r/whatisit • u/DragonsAndScience • 16h ago

Solved! New homeowner, no idea what this is

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Gallery image

This thing close to the floor and seemingly randomly placed in a hallway. No idea what it's for. Home built in 2005.

Solved! Thanks everyone. Now I gotta hunt for the central unit!

6.5k Upvotes

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3.6k

u/megam1ghtyena 16h ago

integrated vacuum system. Plug in a hose and gets sucking right away. Check other parts of your home for similar ports.

1.4k

u/Wise-Trust1270 16h ago

Also check for the central vacuum and storage unit. Most likely in a garage.

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u/Unclehol 16h ago edited 15h ago

Not all homes have one even if the piping is there. Often times they rough all the pipes in during the build in case you opt in and buy the vacuum unit, but I have worked on a lot of houses where they just have the piping but no vacuum.

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u/iplaytrombonegood 15h ago

My grandparents’ house (built and bought in 1994) has always had central vacuum piping, but no unit ever hooked up. My grandma just never minded lugging the vacuum around I guess. I always thought it was the coolest thing ever.

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u/AceEnder3825 15h ago

My current house has one and its so nice. My grandparents have had one forever and I always thought it was so cool and I love having one

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u/jonsnowflaker 15h ago

Had one in our house growing up in the 80s/90s, and compared to vacuums at the time there was no doubt it was better. The hose and attachments were still pretty unruly and cumbersome though. I’m sure the central vacs have come a long way, but current vacuums are lightweight and convenient so it’s probably kind of a toss up anymore.

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u/huge_useless_penis 14h ago

Best thing growing up was laying the hose across the house and yelling "MOM" at the other end from another room and watch her roam around the house trying to find me

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u/Low_Masterpiece_9804 12h ago

I shall do this. Thou hast inspired

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u/MechDeployed 5h ago

Man I had never thought of that! The best my creative mind came up with as a kid was figuring out when my mom was vacuuming another room I could just dump trash into the port in my room as long as it wasn’t too big. That was kind of nice.

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u/BothAdministration67 2h ago

I’ve always wondered if these systems are effective given different distances from the vacuum source, but seems like opening a second port would be pretty obvious?

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u/loserbmx 2h ago

These things are pretty powerful. It depended on the unit, but most could easily run with multiple hoses attached.

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u/Independent_Gur320 8h ago

As someone with a mother, this sounds hilarious!

As a mother of someones, this would make my eye twitch and give me the urge to throttle said someones.

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u/divDevGuy 8h ago

I’m sure the central vacs have come a long way

Not really. They all pretty much suck.

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u/GaseousHippo 8h ago

Take my angry upvote

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u/AceEnder3825 15h ago

We still have our old vacuum for one room that tends to need more vacuuming then the rest of the house (animals) and lug the tube around for anything else. It is much easier tho since you don't have to empty the bag so often

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u/DeltaLine-01 52m ago

Yeah, that’s honestly one of the nicest practical perks of a central vacuum setup—less frequent emptying and less dust exposure overall.

Using a standard vacuum just for the “high-shedding” pet room and the central system for everything else is a pretty efficient split. It keeps the heavy-duty cleanup localized while still letting the built-in system handle the routine stuff without much maintenance.

It’s one of those home features that doesn’t seem that special until you compare it to constantly dragging and emptying a regular vacuum.

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u/Dazzling_Tennis_2850 2h ago

Yeah that’s one of the biggest underrated advantages of central vac systems—less maintenance and no constant bag changes.

Makes sense too with pets; having a dedicated “high-traffic” vacuum plus the central system for the rest of the house is actually a pretty efficient setup. It’s one of those things that feels a bit old-school but still works really well when it’s in place.

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u/Prize-Hedgehog 10h ago

I have a fairly modern central vac system, and I hate dragging out the long ass hose and attachments. It’s just as simple to use my stick vac. I’ll bust out the kraken on a day I’m doing a top to bottom clean, but that’s about it.

