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the central vac - upgraded

This is our first real upgrade.  The coach came to us with lots of good stuff.  The central vac worked well the first use, marginal the second use, and pretty useless for the third use.

Soooo...

I had the Shark upright vacuum we used in our previous coach.  I could not decide on a suitable place to store it.  So now it is a central vac system!  The Shark was designed so that the power unit can be removed and carried.  Perfect!  I placed it in the location of the original central vac, held tightly in place with mini bungee cords.  I removed the switching unit from the old central vac, and installed it in a plastic house-style two-gang utility box.

The old vac was rated for 7.8 amps, and the Shark for 10 amps.  I first thought this would be a problem, but I am using the vac without the motor in the head.  I bench tested it for several minutes, and again with the inlet obstructed - worked fine without the switching unit heating up, or the fuse failing.

I used the existing wiring and tubing in the coach.  The hose, with the coupling removed, was a nice interference fit into the inlet of the Shark.

Taa-Dah!  A central vac that really works!

Note:  There is some debate about whether a cyclonic vac will work sideways.  I tried the Shark vacuum sideways on my workbench, and it seemed to work fine.  I came across a wonderful article by a vacuum designer, and he basically said "a cyclone in a closed system doesn't care about gravity."  We'll see!
Matt B
1998 u-320

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #1 –
I use the same system but I also haul the lower part along side the bed so I have a beater bar. Or maybe you don't have carpet.
1994 U280, Build 4490
Deming, NM.

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Twig –
I use the same system but I also haul the lower part along side the bed so I have a beater bar. Or maybe you don't have carpet.
Beside the bed, for about 3/4 of the length of the bed.
Matt B
1998 u-320

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #3 –
Quote from: oldmattb –
Beside the bed, for about 3/4 of the length of the bed.
Yep. Takes up no room. The beater is up against the cupboard, the cylinder is out of the way. AND......I have a beater bar.

We may be talking about different Sharks. Mine's the little one.
1994 U280, Build 4490
Deming, NM.

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #4 –
Matt..    bungee cords ???      You know they loose there elasticity.  I'm betting you have a more permanent mounting plan cause a bunch of us with the central vac might convert.
Robert and Susan
 1995 36' 280 WTBI 8.3 3060r
 1200 watts on the roof, 720 Ah of lithium's
 Build # 4637. Motorcade # 17599
        FMCA  # 451505
        18  Wrangler JLUR

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Bob & Sue –
Matt..    bungee cords ???      You know they loose there elasticity.  I'm betting you have a more permanent mounting plan cause a bunch of us with the central vac might convert.

I already have a (color-matched!) bungee with the vacuum.  I have considered fabricating a hinged bracket - Home Depot has lots of really cool things in the strong-tie section.  I actually keep a few straps and angles around for emergencies.

Give me a month or two to verify that the vacuum unit is happy and effective in a horizontal position.  I had on hand a small shop vac that I considered for the project, but the suction of the upright vacuum was far superior, even with a pristine filter in the shop vac.  The Shark was also on hand.  I find them at thrift stores for $30-45, and they usually only need a 20-minute cleaning to work well.

We travel with our two dogs, so I typically vacuum the floors every second day.
Matt B
1998 u-320

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #6 –
Capstone.

We have used the vac for several trips, and I am pleased with it.  It picks up hair, food bits, small stones and bread ties easily.  After maybe a dozen or more uses and several trips, I emptied it today.  The top is hinged, so it is not necessary to undo the mounting.  I opened the top and scraped the debris into a bucket for disposal.

Great improvement for about $35.
Matt B
1998 u-320

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #7 –
When I replaced our refrigerator with a residential unit I had to rebuild the fridge area. This gave me total access to the factory installed Dirt Devil system found under the fridge.
I removed all the flexible hose and replaced it with PVC pipe, that made a huge difference in the suction, I was happy.
The happiness disappeared when I was forced to wrestle the huge unmanageable hose around the coach, and then store it and the attachments.
I finally went with the Dyson V-8 stick vacuum. I have it for the house but bought a extra charging station for the coach.
Now I use it and hang it in the closet to charge. No more tethering to the power cord or hose. Easy to take outside too.
1995 U320C SE 40'
Jeep 4x4 Commander - Limited - Hemi
"The Pack"  Yogi and Diesel our Airedales -  Charlie our Boxer/Akita mix. Gone but NEVER forgotten Jake our yellow Lab.
NRA Law Enforcement Firearms instructor - Handgun/shotgun
Regional Firearms instructor for national Armored Transp. Co.

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #8 –
No central vac in our coach. But a Dyson stick works very well and sits in the closet with ease.
Jerry & Nona and Kimeru the cat that thinks she's a dog
1998 36' WTFE U320  #5314 Motorcade #17711
USAF 1975-1995
2019 Subaru Crosstrek 'toad'
2003 Subaru Legacy touring car
jerry Fincher | Flickr
 

Re: the central vac - upgraded

Reply #9 –
Fusing stick vac and used the hidden receptacle for the washer in the closet to power the charger. Works great!
David & Emma Roche
Dino (Golden Doodle)
1999 U270 WTFE 36' Build # 5534
Xtreme "Lights, Stripes & Roof"
Motorcade# 18321
Dayton, Ohio
Towd: Jeep Grand Cherokee
Two Townie Electra Bikes

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