More Intercom Information

Military Discount on Intercom Systems

We appreciate the business we do with the military, (we've even shipped intercom systems to Iraq and Afghanistan!)  However, what we really appreciate are the men and women who serve to protect our country.  To say "thanks" we are offering a military discount to all active duty military personnel.  Just give us a call at 1-800-221-8227, let us know you are in the military, and we will give you a discount on your purchase.

At Centralvacuumstores.com we feel connected to the special people who make up our military.  We are a veteran owned business.  Roger is a Vietnam vet, Nancy, our shipping manager, served during the first Gulf War, and Deb J., one of our experts, is a former Pentagon employee. Micah, our youngest son, has been on ROTC scholarship at the University of Tampa for the past two years.  This fall he is transferring to one of our country's six Sr. Military Colleges, North Georgia College and State University. This summer I visited the campus with him during his Intro session.
It is a beautiful location with a strong history and tradition of military service. When Micah graduates in two years, he'll receive a commission as an Army officer...I wonder if he's going to want a discount on a central vac or intercom system?

Peruse our website

Call us at 1-800-221-8227 for a military discount.

Intercom System Installation: Getting Started

We have been installing intercom systems in our local market since 1982, and since 2000 we have been bringing our expertise to do-it-yourselfers all over the country, via the internet. Lots of folks think intercoms, video door answering systems and music systems are only for new construction, and they would be wrong. Since 2000, we have been offering free design and tech support to thousands of customers installing in their existing homes.  If you aren't sure where to start check out our DIY knowledge base, or call us at 1-800-221-8227 for more information. 

Here's an excerpt about intercom choices from the "Getting Started" section in our Intercom DIY Knowledge Base.

 Intercom Choices

Voice Only:  With a voice only system you will be able to communicate with others in your home, but you will not have the option of playing music through your system. For voice only systems you will want to look at Kocom, Valet, NuTone and Aiphone intercom structured wiring intercom systems.

Voice and Music:  These systems will come with built in radios, cd players, mp3 interfaces, or all three. Some offer the option of adding a music source. Some offer the option of adding stereo speakers, while most are mono. These systems include M & S, GE Smartcom, Nutone, Valet and Intrasonic.

Select Call Systems.:   If calling specific rooms in your home or office is important to you, you will want to install a select call intercom system. With select call, you will be able to call individual rooms without broadcasting to the entire system. Select call also allows the room you are calling to respond hands free. Nutone, Aiphone, GE Smartcom, and Valet offer this feature. Intrasonic offers a limited select call feature you might want to look at.

Structured Wire Systems: Structured wire intercoms operate on CAT 5 or CAT 6 wire, only, and the wiring is junctioned back to a structured wiring box. M & S DMC10, Valet, and GE Smartcom are all structured wire intercom systems. The GE Smartcom is fully integrated allowing you to connect your stereo music components to the system.

Door Answering Systems: For added security, a door answering system allows you to speak to, or even see who is at your door before answering. Our multiple product offerings include the most basic, one door-one inside station to systems available for multi-unit apartment buildings. Nutone, DoorFon, and Aiphone offer these products.

Video Systems: Combing the security of a video door answering system and the convenience of an intercom, a video intercom system offers the best of both worlds. Look at Kocom, Nutone, and Aiphone systems.

Motion Alert Systems: These wireless systems detect motion of vehicles or pedestrians in their path. Combined with a simple Aiphone intercom system provides 2 way communication. Look at the WMA-3000 Drive Thru Kit.

Business and Commercial Intercoms: While a smaller business may use any of the fine residential products we offer, larger applications require more sophisticated products. We sell the complete line of Aiphone intercoms for applications ranging from schools and doctor’s offices, to warehouses and multi-unit apartment buildings.

Nutone Intercom Troubleshooting

I recently received this email from a new customer who called our support line...

"I was having problems with my unit. I have a Nutone intercom w/CD player. I couldn't get it to do anything and it was "after hours", but the gentleman was very helpful and polite. Others would have tried to sell me a unit but he helped find the problem by checking small things that I overlooked.  Nate is one of the best at Central Vac and I'm glad to have a chance to thank him again. It was a long rainy night but we did it."