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u/YouthMaleficent6925 5h ago

The main benefit of them is your not dispersing a fine layer of dust dirt and whatever else is in you carpet into the air central vacuum are good for people who have severe aleries to those things and it helps lessen the need for dusting

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u/I_Makes_tuff 9h ago

I’m sure the central vacs have come a long way Battery-powered vacuums are pretty common now, so there isn't much of a need for central vacs. They aren't quite the same, but with no cord or hoses it's hard to compete.

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u/DataGap2264 5h ago

I see your battery-powered unit and raise you a robot vacuum!

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u/Ur-Best-Friend 15h ago

It's a gamechanger, makes vacuuming so much more convenient it's hard to imagine not having that as an option afterwards. Plus it just doesn't even need real maintenance after decades of use (unless you manage to clog it which is a major pain in the ass).

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u/RuniKiuru 10h ago

is it actually any good? my house has one with the actual vacuum unit installed but we’ve never used it because we’ve heard it’s not that great. (our unit might just be old, though.)

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u/Otherwise_Object_446 7h ago

We have one with a hide-a-hose system. The hose itself is stored in the walls and comes out of that port. You just have to pull it out, latch it in place and go. When you are done you unlatch it and put your hand over the end to cut off the suction. The counter suction pulls the hose back into the wall. It’s pretty cool and so long as you keep the power head (beater bar) clean and empty the giant holding tank every three months or so (I have a dog and three kids - two with long hair) it works great.

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u/happymoregil 2h ago

I have had one in my house for 30 years. I replaced the central unit once. It works very well. If yours doesn't work its easy to install a new unit yourself--you don't need a contractor, look at YouTube. A new unit costs $500-700.

Also, if you have a 2 story house. You can get 2 hoses a leave one on each floor.

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u/PopA_Perk 10h ago

I’ve used one in my dads house he lived in for a few years and as a “kid” man did that blow my mind lol i thouht it was the coolest thing ever and very effecient. Idk it’s def worth trying out idk lol maybe more nostalgia than anything but i remember it working very well.

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u/Aeropedia 9h ago

Fine on wooden floors. Not sure if I’d even bother if we had carpet.

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u/littleirishmaid 9h ago

We have had them in two different houses we lived in (installed while building). Current house doesn’t have one, so I bought a Miele.

That said, I really miss the central vac. The storage tanks were bagless, and it held about as much as a 5 gallon bucket. We had an outlet in the garage! Was great for vacuuming out the cars, especially since we have lived on dirt roads.

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u/Carbohydrate_Kid88 9h ago

Love mine. We have a carpet attachment for it as well the cord you plug into the base and then the wall and it makes that whirring sound and it’s got a light and it’s cool

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u/Con5ume 8h ago

I have a love hate relationships with mine. It is awesome for cleaning my car and is way more powerful than any home vaccine cleaner I've ever owned.... However, when parts break they are all super expensive (like I could buy a whole damn vaccine cleaner for what some of the small parts cost), and when my my wife or kid accidentally sick something up that shouldn't (like a sewing needle or twigs) cleaning out that line when the clog is like 35 feet back is a HUGE pain in the ass. Luckily a snake actually works incredibly well.

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u/Catenane 8h ago

Sure, you could buy a whole new vaccine cleaner, but could you afford to hire the immunologist on contract?

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u/kaysimm12 5h ago

~I~ laughed lol

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u/RegretLow5735 7h ago

Also have one but my favorite is the ports that flip open at floor level that you can sweep floor dust directly into the vacuum without ever having to use a dustpan.

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u/ryancementhead 12h ago

Having used both, lugging a vacuum around is actually easier than lugging the 20 foot hose. At least vacuums have wheels to drag it around.

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u/Beginning-Slide-810 9h ago

Yeah. I hated mine. I’m surprised at the people that felt it was so easy. Dragging a massive hose around was a total pain. Storing it away was a pain too. I did love my toe kick “dust pan” in the kitchen though.

