# Looking for a good ash vacuum



## forya (Mar 27, 2010)

looking for an ash vacuum that will also pick up half burned pellets, and clinkers.
My wife is pissed everytime I use her old upright HEPA vacuum and ashes spew out the filter housing.


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## nailed_nailer (Mar 27, 2010)

I use a Rigid WD06350 small 5 gallon shop type vac.  
I replaced the standard circular filter with a HEPA filter.

Think I paid around $20 for the vac and about $25 for the filter at the Home Despot.

Works great for 2+ years now.

I periodically have to take the filter outside and bang it clean on a tree.

But it continues to clean the stove and not blow ash all over the house.

I am a woodturner and made a small diameter hose nozzle for getting up into the ash traps.  
It is a turned down chunk of maple with a 1/2" through hole.  A 1 foot length of heavy walled rubber hose is RTV'd into it.  It fits onto the end of the 2" regular hose.

I haul it out about twice a week to clean out the stove.  It has no problem sucking up the ash, pellets, and dog hair on the back of the stove.   

---Nailer---


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## The Radiator (Mar 27, 2010)

I started out using the shop vac and hepa filter.  Works ok till the filter gets clogged up and you have to clean it.  What a mess to clean.  There had to be something better.  I eventually settled on a cricket ash vac.  Nice small vac for a pellet stove. Everthing is self contained on it.  It has a retractble cord, and the hose stores inside the bottom, not in contact with any ashes.  It doesn't hold a ton of ashes but has decent vacuuming power.  It looks nice, I leave it sitting next to the stove on the hearth.  All the ashes are in a bag that you dispose of.  There is also a secondary filter under the bag holder.  The bags and filter are a bit pricey but after having a soot and ash disaster with the shop vac I would rather buy the bags.  I purchased online from ABC vacuums. I have had it for about a year and a half with no problems.


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## FireintheHole (Mar 27, 2010)

The Cheetah I've been using for the last 6 months works great. It's a warm ash vac with the fire retardant filter and the hepa filter. I use a
smaller ash can with a tight fitting cover to empty my burn pot (with any glowing partially burned pellets) I then vacuum out the area underneath 
the burnpot with my Cheetah and the rest of the area where the ash pan sits. I empty the ash pan into the ash can and then put the tight fitting
lid back on. ( any glowing hot pellets will be extinguished soonly with the tight fitting lid on the ash can). I wipe the glass with the same towel I,ve
been using for 6 months, put the ash pan and burn pot back in, shut the doors, and push the start button. 5 minutes for a quick cleaning. I found 
a nice ash can with a tight fitting lid at TSC for less than $15, ( about 5 gal.), and a warm ash vac (new) on ebay for $190 ( the best price I could
find). Loveless also makes the Cougar warm ash vac, similar to the Cheetah...one is supposed to be quieter......but either one would do the job
if you needed a warm ash vac with a hepa filter. Mine has been very good, with no problems in the 6 months I've had it.


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## Ladderlieu (Mar 27, 2010)

If those "half burned pellets" are still glowing AT ALL, I wouldn't recommend just a regular shop vac.  If you wait till your fire is OUT and COLD, than any small shop vac with a fine particle filter is probably your best bet. I purchased the cheapish 5 gallon shop vac at Lowes (but any other box store probably carries something similar) with the yellow fine filtration filters and have never had ANY ash flying around the room while cleaning. Just picked up two more filters at Wal Mart yesterday for about 12 bucks. That'll last me about a year or so.
If you're sucking up anything that is still glowing, I'd recommend the more traditional metal ash vac. However, plan on spending a great deal more for that than you would a shop vac.


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## Fsappo (Mar 27, 2010)

Our service techs use a cheetah vac.  You can buy them online for about $200 or so


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## smilejamaica (Mar 27, 2010)

i would suggest either the Cougar or the Cheetah. a little pricey but worth the money.


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## Fire (Mar 28, 2010)

I use a Sears shop vac with a HEPA filter. Strong suction and no dust from vac. All for less than $100.00.


