# Converting a Shop Vac to an Ash Vac...



## MarkSJohnson (Nov 8, 2013)

I have three (!) shop vacs.  It doesn't seem to make sense for me to buy a 4th vac!  One very good one is setup with a HEPA filter and a Dust Deputy: http://www.amazon.com/Oneida-AXD000...F8&qid=1383921940&sr=8-2&keywords=dust+deputy and I'd like that to remain in use for woodworking-only.

That leaves me with two that I could modify for use as an ash vac.  It seems like a HEPA filter is a "given", but I think I also saw something somewhere about a paper filter OVER the HEPA filter so the HEPA filter doesn't constantly clog.  I can't find it now.  

Does anyone have any knowledge of this...or maybe at the least, a filter that could be put over the exhaust?


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 8, 2013)

I use a shop vac and after having the clogging problems you mentioned the best thing I found were the shopvac filter bags.  They have a few different ones.  Specifically I got the yellow ones that are meant for the finest particles. Might even say someting about ash on the package. Picked them up at Menards.  I use the filter bag in conjunction with the filter cartridge and it seems to work well.  It's nice to have a dedicated vac as the bags are more expensive so I don't want to fill it with household dirt or sawdust.


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## Bioburner (Nov 8, 2013)

Fair # use a drywall bag.


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## muss (Nov 8, 2013)

Been using a 2.5 gal shop-vac on my stove for 5 years. Works great, inexpensive & small enough to be placed on the side of the stove. No fine ash particles escape .


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## SteveB (Nov 8, 2013)

dmmoss51 said:


> I use a shop vac and after having the clogging problems you mentioned the best thing I found were the shopvac filter bags.  They have a few different ones.  Specifically I got the yellow ones that are meant for the finest particles. Might even say someting about ash on the package. Picked them up at Menards.  I use the filter bag in conjunction with the filter cartridge and it seems to work well.  It's nice to have a dedicated vac as the bags are more expensive so I don't want to fill it with household dirt or sawdust.


 

+1  
Works great!


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## mik_kane (Nov 8, 2013)

I use an old Dirt Devil upright vac that has a bag works great for me


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## DneprDave (Nov 8, 2013)

I have an old Craftsman shop vac. I got a filter for it, at Home Depot, that can be washed off with a hose. It doesn't clog and no fines get out of the discharge.

Just wait for the stove to cool before vacuuming out the stove.

Dave


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## moey (Nov 8, 2013)

I used a drywall bag but my vac has the option to use a bag or fliter. I also put the exhaust out the window. 

Careful improvising I did that with a small little 2.5 craftsman vacuum I had I thought it worked great until I used it on a sunny day and apparently I was dumping crap back into the room.


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## mass_burner (Nov 8, 2013)

dmmoss51 said:


> I use a shop vac and after having the clogging problems you mentioned the best thing I found were the shopvac filter bags.  They have a few different ones.  Specifically I got the yellow ones that are meant for the finest particles. Might even say someting about ash on the package. Picked them up at Menards.  I use the filter bag in conjunction with the filter cartridge and it seems to work well.  It's nice to have a dedicated vac as the bags are more expensive so I don't want to fill it with household dirt or sawdust.


 

maybe i'm missing somrthing, but why would the hepa filter clog? and how would putting a filter over the hepa filter solve anything since the ashes go straight into the hepa filter?


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 8, 2013)

mass_burner said:


> maybe i'm missing somrthing, but why would the hepa filter clog? and how would putting a filter over the hepa filter solve anything since the ashes go straight into the hepa filter?


 

The ash inside the vaccum becomes caked on the cartridge like cement and you lose suction, in my experience.


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## mass_burner (Nov 8, 2013)

dmmoss51 said:


> The ash inside the vaccum becomes caked on the cartridge like cement and you lose suction, in my experience.


 

is this different from sucking up drywall dust? i used the drywall dust hepa filter and had no issues.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 8, 2013)

I've never had to vaccum up quanitities of drywall dust just ash so I can't be the judge there.  I just know I would lose suction quickly with just the cartridge and have to go outside and beat it on the ground to loosen it up.  With the bag installed great suction and no clogging.


