# Garage vac



## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

Anyone got a wall mounted vac such as these ?

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...4&sa=X&ei=OlYFUYmaPITF0QXM4gE&ved=0CD4Q8wIwAg

http://www.garagevac.co.uk/


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## kolarn (Nov 12, 2012)

One of these would be perfect for be, been trying to convince myself for a couple of weeks to part with the money. Comes with a hefty price tag


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## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

Yeah not cheap , think you can get wet and dry ones too.

However they are dear and you could no doubt buy better wet & dry standalone ones ! , your paying for the luxury of a wall mounted unit but they do look good and probably ok for just the dry stuff.

Tempted !


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## S3kel (Apr 2, 2012)

How about the hand held dyson?


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

The battery performance on the Dyson isn't great I can barely do the car before its flat.


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## S3kel (Apr 2, 2012)

Wow even the larger ones ,that can be used in the house,like the dc35?


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## farley2708 (Apr 19, 2011)

bought 1 of these

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...EbCp0AXLj4DQAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CC8Q9QEwAA&dur=1524

no filter,use water to filter the dirt plus it acts as a blower so i can get the water blew out of all the nooks n crannys on the car!

bro-in-law has 1 of these fitted

http://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=l&a...ystems.com/central-vacuum-systems/residential


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

S3kel said:


> Wow even the larger ones ,that can be used in the house,like the dc35?


I have a DC 34 it's a few years old but battery has never been great it only lasts about 10 minutes at most enough for a quick once over but not for a full clean.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I saw the GarageVac advertised in Autocar this week. Never having heard of them before, and having subsequently read up on them, I know they're rather expensive but for some reason I'm really tempted by one. 

Has anyone bought one since this topic was last updated, and if so, what do you think of it?

Thanks folks.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

BTTT. Thanks.


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## olliecampbell (Jan 30, 2007)

Sign up over here and ask this chap, he's just installed one:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3014093&postcount=86


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## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Have seen these advertised in AutoExpress. They look tidy but are exppensive for what they are. For that price you could get a twin motor industrial Numatic which will have at least twice the suction, if not more.

Tuck it under a work bench and put a 10 metre hose on it and you won't need to move it around.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks chaps. I like the fact that the GarageVac is so unobtrusive and although I've got quite a big garage, I don't want anything else taking up floor (or under bench) space, so despite the price, I've bitten the bullet and ordered one.

I'll report back once it's here.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

I've received the GarageVac this week and taken a few photos of fitting it into my garage. I'm pleased to report it was very easy to fit and works perfectly. It's extremely quiet in use and seems to have excellent suction.

This is what I received. I also bought the small turbo brush and five extra bags:



The contents unpacked:



Fitting the mounting screws almost complete:



Trial first fitting:



Completed installation:



I'll try to update this when I've used it a bit more. It's certainly a top quality machine though.


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## joshhatton (Jan 10, 2010)

it does look really good! be intrested to see what it is like over time


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks, I'll try to keep this updated.

The only use it's had so far is quickly vacuuming the garage. The floor tool with a brush all round (the one on the separate holder on the wall to the left of the machine) made doing the floor really quick and easy, and the extension tube is metal which bodes well for longevity.

The flexible crevice tool will certainly make easier work of getting into all the awkward nooks and crannies down the sides of seats and dashboards.

You can perhaps spot my slight 'technical hitch' in the shelf above it in the photos. I mounted it just too high up and had to cut a section out of the shelf to allow the hose to fit over the lip at the top. Anglo-Saxon language was in evidence for a few minutes at the time!

I do think it's a fairly expensive device compared to what else you could buy with the same money, but it is pretty much unique in the way it fits onto the wall and given its slim profile.

If you look at the FAQs on the GarageVac site, there's this explanation given for the higher price in the UK compared to the US:

http://www.garagevac.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=33

As few people seem to have them, they've clearly not caught on over here yet. It would help I'm sure if they were cheaper, but reading the above, I can't see how the importers could reduce the price and keep themselves in a fair profit.

I was also interested to note that, having bought the white version, it disappeared from the shop part of the site. I must have bought the last one in stock in that colour.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

As an update, I've had half an hour with it cleaning the inside of our Fiesta today. I parked the car outside but in the open garage door (there was another car in the way inside) and used the hose probably at about half its maximum extension.

To be honest, I was a little bit underwhelmed by the suction on the carpets. It's not bad, but certainly not as strong as our household Dyson. The narrow turbo brush I bought as an extra worked okay, but again, not as well as the Dyson's, and it feels a bit flimsy in comparison too.

What was impressive was the dusting brush for the dashboard etc. That makes a really good job of getting into awkward places such as the vents and left very little dust.

