Was dead set against using a shop vac for chimney cleaning until last Tuesday

I always thought shop vacs just blow dust everywhere and clog up in 5 minutes. Had this monster job on a house in Portland the homeowner had a wood stove insert that hadn't been cleaned in like 8 years. Creosote was thick and flaky. My regular rods and brush were just making a mess of the living room. Homeowner handed me his shop vac with a HEPA bag and I figured why not. Taped the hose to my brush handle with duct tape and ran the vac while brushing. Zero dust in the room. Finished in under 90 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hours. The bag caught everything even the fine stuff. Has anyone else found a specific brand of vacuum bag that works best for this setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee.drew4d ago

My buddy Mike out in Gresham tried the cheap bag route last winter and learned the hard way. He had a rental property with a heavy creosote buildup from years of burning unseasoned firewood. About 20 minutes into it the bag split right down the seam and that black powder coated everything in the room including his face and the homeowner's white curtains. He had to pay for professional cleaning out of his own pocket. That's when he switched to the blue brand felt bags like @johnson.faith mentioned and he says they hold up way better even on the nasty jobs. He also started double bagging on heavy cleanouts just to be safe which adds a couple bucks but beats the mess.

johnson.faith4d ago

Buddy of mine tried this on a chimney job last fall said he just used the cheapest bag the hardware store had and it blew apart halfway through. Creosote dust went everywhere, coating his truck bed and his helper. Took them an extra hour just cleaning up the mess. He switched to the blue shop vac brand bags after that, the thick felt ones. No blowouts since but he says you gotta change them more often on heavy jobs or they lose suction fast.