More Intercom Information

Valet Intercom Installation

Our oldest son, Nathan, is a pilot with U.S. Airways and recently moved to the Charlotte area to be near the U.S. Airways hub.  He had installed a Valet intercom system in his house in Virginia and his wife loved it!  He is now starting the installation of a Valet intercom in his new home.  I asked him to video his progress and this video is his first installment. (Nate had a hard time with his central vac installation video because the camera was aimed too high and you couldn't see the vac inlets.  This is his chance to redeem himself!)

Valet Intercom Now With Digital Volume Control

I love the Valet Intercom.  It's compact, powerful, has select call, let's you feed music through it...but it had one feature I didn't love...a sliding volume control.  Well, last week Roger told me that the Valet Intercom now has digital volume control.  I haven't seen it, yet.  We will get picture of it on our website and on this blog as soon as we  can...I just wanted to let everyone know what's new.  Give us a call if you have questions about the Valet Intercom.

Valet Intercom now EnergyStar Rated

Winston Lindsay, President of Lindsay Manufacturing was in our store last week.  Lindsay is the company that brings us the Valet System One Mini Home Communication System.  He had great news for those who are in the market for an intercom.  The power supply for the Valet Intercom now has an EnergyStar rating.

It seems that intercoms are notorious for using what they call "Vampire Power".  In other words, the power supply for the intercom is always "on" drawing power, kind of like a vampire.(click the vampire image to enlarge the image, then click again to get more details)

"Many electronics don't actually go all the way off—they continue using "standby power."...  Exact figures on total losses to standby power are not available, but the most recent major survey on the subject estimated that in the United States, 5% of electricity usage is due to standby power. In Europe, the numbers run slightly higher: France at 7% and Germany and the Netherlands at 10% each. Australia comes in at 11%, Japan at 12%...The US EnergyStar program has done a lot to empower consumers by providing energy efficiency ratings for various categories of electronics. To get the EnergyStar label, products must meet stringent energy-efficiency criteria. So, when you shop here in the US, make sure the product is EnergyStar-rated. For some categories, such as refrigerators and freezers, there will also be a numerical efficiency rating that can help you further narrow your choice." (http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/10-26/vampire-power-electricity-article.htm)

I love these kinds of innovations, no one is telling you to get rid of your intercom, just choose one that will save energy without sacrificing function.  And the Valet intercom has plenty of great functions.

System One Mini Home Communication System provides the simplicity and reliability of digital technology and station to station communication. This system can be installed using up to 20 Room Stations and 2 Door Speakers offering great flexibility and convenience. Each Room Station serves as an individual Master Station.  Now, the only intercom with an EnergyStar rated power supply.

Learn more about the Valet on our website.
EnergyStar website

Valet Intercom System

                                                                                             My grandkids from Virginia are visiting Roger and I for the next couple of weeks.  In one of my previous posts I mentioned how my son installed a Valet intercom in their existing two story house.  Evidently, he never added the room station in my grand-daughter, Isabelle's,  room.  She told me last night she hopes her dad finishes the intercom in her room while she is in Florida. If you are reading this, Nathan, take the hint. 

Everyone in the family loves the Valet intercom system, even the kids.  Mom can keep in touch with the kids while they are upstairs, and she plays music through the system to calm the savage beasts (I know, I know, it's breasts not beasts...but you know what I mean ) 

If you would like to install one of these in your home and your home is already built, it is not too late!  Call us at 1-800-221-8227 and we can talk you through the entire installation process.  Take a look at the Valet on our site.

Retrofit a Valet Intercom

With the building slow down we have noticed something very interesting...our central vacuum sales don't seem to be affected by the slow down...but our intercom sales are.  We had to ask ourselves "Why?"  We realized intercom systems are typically a new construction product, while many people put central vacuum systems in their existing homes. We are assuming that most people don't know you can put an intercom system in almost any existing home.  Most of the brands we carry can be retrofitted, but we particularly like the Valet for this purpose.  We have had lots of experience with retrofits, and our staff of experts is more than happy to help you with installation advice, step by step, on a project like this.

The Valet System One Mini Home Communication System provides the simplicity and reliability of digital technology and station to station communication. This system can be installed using up to 20 Room Stations and 2 Door Speakers offering great flexibility and convenience. You can also feed music into this system, which is an added plus.  Each Room Station serves as an individual Master Station.

My son installed one in his home last year..Read about it here.

Take a look at the Valet intercom on our website.