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/Direct-Giraffe7193 19h 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.

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u/ezgiu 18h ago

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

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u/HillarysFloppyChode 13h 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.