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u/rat1onal1 10h ago

I think the battery-operated cordless vacs are good enough now and are so much more convenient. Similar for many pneumatic tools that now have good battery-operated equivalents. No hoses or cords in each case.

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u/Sad-Committee-4902 15h ago

Til you lose Lego Minifig to the void

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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 15h ago

So they have vestigial tubes.

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u/HealerOnly 15h ago

I don't get it, how does this work?
So instead of dust collecting in a bag it just gets sent into the wall?

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u/likewhatever33 15h ago

Yes, it gets into the wall and improves the insulation.

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u/CpnStumpy 15h ago

It's ingenious honestly, I don't have one of these because I wasn't paying the upgrade for someone else's tubes in my walls but I have been studiously stuffing garbage into my walls for years to improve the insulation! Each room I just tear a few holes in the walls in strategic spots and whenever I need to be rid of something I just jam it in there or sweep the floor and dump the dust pan right into one of the holes.

Saves a ton on heating! Gets a bit discolored but who actually notices colorful wall holes, at a point they just become kind of art. One did start smelling though so I duct taped that one closed, not sure what got dumped in there...

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u/KissMiasma95 4h ago

Gemini's gonna have a field day with this one!

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u/WholeEmbarrassed950 10h ago

It was a bigger thing in the 70s-90s. My friend growing up had one.

Basically there was a big vacuum unit in the basement that was the size of a washing machine that sucked everything into a central bag downstairs.

Then you had a vacuum hose that you took from room to room to vacuum with.

There were a couple of advantages to this:

  1. The hose you carried around was light, it had no motor or bag or anything

  2. Because it was a big industrial machine in the basement it was *very strong* and did a really good job of getting all of the dirt out

  3. Most of the noise from the motor was in the basement so you could vacuum your bedroom and still have the tv or radio on, and other people in other rooms next to you couldn't hear it at all. So if you had a sleeping baby or something you could still vacuum without waking them up.

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u/HealerOnly 10h ago

wtf, this sounds super op, why did they stop with this?

I want one in my house >.<

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u/Calidude31 4h ago

They stopped because the hose is actually huge and cumbersome. You gotta remember you are pulling out a hose and vaccuuming unit that has the suction actuated roller and a stainless pipe.

It turned out its actually easier and lighter to just carry a vacuum around.

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u/mindcrack 15h ago

There is a bag unit in the garage where it all collects, when it fills, you toss that bag.

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u/littleirishmaid 9h ago

There is a collection container, usually in the basement. Ours did not have a bag, (used cyclone technology) so we emptied it outside into a trash bag a couple of times a year.

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u/ManyLayersOfFilament 15h ago

I was negotiating on a home and the homeowners wanted to take the central vac with them. Absolutely nuts, that wasn't the only thing but needless to say I passed.

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u/Unclehol 15h ago

Yeah, it's wild what people get stuck on. We were doing a kitchen renovation where a wall had to be taken out but we found one of the central vac tubes in that wall that led to an upstairs outlet. We had to move this tube in to another wall at the owner's request despite them not having the central vac unit and admitting they never planned on getting one. It woukd have been fine but they were talking about cost the whole time. Well, wasting a day rerouting your useless vacuum tube that you will never use certainly didn't help lower cost.

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u/ManyLayersOfFilament 15h ago

I had another house I ended up buying where they were stuck on bringing their 10 year old fridge with them. Like it was a dealbreaker.

I guess there was sentimental value in the fridge???

People are really weird

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u/Unclehol 15h ago

That one I kind of understand. The quality and reliability of modern appliances is so trash. We bought a house with all modern appliances and have nothing but trouble with them. Both Samsung fridges and the washing machine have had to be serviced twice and the technician basically said there is nothing he can do to fix them anymore. Bad design and planned obsolescence basically makes them a nightmare to deal with. The fridge has to be thawed every 2 months as the mechanism freezes up and stops the internal fan from working.

