General
Where is the dust in this kind of central systems going to?
The vacuumed dust is carried to the central unit and filtered through a filter of large surface. At the end it reaches the dust plastic bag, which, according to the dimensions of the house and the model of the central unit, is emptied 3-4 times a year. The outlet, in which there is an extremely small dust-microparticles percentage, is carried outside the house, instead of being reintroduced into the environment where you clean, as it would happen if you used a traditional vacuum cleaner.
Is there a risk of getting a shock by touching the wires of an inlet socket?
No, there isn't. This is because the central controls and starting lines are at low tension (12 volts), and as a consequence absolutely harmless for persons and animals.
Is there risk of stoppage in the tubing?
If the planning, the wiring of the tubes and the installation are made properly, you can exclude every kind of stoppage-risk in the tubes. In case there should however be a stoppage, it is possible to solve the problem by employing suitable probes.
Planning
What has to be taken into account when you plan a central vacuum cleaning system?
Planning a central vacuum cleaning system in the domestic sector is quite easy. The fitting of the tubes can occur during or after the installation of the sanitary equipments. In the domestic sector you make exclusive use of tubes of 50 mm made of polyvinyl chloride. Principally you should structure the net of tubes as short as possible, because the length of the net influences the flow resistance. Disan's professionals are able to give you the necessary supply in the planning of the system and the organisation of teamwork with the other craftsmen (plumbers, electricians etc.)
How should the inlet sockets be located?
An ideal location of the inlet sockets is absolutely important for the good functioning of the system. It is important to take into account that the vacuum process will occur through a flexible tube of 7,5 or 9 meters. Besides, a further extension of 2 additional meters is available. Furthermore, it should be considered that the chromate tube with handle is of approximately 1,5 meters. After having said that, from a single handle it should be possible to clean different rooms, because the installation of an inlet socket per room doesn't make sense.
On the plan, with the drawing-compass, you have to trace a circle of a radius of 7,5 meters in scale from the point where you have the positioning of a socket. If it is possible, align the inlet socket with the other current- collectors or switches, because so you can make use of the same decorative plate. You have to take into account pieces of furniture, doors and above all walls, which could hinder the positioning of the inlet socket in the chosen point. Check carefully that every point of the house can be reached by the flexible hose (including stairs, balcony, terrace, etc.) It should be considered that for the parts where a frequent cleaning is not necessary (cellar and store-room, for instance), you could make use of a further extension of 2 meters.
Does it make sense to plan the system in a finished or furnished house?
A retrofitted installation makes perfect sense, particularly for allergics, but for all the inhabitants of the house have their benefits from it.
However, if you are interested in a post-installation we advise the on-the-spot investigation by a Disan expert. Sometimes it is not necessary to make a big job, because it is possible to let the tubes go through the outlets or the chimney fallen into disuse. However, the situation is evaluated in such a way that with a central inlet socket and a tube made to measure and positioned into the flat you can reach every corner of the house and as a consequence the disturbance is minimized.
How much does a central vacuum cleaning system cost?
The cost of a central vacuum cleaning system depends on various factors:
on the price of the central of the vacuum cleaner, the choice of the accessories, the selection of the kind of inlet sockets, the material used for the installation and the installation- expenses.
According to our experience we can estimate the whole project realisation of a system for a house of various floors (plus cellar and garage) of approx. 200 - 250 m2 and with 5 to 7 inlet sockets, according to the variables mentioned above, completely finished at an approximate cost from 1500 to 3500 Euro.
How much are the expenses for functioning and maintenance?
The central vacuum cleaners are fitted out with big filters with cartridge. The filter is of long duration and very resistant and should sometimes be disassembled and cleaned (1-2 times a year). The replacement should be done every 5-10 years. An exchange-filter, according to the model, costs from 30 to 40 Euro (current price-list).
The central vacuum cleaners have optimal dimensions for their components, because there isn't any limit of weight or motion. The engine with lateral channel is not exposed to stresses or abrupt movements and is cooled with cleaned air. The only not wear-resistant components are the carbon brushes of the motor. These have to be replaced every 10 years approximately and cost from 20 to 25 Euro per pair.