DWiLL

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

We have a saying at Central Vacuum Stores, "We treat everyone like they are our customer, even if they aren't our customer, because we want them to be our customer."  Mr Will learned that, and if you need help troubleshooting your intercom system, we won't push you off on the manufacturer until we have exhausted every possible solution. Call us at 1-800-221-8227 for assistance or take a look at our Intercom Knowledge Base before you call.

Just a side note, Nate is our oldest son.  He is a pilot with U.S. Airways and answers phone calls when he is on reserve waiting for a flight. Nate grew up working at Central Vac, and in fact, worked full time while he was going to college and flight school...so he has tons of experience, and our customers love his assistance.  If you are planning to buy something from Central Vac and happen to get Nate on the phone, it is your lucky day, because he always throws something in for free!

Here's our latest company staff photo....bet you'll never guess which one is Nate. Get a closer look on our About Us  page.

Static in Intercom Speakers

I recently sat in on a discussion with one of our vendors where the topic was intercom wiring; what type, shielded or not, etc., etc.  Sometimes static coming through intercom speakers can be from the wiring and not the actual speaker.  In this case, customers sometimes replace speakers only to find that the static continues.  Before you replace your intercom speakers because of static, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 and talk to one of our Experts.  They will talk you through some troubleshooting steps to determine the source of your static.  Rememeber at Central Vacuum Stores our tech support is always free, even if you aren't our customer.  We treat everyone like they were our customer, even if they are not our customer, because we want them to be our customer.

Here is an email from a recent customer who called us and got the help he needed.

Just a note to say Thank You!!!!!!

I ordered an intercom to replace a 10yr old unit that died.  The price with your company was VERY GOOD and delivery was exceptional.  I installed the new unit and still had a problem with static interference, contacted your help line and they walked me thru the trouble shooting process to discover a bad door bell chime.  Ordered immediately and delivery was within 4 days!  Fantastic tech assistance and NO message prompts, real intelligent personnel live to process the orders and assist.  This company is now loaded into my data system for future purchases, highly recommend them!  

 

                                                   Very satisfied customer,

                                                         C. Brickell

If you are thinking of upgrading your intercom system, you will probably want to check out our Intercom Upgrade Wizard.  We've put a lot of time into this wizard, and our customers find it very useful.

Intercom Installation Help is a Phone Call Away

The other day Roger was on the phone with a customer who needed some installation help.  This isn't unusual.  Even though our website has a knowledge base with extensive central vacuum and intercom installation help, each house is unique, and sometimes customers need a little extra installation assistance. As Roger was talking this fellow through the process he said, "You'll be able to do this, it's not rocket science,"  to which the customer replied, "I am a rocket scientist!"  Goes to show ya, I guess even rocket scientists need installation help from time to time!

If you are installing, or planning to install an intercom system, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 or use our online chat service.  Don't be shy!  We have seven phone lines dedicated to answering your questions, and the experts that answer our phones have over 120 years of combined intercom experience. Sometimes a quick phone call just to clarify your installation process can save you tons of time...read this recent email from a customer who was installing an intercom system and waited to call....

Everything was just as I expected. This was a do it yourself upgrade from an old M&S 220 system to the DMC3. My only mistake was not calling or using the available chat session. I replaced the master thinking that it would work with the old room stations. If I would have asked I would have known to order new room stations. ... Long story short I should have availed myself of the help and it would have been a flawless upgrade. I will do business with Central Vacuum again.

Thank you my system works Great!

Joe

Even if you bought your system somewhere else, call us at 1-800-221-8227 if you need help. 

You see, we treat everyone like our customer, even if they aren't our customer, because we want them to be our customer.

Intercom Installation Assistance

If you are planning a DIY intercom installation you are not alone.  Thousands of people across the country tackle this project every year.  At Central Vacuum Stores, we've been installing systems in new and existing construction for almost 30 years.  We have trained experts standing by to talk you through any installation project. 

If you are just beginning to plan your system and have questions, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227 or if you want us to look at your plans and help you with the design, just email them to faith@centralvacuumstores.com.  Faith Elliott is available to look at your plans and give you expert advice on a level not offered by many of our competitors.  Faith's grandfather started the company and she has worked in the business since she was a teenager.  She has expertise that comes from sales and installation experience.  In addition, Faith recently passed her P.E.(Professional Engineer) exam and is a licensed Structural Engineer in the state of Florida.  She can look at your plans and tell you the best way to install a system.

And as always, we'll help anyone with their installation, even if they aren't our customer, yet.  We treat everyone as if there were our customer because we want them to become our customer.

