The Truth About Central Vacuum Motors

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These motors are designed to last, on average, between 22 and 30 years. With European engineering, there is no planned obsolescence built into any of their motors. Their philosophy is different than other motor companies. They plan and build their motors to last, unlike other companies who plan an obsolete date of only a few years. Their motors are world-renowned for their power, durability, and craftsmanship which is how a real motor SHOULD be built.

Highest Regard of Engineering and Quality
Their main factory, a mega-factory, located south of Germany is a state-of-the-art facility that is spotless and clean. They're known throughout the world for their high standards, and that extends to every part of the company. They believe they produce the finest motors in the world.  They are comfortable with their achievements but they are never satisfied in perfecting their products.

The best vacuums in the world proudly use a Domel motor. The Europeans know engineering like the Swiss know watches.  Miele and Bosch vacuums - renowned as the Mercedes-Benz of canister vacuum cleaners and known for their reliability, longevity, power and quietness all feature Domel motors. Sebo - the finest upright made in the world. Guess what they use? Yes, the European Domel motor.

ProTeam backpacks - the largest manufacturer of commercial backpack vacuums in the world. They were satisfied for many years with the Ametek motors, but wanted to bring the company's reputation up to even higher standards by using the best materials and make their vacuums more powerful and quieter, so they have now switched all of their machines over to the European Domel motors. It was a huge decision to make that took 5 years to work out, but the company finally made the switch from the Ametek motors to the Domel motors because of the superior European engineering and reliability. This new direction was a big step for ProTeam and by putting the highest quality motor in their units, it stepped up the overall quality of their vacuums to make them even better for the next decade.

Domel is a member of the VDMA - the German Engineering Federation, located in Frankfurt Germany. Every Domel motor is computer-balanced and has to pass a rigorous quality control test, and has one of the highest honors of the VDMA for outstanding excellence for the company. "The very best motors in the world, the creme-de-la-creme of engineering excellence"

 >> Click Here For More Information About Domel Motors

One of the oldest, largest American motor companies in the world, located in the good ol' USA. Their motors have stood the test of time and have an impeccable reputation, and we still believe their motors are rock-solid. They've always been favored in the central vacuum field.

Within the past 5 years, competition has given them a run for their money. Because of the general decline in the U.S. economy, they've had to relocate some of their factories to Mexico. When we spoke with them last, our jaw dropped after finding out even WORSE information. They are transferring the majority of their production facilities over to China soon. What happened to being built in the good ol' USA? It's because labor over seas is cheaper than it is here. Even some central vacuum companies have jumped ship to cut costs, just to stay afloat in this economy.  Will this mean sacrificing quality for their prices to be competitive? Only time will tell.
 

We do believe some good motors come out of China, but they haven't established a track record. That generally raises a red flag to our technicians and installers. We have found in the past 2 years that about 1/4 of central vacuum companies have swayed to manufacturing overseas. We've also noticed that most of the motors coming in from overseas are usually smaller in size and power. We've found that the average motor lasts around 1,000- 1,200 hours, while the ones produced overseas usually last for only 250-400 hours, which equals out to be around 2-5 years of use when a good motor will last you 15-20 or more. We are also finding out that we are doing a lot more warranty work on cheaper quality/price vacuums. Build it cheaper, buy it cheaper, it's sad to say. Even some private-labeled central vacuum companies, via the internet, have dropped their warranty from 10 years to 7, and we know of some that are as short as 18 months. That unfortunately doesn't paint a good picture for long-lasting quality today.

The verdict is not out yet about how accurate those statistics are, but based on our recent experience we believe them to be truthful. Some of the companies using motors and housings coming out of China are Eureka, Honeywell, Nutone and Airvac...
with more likely to come soon.

Going Green - Better for the Environment
We have noticed a trend with central vacuums, most noticeably private-labeled vacuums, that they are not recyclable when the time comes to replace the unit. Like the old saying goes, "they don't build 'em like they used to". It's a disposable world today, which isn't that great for the environment. We're hoping it doesn't become a trend in the central vacuum industry,  where companies use cheaper, non-recyclable materials just to bring prices down. One motor company in particular that stands out is Domel. 99% of the materials used to make Domel motors is recyclable. Other companies such as Drainvac and PurVac have gone even further and provided a central vacuum unit that is 99.8% recyclable. We can only hope that other companies follow suit in an effort to better our environment.
 

Our Thoughts (In Conclusion)

We travel to Las Vegas every year to attend a central vacuum convention where practically all manufacturers and suppliers meet to show off their new models and latest technology. It was another great convention, meeting old friends and seeing some new products. We came back all refreshed and eager to introduce new products onto our internet site. We sat down with both of the largest motor manufacturing companies in the world, Ametek and Domel. When we walked up to the Domel booth, I was very impressed with Peter Korosec from the Domel company. The booth was packed and busy. Peter took the time to personally show us this year's models and the latest and greatest future concepts and ideas from the largest European motor company. It was like I was at a car show looking at all the prototype cars on display. Being in the business all my life, let me tell ya it's like being a kid in a candy store. Some of the new prototype motors will be featured soon in approx. 10 of the top central vacuum manufacturers such as DrainVac, CanaVac, PurVac, Dust Care,  Aggresor and many others. Some we were not even allowed to touch, and were behind protective glass due to the competition walking around spying on them. The booth was busy with both vendors and manufacturers, all the big boys in the industry. I was very impressed, to say the least. The next day, the crew from ThinkVacuums walked over to the other booth, the Ametek-Lamb motors booth. We chit-chatted for about 30 minutes with some of the old-timers and some of the new guys that have joined Ametek. We saw some of the new model motors they're coming out with, and talked old-school with some of our friends from years past at the booth. We felt the company was going in a very good direction, but here comes the bad news. We have voiced some of our concerns lately about their motors' performance in different brands of central vacuums. When we found out that they were now being made in a Mexico facility, we were shocked because we thought they being were made in America. Furthermore, our jaw dropped when they said that their production will soon be moved to China to cut labor costs. Even the oldest, most reliable #115334 model motor seems to have changed cosmetically. We all felt as if the tide has slowly turned, and I personally felt that they spent more time defending their products (motors) than talking about their new ones, and there was definitely some bitterness when I mentioned the comparison to a European Domel motor. I felt there was a little too much persistence as to how much better their motor was compared to Domel's. Heck, maybe it's just friendly competition, but I walked away from the booth feeling over whelmed. Oh well, I still believe their product is top-notch.

	Water or other liquid substances will result in rust, corrosion and moisture developing in and outside the motor, liquid/rust damage voids any central vacuum manufacturers warranty. (left)
	Here's an example of someone who did pick up construction dust. Never vacuum up fireplace ashes, soot, powder, construction dust, sheet rock dust, sand, or any other fine powdery substances. This will suffocate the motor, causing overheating or premature failure which is a potential fire hazard and would not be covered under manufacturers warranty. (right)

The most important component in any central vacuum system is the motor. There are four major suppliers to the central vacuum industry, Ametek Lamb Electric, the European made Domel, GS Motors and most recently the China made motor. These companies make several different motors which a central vacuum manufacturer can utilize. Some of these motors differ dramatically in cost, performance and reliability. When comparison shopping also look at the motor warranty. Simply put, the longer the warranty the more confident the manufacturer is in their product.

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