The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center

Modernize Filtex Pop-out Inlets

by Andrew Bransby, M.D. Manufacturing, Inc.

Over the past 50 years an unbelievable amount of various styles of central vacuum inlet valves have been installed across the world. The older ones shown in this picture are from a 1960’s Filtex vacuum system and they activate as soon as you lower the lid. A small push button pops out as the lid is opened. These worked well in their time but don’t allow the user to use an on/off switch on the end of the hose. The older style inlets would remain on as long as the hose was inserted into the valve.

Usually these older systems did not include any electric power brush but is an advantage you can present to the customer after your replacement inlets are installed. The new options will also allow the hose to fit firmly into the inlet and they certainly upgrade the styling.

The metal Filtex inlet with pop-out button is replaced with the Hayden Full-Face inlet. The home photographed for this story had six inlets to convert and the owners had already purchased a corded Stealth Attachment Kit from M.D. Manufacturing, Inc. The new hose barely stayed in the old inlets. They wanted a better fit and wanted to gain control of the suction. Their toddler was also getting very interested in pulling the metal doors down to start the suction so a swap out was needed ASAP. We’ve heard many stories about these types of systems being huge attractors for Hot Wheels cars!

How to replace the inlets. Pulling the older valves from the wall will be the most difficult step but we had no problem removing all six from home; and it was easier as it went along. Here are some tips: Remove the two bolts and put your fingers into the neck of the valve. Wiggle while pulling the top and bottom in and out. Don’t try to spin it or wiggle left to right, side to side, because the low voltage connection will not allow it. Once you can get your finger tips under the inlet, pull straight out with some force and with a little up and down motion. Some of them may have been installed with rubber cement and a heat gun may assist in loosening them up.

Pull the low voltage wire out about six inches. Disconnect the low voltage wire from the valve. Sometimes the wire will need to be re-stripped.

Connect the low voltage wire to the new Hayden Full-Face inlet valve. Notice how the wire is connected to the new inlet so that it will easily slide back into the hole in the mounting plate. It is important to line this up or the wire will not allow a flush mounting.

Put the new valve into the mounting plate. On this job it was a perfect fit around the plate’s gasket. If your retrofit feels loose or leaks air, add a round and a half of black electrical tape tightly around the neck of the new inlet valve. Where you locate this tape on the neck is dependant on the thickness of the drywall or plaster.

It is important that you buy new bolts. The old bolt heads are rounded and too tall for the new inlet to close. And using the old bolts on any inlet other than a Hayden Full-Face inlet looks unprofessional. BUY NEW BOLTS that are 1-1/4 inch long by 1/4 inch wide with a taper leading to a flat head. They work perfectly with one catch. The new inlet was made for screws, not 1/4 inch bolts so the bolts will have to be screwed into the new plastic inlets ahead of time for convenience.

The mounting plates have J-clips, which means the plates are not threads for the bolts to mount into. The J-clips will need adjusting for correct bolt alignment – usually moved closer to the edge of the plate since the new inlet bolt holes are farther apart than the older ones.

Finally, as you finish, tighten the bolts down but do not over tighten or the valve will bend and the lid will not seat properly. Open and close it a couple of times to see if any adjustments need to be made.

That’s it! Now you can get your boxes of accessories and educate your customer on the available products. Be sure to show them the new hose features and power, they will be delighted.

Andrew Bransby has been working at M.D. Manufacturing, Inc. for over 10 years and has been in the central vacuum industry since 1984 where he started as an installer and M.D. central vacuum dealer in California.

Reprinted from Central Vac Professional, November 2008