Tried using a shop vac instead of a regular ash vac on a job last Wednesday

I was out of ash vac bags and figured a shop vac with a drywall filter would work fine on this old masonry chimney. Got about halfway through the buildup before the filter clogged solid and the motor started sounding rough. Ended up spending 45 minutes cleaning out the shop vac and still had to finish with a bucket and hand scoop. Learned that the fine fly ash just kills a regular shop vac way faster than I thought. Anybody else tried making one work and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole99413d ago

Man that's a bummer. I made the same mistake last winter on a pellet stove cleanout and that fine ash just absolutely wrecked my shop vac filter in no time flat. Had to take the whole thing apart in the driveway because the ash was caked into every seam and gasket. Spent the next hour picking ash out of the filter pleats with a screwdriver. Feels like a right of passage for anyone who tries to skip the proper gear. Hope you got that job finished without too much more headache.

carr.elliot13d ago

Isn't it funny how the cheap shortcut always costs you double in time and money later?