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Home Improvement > Other Projects > How to Install a Central Vacuum System

Learn how to install a central vacuum system with outlets on four floors and hidden PVC piping.

Homeowners will install a central vacuum system that is quieter, cleaner, and more convenient than conventional vacuum cleaners. The system includes a large power unit with muffler, a vacuum hose with power head, six vacuum outlets, and yards of PVC piping and fittings for a custom installation for this project. The homeowners work jointly with a commercial installer to identify optimum locations for primary vertical piping runs and secondary runs that branch across the attic or basement and then pass through walls to reach target sites for vacuum outlets.

Choose a central vacuum system and work with the installer to determine PVC pipe routing and locations for vacuum outlets close to existing electrical outlets. In this project, a two-story laundry chute extends from the basement ceiling to the attic floor, providing passage for the main piping from the vacuum power unit in the basement to the attic, where it branches to one attic and two second floor vacuum outlets. The piping runs to basement and first floor outlets run along the basement ceiling and then upwards through walls to the first floor. As you assemble your tools and materials, remember that this project uses power tools that require safety glasses or a face shield to protect your eyes.

Bore a starter hole through the bottom of the laundry chute into the basement to begin the main PVC piping run from the power unit to the attic. The narrow chute extends from the attic to the first floor, widening into a bin where we bore a test hole for the pipe location. The hole should be near the wall-mounted power unit, yet positioned for a straight piping run to the attic.

Insert the pilot bit on an arbored hole saw on your power drill into the starter hole and cut a hole wide enough for the PVC pipe. Start cutting the hole from one side of the floor and then finish from the other side to avoid tear-out along the edge of the cut. If necessary, sand the hole to remove any burrs or rough edges that could snag clothing that will share the laundry chute with the piping.

Cut away a small section of the plywood attic floor above the top of the laundry chute. Use a cordless circular with a dust bag attachment to minimize the mess.

Finish the cut next to the walls with a Japanese handsaw and lift the plywood panel out with a small pry bar.

Remove the fiberglass insulation temporarily. Protect yourself with work gloves and a mask when you handle fiberglass.

Drill a small locator hole upwards into the roof of the laundry chute, aligned with the hole you cut in the bottom of the laundry chute in the basement. Mark the hole in the surface from the attic side.

Insert the pilot bit on the arbored hole saw into the hole you just drilled and then cut an opening for the PVC pipe in the top of the laundry chute into the attic.

Drop a plumb bob through the hole into the laundry chute, allowing it to hang all the way from attic to the basement to ensure that the holes align. Adjust them as necessary to accommodate the PVC pipe between the power unit in the basement and the attic. Properly aligned piping runs will join fittings/elbows more easily and hold a vacuum seal with pipe adhesive later, so check alignment at each step.

Use a right-angled drill and a large wood bit with a long shank to bore a hole through the top plate of the second story wall frame directly above the intended vacuum outlet. This step begins the process of running piping from the attic through the wall to the second story vacuum outlets. If you run into nails, you will need to move slightly to the side and drill again to ensure the hole is clear to accommodate the PVC pipe.

Re-cut the hole with the hole saw to make a uniform opening for the pipe.

Push a screwdriver through the wall of the second floor room at the intended location for a central vacuum outlet. Sight through the hole from the attic to check the hole alignment. Avoid electrical outlets and wiring in the wall as you work. For your safety, ensure that you have switched off the electrical circuits to the room before drilling or puncturing the walls.

Draw a rectangular cutting line for the vacuum outlet opening on the wall, centering the shape on the hole punched with the screwdriver. Make the rectangular opening a little narrower and shorter than the outlet back plate.

Use a keyhole saw to cut neatly along the cutting line and remove the piece of wallboard. Pre-drilling at the four corners will facilitate starting the saw cut. Eventually, the outlet back plate will cover this opening, and the outlet cover will secure all the vacuum outlet components to the wall.

Drop the plumb bob down the hole from the attic to confirm the alignment of the outlet opening you just sawed in the wall.

