Giving us a bad name

There are several companies that make central cleaning systems that try to compete with VACUFLO. Those companies often have several brands each. This has led to the perception that there are a large number of options, but in reality, there are only a few after you peel the sticker off and look at the guts. The automakers are similar: Ford/Mercury, Cadillac/Chevrolet, Honda/Acura, etc.

Nothing wrong with any of that, it’s very common. The issues with built-in cleaning systems typically show up at the point of installation. For example, anyone with a truck and a tool belt can go to an electric supply house and purchase a canister, a toolset, and some tubing and market themselves as the best thing our industry has ever seen.

Most of these folks install a few dozen systems and then the grass gets greener somewhere else. The problems for the customer are related to lack of experience during the install and a focus on how to most inexpensively source the materials. This “race to zero” with respect to the power unit price and then making all the first timer mistakes ends up costing the end user twice the price of doing it right the first time. People say that you get what you pay for. The inverse is true as well. You don’t get what you don’t pay for…

If you didn’t pay for a professional install by an experienced tradesman, you won’t get it.

If you didn’t pay for a quality power unit with a lifetime warranty, well, you won’t get that either.

If I had $5 for every system I’ve seen where the install looked like it was the third one the guy did, it’d be a lot easier to get my kids through college. It’s a shame the metal recycling payouts for junked power units is so low…for the same reason.