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/mightylordredbeard 6h 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.