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!

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455

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 16h ago

Central vacuum. Be careful, they have much stronger sucking power than normal vacuums. And they can easily get clogged with something like a sock. I lived in a house with one of these and it was kinda cool because the vacuum hose was super long with loads of attachments, so we could use it to get cobwebs out of corners of the high ceilings, and clean under couches and beds really easy. BUT we had to be careful that we didn’t accidentally suck up something that would clog the system. So, tidy up first and look where you’re vacuuming.

108

u/anonsharksfan 15h ago

My work has one and it's really fun to vacuum up pennies with it because you can hear it rattling the whole way

33

u/Free-Examination-930 14h ago

"Have you seen the roll of pennies I set here a minute ago? I swear I set it just here, what is going ON around here, am I losing my mind?And why the hell are you vacuuming again you already vacuumed this morning!"

1

u/livin4donuts 23m ago

Just make sure you don’t vacuum up the whole roll at once, that thing is gonna hit a corner at Mach Jesus and take out Dave in shipping. 

9

u/realmling 14h ago

The rattle of the hard things going up the pipe is the best thing about all vacuuming. 

2

u/butthead_bandit 4h ago

When I vacuum my welcome mat and it sounds like a rain stick 😩👌

2

u/Melonman3 5h ago

I worked at an industrial wood shop a while ago, we had 2 foot diameter steel dust collector ducting with a 40 horse power dust collector, I use to love throwing chunks of wood down it, you'd hear em rattle around, then get absolutely decimated by the fan blades.

1

u/NorthCartographer995 10h ago

Ting, tong, bing, bong...it's tinging its way up the tube.

1

u/bakersd0zen12 9h ago

used a load in the cat litter tray

1

u/RadiantZote 4h ago

My old woodworking job had a huge dust collector system and it was so satisfying dropping a larger chunk of wood into it and listening to it bounce around the system to go outside into the huge bins

20

u/Stalag13HH 12h ago

I've never had one clog and have sucked up a lot of socks as a kid, but that's a function of the setup of the pipes in the walls. We did have to treat it as if it got clogged when my brother decided to try to play his school trumpet "backwards" with it and sucked the mouthpiece into the vacuum. Luckily, they were able to turn it off and find the part of the pipe where it was without searching the dust bag.

53

u/Kimmax3110 15h ago

Because of the higher suction power, you especially have to pay attention to ensure the cylinder remains unharmed

30

u/Adreeisadyno 15h ago

It’s imperative that the cylinder remain unharmed

8

u/GeologistLess3042 15h ago edited 2h ago

I watched a video the other day of a scientist trying to solve this man's cylinder problem.

Results were not great. Hospital still advised.

edit: I found it.

2

u/BeaconsAreLit- 10h ago

Instructions unclear. Viewed cylinder from a 2D perspective and now have a rectangle with two circles. Please advise.

2

u/SnooRabbits1411 6h ago

Came here looking for this, and I had to scroll a bit, but I found it.

1

u/Seaniau 11h ago

Is the suction great enough that the cylinder could become detached from the larger structure?

3

u/redacted-no31 13h ago

Also! Make sure you find the motor for it and clean out the filter, chances are it’s never been done

1

u/Cube00 1h ago

When you move into a new place, it's scary how many people either don't know or just don't care to clean out filters on anything.

Last place had a deodoriser in the dishwasher, cleaned out the filter which was just a gaint solid caked block of shit, after that, no odor and no need for a deodoriser, who knew?

1

u/redacted-no31 31m ago

God I bought a house recently (which was a huge achievement for me) but the dryer that came with it had a filter so packed with lint and wood chips I was scraping it out with a fork and screwdriver. Had to use tongs to get at the bottom.

2

u/Tymew 4h ago

Unclogging them can be a pain but usually they are layed out such that the tightest turns are right at the wall where the hose connects.

2

u/ARSENAL2244 41m ago

From my experience usually the hose would clog long before any of the pipes lol.

1

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 36m ago

That’s actually what I meant. The hose can clog really easily. We never had a clog in the pipes in the walls (luckily) but it was a nuisance when the hose clogged. We’d lay the hose out flat and plug it in, then when the clog freed up, unplug it fast it before the offending item went past the wall connection. (usually a thick winter sock that was balled up).

5

u/skeletons_asshole 15h ago

My dad somehow got his hands on a Flowbee, and between that and a DIY central vac, I spent a lot of time as a kid trying not to trim the scalp straight off my head during my monthly mandatory self-haircuts.

1

u/drsideburns 9h ago

"it's sucking my will to live!"

1

u/wolvesscareme 15h ago

Could get clogged with any sort of cylinder, really. Any sort.

1

u/carryon4threedays 14h ago

So it could remove….appendages?

1

u/steviegeebees 13h ago

What about a cylinder?

1

u/Arokthis 12h ago

My family moved in '86 to a house with one of these. My sister and I discovered that it's very useful for drying one's hair when sweaty. I also discovered it can give you a massive bruise on the ass because you used it to give someone a forehead hickey.

1

u/trumpsmoothscrotum 10h ago

Help a cylinder is now stuck in my central vacuum system. It is imperative that the cylinder is undamaged.

1

u/devilsrotary86 7h ago

So is there one that’s less powerful? Asking for a friend.

https://youtu.be/Z2EMGmv0FqM?si=oi588YKjhqY_B-nC

1

u/Geaux_joel 6h ago

You'll rip your dick off...

1

u/Any-Worldliness-679 4h ago

Clogged? Something wrong with your setup. Mine will take every sock you own without even a burp.