Check out our Intercom DIY Library

Joe the Plumber Can Install Intercom Systems

I f you saw the Presidential debate last night, you know that Joe the Plumber got a lot of air time. If you didn't listen to the debate...you need to go online today and really study the candidate's positions on issues that will affect us all, so you can make an informed choice.

Now I'll hop off my soap box.  Anyway, I Googled "Joe Plumber" today and you would not believe how many plumbers there are with the name Joe!  At Central Vacuum Stores we frequently do business with plumbers that also install central vacuum systems and intercoms. Plumbers really like our 2 x2 adapter. This adapter allows them to use PVC schedule 40 plumbing pipe for a central vacuum installation.  In honor of Joe the Plumber, we are offering a free $25 Central Vacuum Stores gift card to any plumber that places an order before election day, November 4th, and mentions this blog, even if your name is Stanley!  Call us today.  1-800-221-8227

Celebrate With Us and Save Money on Intercom Systems

What do Sylvester Stallone and our CEO, Roger Ambrose (my husband), have in common?  If you are thinking they both have the nickname "Italian Stallion", you would be wrong (although I can see why you would think that!)  What is not as obvious as their Italian charisma is Roger and Sylvester both turn 60 this year.  We are only days away from Roger's sixtieth birthday.  Every month at the store we have a birthday party for all the employees that have a birthday during that month. Yesterday was our August party, and Roger was the guest of honor.  The team at Central Vacuum decorated the store and bought an awesome cake for the occassion. 

You may have noticed that Central Vacuum is also celebrating their 60th anniversary. That's because Roger's folks moved to St. Petersburg, Florida the year he was born and opened their business on Central Avenue, thus the name Central Vacuum Store (we changed the Store to Stores when we later opened other locations).

If you call 1-800-221-8227 or email me before the end of the August, 2008 to say Happy Birthday to Roger we will take $5 off your order. That's how we are at Central Vacuum, it's Roger's birthday and he wants to give our customers a gift!

Find Parts for Your Intercom

I've embedded the code for  the "price of oil" dashboard on both my blogs.  I thought my regular readers might want to bookmark this post and check back from day to day to see what the price is.  The good news for the majority of us is this: the price of oil is dropping. Not to get political, but the surge in oil prices needs to be a wake up call to us all...we need to encourage our Senators and Congressmen to do what we want them to do, and that is, come up with an energy plan that includes EVERYTHING.  The truth they seem to have forgotten is that they work for you and me.  The Democrats have their agenda and only want to talk about conservation and alternative energy, and the Republicans have their agenda and only want to talk about drilling and nuclear energy.  These "servants of the people" need to get together and come up with a plan that includes conservation,alternative energy, drilling, nuclear energy, plus more. They need to put their agendas aside and follow the agenda of their employers (THE PEOPLE). I hate to say it, but Paris Hilton's energy plan made more sense than anything I have heard come out of Capitol Hill, and that is a real indicator of the intelligence of those people up there.

Now I will climb  off of my soap box and let you in on some other good news.  During the past few weeks we have had several customers call to order products for houses they were buying that had been in foreclosure.   We think that is a very good sign.  When people start buying foreclosed homes then we know that the economy is beginning to move in the other direction. 

The customers buying the foreclosed homes told us it looked like the  previous owners  had taken everything that wasn't nailed down, and so they found themselves with central vacs and intercoms that would not function because key components were missing. If you have recently purchased a home that has a central vacuum system or an intercom, but components are missing, give us a call at 1-800-221-8227.  We have been doing this for years and years and can help you get the right parts to have your system up and running in no time. 

Intercom Speaker Installation Tips

After installing intercoms for over 28 years, we have learned a few tricks of the trade.  You can call us at 1-800-221-8227 if you need tech help installing your system.  But I thought I'd pass along a few tips.  If you are installing an intercom in existing or new construction, you need to consider the placement of your speakers and wiring.  Speakers and wiring can cause interference and humming if they are in close proximity to:

Rheostats, also known as dimmers:  Keep masters and room stations 2 feet away
Florescent fixtures:  Do not run your wiring directly over these fixtures
Other electrical wires:  Do not run your intercom wire directly on top of or closely parallel to other electrical wires. Stay 12" away
Other intercom speakers:  Do not place speakers for different rooms on the same wall

Check out our online intercom knowledge base.