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## fedtime (Mar 28, 2010)

Same here - I've used a contractor-grade wet-dry vac with a drywall dust filter for years with no issues.  After each used, I lightly tap it against my ask bucket - the ash just falls away, then I re-install.


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## Augmister (Apr 6, 2010)

Got a great deal on a RIGID and use the HEPA filter.   Damn 'toast' costs more than the 'toaster'.   Just too cheap to plunk down $200+ for a warm vac.


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## hossthehermit (Apr 6, 2010)

Augustine said:
			
		

> Got a great deal on a RIGID and use the HEPA filter.   Damn 'toast' costs more than the 'toaster'.   Just too cheap to plunk down $200+ for a warm vac.



Augustine, how's it going down there? You still under water? Been using the Rigid here, too, works for me. BUT, I ain't real fancy, either.


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## Topshelf (Apr 7, 2010)

Ridgid Vac here also. I use a fine dust filter and have had no issues.
Twice a week for the last 5 months and it still hums along. 

The wife even uses it for those dam chineese beatles (wanna be lady bugs). We have them by the millions it seems.


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## begreen (Apr 7, 2010)

I used a ShopVac with a drywall filter for the 5 years we ran the 1200i. Never had an issue. 

More info on this in the gear section.


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## Baston8005 (May 4, 2010)

Good ol Craigslist find.  Found a cricket ash vac listed on it for $50.  I used to use a wet/dry vac but got sick and tired of the mess and the hauling of it from garage or basement to the stove for its bi weekly cleaning.


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## chrisf (May 5, 2010)

Get the ash vac I bought one last year after using a shop vac for 4 years. I bought the acsserory pack it comes with a natural fiber attachment for cleaning glass and the fire brick no dust flying around . It also has a small tube for getting into the small hard to reach spots on the stove. i found it to make cleaning and sericing the stove easier and quicker. I felt well worth the 250.00 I spent and me being a fireman I have seen what happens to homes and porches and decks with people who have used a shop vac to clean out stoves. it is cheaper than trying to rebuild everything you have worked for. When I did use a shop vac I would put it in the middle of the yard after I used it.


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## nosaudioil (May 5, 2010)

I use a Ridgid w/HEPA filter plus a disposable bag in the canister. This was sold from HD about $80. 
Never vac up any hot pellets from the stove using any vac, of any kind.


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## docmackie (Jul 22, 2011)

Any feedback on the AW Perkins #400 Ash Vac?


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## GrahamInVa (Jul 22, 2011)

docmackie said:
			
		

> Any feedback on the AW Perkins #400 Ash Vac?



That is the same as a hearth country. I haven't found a good review yet. I too have been looking for a good vac at a good price.

reviews..
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/70893/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/67927/


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## Vinelife (Jul 22, 2011)

Shop Vac with a Drywall Filter is the way to go... never had an issue..


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## smwilliamson (Jul 23, 2011)

forya said:
			
		

> looking for an ash vacuum that will also pick up half burned pellets, and clinkers.
> My wife is pissed everytime I use her old upright HEPA vacuum and ashes spew out the filter housing.



I use a Ridgid 31703 16 Gallon vac. It's metal. Inside I use drywall container bags to catch 99% of the ash and use a HEPA filter inside to collect the last 1%. I also use this with a muffler to keep the wind from blowing my customer's stuff around and dampen some of the noise. The dry wall bag inside is key because it; 1. saves me on HEPA filters ( I go through about 3 a year with 1300 customers) and 2. when it comes time to empty the vac it is simple and low mess. Please note though, this set up is NOT intended to vac up hot ashes. If you do, the container bag will catch fire. I have had to evacuate the bag in place it in a customers driveway before, only to come out to find the bag completely burned up and a pile of ashes left in the driveway. That happen maybe twice a year.

I had an August West professional vac once...it was about $1100 and it needed to be cleaned after every job and it sounded like a hovercraft taking off. I paid $169 for the Ridgid and work very well. More than 4000 customers served it it keeps on ticking. You may want to invest in a static free hose...I have shorted out a control board once sue to static shock. That was a lesson I only had to learn once.


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