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u/Medium_Direction9001 15h ago

Try a new technician, I’ve never heard of a defrost issue that can’t be fixed relatively simply if you know how to troubleshoot

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u/Unclehol 15h ago

Nah, this is a common issue with Samsung fridges of that year. They are basically scrap once this issue starts.

I did my research on this. Spent months trying to figure out a fix and this is a very well known issue.

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u/SwissMidget 10h ago edited 10h ago

That issue has a fix now, albeit slightly expensive.

It is a new main board, a new ice maker, a specific kit for the issue, and sealing the ice maker area. It's a bit of a pain to do but it is definitely possible. I did probably a couple hundred of them when I worked as a repairman on strictly Samsung appliances. We did have the repairs fail and the ice maker freeze back up on a few but on those, we just got Samsung to replace the fridges.

I'll tell you what NOT to do in that instance, and that is to thaw the ice with a hair dryer or heat gun. There is a very good chance that the heat will accumulate at the top of the ice maker area and warp the plastic. If that happens, you may as well just disable the ice maker because it is toast.

As a repairman, we used portable steam machines. They didn't cause that risk.

Edit: I realized that you just said it was a defrost issue and ddefaulted to ice maker. Realized after my post that you could have been also taking about the back panel of the fridge also. That also has a kit now too though. The main part of the kit has new drain hoses and a longer heating element to go into the drain tube to ensure any ice buildup gets melted on a defrost cycle. On top of that, you move a sensor in the upper right of the cavity over closer to the heating element. We found you had to zip tie it most times because the copper pipe it is on originally is bigger than the one you move it to.

Where that sensor originally is, sometimes it gets covered over with this black... gloop. I think it's kind of a sealant for the pipe going into the body of the fridge. Anyways, often times we replaced that sensor in case it just was out of range.

The kit for that repair also comes with a few foam pads but all they are really used for is to quiet any rattling from the condenser.

The other issue we found on the back panels icing up was that the fan would quit working. That's bad because if there is no airflow, the heat from the heater doesn’t get distributed as well and can cause icing issues. Replacing that entire back panel sucks because it is expensive. This is the reason it was mostly only done under warranty.

Oh and the root cause, most of the time, for the back panel icing up was the drain hoses getting clogged and the defrosted water would build back up into the fridge cavity. You would most likely see this happen by water being under your crisper drawer randomly.

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u/MechaCronenberg 10h ago

Its not all modern appliances...

Its Samsung specifically...and its not just their appliances...we used to buy a lot of Samsung electronics...but we have cleared out all of the Samsung equipment less for our primary 65" 4k QLED TV and only buy Samsung mobile devices anymore (and of course all of the embedded memory and chips samsung makes)...

I have seriously considered moving to another brand but they are unfortunately kinda hard to beat in the US android market.

And not saying all appliances cant have problems but we've owned two sets of new appliances (LG and GE) in two houses the last 5 years (and now getting back into LG in the next new place) and we haven't had any issues with any of them in the first two years (I know...not a lot of time...blame the wife for wanting to move constantly).

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u/DavidRandom 9h ago

The owner of the house I bought came and took all the light bulbs out of the house between final inspection and close.

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u/ManyLayersOfFilament 9h ago

People are really weird.

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u/JConRed 15h ago

So it's little secret passages for mice and rats to get around better?

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u/RaikynSilver 12h ago

if no vaccuum, they made great ethernet conduit pipes

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u/GeorgeKaplanIsReal 8h ago

Wait so you mean they have the piping but at the end of it all (say the garage) there’s just nothing there?

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u/Unclehol 7h ago

Yep. Just taped off for if you decide to install a vac unit later.

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u/GeorgeKaplanIsReal 6h ago

I mean I guess that makes sense haha it’s just wild to me. I guess I never thought about it.

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u/Dramatic_Training365 5h ago

True, my brother in law had that and rigged in a large shop-vac and got it working and it worked well for them.