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## mass_burner (Nov 8, 2013)

wait..i think we're talking about the same thing. the drywall filter i'm talking about is a big rectangle bag that fits inside the vacuum and attached to the inlet.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 8, 2013)

Yes the Bag I am refereing to is a yellow rectangle that inflates from the suction and goes on the inlet.  The cartridge filter is the round one that goes over the outlet.  The cartridge will clogg without the bag in place.


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## mass_burner (Nov 8, 2013)

yes, the cart itself is useless for drywall dust. we're on the same page.


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## skibumm100 (Nov 8, 2013)

I use a Rigid shop vac with a Gore HEPA filter. I tried to get the drywall bags but they didn't fit my vac. I've not had a problem with the filter plugging or loss of suction when not using any kind of pre-filter or bag. It doesn't seem to emit any particulate that's noticable. Works great. Gore filter wasn't cheap so I take care of it and only use it when vacuuming ash.


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## Micmann (Nov 8, 2013)

I used to use a shop vac but the filters clogged to fast. Even tried a Loveless Ash Cheetah vac.  Same thing, clogged and didn't filter good enough - spit ash dust into the room.  Now I use an older Kerby with HEPA bags.  Works Great!  Constant suction, clean.  There are thousands of Kerby'a for sale on any given craigslist for short money.


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## Ejectr (Nov 9, 2013)

DneprDave said:


> I have an old Craftsman shop vac. I got a filter for it, at Home Depot, that can be washed off with a hose. It doesn't clog and no fines get out of the discharge.
> 
> Just wait for the stove to cool before vacuuming out the stove.
> 
> Dave


Can you elaborate on this filter that is washable from HD? Any item number or the like?

Thanks.


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## Mpodesta (Nov 9, 2013)

I have the 6.5hp contractors shop vac, I use the yellow fine/drywall bags, works like a charm with no power loss or clogging


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## mccabedoug (Nov 9, 2013)

As stated above, I use a yellow, drywall dust bag inside my Shop Vac. I get these at Lowes and they work great. I've tried other bags and they don't retain the ash particles.


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

We use a Shop Vac with the washable HEPA filter *and* the drywall bags as well.  I can hold a white paper towel over the exhaust on my Shop Vac and the paper towel stays white.  This is after a horrendous experience with a cheaper "ash vac" belching soot into the room.  Never again.  It was a mess.  The drywall bags keep the fine ash from clogging up the HEPA filter.  A quick rinse with the outside hose cleans off the HEPA filter and it's good to go for several more vacuums.

I'm going to say this and I expect that someone's going to tell me why it's a bad idea (and please do, if it is really a bad idea) but I extend the life of those expensive drywall bags by emptying them out about once a week.  My logic is this:  a Shop Vac can be operated *without* a bag... and I'm using a washable HEPA filter in the Shop Vac that protects both the Shop Vac motor *and* my house...  so emptying and reusing the drywall bag is going to be bad for the vacuum/for my house, how...???

I know that eventually, the paper in the bag will "clog" with fine ash and that will restrict airflow through the system.  My colloquial experience is that the bag will wear out and tear long before that happens.  So far the suction on the Shop Vac has been fine and per above, I empty the bag about once a week, when I take the vacuum outside to vacuum out our direct vent. 

If I'm making a big mistake here, someone please tell me about it!


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## skibumm100 (Nov 9, 2013)

I can't see a problem with that as long as it still has enough suction. You're only using the bag as a pre-filter. Carry on.......

I would use the drywall bags with mine but I'm too lazy to figure out the right one....I already have a bag of the wrong ones.


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

Ejectr said:


> Can you elaborate on this filter that is washable from HD? Any item number or the like?
> 
> Thanks.


 
This is the one we use in our Shop Vac.  It's a bit pricey but we've used it for a couple of seasons now without incident.  We rinse it off with the garden hose when we empty the drywall filter bag- about once a week.  That's during the high burn season, when we are using the stove 24/7, cleaning it regularly, and taking the Shop Vac outside anyway to vacuum out our direct vent.  While it's out there I might as well empty the bag and rinse the filter.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_11357-20097...=?Ntt=shop+vac+washable+hepa+filter&facetInfo=


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

skibumm100 said:


> I can't see a problem with that as long as it still has enough suction. You're only using the bag as a pre-filter. Carry on.......
> 
> I would use the drywall bags with mine but I'm too lazy to figure out the right one....I already have a bag of the wrong ones.


