A central vacuum cleaner having an outer shell, a suction chamber located inside the outer shell, a suction chamber inlet comprising a fluid passage through the outer shell into the suction chamber, a suction motor inside the outer shell and having a suction motor inlet in fluid communication with the suction chamber and configured to generate a flow of air from the suction chamber inlet to the suction chamber and into the suction motor inlet, an electronic control unit receiver, and an electronic control unit configured to selectively operatively connect to the electronic control unit receiver, and when so connected, control operation of the suction motor, the electronic control unit being selectively removable from the electronic control unit receiver and the suction motor without disassembling the outer shell.