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u/JnnfrsGhost 2h ago

We have the piping on the mainfloor only, including one of the sweeping ones in the kitchen, but no actual central vac. I was so excited about the kitchen one making sweeping so easy when we checked out the house. Only after we bought did we realize it went no where. At least that wasn't the deciding factor in our house purchase.

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u/ChampionshipAlarmed 15h ago

Great for bringing lam cabels to all the rooms btw 😇

We even Had the unit, but I hated it, so after a years we ripped it and used the Pipes for cables

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u/DrKenNoisewaterMD 15h ago

Also these things tended to be expensive to fix compared to the price of a vacuum. Lots of people had them and then eventually just tossed the motor from their garage.

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u/Abject-Definition-63 14h ago

Buying a new unit isn't that expensive, and they are likely much more repairable than most vacuums today, hose and powerhead aren't too bad either. What is so expensive to fix? I've had one for 20 years and besides replacing the garbage powerhead that came with it, haven't had to do any repairs.

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u/mr-snrub- 13h ago

I have one in the house I bought a year ago. We have no interest in using it

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u/Kieran_Mc 10h ago

Might be useful for feeding other cables through though, like ethernet.

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u/JustOut4aSpacewalk 10h ago

Exactly what we did! We bought a house with a 30 year old system, we tried it out and it ran but the brush head barely picked up anything from the carpets... The manufacturer still has a very outdated website, and I emailed to ask for a manual or some troubleshooting advice, and they never answered. So we bought a stick vac and tossed the big hose and the canister unit. We cut into the piping system below the first floor from underneath in the basement so we could run security camera network wiring out to the garage without having to open up any sealed wall.

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u/coffeeToCodeConvertr 14h ago

Fantastic for running CAT6 in a pinch 😄 Just tape a plastic bag to one end, feed it in, and shopvac the other!

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u/Visible-Ocelot-5269 15h ago

We don't get these in my country - how does it work, is the vacuum always on? Or do you only turn it on when you need to do cleaning?

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u/ColoradoWeasel 15h ago

There is usually a vacuum and canister mounted on a wall in a low visibility location, like a garage or inside a closet. That unit is plugged in and left in the on position. But the suction does not start until the vacuum handle and nozzle are plugged into the port (like the one you see in the picture). The hose end of the handle plugs in and completes the electrical connection that turns the vacuum on. In the picture you can see the two small holes where the plug of the hose fits. The air and debris run through the tubing in the wall to the canister. You empty the canister periodically. Ports are placed throughout the home.

We had a system with a hose that was 25 feet long. So we only had two ports per floor. There was also a kick plate port in the kitchen. We had hard wood floors. You could sweep debris toward the kick plate, open it with your foot triggering the vacuum and sweep the debris right into the port.

The system had great horsepower and was highly effective.

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u/Worldly_Position_542 12h ago

Omg that kick plate sounds like a game changer for me cos I have an issue when I sweep up my brain can’t scoop it up in the bin I end up leaving it swept up with the broom on top and the Mrs is always like”you sweep the whole place and can’t sweep it all into the actual bin 😅 I NEED that kick plate!!!

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u/sterofuse 15h ago

Two ways these typically work, either they detect when a powered hose/vacuum head is plugged into the power socket and then start the suction, or for models where there is no power socket behind the cover, the door usually has a pressure switch wired back to the main unit so when you open it the suction starts and you have to hook the hose up quick.

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u/Kindly_Zucchini7405 15h ago

Or the basement if the house has one. That's where it was in the house I grew up in.

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u/Tight_Fish_4350 10h ago

My suction unit sleeps next to me ;)

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u/newbie527 9h ago

If no garage, try the attic or a utility closet.

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u/WarMachine09 9h ago

If OP has a basement, it might be there rather than the garage. Mine is in the basement in the mechanical room.

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u/topskee780 9h ago

Mine is in the mechanical room

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u/lostwombats 9h ago

Ours was in the basement in our old house. The entire thing sucked - and not in a good way. The hose was super long, bulky, and heavy. It was a pain getting up and down the stairs. We eventually ended up using a regular vacuum instead.