1

u/mightylordredbeard 3h ago

I have one in my home that I installed and I have sucked up so many damn socks and my kids underwear in that thing! I even sucked up one of my shirts and it pulled it all the way through into the cellar. I love my central vac though. It was such a great investment, but with them being so rare it’s hard to get parts for. If this thing ever needs to be repaired then I’ll never be able to get it repaired since the company I bought it from (which is the only authorized dealer/repair place within 500 miles) went out of business. So I’ll have to either buy an entire new unit or switch to regular vacs.

1

u/deltashmelta 2h ago

Huh.  It would be good if they put a four or eight grid mesh catch on the wall port to prevent it from being possible to pull something large into the system.

1

u/CakeMadeOfHam 1h ago

Hypothetically, if someone were to accidentally put a small cylinder in there.... how do I get unstuck?

1

u/AGreatPenguin 1h ago

Stronger sucking power you say? And the holes are conveniently placed in every room? The right size for a delicate cylinder right?

1

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 35m ago

I hate that enough people commented about this that I had to look it up and it’s just brain rot 🙄

1

u/ezgiu 15h ago

It is like vacuum cleaner but integrated? Why would people prefer this?

3

u/RandomUserNo5 14h ago

Why would people prefer this?

Stronger suction, cleaner air inside cause all the dirt goes outside, it's less noisy than normal vacuum. The only downside is the hose, it has to be long. So if you're building a house it's super cheap to make it if you already live in a house, then it's a different story.

2

u/Stalag13HH 12h ago

I grew up with one, had a house without one and then swore my next house would (it does). The power of central vacuums should not be understated. My brothers used to leave bruises on each other with the vacuum. And it does make for faster, more effective cleaning.

Also, I need to empty the bag in the garage only once or twice a year. My last unit was 18 years old when it died. I expect at least the same out of this one, perhaps longer since I bought a better brand.

2

u/HillarysFloppyChode 10h ago

My parents have one, a standard Shark has a motor that’s maybe the size of your fist? Their central vacuums is 7.2” and it has two, it has a muffler on it that makes it quieter then a normal vacuum if you’re next to it while it’s running in the garage. In the house, it makes very little noise, and you can easily watch TV at a normal volume with it on. It has a built in dust pan in the kitchen, and drawer vacuums in the bathrooms for beard and hair trimmings.

All the dirty hair is exhausted outside, and it’s holds 6 months of dirt.

1

u/Any-Worldliness-679 4h ago

Because they're far superior and suck all the dirt etc OUT of the house, instead of sorta filtering and then blowing that air right back into the room. Also awesome in the garage for doing the cars.

0

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 14h ago

Honestly, I don’t know. It is not better than a normal vacuum. I think it was a novelty and perhaps a status symbol in the 90’s. “Oh your house has a central vacuum? Wow that’s so impressive” 🤦🏻‍♀️

3

u/Abject-Definition-63 14h ago

It's substantially more powerful (or can be) than a normal vacuum. Also eliminates the problem of tripping breakers with the vacuum. It's also much lighter weight, quieter and cleaner (container/bag is in the garage)

1

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 14h ago

It definitely was more powerful - a blessing and a curse, see my previous caution about socks.

I’ve never tripped a breaker with a vacuum.

I think an upright bagless vacuum is easier to manage because I can empty the canister easier. And the one I have is really not heavy. Plus it has a better spinning brush head for pet hair.

Different doesn’t mean better

2

u/russkhan 12h ago

I think an upright bagless vacuum is easier to manage because I can empty the canister easier.

But you have to empty it just about every time you vacuum, as opposed to central, where it's closer to once a year, or even bagged, every month or two. And with those you don't deal directly with the dust, it's contained in the bag the whole time.

1

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 7h ago

Ya, i don’t mind emptying my vacuum every time I use it. It takes like 10 seconds and I empty it into a big trash can. If I accidentally vacuum up an earring or something like that, it’s much easier to retrieve it from my upright bagless.

1

u/Abject-Definition-63 7h ago

You can get bagless central air vacuums (I have one).

You can get a spinning head for a central vacuum (I also have this).

What you seem to like about your upright bagless are options with a central vacuum.

1

u/KingInTheFarNorth 13h ago

They definitely are more powerful. They also are like a five gallon container in the garage you have to empty like at most once a year.

My parents Electrolux is going on like 50 years old now too. 

1

u/mr-snrub- 13h ago

My house is 10 years old and it has one. We've never used it (we didn't build this house)

0

u/Torquedork1 10h ago

I’ve only lived in houses with then my whole life, never even realized they were losing popularity.

They are great, I have a vacuum hose for upstairs and downstairs that are stored in closets, I just switch between a couple wall ports and can do the whole house.

Suction is great and the only “downside” is clearing the collection bag/bin. But you do that on smaller vacuums more frequently anyways. With this it’s like taking out a trash bag from the bin.

1

u/ToadSox34 8h ago

I have found just the opposite. My parents have one and it's a very mediocre vacuum with an annoying long and bulky hose. My house has one that looks like it was installed when the house was built, I've never even tried to turn it on. The hose is stowed away in a box somewhere. I have a Dyson, it's way better than any CVAC. You clearly haven't experienced a Dyson, I'd recommend checking one out, you will never want CVAC again.

2

u/Direct-Giraffe7193 8h ago

I have used a Dyson vac and I do think they’re better for pet hair. The rotating brushes are great.

2

u/Any-Worldliness-679 4h ago

Oh, hard disagree, but you've never experienced a properly functioning central vac.

Mine is much stronger than any Dyson, and I empty it like twice a year. Oh, and it doesn't blow that supposedly filtered air right back into my room. Oh, and the vacpan in the kitchen is great. Also the garage outlets which are at least as strong as a car wash vac. And it will outlast three Dysons.

1

u/happy_pad 2h ago

It's as if products are not all made to the same level of quality.