A central vacuum cleaning system can make life a lot easier.

Installing a central vacuum cleaner is probably your best vacuum system option for removing allergens from the room air if your children have allergies. Even though small portable, but powerful, canister vacuum cleaners have high quality HEPA filters, the exhaust air and some internal leaks will still release some very fine particles into the air.

I have allergies to mold, dust mites and pollen myself, and I use a central vacuum cleaner often in my own home. A good quality HEPA canister vacuum still comes in handy, however, for quick cleaning of small areas. Even with the new lightweight central vacuum hoses, they are still somewhat cumbersome for small cleanups.

/> If your primary concern is removing allergens, then venting the central vacuum cleaner outdoors is certainly an option, but not necessarily the best. Doing this will draw conditioned (heated and cooled) air from inside your home. This will increase the load on your furnace and central air conditioner, which also increases your utility bills.

When the conditioned indoor air gets drawn outdoors from your home, it is replaced by outdoor air, which leaks in through cracks around windows and doors, the foundation, etc. If your childrens’ allergies are primarily to pollen and other outdoor-generated allergens, the outdoor air that gets drawn indoors may contain more allergens than were in the indoor air initially.

Unless you have a heat recovery ventilation system with an enthalpic heat exchanger, much humidity is also drawn indoors with the outdoor air. This may exacerbate allergies from indoor sources such as mold spores and dust mite feces.

With the multistage filtration systems that most central vacuum systems have, indoor venting is usually preferable. Some of the manufacturers offer units, such as Beam’s Serenity Plus, with extra soundproofing, exhaust filters and mufflers to reduce the noise level indoors. Utility rooms and basements are common indoor locations for the central power unit.

Mounting the power unit in an attached garage is also an option. Although this still draws conditioned air out of the house into the garage, it will moderate the garage temperature. Since it has common walls with the house, it is not a total loss of energy. Also, the direct hose inlet in the power unit makes it convenient for cleaning the car or other dirty items in the garage. A garage-mount may make it easier to get the vacuum pipes up into the attic in a single-story house.

More powerful models have greater cleaning power, so they are generally your best choice if you can afford their higher prices. A more powerful one will clean faster and more thoroughly, so the additional amount of electricity used is offset by less running time. If your budget is limited, most manufacturers and dealers have guidelines for the recommended minimum amount of cleaning power required for various-sized homes.

The cleaning power of any vacuum, including portable ones, is measured in air watts. Using a mathematical formula, the manufacturers combine the air flow rate (cfm – cubic feet per minute) and the suction (inches of water column lift) to determine the air watts. Air watts for central systems range from about 400 to more than 900. If you cannot find the air watts rating for a system, the cfm air flow rate is the next best measurement of cleaning effectiveness.

It is possible to install a central vacuum system yourself, but most people have one installed by the dealer. The systems use PVC piping that is assembled similarly to plastic drainage pipe in your home. In a two-story home such as mine, the main pipe is run in the corner of a first-floor closet to the second floor. To obtain the maximum cleaning power at each inlet, plan the piping to minimize its length and the number of bends and elbows.

Safe low-voltage wiring is run along the piping to each wall inlet. The inlet cover has low-voltage metal contacts that switch the power unit on when the hose is inserted into the inlet. MD Manufacturing has an optional remote electronic control system, Power3, which eliminates the need for the low-voltage wiring to each inlet. This simplifies installation, eliminates future broken wire problems, and makes it compatible with fully automated home systems.

The following companies offer central vacuum cleaners: Beam ), Electrolux (800-896-9756, www.electroluxusa.com ), Eureka (800-282-2886, www.eurekaco.com ), MD Manufacturing (800-997-2278, www.builtinvacuum.com ), and Nutone (888-336-3948, www.nutone.com ).

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Michigan Country Lines, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244, or visit www.dulley.com .