After dealing with a stick vacuum for a while, I decided it was time for a central vac. It's definitely nice to have the freedom of a cordless and lightweight vacuum, but trying to manage keeping it charged and figuring out where to store it while traveling and camping was becoming more and more painful.
It didn't take long to figure out that the InterVac model had the best reviews and thanks to the nice reports and write-ups here, I placed the order. Thanks Pat and George Hatfield!
Next it was time to figure out where to install the unit itself. With a 36' coach, outside storage comes at a premium and I really didn't want to reduce that available space. I know it really doesn't take up much room, but I just didn't want to have to maneuver around it.
Now to figure out where to mount it inside. Some logical places would be one of the back closets, but that's too far from the center of the coach, where it would be easier to reach each end. There's the laundry closet, but in case I ever want to install a machine, the vacuum would have to be relocated. Plus, either of those places reduces storage as well. I was looking at the cabinet under the kitchen counter with the Bose Acoustimass, but that would have been an ordeal to change the bag. I finally decided to mount it under the drawer below the stove, above the furnace.
A concern about that location was the heat from the furnace as the vacuum should not be exposed to extreme heat. After finding that the furnace requires zero clearance, there would be no issue with the furnace operation. The vacuum also needs adequate airflow. Since this cabinet has the furnace return vent as well as the Bose unit screen, airflow should not be a problem. I used the radiant barrier found at Amazon to displace any direct heat. Thermo-Tec 14130 24" X 48" One Sided Thermo Guard Flame Retardant : Amazon.com :
Especially since that furnace is seldom used, it was an easy decision to mount it there. The drawer does have to be removed in order to replace the bag, but that's not too difficult. Another downside is that if I ever wanted to add a gas oven, which I have seriously contemplated, the vacuum would have to be relocated. But, I really don't want to give up that drawer storage, so the oven installation is probably not going to happen. Plus I've become increasingly fond of the convection oven. An additional concern is the air that is kicked around by the vacuum during operation. I thoroughly cleaned the area of any dirt or dust I could find so it would not be blown out through the vents while the vacuum is on. On the plus side, and the best part, it does not use any available storage space.
I made a bracket out of 1½" angle iron and attached it to the existing wood cabinet supports. The final placement was with the top of the vacuum about ¼" below the drawer to allow maximum airflow for the furnace. The vacuum exhausts out one end, so the short distance to the drawer was not a concern. The only thing left to do was to install the outlet and to connect the suction hose from the outlet to the vacuum and connect the wires. That part was easy. The outlet was mounted to the right of the heater return vent, which seems to be a popular location. Since the run is very short, only about a foot, there's little suction loss to contend with and it will be easy to remove any debris that may collect there.
The vacuum works great and is actually quieter than I expected.
Topic: InterVac Central Vacuum Installation