 


skibumm100 said:


> I can't see a problem with that as long as it still has enough suction. You're only using the bag as a pre-filter. Carry on.......
> 
> I would use the drywall bags with mine but I'm too lazy to figure out the right one....I already have a bag of the wrong ones.


 
Thank you, Gregg!

You know what?  I'll bet that the regular bags you are using work just fine along with the HEPA filter.  IIRC, I *think* I bought the drywall filter bags *before* I bought the HEPA filter.  I bought the HEPA filter when we switched back to using the Shop Vac for the pellet stove, after The Incident with The Cheap Ash Vacuum.  OMG it was BAD.  Really, really bad.  After that incident, I wanted drywall filter bags and HEPA filters and a hermetically sealed vacuum system.  =/


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## jjk454ss (Nov 9, 2013)

Does everyone here just use a shop vac, not an ash vac?  Is the only difference the ash vac is metal?  I started using my shop vac because I had to order the ash vac and had to wait for it to arrive.  Now I'm thinking I should just save the $80, return the ash vac, and just use my shop vac.  So far I've hardly ever had any ashes, so anything I vacuum up will be easy to make sure it completely cool before I do.  Plus I imagine the shop vac I more powerful anyway, and probably does a better job.


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## rayttt (Nov 9, 2013)

I used to use a shop vac with a sheetrock filter.

I had to wait an hour or so more than withe the Ash vac I just got from FleetFarm ash shown on this thread.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ash-vacuum-great-price-just-bought-one.116536/

Now I can rush it and not worry about a fire, when it gets real cold.

I beleve my ash vac  has better sucktion..
I says 10 Amp moter and Im pretty sure my 32 dollar shop vac is about 6 amps


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> Does everyone here just use a shop vac, not an ash vac?  Is the only difference the ash vac is metal?  I started using my shop vac because I had to order the ash vac and had to wait for it to arrive.  Now I'm thinking I should just save the $80, return the ash vac, and just use my shop vac.  So far I've hardly ever had any ashes, so anything I vacuum up will be easy to make sure it completely cool before I do.  Plus I imagine the shop vac I more powerful anyway, and probably does a better job.


 

Jjk, I was just coming back to this thread to make a confession:  I just ordered a Powersmith Ash Vacuum from Mill Fleet Farm.

We used the Shop Vac when we first installed the pellet stove.  In terms of cleaning the pellet stove, there's nothing better, IMHO, if you have a good filter and drywall filter bags.  A Shop Vac with a clean filter has *great* suction.

I asked for a warm ash vacuum for Christmas a couple of years ago, though, for a  couple of reasons.  Our Napoleon is one of those pellet stoves whose burn pot really likes to be clean;  if pellets are the least bit ashy, the Napoleon will make a clinker in a day.  The burn pot is round and deep and it has a tendency to collect ash (and make clinkers) even with the best pellets. I find myself shutting down the pellet stove to empty the burn pot more days than not.

If I'm going to shut down the stove to empty the burn pot, I might as well clean it while it's down.

Typically we shut the stove down for several hours to clean it, in order to make absolutely sure that we are not sucking an ember up into the Shop Vac.  During the shoulder seasons, that's not an issue- we shut the stove off during the warmest part of the day, and often overnight as well or the house gets too warm for comfortable sleeping.

During the coldest part of the year, and during especially cold winters, I begrudge the hours that we spend with the stove sitting idle while we wait for several hours to make sure that it's safe to use the Shop Vac.  Acquiring a warm ash vac meant that we could let the stove cool to the point where we could handle it comfortably, innards, burn pot and all, with bare hands, and that *should* be cool enough to safely use a warm ash vacuum.

And it should have worked out OK, but our first try at a warm ash vacuum was less than satisfactory.  We purchased a less expensive ash vac.  Less expensive, in this case, was relative- it was still over $100 =(.  We were never happy with its performance and I wish we'd taken it back.  Even though we could suck up warm ashes it never cleaned the stove as well as the Shop Vac.  Bonus round, it required expensive (think about $17 each) and frequent HEPA filter replacements, despite the "pellet stove ash sleeve" that was used to "protect" the filter.  I stretched those HEPA filters out by washing them weekly and letting them dry- but when the HEPA filter failed, the vacuum let us know we were done by belching soot out of the exhaust into the house.

