How to Plan a Central Vacuum Hide-a-Hose Installation

Introduction

A Hide-a-Hose retractable hose system makes storing your central vacuum hose easy and convenient. Your hose is sucked right up into the wall. Most people think this has to be installed pre-construction, but you can retrofit this on your central vacuum system. You can begin by following these steps to plan your system.

By: Renee Ambrose

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Instructions

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Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Choose a Power Unit. It is important to understand that the Hide-a-Hose retractable hose for central vacuum systems will be longer than traditional central vacuum hoses. The hose kit comes in 30', 40',and 50' lengths. Air flow is reduced with longer hoses. To compensate for the loss of air flow a large power unit is required. Hide-a-Hose recommends a true cyclonic unit. Imperium, VacuMaid, and Vacuflo are all true cyclonic central vacuum systems.

Step2

Plan for hose lengths. Hide-a-Hose kits come in 30', 40', and 50' lengths. You will be able to custom fit the hose for each inlet.

Step3

Plan for valve locations. A 50' hose will usually cover up to 2300 square feet, while a 30' hose would cover up to 800 square feet, and a 40' hose would cover up to 1400 square feet.
Valves need to be centrally located so that the hose reaches the maximum area. Some homeowners appreciate locating their Hide-a-Hose inlet near the kitchen for quick cleanups.

Step4

Typical Hide-a-Hose Pipe Run Illustration Plan your pipe runs. Refer to the eHow article "How to Rough-in a Hide-a-Hose Central Vacuum System" for details. Click on the image to view a typical pipe run.