinlet valves to be installed in exterior walls andbranch lines to be run outside of the house. Thetubing system can be run underground or underthe eaves of the house. If the power unit is to

be mounted outside it must be housed in aweatherproof cabinet that has adequate airvents.

Locate and installthe inlet valves inmuch the sameway as for closet instal-lations. Use a tight 90-degree fitting to keep thetubing close to the

exterior wall. Seal theedges of the hole in theexterior wall withcaulking.

If the tubing systemis to run under the eaves pipe straps mustsupport the tubing at least every six feet. On

vertical sections carefully wire tie the low volt-age wire behind the tubing.

If the tubing is to be buried underground, dig atrench 12 to 18 inches deep along the side of

the house. Fully assemble and test the tubingand low voltage wire before filling in the trench.It is recommended that the low voltage wireinstalled outside beencased in conduit,which is available atmost hardwarestores. M.D.Manufacturingrecommendsrunning the 2-

inch pipe andwire within a3-inch PVCpipe; this relievescondensationbuildup with leadsto clogs and pro-tects the wire.




INSTALLATION NewConstruction

You can use basic low volt-age valve backing plates or

electric valves (Hayden

SuperValve backingplates which have an at-tached J-Box for your

electrician to run 110volts to for thepower brush whichdraws 2 amps. Ifyou use theSuperValve youneed to use aDirect-Connect

Stealth Hose/kit).

After the househas been wiredand plumbed,but before the

dry wall is in-stalled is thebest time topipe in a centralvacuum tubingsystem. Locatethe inlet valvelocations and

nail the mount-ing plate to thenearest stud. Makesure the middle of

the mounting

plate is at the same height as the middle of adja-cent electrical outlets.

It is best to offset the tubing using a combinationof a tight 90 degree fitting and a 45 degree el-bow. This will avoid problems of mountingscrews puncturing the tubing as well as allow-ing the hole to be drilled further away from thestud where nails could ruin the hole saw. Drill a2 1/2” hole in the center of the top or sole platedepending on the location of the trunk line. At-tach low voltage wire to the tubing and push thetubing through from the floor below and cementit to the forty-five degree fitting. Leave ten

inches of low voltage wire at the mounting platefor valve installation when the house is com-pleted.

Once the house is completed the inlet valvesmust be installed. Bare a half inch of the lowvoltage wire leads and wrap them in a clock-wise direction around the lugs on the back ofthe valve. Tighten the lugs with a screwdriver.Using a twisting motion insert the valve into thehole with the hinge at the top of the valve. Do notapply glue; the gasket in the mounting plate willprovide a positive seal. If the valve will not reach

the mounting plate ask yourdealer for an inlet valve exten-sion. Using the screws supplied,attach the inlet valve to themounting plate. Use the extrashort screw if the longer versionis going to penetrate the tubingbehind.

Note: Do not over tighten. If awhistling develops during oper-ation slightly loosen the screws.

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Vacum d Manual