Canavac Installation Manual
Contents
1. CENTRAL VACUUM SYSTEMS Central Vacuum System INSTALLATION MANUAL ongratulations you have joined the growing number of house holds to enjoy the many benefits of owning a central vacuum system This kit contains all the materials that you will require to in stall the vacuum system including Vaculine fittings Vaculine fittings are manufactured to exacting standards to provide positive seals easy installation and superior air flow characteristics 2 Right Angle Electric Drill 1 1 2 Hole Cutter V4 Masonary 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 Installing a central vacuum system is a straight forward do it yourself project that doesn t require special tools or skills The procedure is quite simple if you take your time and follow the instructions carefully Always fully consider the implications be fore you cut into a wall Make sure you have chosen the right location and are not cutting into any hidden electrical wires or plumbing Plan Ahead Planning is the key to the successful in stallation of a central vacuum system A balance between the best locations for the inlet valves and the practicality of servic ing these locations must be obtained With a little ingenuity most locations can be reached The Power Unit Location2. The power unit can be located in the garage basement utility room or any other area that a mam OUTSIDE is dry and remote enough that living areas i 5 will not be affected by the sound of the elec tric motor The unit must be mounted within three feet of an electrical outlet Electrical specifications of the power unit should be checked to avoid overloading the circuit The unit should be mounted so that it is out of the way but still accessible for emptying If the system is to be exhausted to the out doors the power unit should be located on an exterior wall Venting to areas such as patios and entrance ways should be avoided A f EA re hes at pri 2 Lid 2 oy 3 i 3 age i se gt Ae yor Sa WALL oet vt Le sa Beis hte tee ae a ee i ant eY FRONT VIEW Vacuums must breath do not enclose If the unit is to be located in a closet or utility room it must be vented Louvered doors fulfill this purpose A muffler can of course be used to minimize noise Inlet Valve Locations Correctly positioned inlet valves will ensure trouble free vacuuming over the many years of service that will be received from a central vacuum system The hose must be able to reach every corner of the house and go around furniture to get there Drapes clos ets and ceiling corners all must be reached Central locations such as hallways beside doors and adjacent to the bottom of stair
3. cases are ideal Areas such as behind furni ture or behind doors should be avoided A thirty foot string or the hose itself can be used to help plan the layout If working with 1 4 scale blueprints a seven inch string can be used to represent the hose If an electrical beater brush is to be used at present or in the future the inlet valve should be located within five feet of an electrical outlet Turbine driven beater brush heads do not require electricity and thus allow more flexibility when choosing inlet valve locations Planning the Tubing System 45 ELBOWS 7 ELBOW SF SHORT TEE A TAG i je DROP es OBSTRUCTION ne STOP COUPLING 90 TEE SET AT maea tS 45 TO HORIZONTAL MOT 7 C f 7 Basho ea s i _ a me Fo a Gy A gt 45 ELBOW P lca T a dK 90 ELBOW BRANCH LINE VOLTAGE RISER WIRE J E Aaa 90 ELBOW 90 SHORT ELBOW The amount of airflow that reaches the hose is dependent on the efficiency of the Avo f ad layout of the tubing system Lines are to be kept as straight as possible Tight 90 G degree fittings are to be used only at in ravi let valve locations and sweep 90 s used in all other applications Dro ps 1 The Trunk Line The trunk line connects the furthest inlet A branch line located directly below an valve to the power unit All other inlet overhead trunk line will accumula
4. Floors and Flat Roofs Houses with flat roofs and slab floors require all inlet valves to be installed in exterior walls and branch lines to be run outside of the house The tubing system can be run underground or under the eaves of the house If the power unit is to be mounted outside it must be housed in a weatherproof cabinet that has adequate air vents Locate and install the inlet valves in much the same way as for closet instal lations Use a tight 90 degree fitting to keep the tubing close to the exterior wall Seat the edges of the hole in the exterior wall with caulking If the tubing system is to run under the eaves the tubing must be supported by pipe straps at least every six feet On vertical sections carefully wire tie the low voltage wire behind the tubing lf the tubing is to be buried under ground dig a trench 12 to 18 inches deep along the side of the house Fully assemble and test the tubing and tow voltage wire before filling in the trench It is recommended that the low voltage wire installed out side be encased in conduit which is available at most hardware stores CENTRAL VACUUM SYSTEMS Reprinted with permission of Canplas Industries New Construction After the house has been wired and plumbed but before the dry wall is in stalled is the best time to plumb in a cen tral vacuum tubing system Locate the inlet valve locations and nail the mount ing plate to the nearest
