Warning: The before and after on my shop vac filter was shocking after just 2 months

I usually swap my shop vac filter every 6 months, no big deal. But I got a new fine ash vacuum attachment for chimney work, and I checked the filter after 2 months of using it on heavy soot jobs. The difference was insane, the dirty one was almost solid black and clogged, while a fresh one let the vac suck like new. Have any of you guys tried those HEPA filter upgrades for ash cleanup, or am I the only one who waited too long to check?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthonyrivera12d ago

That fine ash stuff is way more abrasive than people realize, it basically sands down the filter fibers and makes them clog faster. You might get better life out of a cheap pre-filter or even an old sock over the main filter to catch the worst of the soot before it hits the paper. I'd bet most folks never think about how different dust types wreck shop vacs in totally different ways.

dylan_ward12d ago

That bit about fine ash sanding down the filter fibers hits close to home. I once cleared out a fireplace and dumped the ash straight into the vac without thinking first. It was like someone took sandpaper to the inside of the hose. Spent the next hour picking little bits of melted plastic off the motor housing because the airflow got choked and things got hot. Definitely learned that lesson the hard way.

abbyhall11d ago

Oh man @dylan_ward I feel your pain, but actually melted plastic is usually from the ash being hot still not just the fine particles clogging things up. I'd guess there was still some embers in there that cooked the hose from the inside out.