Can I install the system on my own?
It is possible to do the work on your own, but however we advise the collaboration or supervision of a Disan expert, because there are some mistakes for lack of know-how about the rapid airflow, which must absolutely be avoided. In the realisation of corners and junctions you have to follow exact requirements, in order not to compromise the effective functioning.
Hygiene
Does a central vacuum cleaning system contribute to improve hygiene?
Of course, it does. A central vacuum cleaning system contributes in a significant way to improve hygiene in closed environments. Dust and micro particles not detained by the filters are completely set free into the open air.
Pollen, allergenics, mites and their excrements, spores of moulds, bacteria, etc. are not only a problem for people affected by allergies, but represent a threat to everyone's health.
Furthermore, the dust-gathering bag of the traditional vacuum cleaners represents a fertile land for the proliferation of colonies of bacteria and similar, partially set free at every cleaning-cycle.
Could hygienic problems be created in the tubing?
Sometimes we are contacted from people who worry that humidity, moulds or bacteria could be formed inside the tubes. This preoccupation is absolutely unfounded, because the inside of the tubes represents an environment very hostile to germs, bacteria, moulds or other kinds of microbes.
The dry air, which runs at a speed of approx. 100 km/h and the smooth surface of the tubes don't permit the proliferation of these formations.
Even if by mistake a sticky substance should be vacuumed, it grows hard rapidly, by forming a crust, which is normally taken away by the current.
However, there are systems to clean the internal net, which go from probes to the introduction of special blunt instruments, ribbons with cleaning ends or to the possibility of employing an inspection-camera.
Also the entrance of insects or rodents from the outlet-hole is impossible, because the system is supplied with a special grid and/or outlet socket.
Use
What does happen if by mistake you vacuum a cumbersome object into the tubing?
Disan's inlet and back-up boxes are conceived in order to avoid that such a cumbersome object, which could create a stoppage, enters the under-track- net. The back-up box has a narrow angle of a special structure, so that all the things exceeding this "bottle-like net" after some tenths of a second can reach the dust-bag, by avoiding possible stoppages.
How noisy is a central vacuum cleaner?
The Disan central vacuum cleaner are actually the most silent on the market. Their noise during the direct exposition is comparable with that of a traditional vacuum cleaner. A further reduction is obtained by the connection to the external silencer (always included for models of middle and high level).
However, it must always be taken into account that the central is usually installed in the cellar, the garage or the thermo central, and as a consequence its noise is not perceptible in the inhabited rooms. The user hears only a rustle provoked by the speed of the vacuumed air.
Is it possible to transit noise through the tubes under-track?
According to our long experience this does not happen. The inlet sockets are built so that even with the central turned on, if closed, they don't emit any noise. For that purpose they are fitted out with a gasket made of rubber, which guarantees an airtight closure.
A "telephone"- effect is possible only if two inlet sockets are opened at the same time and the central has not been started yet. This does not represent a risk neither for children, nor for firms or the environmental quietness.
Alternatives for house cleaning
Do the water-vacuum cleaners represent an alternative to the central vacuum cleaner?
The vacuum cleaners with water-filter are often advertised as an absolute newness for the cleaning of the house and associated with an ecological form of air-depuration. In reality, the tests carried out on behalf of an association of German consumers (Ökotest, April 2000) show that they don't cope with their task and normally get unusable in short because of the formation of moulds and colonies of bacteria inside their solid filtering components.
Do the vacuum cleaners represent an alternative for people having allergic disease?
The Review Ökotest has published the results of the TÜV of Essen concerning the test carried out about the vacuum cleaners for people with allergic diseases. Only three models of eight have reached an assignment of marks considered "sufficient".
Therefore the Review Ökotest has come to the conclusion that only a system of central vacuum cleaner represents an efficient way for the dust ridding in domestic environments, with the guarantee of total dust elimination, by maintaining the efficiency of the intaking- process.