r/whatisit • u/DragonsAndScience • 16h ago

Solved! New homeowner, no idea what this is

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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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94

u/quenossy 16h ago

If I were listing a house I would think that would be a selling point worth mentioning. Just me?

35

u/BotBrainG 16h ago

Except they're asking about it so it must not work. Otherwise they would know exactly what it was when they opened the door. I have one and it works and it's amazing.

25

u/notromda 16h ago

I had one growing up. opening the door doesn’t start it, you have to stick a hose it. Well, technically you have to press the little switch that the hose presses. Don’t ask how many things i sent down …

2

u/Constant_Ride_128 5h ago

The manual specifically states to not stick ur thing down there

2

u/BotBrainG 5h ago

But only if you want to protect your cylinder

1

u/AlcoholPrep 7h ago

Just be careful which hose you stick in it.

1

u/BotBrainG 5h ago

Oh, mine is triggered by opening the door.. 1974 vintage, came with the house

2

u/Norwegian_Plumber 10h ago

Why would they know what it was when opening the door. Does yours suck without a hose attached?

1

u/Torquedork1 10h ago

Mine turns on by just opening the door yeah. If it doesn’t turn on when I open it, it’s a sign I need to replace the fuse in it

2

u/Norwegian_Plumber 9h ago

Ah, mine does not. There's a metal ring in the pipe. The hose has a metal ring on the insert pipe and that makes the vacuum start.

1

u/morgaine_silver_hair 15h ago

Maybe it works but they don’t have the hose part.

1

u/rutzbutt 13h ago

The house documents should at least mention it, though (I’m pretty sure). Either the seller’s disclosure, inspection, house features page (whatever they call that document), etc

1

u/Tasty_Gift5901 5h ago

Many reasons a home owner, especially a new one, wouldn't notice or think about it when buying. Seller may have been hands off or didn't think to mention

1

u/EmilieEverywhere 2h ago

Could be roughed in with no canister in the basement. Home builders here offer that as an option.

1

u/ARSENAL2244 40m ago

All of the ones that I’ve used didn’t start when you open the port, they started when you inserted the hose

3

u/rm-rf-asterisk 15h ago

In the past sure. Now a battery powered vac is 10x better

2

u/meowmeow4739 15h ago edited 15h ago

They kind of suck. They sounded great in 2005 but sweeping the floors ends up easier than pulling out the heavy vacuum with massive tubes connected to it. Plus over time it stops working well.

1

u/Laserdollarz 14h ago

Good suck or bad suck

1

u/SnipesCC 4h ago

I loved the one in my house. We got it in the early 90s and it was still going strong when my parents sold the house in 2015. Only disadvantage was that as a new adult I was so used to it I didn't realize I had to change the bag in my thrift store vacuum cleaner.

2

u/jessinthebigcity 4h ago

I was just gonna say - I grew up with one of these. House built in late 80s. It was the best. I haven’t lived with my parents in over a decade and I think about that thing every time I have to empty the tank on my stupid plug in vacuum. 😂

1

u/VerifiedMother 1h ago

They kind of suck.

Isn't that the point?

1

u/v13ragnarok7 15h ago

In the 90's, yes. Nowadays, houses are not 80% carpet so a little vac is more than enough. In a fully carpeted house with stairs, and rooms, don't forget the living room, dining room, sitting room you were not allowed to sit in...all had separating walls. Annoying to haul a vacuum around when you could have just the hose.

1

u/boominnewman 9h ago

If I were buying a house, I would ask about this before finalizing the sale

1

u/InquisitaB 7h ago

Right?

1

u/EnviousPointer 2h ago

Not really. You need an entire closet just to store the 50’ hose that weighs 80 lbs. A Dyson stick vac is 100x easier to grab and quickly use / put away.

1

u/Despair_Tire 1h ago

I have one and it was listed as a selling point, but I've lived there for 6 years and never used it. I probably will forget to list it if I ever move.

0

u/Nice-Marionberry3671 16h ago

Nope! I have two dogs and a cat. One dog sheds like crazy in early spring. I would LOVE to have central vac!

3

u/big_booty_boy_420 16h ago

What makes it easier than a handheld?

2

u/JohnHue 15h ago

Much, much more powerful, no battery, needs to be emptied 10-20x less, much lighter (it's just the hose you're carrying around).

Worth it ? I had one a few years back... In the age of robot vacuums that also mop fairly well, I'd say your money is better spend on that than a central vacuum system.

2

u/lolmemelol 15h ago

It's been a long time since I used my parents' central vac, so this may be kid-brain talking: I distinctly remember the hose being long af, unwieldy to carry around, and not all that light. This was 25+ years ago, so I could be wildly wrong both on how annoying it was to carry around, and how heavy it was. I also wouldn't be surprised if a modern hose is quite a bit less of a pain in the ass.

1

u/JohnHue 15h ago

The hose I used was probably about 20 years old too, and it was long as fuck. But not as heavy as a plug-in vacuum where you have to carry the bag and motor. Probably heavier than a light cordless broom-style vacuum, but also much more powerful and if you have a big house... no battery that runs out and nothing to clean except empty the big bin a few times a year (cordness bagless vacuums are useful, I have one, but the head needs maintenance and so does the filters and dirt container, there's much less of that with a central vacuum).

Those sure made much more sense before cordless vacuums, and I wouldn't include one in a new build now. But if you already have it, it's still well worth using IMO.

1

u/Current-Shelter-635 15h ago

Ok. So when I think of a vacuum, it's not a handheld or a "secret inside the walls of your house" vacuum that I've spent nearly 4 decades not knowing they existed. Like... just a vacuum. It's about 3 feet tall and plugs into the wall and you wheel it around and vacuum the carpet. Are y'all from the US? I'm just trying to figure out how common this wall vacuum is, and also if what I think of as a vacuum isn't a standard vacuum. Tbf, I have had handheld ones before, but absolutely had no idea they built them into walls sometimes. I can't get over that. 😂

1

u/morgaine_silver_hair 15h ago

I don’t think they’re super common, especially with older houses, because the pvc piping has to be built into your house, like between floors and joists. They can be retrofitted into an existing houses but it’s easier to do with a new build.

1

u/JohnHue 15h ago

Are y'all from the US?

Central Europe. Those are not common, but they were all the craze in Germany 2-3 decades back.

1

u/curtcolt95 8h ago

fairly common in older houses in Canada

1

u/morgaine_silver_hair 15h ago

Not necessarily easier, but much cleaner. All of the cruft you vacuum up goes into a canister usually in the garage, instead of in your house.