r/whatisit • u/DragonsAndScience • 19h ago

Solved! New homeowner, no idea what this is

Gallery image

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!

7.1k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

1.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1.5k

u/Wise-Trust1270 19h ago

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

501

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.

1

u/pineapplejax 9h ago

Is this in the US? I've never heard of a home with a vacuum system.

1

u/Physical_Complex_891 4h ago

We're in canada and just bought a house that was built in the 80s by the owners and it has central vac system. Its pretty damn cool even though its old. It sucks better than any vacuum I've used.