In our presentation centre there is one new product that seems to continually amaze people every time I introduce them to it. It’s called the “hide a hose”; it’s a central vacuum hose that retracts back into the wall once you’re done using it. That’s right I said back into the wall.
First let me give you some background information about how this came about.
A decade ago all the rage in new homes and additions were installing central vacuum systems to make the cleaning of the homes easier. It offered a more convenient way to clean the home then having to buy a big heavy vacuum and lug it around, especially up and down stairs. You had to buy bags for it and they filled up faster than it would take you to change them. Central vacuums offered a convenient solution to these problems. The hoses were lighter then vacuums and all of the dirt sucked was deposited into a container usually in the garage; all you had to do was empty it into a garbage bag when it was full.
This novelty started to wear off after people had them for a period of time and we ask builders started to see people going back to using the old style vacuums. The issues that people were having were mostly to do with the hoses that plugged into the wall. When you rolled them up they were so bulky that they took up most of the closet that they were hung in. The hoses were made to be durable and bendable so they were manufactured with a corrugated exterior, this caused the hoses to rub on the corners of the wall and could cause damage to the trim and paint. Some other issues were that you had to take the long impractical hose up or downstairs every time you wanted to clean. If you didn’t want to do this then you had to buy a hose for every floor, this required sacrificing more closet space to store them.
This has all changed with some of the new products that have been introduced to the market in the past couple of years. The biggest innovation is called the “hide a hose”. Hide a hose is a system that is installed in the walls of your home before the drywall goes up. It uses the normal central vacuum piping that is installed in all residential homes; the difference is that the hose is actually in the pipe. So all you see is a small white cover about 6” by 12”. You open the flap and pull out the hose. The hose can be installed to extend up to 40 ft in length. When this port is placed in the centre of the house the hose is usually long enough to reach all corners of that floor. When you are done with vacuuming you simply take off the attachment on the end of the hose, place your hand over the end of the hose and the hose will suck itself back into the wall. All you have to do is follow it back to the wall and keep your hand over the end of the pipe until it is completely returned to the port. If you install one “hide a hose” per floor you will never have to lug around a long impractical hose again. No more dragging the hose up and down stairs, knocking end tables over and no more using up valuable closet space. The hide a hose is a remote activated system, so that you do not require an electrical outlet near the hose port. It works solely on air pressure, that the carpet sweeper and all the other attachments do not have a lot of moving parts. They are air driven and this will allow longer life especially for your carpet sweeper.
Another new feature is what is called socks. They are slipped over existing central vacuum hoses; they give the hose a soft outside so that the trim and paint does not get damaged. These come in a variety of colours and patterns to choose from.
So when planning your next project don’t let the old issues with central vacuums stand in your way. Install a new generation central vacuum with all the features that will help make your home a more enjoyable experience.
If you need any advice or are wanting to install a central vacuum in your next renovation send me an email at robabbott@villagebuilders.ca. Or even better if you want to see the “hide a hose” in action then feel free to stop by our presentation centre in beautiful Creemore.
Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.
