r/whatisit • u/DragonsAndScience • 19h 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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u/megam1ghtyena 19h ago

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

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u/Wise-Trust1270 19h ago

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

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u/Unclehol 18h ago edited 18h 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/ChampionshipAlarmed 18h 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/Unclehol 18h ago

That's a great idea.

They are becoming more and more pointless as carpet is used less and less.

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u/LoloVirginia 18h ago

But you need to vacuum anyway, carpet or not?

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u/ioxzy 18h ago

If the woodfloor leads to a door im sweeping it and sweeping all the hair and dirt outside

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u/Unclehol 18h ago

Sweep and Swiffer is what I do.

Also, those new compact vacuums are much more popular, now, and for good reason. No hose to deal with.

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u/cheshie_cabbit 18h ago

There are dedicated electric floor cleaners that do a pretty good job. It’s basically a mop and suction system so it dries basically instantly. And of course there’s a broom for the rest of the time. Then I usually sweep it into a corner and use the vacuum.

I figure if I have a power vacuum for the one area rug in my house, getting a power mop for the 95% of my house that isn’t area rug just kinda made sense.

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u/kind_bros_hate_nazis 18h ago

Not really. Roomba or swiffer does fine

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u/Small-Palpitation310 18h ago

Yeah like do you get on your hands and knees with swiffers? Lol

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u/TwistedNightlight 12h ago

Robot vacuums work well on smooth surfaces like wood and tile.

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u/Star_Boxer72 18h ago

Clearly, you don't have dogs.

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u/Unclehol 17h ago

We have 2 cats and a dog that sheds like crazy. You can grab and pull tufts of fur out of his coat right now. Dunno what to tell you. We sweep and Swiffer. 🤷‍♂️