The flexible crevice tool has a slightly concave end and, inexplicably, a hole about 3/8" diameter drilled just up from it which to my mind will direct some of the suction away from the open end. I'm sure it's there for a reason as there's a slot on the end of the solid crevice tool too, but to me it is reducing the efficiency of the tool. It is good for getting into narrow places though.

The biggest problem overall is that the flexible hose is constantly trying to pull itself back towards the machine, which is a nuisance when you let it go for a second to move a mat for example. At one point it managed it and came close to clouting the side of the other car in the garage on its way back.

To sum up this afternoon's use, to be honest I briefly looked afterwards at the returns policy on the GarageVac website, but on balance, if I can get the car into the garage next to it, I think the positives will still outweigh the negatives. 

And as a tool for cleaning the garage itself when there's no cars in the way, I do think it's going to be a real boon, so I'll be keeping it.

When I've more to report, I'll update this topic.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

A bit of an update.

I needed to give the Fiesta a quick vacuuming this morning and with the hassle of having to move a couple of vehicles about to get it within range of the extending hose, I ended up using the Dyson instead for the first time since I bought the GarageVac.

I was immediately reminded that the Dyson has considerably more suction, can easily be placed inside the car to avoid the need for stretching the hose to get into all the nooks and crannies, was quite a lot cheaper, has a five year guarantee on everything and doesn't have bags to replace.

I'm going to see if any of the GarageVac tools can be fitted to the Dyson as there are unquestionably some good ones there, but for me that's where its advantages now end.

The GarageVac is a good idea, it's very handy as an unobtrusive wall mounted tool for cleaning the garage, but I'm afraid for cleaning out the inside of the car, unless it was pretty much the same price in £ as it is in $ (and yes, I know the reasons the importers give for the UK price compared to the US one), I almost certainly wouldn't buy one again.


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## nick3814 (Dec 31, 2010)

Read your updates with interest Joe, I was only an email away from ordering one of these though I have a single garage and would have to clean the cars outside with the hose extended, think ill be heading down the portable Dyson route.

Thanks


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks Nick. I did some car interior cleaning yesterday and once again the Dyson came out. In your situation, I think you'll find you've made the right decision.

For cleaning the garage itself, I still like the GarageVac, but I was reminded yet again just how good the Dyson is in comparison for cleaning the car.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

A further tip for anyone who buys a GarageVac. You are given the option of whether to screw the tool holding section at the top to the wall. I'd advise you to do it, as I haven't bothered so far and it does wobble about quite a lot, which I suspect could lead to it breaking. 

In fact, I'm going to go and screw mine on now!


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Done, and definitely worth it.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

A little further update is called for, and this time I'm pleased to say it's to compliment the GarageVac.

I've been sorting out a new side door for my garage this week, which has entailed making a fair old mess in there. The car was moved outside, and chopping some old stucco off the inside wall (it used to be an outside wall) to get the old door frame out obviously made a load of dust.

The GarageVac really came into its own and I was easily able to get all round the inside of the garage (24' x 14' and 9' high or thereabouts) cleaning up the resulting mess with the long hose. 

The hose is supposed to retract to about 8' long and has already 'relaxed' so that it's about twice that, but it's not a problem and it reaches everywhere. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to use our Dyson for this. 

I suppose a cheapo wet and dry vacuum would have done a similar job, but it's so easy to store the long hose with the GV on the wall that I'm starting to warm to it again now.

If only it was half the price, it would be a much more appealing buy.


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## Joe the Plumber (Sep 4, 2012)

Another quick update on this.

Having filled one of the disposable bags and found it quite hard to empty it via the inlet hole to re-use (yes, I am tight!), I've found that you can cut the bottom off with a craft knife to empty it properly and use a shortened plastic clip from a Wilkinson's document wallet to re-seal it:

http://www.wilko.com/desk-storage-a...ent-a4-x-5/invt/0261305?VBMST=document wallet

It's fiddly to get the clip to slide along the opened end, but if you hold the bag in a vice and bend the ends of the clip out sightly with a pair of pliers, it's not impossible.

I hope this is of help if you're similarly 'fiscally aware'.

Incidentally, has anyone else bought one yet? I'd be interested to hear your opinions of it.


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## m500dpp (Feb 17, 2006)

very honest review - appreciated. I'll stick to my henry and get the cheap bags off ebay!


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## Ge03 (Jul 19, 2011)

I bought the Metro Vac-n-Blo and the extension hose. It comes with the wall mount and the extension hose gives you 24ft of very flexible hose, which reaches every point of a car in the garage. The unit is very compact, lifts off the wall mount if needed and also has a removable shoulder strap or wheels The suction is streets ahead of my Dyson. Considering that it blow dries as well I'm surprised it doesn't get more mention.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

I have a George static with 9m hose


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