What is the Wiring Required for a Central Vacuum Cleaner?

General Wiring Guidelines

• Most central vacuum cleaners come with the wires you'll need to get them up and running. In general, the wiring must run from a junction box that supplies the power to each of the inlet valves, which are the openings where you can plug in vacuum attachments throughout your home. Wiring also passes through the central vacuum cleaner's power unit. This allows the power unit to produce suction.

Low Voltage Wiring

• Central vacuum cleaners use low voltage wiring, which you can install by stripping the wires that come with the vacuum cleaner and attaching them to a junction box. The wall brackets for each inlet valve include terminals for attaching the other end of each wire. These terminals likely use color coding to aid in proper installation; follow the installation instructions carefully and insulate all wires that you cut, splice or crimp with electrical tape to avoid a short circuit.

Placement

• The easiest way to place wiring for a central vacuum cleaner is by simply running wires along the vacuum tubes that already stretch from the power unit to each of the inlet valves. This means that the best time to install wiring is after the vacuum tubes are in place. You can attach wiring to the tubes with electrical tape and feed the wires through the same openings that you cut for the vacuum tubes.

Getting Help

• If you're wiring a central vacuum cleaner as part of a home addition or during your home's initial construction, it likely involves several additional electrical wiring procedures. Unless you have experience wiring a home, consult a certified electrician before you begin the process. You are responsible for the wiring in your home and a misplaced wire or junction box can create a fire risk that makes your home uninsurable or dangerous to live in.