You did it! You upgraded to a central vacuum system. You’ve made your life easier, your cleaning routine less stressful, and your storage simpler. It’s life-changing, isn’t it? We know. You now have more convenience in your life, a higher level of performance from your vacuum, better indoor air quality, more versatility, and a better overall value.
Instead of having to lug your old, heavy, corded vacuum all around the house, you now have ports installed in the walls of various rooms, which you can use whenever you want to clean. Just attach the hose when you vacuum a certain area and detach the hose once you’re done. Easy, right?
But now the question is raised—how do you go about cleaning your central vacuum hose?
Check Regularly for Clogs
As you likely know from prior vacuums or from plumbing systems in your home, things clog. It happens and it’s annoying, but it’s normal, and it can be prevented. Check your central vacuum hose after you’re done using it just to make sure all looks clear. You should quickly be able to see whether dirt or debris has blocked the hose. If this has happened, clean it out as best as you can.
Be sure to also check the walls of the hose as well. If the vacuum has sucked up something sticky, it could stick to the walls of the hose and remain stuck there. Other dirt and debris picked up by the vacuum will then stick to it.
Take Care of the Clog
If you do find a clog, the best way to get rid of it is as follows. Put your hand over the opening of the hose and then turn the vacuum on. Be sure to leave your hand on it for a few seconds. The pressure you’re causing will help the vacuum suck out the dirt and/or debris causing the blockage. Be sure to do this at each port to ensure you’re getting all clogs.
If this doesn’t work and something is still stuck in your hose, check to see if you can spot the problem. One other tip is to run a clean garden house through the vacuum hose to see if you can break up or push out anything that’s stuck.
Cover Vacuum Hoses with Something
To help prevent wear and tear on your central vacuum hoses, cover them with a sock or a sleeve. As hoses tend to be dragged across the floor, the sock or sleeve acts as an external shield. In addition to protecting your central vacuum hoses, this will also help in the reverse way—protecting any surface you drag the hose across. If the hose brushes against or falls on a piece of furniture, for example, the sleeve or sock will help prevent damage to that piece of furniture.
Don’t Leave Central Vacuum Hoses on the Floor
Always be sure to pick up central vacuum hoses once you’re done using them. This may seem like common sense, but it’s important to remember. You don’t want anyone to trip on the hoses and hurt themselves or to poke a hole into a hose by stepping on it.
A good practice is to carefully coil each hose and hang it on a hook mounted to the wall. Coiling it four to five times at most is recommended. It’s also important you don’t store the hose while it’s still attached to any vacuum wands or accessories. If you do this, it can cause a stress fracture in the hose where it bends. Always remember to detach accessories when you’re done using them.
If you’re looking for a carrier for your house, look no further than Gary’s Vacuflo. We recommend and sell a nylon hose carrier that will ensure your central vacuum hoses are well off the floor and out of harm’s way.
Clean the Hoses
Yes, you need to clean the tool that’s used to clean your home. Hoses need to be cleaned periodically. Additionally, if you find that it’s not suctioning as well as it used to, your hose may just need to be cleaned.
To clean the hose, run a cleaning cloth through it when the central vacuum is turned on. Then repeat this at each outlet to make sure the entire system gets cleaned. Cleaning cloths should be available through your local central vacuum dealer.
Even if you don’t see any clogging, it’s good practice to clean the hoses. Cleaning them regularly will help prevent dirt and debris from building up.
Find a Proper Hose Management System
Handling your central vacuum system hose can be one of the more difficult parts. It’s important to find a proper hose management system. It’ll be more convenient for you and ensure your hose remains in good condition for as long as possible. But why should you have to worry about controlling the hose when there are systems you can take advantage of to make this easier for you?
WallyFlex Hose, Vroom, Spot by Vroom, and even a retractable hose are all great hose management systems to look into. At Gary’s Vacuflo, we can install any of them and help point you in the right direction as to which one will work best for your home, your needs, and your family.
Installing a central vacuum system in your home is one of the best decisions you could make, in our opinion. It will make your life significantly easier. Above are some great tips and tricks for maintaining the hose of your central vacuum system. But it’s still important to remember to take care of the entire system, and here’s more on how to do that.
If you’re wary of doing the maintenance work yourself, please give us a call. We’re happy to chat with you about any concerns. One of our trained professionals can also make a home service call to check out your system and see what maintenance is necessary.
Tags: Hose Clogs, Hose Maintenance, hose management, vacuum maintenance
