Central vacuum or built in vacuum cleaners are installed into a home.  This can be done in new construction, a rehab, or fitted into an existing home.  Central vacuum works by adding inlets on each floor of you home, and then pvc pipe is run to the power unit which is typically mounted in the garage or the utility room. The way the vacuum works is by plugging you hose into one of the inlets, and the dirt travels through the pipe in the wall and into the power unit.  The dirt then collects into the dirt bucket at the bottom of the power unit, and is only emptied on average twice a year.  The motor in any central vacuum is larger and more powerful than what you may find in any canister or upright vacuum cleaner. 

The way that the power of a central vacuum is measured throughout the industry is by air watts and water lift.  The higher that each of these numbers is the more suction that will be generated from the central vacuum.

 You will also need to take into account the square footage of you home, since all central vacuums cover a different range.  You will want to find a central vacuum that covers a larger square footage than the size of you home. 

Complete Central Vacuum Catalog

There are a lot of vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters these days, but finding a good one can be difficult.  The purpose of the HEPA filter is only to trap emissions from exhausting though the vacuum cleaner.  Finding a vacuum that is effective enough to remove the dirt from the nap of the carpet and home furnishings is most important.  If you vacuum fails to remove the embedded dirt that the HEPA filter will serve little value.  A two motor vacuum with a power nozzle is highly recommended to accomplish this task.  Once you find a two motor vacuum that is effective, you should then look and see if it has a HEPA filter.  This way you will remove all the embedded dirt and have clean emissions, which is optimal for a clean home. 

A vacuum cleaner with a bag can help to trap all of the dust, dirt, and allergens in the bag.  A bag that has a seal to close the opening is the best bet at keeping the dirt in the bag.  Bags that lack the seal may release dirt into the air when changing the bag.  A HEPA bag or high filtration bag will help to minimize particles that come trough the exhaust.

A vacuum cleaner without a bag can be very bad for a allergy and asthma suffer.  When you empty the dust cup you may want to wear a mask, since there is typically a cloud of dust when empting cup.  If you do not have allergies then this may be a good solution if you are looking to save money on bag costs.  Not all bagless vacuums will save you money.  Some bagless vacuums have multiple filters that you will need to be changed on at least a semi-annual basis, which can be expensive. 

Electolux took its rhyming phrase “nothing sucks like an Electrolux” and brought it to America from English-speaking markets overseas. They didn’t know that the word “sucks” had become a derogatory word in the States.

According to the definition in 40 CFR 745.83:

"HEPA vacuum means a vacuum cleaner which has been designed with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter as the last filtration stage. A HEPA filter is a filter that is capable of capturing particles of 0.3 microns with 99.97% efficiency. The vacuum cleaner must be designed so that all the air drawn into the machine is expelled through the HEPA filter with none of the air leaking past it."

Therefore, renovation firms should look for a vacuum cleaner that was designed to be operated with a HEPA filter, rather than a shop vacuum that can be fitted with a HEPA filter in place of the original basic filter. A vacuum retrofitted with a HEPA filter is not necessarily properly sealed or designed so that all of the intake air goes through the HEPA filter. EPA also recommends that renovation firms ask the manufacturer or retailer whether the machine has been tested to ensure that it achieves the high efficiency required of a HEPA filter (capturing 99.97% of 0.3 micron particles).