Vacuum Cleaning the RV Doesn't Have to Suck

Vacuuming the old RV carpets can be a real drag. As fulltimers know, it's often hard to find a place to store a "full size" vacuum cleaner. So we "go small" and deal with machines that often don't have enough muscle or fall apart after a few short months.

We got a news release from interVac, a vac' manufacturing company who claims they know how to help us. Their "H" model unit can be surface mounted where you want it (with four screws or velcro) or if you have a "dead space" in a cabinet area, a cutout can be made and the whole unit flush mounted. From there, the factory provided hose is said to get you around a thousand square feet of living space--"depending on configuration" reads the fine print.

Since most of us living in less than a thousand square feet, that old hose ought to reach out and touch whatever is needed. And, sez the company, their "H" unit provides "100 feet of water lift" which in vacuumspeak means you could probably suck up the cat if you aimed the hose incorrectly. No, this is NOT a "wet n dry vac" but that "water lift" is an industry measurement of how much suck power a unit provides. The big promo is that with the actual vacuum unit left in one place, the machine will last much longer--no banging around furniture and baseboards. Easier for you, easier for the machinery.

While this is "like" a central vac idea, there's no "plumbing" involved, which is certainly a plus. How much will you spend? A whole lot less than one of those fancy yellow machines you've seen touted on the tele: The SRP for the "H" unit is a mere (?) $250. But wait! There's more! After a closer look you'll find that the $250 pays for the vac unit. You'll probably want a hose, some nozzles, maybe a few bags? Well, run that price up to $329 with the goodies. That may be an attractive price over the long haul, after all, you probably won't be replacing an upright every six months.

By the way, the interVac operates on shore power; boondockers might not appreciate having to set aside the nearly 1500 watts it requires to run on. But if you're still interested, trot on over to the interVac web site and check out the full specs and an interesting video on installing one of these units.