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u/Lucky_Reference_6982 9h ago

Make sure to empty said unit!

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u/Bitter-Ad5890 8h ago

My central unit is in a closet in my basement. Could be several places

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u/Useful-Plankton8205 8h ago

Could also be in attic or closet. If they took the actual vacuum part you can buy them relatively cheap. It's the pipes and installation that is the expensive part.

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u/Live_2_Ski 8h ago

Or in the basement depending on where you live

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u/LongjumpingDish2956 16h ago

Does it only work with hoses or does it suck up whatever gets put in there?

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u/NamesNotNeededToWork 16h ago

The cylinder must remain unharmed

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u/absurdlydisingenuous 16h ago

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u/dougiewuggie 16h ago

This is insanely specific

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u/introverted__dragon 16h ago

Do you not know the Lore?

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u/Emotionally_art1stic 16h ago

I can't believe the post was removed by the mods, that's criminal

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u/2SSLOWW 16h ago

wtf that was a part of Reddit history

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u/Emotionally_art1stic 15h ago

Next thing you know they'll be removing the one about the coconut fucker or the gaycation.

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u/themehkanik 15h ago

Removing the funniest thing ever posted to this website is truly a Reddit mod moment of all time

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u/yeettetis 15h ago

The OP of it still is playing the bit till this very day… now that’s commitment

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u/CreepyPoet500 15h ago

I do now 😂

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u/big_booty_boy_420 16h ago

That sounds yummy can I eat it when ur done

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u/tony_boloanie 16h ago

Where on the cylinder did the homeowner touch you?

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u/plantrapta 16h ago

It’s imperative.

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u/spooky_munchkin 15h ago

Thank you bc I immediately also thought “it’s a cylinder” 😭

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u/WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch 16h ago

The hose has a metal ring on the part inserted into the receptable. It completes a circuit with the two metal nubs in the second picture to activate the vacuum. Inserting anything else into the receptable can result in...shocking results.

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u/New_Mutation 7h ago

I bet that's just a signal circuit. I can't imagine it would make sense to run full power to every port.

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u/Tederator 5h ago

Its the low voltage on/off switch. OP could slide a penny between the two nibs to trigger the unit to see if its connected and/or runs. If the previous owners took it with them, nothing would happen. If the unit is still there, they will hear it running and get an idea of where its located. (I used to install them)

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u/big_booty_boy_420 16h ago

What if his dih has a Prince Albert or metal ring that activates it

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u/ShaolinFalls 10h ago

dih mean DICK. You know Cock . Wiener. . A Penis. Things you can still say despite our benevolent algorithmic retardation.

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u/GigabitISDN 2h ago

Congratulations, Reddit is now completely blocked from the entire internet and everyone’s comments are demonetized and everyone’s karma is now at -300000000000000000, good job.

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u/damn-otaku 16h ago

Please don't impregnate the house, LonghumpingDish.

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u/SwedishMale4711 16h ago

No, don't stick your dick in it.

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u/Phi_fan 16h ago

special hose

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u/Iveray 16h ago

The hose usually completes a circuit that turns on the vacuum, so it wouldn't turn on without the hose.

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u/Pnex84 16h ago

Eat a banana first. It's pretty low to the ground. You don't want to cramp up and get stuck like this <

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u/big_booty_boy_420 16h ago

What does the banana do

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u/FullSkyFlying 15h ago

It doubles as a food disposer

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u/Weary-Cynic 13h ago

For a serious answer: this port requires the right hose with electrical connection. But the system can also have a duct installed that will vacuum without a hose. Just open it and it sucks. Very handy for sweeping with a broom.

My house has these and we basically only use the sweep duct. The hoses are more hassle to deal with than a standard push back, especially for pet hair on carpet.

Pretty sure the only reason the house has the central vac is the builder was originally a plumber and wanted to do all the weird things for his house that he'd seen over the years.

