Central Vacuum Repair: How to Unclog Your System
Vacuums, whether it be a central vacuum or a portable one, are an essential piece of kit for any household. You don't realise just how true that statement is until you have to do without one. Dust and dirt seems to build up at the speed of light, making your home not only unsightly, but unhygienic too. With central vacuums, one of the most common repair issues, certainly based on our experience in Toronto, Thornhill and Richmond Hill, are blockages. We're going to talk a little about how you can prevent blockages and then go on to talk about how you might be able to fix relatively minor blockages without needing to call a central vacuum service.
Best Practices to Prevent Central Vacuum Blockages
The vast majority of the time it's possible to prevent clogs from occurring in the first place; it's just a matter of knowing what you can and can't allow your central vacuum cleaner to "suck up." Try to avoid using your central vacuum to dispose of the following:
- Long, Solid Objects - We're not referring to enormous objects here either. Don't allow anything over 2 or 3 inches in length to disappear down your central vacuum cleaner, as these items often get lodged in the network of pipes and gradually cause other items to accumulate around them.
- Large Volumes - Similarly, it's not a good idea to put large volumes of waste such as plant leaves, pet hair or shredded paper down the vacuum all at once, as this may also cause a clog. This waste can be disposed of with a central vacuum, but if you want to avoid the need for central vacuum repair, it's best to do it gradually.
You've Got a Clog: Here Are a Few DIY Central Vacuum Repair Tips
- Poor suction levels typically indicate a clog in one of the pipes that are connected to the vacuum unit itself. Checking to see whether suction is strong at the actual unit will verify this and checking which inlets are affected will help narrow down the location of the clog.
- Once located, it's time to remove the clog. Don't try to push the clog further into the system and towards the vacuum using items such as a plumbing snake, as they usually won't budge. Instead, get a powerful vacuum cleaner and press it against the inlet that has poor suction. This will usually be sufficient to suck a minor clog back out of the system.
- For more stubborn blockages you might have to alternate between your high powered vacuum and turning the central vacuum unit on; the subsequent back and forward movement will often work the clog loose so that it can be removed.
If you try these tips and aren't able to unblock your system, give our central vacuum repair team a call; there's no clog that we can't deal with!