Attach a large metal washer temporarily to the end of the low-voltage cable that will run to the power unit. The washer gives the cable weight to let you drop it through the wall and fish it through the outlet hole. Remove the washer once you retrieve the cable. A low-voltage cable will connect each vacuum outlet to the power unit in the basement, carrying an electrical signal when the hose on the power head contacts terminals in the vacuum outlet. Follow the manufacturer's recommended wiring plan, either wiring the vacuum outlets in parallel or "home running" an individual cable from each of the outlets to the power unit and attaching them as required.

Thread the cable through the hole provided in the outlet back plate and connect it to the outlet cover. To connect it, first separate the insulated sheathing between the two wires for an inch or two and then use a wire stripper to remove 1/2 inch of the insulation to expose the stranded copper wire beneath. Twist the bare wire and loop it over one of the two screws on the back of the outlet plate that serve as terminals/contacts. Tighten the screws to secure the wires. Repeat this step for the other wire and attach it to the other terminal screw.

Connect a PVC elbow to the back plate with the open end upwards to receive the PVC piping run from the attic.

Insert the back plate and elbow into the wall, being careful not to catch or crimp the low voltage cable.

Attach the outlet cover on top of the back plate, securing it to the wall with screws and a screwdriver.

Measure and cut the appropriate length of PVC piping to reach from the attic to the outlet. Use a jigsaw or small reciprocating saw to make a smooth cut.

Insert the PVC pipe from the attic through the wall, and seat the pipe in the elbow.

Apply the PVC manufacturer's recommended cleaning product and adhesive to all the piping joints as you build the piping network that runs to and from the power supply to the six vacuum outlets in the project.

Trim the top of the pipe if necessary and add a PVC fitting to make the transition from vertical pipe to horizontal pipe. The horizontal runs from the outlets pass through holes in the joists in the attic floor and return to an intersection at the laundry chute. From that point, they join the main PVC run down the laundry chute to the basement.

Reattach the heavy metal washer to the low voltage cable and drop it down the chute and into the basement for connection to the vacuum power supply. Depending on your wiring plan, you may have multiple cables running from the attic and second floor vacuum outlets down the laundry chute to the power unit in the basement. The cable will follow the PVC piping runs back to the power unit and connect to it.

Cut the main PVC piping run, inserting it into the laundry chute and connecting it to the attic and second floor branches with fittings. The piping will extend from the attic, past the second and first floors, and into the basement to the power unit.

Repeat these steps as necessary for the second vacuum outlet on the second floor. You also will make a similar horizontal run from the laundry chute to the location for the attic outlet.

Begin to install the first floor outlets from the basement, drilling upwards through the ceiling and base plate of the first story wall framing. Use the right-angle saw and large bit again. Clean the hole, if necessary, by re-cutting with the arbored hole saw.

Punch a hole through the wall with a screwdriver at the location for the first floor vacuum outlet, sighting through the hole to check alignment before outlining a cutting line. Use the keyhole saw to make an opening for the vacuum outlet.

Attach the low voltage cable in the same way you did for the attic and second floor vacuum outlets.

Add an elbow to the back plate, this time pointing the elbow downward to receive the PVC pipe that comes up from the basement ceiling.

Attach the vacuum outlet back plate and cover plate.

Feed the correct length of PVC pipe up from the basement.

Apply PVC cleaner and adhesive and make all the appropriate connections. You will repeat the steps to install another outlet on the first floor via basement access and one outlet in the basement, itself.

Mount the central vacuum power unit on the basement wall and follow manufacturer's directions for the power hook-up.

Connect the PVC piping that descends the laundry chute and the branches that cross the basement ceiling with intersecting joints and then connect the single pipe to the power unit. The project has six outlets in total--one in the attic, two each on the first and second floors, and one in the basement.

Switch on the power unit in the basement to enable the system.

Insert the hose on the vacuum power head (the sweeper mechanism) into any of the vacuum outlets throughout the house. The contact will send a signal through the outlet terminals back to the power unit and start the vacuum.

Plug in the electrical cord at a nearby electrical outlet to provide power to the brushes on the vacuum power head and begin cleaning your carpet. Check the manufacturer?s instructions for emptying the collection bin in the power unit and for general maintenance guidelines.