After a particularly bad soot-belching incident I was DONE.  We got rid of that ash vacuum and went back to the Shop Vac, and back to waiting several hours to safely clean the stove.

Per above, with the Napoleon's deep burn pot, that's not optimal.  I've been looking out for an alternative, off and on, since last season, and when someone here started a thread about the Powersmith Ash Vacuum it caught my attention.  I waffled about it just long enough to miss the initial sale but I just bought one at a pretty good price with free shipping using a free shipping code.

All that being said-  we'll still use the Shop Vac.  Our Shop Vac has a long hose that reaches all the way up into the stove from the direct vent outside- so I know we'll use it in that capacity.  Depending on the suction of the new Powersmith, we could very well use the Shop Vac for the Big Cleans a couple of times a year, if the Shop Vac has more suction.

So don't fret your ash vac purchase- it will pay for itself over time when your pellet stove shut down is minimal during the cold season.  Plus, there's a lot to be said for the peace of mind of using an ash vac as opposed to a Shop Vac.  Trust me, I *knew it* on those occasions when I felt like perhaps I'd pushed it in terms of letting the stove sit cold for several hours.  I may have shaved a few minutes off of my "safe stove" threshold, and I paid for it with anxiety, so I stopped doing that.  

*EDIT *
I could have just said, yeah, what rayttt said^^.  And he does make a good point- the Powersmith has a 10 amp motor.  I'm not at the house right now so I can't go look, but I'm pretty sure that our Shop Vac is a 6 gallon with an 8 amp motor.  We don't yet have the Powersmith so I don't know how the suction will compare, but anything at all is better than the first ash vacuum we owned.  =/  I'm excited to get a decent ash vac, though.


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## rayttt (Nov 9, 2013)

becasunshine said:


> Jjk, I was just coming back to this thread to make a confession:  I just ordered a Powersmith Ash Vacuum from Mill Fleet Farm.



I hope it meets your needs. 
Just be prepared for a short hose.


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## BrotherBart (Nov 9, 2013)

And be prepared for a nice washable/reusable filter that is gonna save you a fortune in Shop Vac filters.


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

We have that expensive, washable but reusable HEPA filter in the Shop Vac, and it's still going strong after a couple of seasons of use.  We'll still use the Shop Vac to vacuum out the direct vent.

Given the way I clean our stove, I don't know if the short hose is going to bother me all that much.  For some reason it seems like I'm always in that stove up to my waist anyway.  FULL CONTACT STOVE CLEANING!  YEAH! 

Raytt, after our experience with that first ash vac (which, IIRC, didn't have a long hose either) anything would be GREAT.  Anything at all.  =/


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## jjk454ss (Nov 9, 2013)

Thanks for the info.  I have the Shop Vac brand ash vac.  I'll have to check the amps before I open it, I want a good one.


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> Thanks for the info.  I have the Shop Vac brand ash vac.  I'll have to check the amps before I open it, I want a good one.


 
Shop Vac has an ash vac?   I didn't know that!    Do tell, jjk454ss- post a link!  

*EDIT*
If it's this one, jjk454ss, it looks like it has a 6.3 amp motor.

http://www.shopvac.com/wet-dry-vacs/vac-details.aspx?vacId=374&vacSKU=404-11-00


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 9, 2013)

Honestly I think those ash vacs are kind of a gimmick...


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## jjk454ss (Nov 9, 2013)

becasunshine said:


> Shop Vac has an ash vac?   I didn't know that!    Do tell, jjk454ss- post a link!



I'll have to get more info from the box.  I'm at work now.  But ingot it from menards, had to order it because the one they carried in store seemed like junk.

http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/...ums/shop-vac-ash-vacuum/p-1919581-c-10092.htm


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## becasunshine (Nov 9, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> I'll have to get more info from the box.  I'm at work now.  But ingot it from menards, had to order it because the one they carried in store seemed like junk.
> 
> http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/...ums/shop-vac-ash-vacuum/p-1919581-c-10092.htm


 
It appears to be the same model as shown in the shopvac.com link I posted above.  Below the picture of the vacuum and also under the "Performance" tab in the description it lists 6.3 amps.

