NuTone Central Vacuum Installation Guide (p.4)

When your planning is complete, you will have to determine where all of the inlets and the power unit will be located. You have also mapped out the location of your trunk line and found the access you need to run vertical tubing from one level of your house to another level. You should have acquainted yourself with the methods of joining plastic tubing and acquired the tools you'll need to install your Built-In-Vac Cleaning System. Now you can begin the installation.

The first step is to install the inlet tubing which connects the wall inlets to the branch lines. As explained before, the inlet lines run inside interior walls. You will find access to these walls through your attic or basement. Briefly, you want to find the exact location in the wall, drill an access hole through he wall plate or header, and insert the tubing into the wall cavity.

This part of your installation requires close observation and careful measurements. Take your time and make sure that you accurately line up your access holes with the locations you've chosen for your wall inlets.

Locating Attic Access Holes

Drill the access holes directly above the inlet location. To accurately locate the access hole, you must find the space between wall studs where the inlet is to be located. Observe the area around the inlet location. Look for references you might be able to find in the attic (electrical wiring, ductwork, doorways, etc.). Measure and note the distance from these references to the inlet location.

Enter the attic and find the inlet wall. Have a helper downstairs knock on the top of the wall right above the inlet location; locate the general area by following the sound. Most likely you will have to clear away insulation. Ask you helper to continue knocking until you locate the area between wall studs directly above the inlet location. Next, measure the thickness of the wall. Mark the exact center of the wall where you will drill the access hole. Remember that the access hole must be placed exactly in the center of the wall.

Centering the access hole

To locate access holes in the basement, remove the toe molding or baseboard at the base of the inlet wall. Carefully loosen the molding or baseboard by inserting the blade of a putty knife behind it. Force another putty knife between the first knife and baseboard or wall. Gently hammer a cold chisel between the two knife blades, prying the loosened molding away form the baseboard or the baseboard away from the wall.

Loosening molding or baseboard

Directly below the inlet location, drill a 1/16" reference hole through the floor into the basement. If you're drilling through carpet, use an awl to slightly open the weave. This will keep the carpet from wrapping itself around the drill bit. Insert a piece of scrap wire or a clothes hanger into the reference hole so you can easily find the hole in the basement.

Drilling the reference hole

Once you've found the location in the partition wall, you must center the access hole in the middle of the wall. Measure half the thickness of the wall and mark the center of the wall where you will drill the access hole. If you cannot see the plate, you can determine this measurement from upstairs. At the nearest doorway, measure the thickness of the wall including the baseboard.

In the basement, measure a distance equal to half the thickness of the wall using the reference hole a starting point.

Once you are certain that you've located the center of the wall directly above the inlet location, use a 2 /12" hole saw to cut the access hole through the wall plate or header and into the wall cavity. A 1/2" drill is recommended. Carefully remove the drill from the hole.

Cutting the access hole

Use a flashlight to inspect the wall cavity through the access hole. Make sure no hidden obstacles will interfere with the tube installation. If this inspection reveals an obstacle, find a new inlet location. Repeat this procedure in your attic or basement until all of your access holes are drilled.

Inspecting the wall cavity

Once you've drilled the access holes you assemble the inlet tubing and insert it into the wall cavity. Refer to "Working with Plastic Tubing" before you begin to assemble the inlet lines.

Select a section of plastic tubing and an 8" section of the flexible inlet tubing. Apply cement to the outside of the plastic tubing and to the inside of the flexible tubing. Join the two pieces together and allow five minutes for drying.

Joining plastic and flexible tubing

Cut a piece of low-voltage wire which is long enough for the complete inlet line, allowing 6" for connections to the inlet wall plate. Secure the wire to the tubing with electrical tape.

Securing wire to the tubing

If space permits, you can assemble the entire inlet line by joining two sections of tubing with a stop coupling before dropping the assembly into the access hole. Remember to only glue the outside of the tubing when joining two pieces of PVC tubing. Often, tight attic spaces require you to begin your drop and then join the second section of tubing. Of course, the order of assembly and length of tubing required depends on your attic space and wall height.

Joining tubes with stop coupling

Whatever the case, insert the completed inlet line into the access hole and thread it down inside the wall. The inlet line should be long enough so that it extends above the joists in the attic; at this height, it can be easily connected to the branch and trunk lines. When cutting the inlet tubing to length remember that your inlet will be place 18" above the floor.

Inserting line into access hole

For a basement installation, assemble the tubing to the inlet flexible tubing in the same way and insert it into the access hole. A basement inlet line is necessarily shorter because it must only reach 18" from the floor to the inlet. Most of the time basement inlet lines are more easily installed by two people after the inlet hole has been cut in the interior wall. See Installing the Wall Inlet.

Installing from the basement

Complete all of your inlet lines and then proceed to your inlet installations.