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Vacuum System Engineering / Design

Your central vacuum system design is handled by our staff of with over 60 years of design experience. None of the other components discussed in this section will operate properly without a proper design. There are normally 5-6 components that make up industrial vacuum cleaner systems.

Industrial Vacuum Cleaner System Components

  1. Vacuum Producer
  2. Filter Receiver - Baghouse
  3. Electric Control Panel
  4. Manifold - Tube System
  5. Hose/Tool Cleaning Kits
  6. Optional Accessories

From single to multi-operator, we will size and design each component of your central vacuum system accordingly. There, of course, are many factors involved in the proper design of an industrial vacuum system. Our starting point is a central system questionnaire which when filled out gives us the information we need "to get the ball rolling". This vacuum system design process may seem to be very overwhelming at the onset, but we take you thru step by step until it makes total sense to you. When we receive pertinent information from the central system questionnaire, we then follow the following procedure.

Why do you need a design-built vacuum? 

Industrial Central Vacuum systems are typically custom-tailored to a specific application and facility. Because of this, it is critically important that we incorporate as many details as we can on the design side of a vacuum system. From particulate to the number of operators to vacuum location, all of these items change on a case-by-case basis.

What to consider when designing an industrial vacuum? 

How to maximize the vacuum system for your application. Having a system tailored to your application is important in ensuring that the vacuum system will work to its full extent. Things like location, number of operators, material being collected, etc will factor into the design process.

What are the components of an industrial vacuum system? 

Typically a vacuum system is made up of a vacuum producer, motor, filter baghouse, waste bin,  vacuum hose and in some cases a tube manifold system. Additional items are common to support specific applications such as rotary airlocks, explosion vents, HEPA Filters, Etc.

What are the common issues central vacuums engineering and design can resolve?

Working with an expert designer can help a facility ensure they are getting the best possible solution. Common issues are selecting the wrong equipment or having improper sizing on things like tubing. Working with a design engineer will reap many benefits both near and long term in terms of the overall performance of the vacuum.

Central Vacuum System Design Process

1) Information Gathering

  • Type of plant – Operation
  • The material collected, is it explosive?
  • Number of operators being used on the system simultaneously
  • Determine what diameter hose/cleaning tools require
  • Housekeeping system
  • Volume of material to be collected in an 8-hour shift

2) Review Application and above information 

  • Determine size of system and what components are required
  • Are there system restraints, space, height issues, power consumption issues
  • Location – inside or outside 

3) Sizing and selecting the proper Vacuum Producer

  • Weight of material
  • Amount of material to be recovered
  • Distance from furthest drop to vacuum location
  • Is there a noise issue
  • Special electrical requirements for motor

4)  Choosing the Correct Baghouse

  • Location: Indoors or Outdoors
  • Are there height restraints
  • Choose between a pleated filter bag  or cartridge filter design
  • Calculate the proper air to cloth ratio. Determine square feet of filter area
  • Apply explosion vents and fire suppression systems if needed.
  • Service platform/ ladder required
  • Determine dumping device from cone bottom of receiver ie. manual valve, rotary airlock

5)  Configuring the Electric Control panel

  • How many starters required
  • Enclosure, NEMA 12, NEMA 4 etc.
  • Does customer want remote start/stop locations
  • Ethernet communication required
  • Special requirements: Timer, E-Stop, Fused disconnect, VFD etc.

6) Designing the Tube System

  • Determine material – carbon steel, zinc, aluminum, stainless steel
  • Determine thickness of tube: based upon what we are recovering
  • Determine the number of vacuum drops
  • Calculate proper line sizes
  • Determine method of joining tube to fittings – Compression coupling, shrink sleeves

7) Hose and Tool Kits

  • Coming up with the best kit to fit each particular need. Are they cleaning floors? Walls? Machinery?
  • Do hose/tools need to be grounded

Contact American Vacuum for more information. 

Case Studies

Discover Our Case Studies

American Vacuum has been manufacturing Industrial Vacuums including portable, stationary, and central vacuum cleaning systems since 1910. We have installed over 500,000 Industrial Vacuum Systems across the United States and pride ourselves on being a family owned business. Please take a look at some of the case studies below to learn a little more about how American Vacuum is an industry leader and constantly pushing the industrial vacuum industry forward.