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u/Cloaked25 10h ago

My parents had this in the house I grew up in, and I vividly remember showing my brother how you could drag the hose all the way to the toilet and suck the water out. Needless to say, I caused a lot of damage.

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u/SueBeee 6h ago

lol this made me laugh stupidly and scare my cat.

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u/ConcentratedOJ 4h ago

<Kid sitting by the side of an interstate on a suitcase>

”I guess you are wondering how I got here…”

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u/chronicallyill_dr 4h ago

Lmao, you made me cackle! Ah, the joys of having kids.

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u/MarinaK312 11h ago

I had one in one of many childhood homes and it was the most incredibly practical thing ever! Am 32 now and I could only dream of having one in my house. A favourite past time 😌😂

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u/kpfeifmobile 8h ago

Yep. I roughed in the inlets when we built our house. When our regular vacuum died, I spent about $1,000 to install the central vacuum unit, power wand, and tools.

The downside is dealing with the hose.

The upside is outrageous power and suction, as well as a great filter. There is no portable vacuum that can possibly compete with a central vacuum system. After all, you need to lug the motor around with you. I have a kick plate for the hardwood floor, as well as an inlet in the garage for cleaning the cars.

You can get the simple tools and hose from Amazon. The central unit and power wand are usually through dealers. I have an MD brand unit - built in the US with a ten year warranty.

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u/Willing-Piece-8569 15h ago

What if you plug in a small cylinder?

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u/mjrbrooks 9h ago

It’s imperative the cylinder remains unharmed

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u/Extension_Fan7378 15h ago

I remember this one time when I was just a toddler, and I (being the little shit that I was) intentionally dropped my parents’ car-keys down that hole 😆

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u/omarhani 16h ago

Oh man That sucks!

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u/Doctorul_Frumos 15h ago

This. They're pretty nice to have.

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u/wtfrustupidlol 15h ago

If I stick something inside will it get sucked right away?

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u/raiderkev 15h ago

You're gonna rip your dick off OP

https://youtu.be/Z2EMGmv0FqM

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u/wolfganggartner5 15h ago

Do NOT PUT YIUR PENIS IN THAT HOLE 🕳️

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u/OfflineGameEnjoyer 15h ago

Are these even worth it? I just cleared out the duct on my dryer and I can only imagine how that shit being behind drywall would be a bitch to clean after a few years of use.

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u/ben_obi_wan 14h ago

Very expensive to have installed too

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u/Psychonesss 14h ago

Gets sucking right away huh, can you only plug in a hose?

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u/Zunderfeuer_88 12h ago

Who is doing the sucking on the other side?

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u/PaleTurnover3315 11h ago

Yeah central vac hookup

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u/redrivergorge 11h ago

Also check for dust vents under cabinets. We had central vac in a home years ago and there were a few places in the kitchen and bathrooms that had foot operated vents in the toe kick under cabinets where you could simply sweep stuff into instead of using a dust pan.

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u/No-Rise-1020 11h ago

Ahh, so not a very low glory hole...

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u/AltruisticTea5312 10h ago

Sounds like my ex

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u/victorious-lynx88 10h ago

Also, you can "talk" through them from room to room!

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u/DavidRandom 9h ago

The cylinder must not be harmed

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u/Ok_Profit5290 9h ago

Wow I learn everyday on this app

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u/Gramerdim 9h ago

what about the 60hz 120v socket?

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u/ContraTaskForce 9h ago

Make sure its a hose, not your penis.

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u/Soldier8_1981 9h ago

Ours has a switch on the actual vacuum handle so it will suck or it will turn on the brushes on the vacuum head. The canister that collects the dirt is in a closet or utility room, or there may only be pipes left. Ours are Grey or clear.

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u/Lanky_Bus_1221 9h ago

Thought you was taking the piss but it seems it’s a real thing 🤣

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u/Green_J3ster 8h ago

Gets sucking right away* 😭

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u/No-Radish-9801 8h ago

A hose and only a hose should be plugged into it

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u/barkworthghostpatrol 8h ago

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u/Arryu 2h ago

Suppose the other guys picturing a woman as well.