5. in the mounting plate Using the screws provided secure the valve in place Use the extra short screw if the longer screw is going to interfere with the tubing be hind Do not over tighten On the floor below apply glue to an ad equate length of tubing and aim it up wards through the hole and into the short 90 degree fitting on the back of the mounting plate Join this branch line to the trunk line using asweep tee If the inlet valve is to be serviced from the attic shorter pieces of tubing joined by cou plings may be re quired due to overhead space restrictions Pre cut these pieces and work quickly to Through a Closet If obstructions make it impossible to run vertical tube lines through partition walls the best and easiest alternative is to go through the insides of closets particularly when a closet on the second floor is di rectly above a closet on the main floor Drill a horizontal pilot hole through the center of a suitable inlet valve location Probe for hidden obstructions with a bent piece of coat hanger With the pilot hole as a center drill a 2172 hole through both sides of the wall Using a keyhole saw cut a 2172 x 4 3 8 hole in the outside wall Feed the low voltage wire through from the inside thread it through the top hole of a trimmed mount ing plate and attach it to the lugs on the back of the valve Instead of a 90 de gree fitting glue a coupling on the spigot of the mount ing p
6. whistling develops during operation slightly loosen the screws
7. d a quarter turn to evenly distribute the cement All ex cess cement should be removed with a rag The glue should be allowed several hours to set before the vacuum system is used There must be an uninterrupted route from each inlet valve to the power unit The wire should be attached to the tubing with the supplied wire ties at least every four feet PROPOSED INLET VALVE LOCATION A a a e n n an aa aa a 1 1 i i wh 4 a SOLE PLATE ee CEN VALVE HEIGHT WITH RECEPTACLES IN THE ROOM oe OR AS DESIRED i INSTALLATION In a Partition Wall Determine the desired location of the in let valve and locate the point directly be low the center of the proposed location Holding the drill vertical and as close to the wall as possible drilla small pilot hole through the floor and subfloor The straight section of a wire coat hanger cut at an angle makes a good pi lot hole drill bit Be care ful not to snag carpet ing L Locate this pilot hole from beneath and mea sure over approximately 2 1 4 1 2 for drywall 1 3 4 to center of the sole plate adding extra for the thickness of any base boards Using a 2 1 2 hole cutter drill up wards through the floor ing and the sole plate a Using a flashlight in Pot spect the interior of the he wall to make sure there 45 are no obstructions Al ternatively a piece of
8. gh edges must be removed with a utility knife or coarse sand paper Dry Fitting Once all the pieces are cut they should be dry fitted to check for cor rect fit The markings on the fittings can be utilized to assure proper alignment Gluing PVC solvent cement actually Low Voltage Wire One of the greatest benefits of central vacuum systems is that the power unit is turned on and off automatically Every power unit has an on off switch that is activated by completing a circuit at the inlet valves The power unit is turned on by simply inserting the hose in the inlet valve To facilitate this low voltage wire must fol low the tubing system At the junction of a branch line and the trunk line the wires must be spliced together as demonstrated in the figure below Each inlet valve must be able to activate the machine indepen dently of the other valves welds the fitting to the tubing A chemical reac tion permanently joins the molecules from each sur face to produce an air tight seal Before cement ing both the tubing and the fitting must be free of PVC burrs dirt and grime The components should be wiped with a clean cloth if nec essary Cement should be applied to the tubing only as cement applied to the fit ting will be pushed ahead and create a rough bead on the inside of the fitting This bead will reduce airflow and could cause a clog The tubing should be in serted all the way into the fitting and twiste
