Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Exhaust Venting Nightmares


As we've seen this past Winter season; it's been a snowy one (so we've heard...Florida has been quite nice!). Recently we have been getting calls and questions about proper and safe venting outside from people up north. They've read through the central vacuum exhaust article on our website and had additional questions and concerns on solutions.

Here's a perfect situation: A customer calls us up this morning, who is a teacher and since because of the weather has been snowed in, so there's no school. She has noticed that her central vacuum system has been
running hotter and louder than normal recently. With a quick inspection of the exhaust vent, she noticed that the vent had been completely covered over
with ice from the previous snow storm. The exhaust louvers can't break through the ice to open and remove all the hot exhaust air coming out from the motor, that air gets trapped in the line and creates back pressure that, in return, will shorten the overall life of the central vacuum system.

We made a valid point on how it wouldn't be the best idea to take the outside option in regards to venting. We told her truthfully that there is no way the plastic louvers on the exhaust vent are going to function properly with the side of the house snowed over. She also made a point in saying that, all the heat that is generated inside the house would escape out through the vent to the the outside, resulting in an increase in utilities used to heat the home and that means more money to spend on heating bills. We advised her to purchase the
ActiVacII exhaust filter as it will be the most logical and helpful solution to her needs.