The nice thing about living in the age of the Internet is that practically any household task we want to tackle has an instructional video and plenty of literature available within seconds and for free. Do-it-yourselfers hoping to install a centralized system made by Beam vacuums or another manufacturer have a world of resources available to them from the minute they purchase the parts. As much as 95% of homes in the U.S. can be retrofitted in order to have a central vacuum system installed, though that number can be deceptive in its general scope. Older homes are far greater of a challenge to perform an installation in because they weren’t always built for interior additions. The space between walls is much thinner than newer houses with drywall, and the plumbing and electric plans may not have been carefully devised so much as they were constructed as time went on. If you own a home more than a few decades old, you should definitely consider hiring a contractor instead of doing the job yourself.

If you do decide to go it alone, make sure you have all the tools for the job. Laying the tubing that will comprise the majority of the system can be the most involved part of the process, and may require knocking holes through floors and ceilings. Locate your home’s main electric breaker and use that as a waypoint for all your new piping, as that will be the ideal location for the system’s power box and receptacle.