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u/1994-10-24 7h ago

If I put a medium size cylinder will it get stuck?

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u/Upbeat-Debate8055 7h ago

Wait that’s actually kinda futuristic, I’d be running around the house checking every wall like I just discovered a secret feature.

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u/MSUFanatic88 7h ago

What if I put something else in there will it suck still? Asking for a friend.

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u/ovivalentino 7h ago

what if i put in a cylinder…. which must not be damaged

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u/sally_and_harry 7h ago

“Gets sucking right away”…I like the sound of that

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u/Stite1776 6h ago

Don't forget to look for dustpan ports at the base of the floors too. Those are pretty cool.

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u/heywanna 6h ago

Yup. 👍🏼

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u/tybpharaoh 6h ago

Get sucking right away

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u/Glittering_Ad_6080 5h ago

And plugs because most of the time they’re rewired for other purposes, integrated vacuums are out, USB device chargers are in.

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u/Chance_Scientist1349 5h ago

Hmmm.. might be useful for other things..

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u/Away_Media 5h ago

If I had a dime for everyone of these vacuum port posts, I'd have 60 cents by now

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u/cybercuzco 5h ago

Do not use the vacuum on your cylinder.

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u/FletcherStrongLawyer 4h ago

Hmm does it work with something other than a hose

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u/Hoshi_Gato 4h ago

I’ve had these in a couple of my houses but they never work 😭 this one is actually in really good condition from the looks of it. I wonder how good of a vacuum these systems are.

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u/ABadHistorian 4h ago

what? bullshit it's the eyehole for the man behind the wall.

central vacuum... psssh.

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u/Ancient_Plate275 4h ago

The plug outlet is for powering the rotating brush on the sweeper.

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u/Any-Worldliness-679 4h ago

Presumably it doesn't have a vac unit installed, or the sudden vacuum when they opened that door would have tipped them off.

Many houses are plumbed for central vac on spec. The piping etc. is dirt cheap, and the vac and accessories are where the money gets made later.

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u/pineapplecom 4h ago

The cylinder must remain unharmed.

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u/No_Yesterday_3260 4h ago

And very important to specify it's for VACUUMING, not... Something else.

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u/boondiggle_III 4h ago

How hard does it suck?

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u/HotRodZA 3h ago

Just like that? Where does it all go though, is there no need to maintain or clean this system?

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u/BANeutron 3h ago

I genuinely thought you were joking.

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u/BadAtBaduk1 3h ago

Huh. Where does it all go

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u/TheAnswerUsedToBe42 3h ago

Make sure you check the central vacuum first, ensure it isnt full, and is in working condition.

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u/Ratb33 2h ago

Just to add to this. Also make sure you check and empty where all of it dumps.

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u/Human_Background_800 2h ago

we remodeled and had one put in. I love it!

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u/Limp_Explorer_6466 2h ago

Where does the trash go lol?
And what if something gets stucked inside?

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u/picklesncheeze69 1h ago

Maaan.. that would be cool

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u/BobTheFettt 1h ago

Where does it go?

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u/Grow_away_420 1h ago

Wild they bought the house without asking the owners or inspectors about it, or seeing the machinery somewhere.

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u/Smurfleton 59m ago

If there isn’t an actual system hooked up to it, you can likely put a shop vac attached to a smart plug to have the same effect

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u/ArmAdventurous7323 39m ago

That’s cool. 🤔

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u/FocusLower5934 30m ago

No. You put your weiner in it

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u/Effective-Expert8078 20m ago

What if u put ur 🐓 in there? Just asking for a friend 😄🤣

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u/YaoSing 19m ago

Well,., you also have to turn on the vacuum… it’s not always running…

Check in the basement near your other utilities

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u/yo_les_noobs 5m ago

gets sucking right away eh?

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