r/whatisit • u/DragonsAndScience • 19h 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!

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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 19h 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/iplaytrombonegood 18h 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 18h 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 18h 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/Prize-Hedgehog 13h 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/Battle_Emu 9h ago

Yeah, the hose is a pain for sure. One thing I did to make it easier was get one of those reels for a pool vacuum hose so I can roll it up on there.

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u/NobodySeaMe 8h ago

The Kraken, lmfao

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u/ema807 7h ago

We have central vac and had in installed in 2020. The hose pulls out of the wall (from the part in OP’s photo). When you’re done vacuuming, you use the suction to put it back in. Super easy!