Here is an Amazon listing with reviews of the same product.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the full product write up, and click on "reviews" to read the reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Vac-4041100-Ash-Vacuum/dp/B00A7PO0FO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

At least one of Amazon.com reviews states that the filter clogs up quickly- I guess this would be the same phenomenon that others earlier in this thread were complaining about with using regular (non-ash) Shop Vacs with pellet stove ash.  Without the "pre-filter" of the drywall bag, the pellet stove ash apparently clogs up the Clearstream HEPA filter quickly. The "triple mesh filter" that comes with this Shop Vac probably won't stop fine pellet stove ash.

It doesn't appear from what I can see that you can use Shop Vac bags, drywall or not, in the ash vac.  From where I sit, this looks like a set up for the same HEPA filter vs. pellet stove ash clogging complaints without the option of using drywall filter bags to prevent the clogging.

The Clearstream HEPA filter is the same filter that we use in our regular Shop Vac, which we are currently using to clean our pellet stove.  We also use a drywall bag, and that is, apparently, keeping the pellet ash from clogging up our filter.  The Clearstream HEPA filter is very easy to rinse out, however, I will say that.

The same reviewer noted that standard Shop Vac attachments won't fit on this Shop Vac ash vac- that would really annoy me.  I use my Shop Vac attachments, namely the crevice tool and the brush, to clean the pellet stove routinely.

Not trying to shoot holes in your purchase, but trying to point out things that wouldn't work for me, given our experience with using both a Shop Vac and a not so great ash vacuum. The only reason I'm switching from the Shop Vac to the Powersmith ash vacuum is to shorten the time that our stove is down and cooling before I can clean it.  Perhaps you can benefit from our experiments!


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## jjk454ss (Nov 9, 2013)

Thanks for the info on the Shop Vac.  I think I'm going to return it and stick with my actual Shop Vac, it works great and I've already got it with all the attachments.  Plus unless I'm doing something wrong, but my Quadrafire has not been making much ash and I don't think I'll have too much extra cleaning to do.


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## MarkSJohnson (Nov 10, 2013)

Thank you all for the opinions and information!  I was gone for the weekend and planned on buying some of the filters.  But then I realized that, since I was traveling in RI, and there are Benny's stores around, I bought one of those $70 PowerSmith ash vacuums that was discussed in this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ash-vacuum-great-price-just-bought-one.116536/#post-1563898.  I haven't even opened the box, but if it works decently I think it might be a better option than to keep replacing bags at $10 each.

And, I lied.  I posted that I had three shop vacs, but I forgot about a wall-mounted one I bought last year to dedicate to my miter saw (on an automatic switch).  So now with the new one, I have five vacs in my workshop.  Plus, the big Jet Dust Collector.  Holy crap!


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## becasunshine (Nov 10, 2013)

MarkSJohnson said:


> Thank you all for the opinions and information!  I was gone for the weekend and planned on buying some of the filters.  But then I realized that, since I was traveling in RI, and there are Benny's stores around, I bought one of those $70 PowerSmith ash vacuums that was discussed in this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ash-vacuum-great-price-just-bought-one.116536/#post-1563898.  I haven't even opened the box, but if it works decently I think it might be a better option than to keep replacing bags at $10 each.
> 
> And, I lied.  I posted that I had three shop vacs, but I forgot about a wall-mounted one I bought last year to dedicate to my miter saw (on an automatic switch).  So now with the new one, I have five vacs in my workshop.  Plus, the big Jet Dust Collector.  Holy crap!


 
Dude, I have a mighty collection of vacuum cleaners too.  One can never be too rich, have too many pellets or too many vacuum cleaners!


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## becasunshine (Nov 10, 2013)

MarkSJohnson said:


> Thank you all for the opinions and information!  I was gone for the weekend and planned on buying some of the filters.  But then I realized that, since I was traveling in RI, and there are Benny's stores around, I bought one of those $70 PowerSmith ash vacuums that was discussed in this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/ash-vacuum-great-price-just-bought-one.116536/#post-1563898.  I haven't even opened the box, but if it works decently I think it might be a better option than to keep replacing bags at $10 each.
> 
> And, I lied.  I posted that I had three shop vacs, but I forgot about a wall-mounted one I bought last year to dedicate to my miter saw (on an automatic switch).  So now with the new one, I have five vacs in my workshop.  Plus, the big Jet Dust Collector.  Holy crap!