9. late Attach this as sembly to the wall as de scribed above From in side the closet insert a prevent the cement on the end of the tub ing from drying before it reaches the fit ting at the valve below short piece of tubing into the coupling Dry fit a tight 90 degree fitting pointed in the direction of the trunk line Cut a 21 2 hole directly below the fitting and feed a length of tubing through to the floor be low When you are satisfied with the fit permanently glue the fittings in place REAR A RA CUS EAE AG BASEMENT INSIDE CLOSET Floor Mounted Inlet Valves While the normal installation of inlet valves is in partition walls occasionally one must be installed in the floor In this case the location for the inlet valve should be about two inches from the wall and not in a high traffic area As with wall installations use a pilot hole drill to make sure the location is clear of obstructions below Cut a hole that is 2 1 2 x 4 3 8 in the floor In the case of linoleum or uncovered floors the mounting plate will be installed from be low If the floor is car peted cut a hole in the carpet with a utility knife and slip the un trimmed mounting plate under the carpet Fasten the mounting plate to the floor with screws A coupling and a short piece of tubing may be re quired as a spacer be tween the mounting plate and the 90 de gree fitting below Special Applications Houses with Slab
10. stud Make sure the middle of the mounting plate is at the same height as the middle of adjacent electrical outlets It is best to offset the tubing using a com bination of a tight 90 degree fitting anda 45 degree elbow This will avoid problems of mounting screws puncturing the tub ing as well as allowing the hole to be drilled further away from the stud where nails could ruin the hole saw Drill a 2 1 2 hole in the center of the top or sole plate depending on the location of the trunk line Attach low voltage wire to the tubing and push the tubing through from the floor below and cement it to the forty five de gree fitting Leave ten inches of low volt age wire at the mounting plate for valve installation when the house is completed Once the house is completed the inlet valves must be installed Bare a half inch of the tow voltage wire leads and wrap them in a clockwise direction around the lugs on the back of the valve Tighten the lugs with a screw driver Using a twisting motion insert the valve into the hole with the hinge at the top of the valve Do not apply glue the gasket in the mounting plate will provide a positive seal If the valve will not reach the mounting plate ask your dealer for an inlet valve exten sion Using the screws sup plied attach the inlet valve to the mounting plate Use the extra short screw if the longer version is going to penetrate the tubing behind Note Do not over tighten If a
11. te dirt valves will be serviced by branch lines due to the effects of gravity The result will flowing into the trunk line If the basement be a pile of dirt is unfinished the trunk line is best run at the base of beneath the joists in the basement ceil the inlet valve ing The upper floors can be serviced every time itis through closets cold air return ducts or opened To in partition walls Alternatively the trunk avoid this situ line could run straight up to the attic and ation the fol service the floors beneath by branch lines lowing tech dropping though closet ceilings or parti niques should tion walls The location of the trunk line be used will greatly depend on the construction of the house and the location of the power unit 2 Branch Lines Branch lines join the remaining inlet valves to the trunk line As with the trunk line these lines should be kept as straight as possible Forty five degree fittings should be used to avoid sharp corners when possible Airflow direction should always be considered when installing branch lines Cutting and Cementing PVC Tubing and Fittings Measuring Measurements should be taken from the base of the pipe stop on the inside of the fitting hub when sizing tubing As each section of tubing is cut it should be dry fitted before the next mea surement is taken Cutting The tubing should be cut as straight and square as possible A miter box should be used if available All rou
12. tubing can be used to probe for obstructions l I 1 4 3 TER Having determined the location is suitable cut a 2 1 2 by 4 3 8 hole in the wall at the desired inlet valve location Re move the metal portion e WIRE THROUGH J PILOT HOLE of the mounting plate by cutting of the plastic riv ets with side cutters Tape tow voltage wire to the end of a sufficiently long piece of tub ing and pass it up from beneath If the trunk line is in the attic tie a weight to the end of the tow voltage wire and lower it Existing Home through the opening Remove the wire and pass it through the upper hole in the trimmed mounting plate Bare an inch of both wire leads and wrap them around the lugs on the back of the valve in a clockwise direction Tighten the lugs with a Philips screw driver Apply cement to the spigot on the back of the mounting plate and attach a short 90 degree fitting oriented in the appro priate direction Tilt the mounting plate forward and angle it into the hole in the wall Center the mounting plate in the hole and pull outward Hold the mounting plate in place with a bent coat hanger Open the valve lid and slide the valve spigot first over the end of the coat hanger Keep tension on the coat hanger while inserting the valve into the mounting plate with a twisting motion Do not use glue the built in mounting plate gasket will provide a positive seal Align the screw holes in the valve with those
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