 
Also, Mark, you are north of us in New Hampshire.  I'm gonna bet that in a month or so, you'll appreciate the abbreviated downtime for stove cleaning that a warm ash vacuum permits, as opposed to a Shop Vac.


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## jjk454ss (Nov 10, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> Thanks for the info on the Shop Vac.  I think I'm going to return it and stick with my actual Shop Vac, it works great and I've already got it with all the attachments.  Plus unless I'm doing something wrong, but my Quadrafire has not been making much ash and I don't think I'll have too much extra cleaning to do.



Well, Menards wants to charge me $20(25%) to restock a "special order" because it's an online purchase.  Even though it's unopened.  I am contacting there online support, but I not going to pay them $20 to return an unopened item, so I may be finding out if the Shop Vac Ash Vac is any good after all.


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## becasunshine (Nov 10, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> Well, Menards wants to charge me $20(25%) to restock a "special order" because it's an online purchase.  Even though it's unopened.  I am contacting there online support, but I not going to pay them $20 to return an unopened item, so I may be finding out if the Shop Vac Ash Vac is any good after all.


 
jjk454ss, I'm sorry about the restocking fee. =(


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## LLigetfa (Nov 10, 2013)

Over a lifetime of burning, I've never needed to use a vac.  Shovel and pail works for me.

That said however, I had an idea to use a vac that both sucks and blows.  Put the pipe that blows up the flue so any dust that gets through the filter goes up the flue, so long as you don't have a downdraft problem.


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## jjk454ss (Nov 10, 2013)

becasunshine said:


> jjk454ss, I'm sorry about the restocking fee. =(



The employee told me I agreed to this when I placed the order, but I just went to menards.com and placed the order again(except the payment part), and didn't see anything about a 25% restocking fee.  I'll see what the online support says tomorrow and go from there.


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## Mpodesta (Nov 10, 2013)

LLigetfa said:


> Over a lifetime of burning, I've never needed to use a vac.  Shovel and pail works for me.
> 
> That said however, I had an idea to use a vac that both sucks and blows.  Put the pipe that blows up the flue so any dust that gets through the filter goes up the flue, so long as you don't have a downdraft problem.




That what I do, I have the 20 gal 6.5hp shop vac.


Vac out the stove when needed, and switch the hose around to blow out the vent after I hit it with the brush


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## TheMightyMoe (Nov 11, 2013)

I use a 15 gallon Lowes shopvac with a bag filter and hepa filter. 

My bag filter didn't get full but I changed it for the new year. Hepa looked fine.

Awesome suction.


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## Tonyray (Dec 12, 2013)

jjk454ss said:


> Does everyone here just use a shop vac, not an ash vac?  Is the only difference the ash vac is metal?  I started using my shop vac because I had to order the ash vac and had to wait for it to arrive.  Now I'm thinking I should just save the $80, return the ash vac, and just use my shop vac.  So far I've hardly ever had any ashes, so anything I vacuum up will be easy to make sure it completely cool before I do.  Plus I imagine the shop vac I more powerful anyway, and probably does a better job.


I know this reply is late lol but I have a post about useing a heavy white sock,[yes, foot sock] attached to the EXHAUST end of your vac with a radiator hose clamp. Absolutley No Dust at all.. using a cheap home depot 2 gallon wet/dry shop vac..with the paper filter inside of course.. not sure if that matters with the sock on the end but I put it on anyways.


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## TheMightyMoe (Dec 13, 2013)

A hepa filter / bag filter / regular shop vac will filter out a certain % of debris. Socking your exhaust would ideally just lower your suction. The filter you see on the exhaust is more of a muffler / air disperser.

How often do you change your socks? =)


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## Tonyray (Dec 13, 2013)

TheMightyMoe said:


> A hepa filter / bag filter / regular shop vac will filter out a certain % of debris. Socking your exhaust would ideally just lower your suction. The filter you see on the exhaust is more of a muffler / air disperser.
> 
> How often do you change your socks? =)


I do not notice any suction loss... doesn't take a lot to suck up pellet ash...
as far as changing sock, only have cleaned the stove 3 x's so far.. newbie Harman owner.


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