Anyone use a ash vacuum?

[icleancarpetz]

I use a pellet stove for heating my home and in need of a good quality ash vacuum. Anyone burn wood or pellets at home and have experience with which is good and which to stay away?

Btw my heating bill average is $120 a month...last year’s average was $114...
one of the best investments made a couple years back.

 

[Small town janitorial]

I burn wood. I use my rigid shop vac with the good filter on it. Didnt know they made dedicated vacs.

 

[icleancarpetz]

I burn wood. I use my rigid shop vac with the good filter on it. Didnt know they made dedicated vacs.

How long have you had it?

 

[Small town janitorial]

Couple years. They burn up after a couple years but i use them all the time for the garage and cleaning all kinds of stuff.

 

[Lyman]

I had one and didn't like it. The hose is metal and very stiff. Kept falling over and spewing ash. Once a week, shut her down for an hour. Then clean every thing into stoves ash pan, take outside and dispose. Start your stove back up and enjoy. A regular shop vac is a fire waiting to happen. Paper or cloth filters are not good.

 

[steve_64]

When my dad heated with wood we used a metal bucket to dispose of the hot ash.

My gas bill in the winter is usually under a $100 for 1800 sq ft. Electric goes up too.

I'm glad I don't have to mess with the wood anymore. I do enough for the fireplace but that's it.

 

[Doug Rice]

I burn wood in a fireplace insert in the downstairs family room and that beautiful heat comes up through the floors. I does make a mess moving wood into the house. I also was thinking of an ash vac but from the above post I'll probably stay with the bench brush and broom.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I burn wood. I use my rigid shop vac with the good filter on it. Didnt know they made dedicated vacs.

I think Raf is talking about hot ash??


I burnt wood for years when I was young man
Always used a ash bucket and shovel


For cold ash, any good shop-vac will work

...L.T.A.

 

[Cleanworks]

Just don't make an ash of yourself.

 

[Old Coastie]

Ash shovel, a bucket and out she goes on the garden.. no vacuuming needed.
Sweep the stovepipe each Spring.

 

[icleancarpetz]

I think Raf is talking about hot ash??


I burnt wood for years when I was young man
Always used a ash bucket and shovel


For cold ash, any good shop-vac will work

...L.T.A.

Yes cold ash. Was using a pro team quarter vac for a few years worked fine until I made the mistake of vacuuming a little bit of hot ash enough to burn holes within bags.....bufffffff....ash all over the place....and to add to the folly I couldn’t reach the switch fast enough to shut it down....cloud of ash in my living room. A mess to say the least. From this episode I’m looking around for a decent metal ash vac. Perhaps a decent shop vac would suffice. Just looking for recommendations based on experience.

Thanks for the sharing the above...guys.

 

[Jim Williams]

I use a pellet stove for heating my home and in need of a good quality ash vacuum. Anyone burn wood or pellets at home and have experience with which is good and which to stay away?

Btw my heating bill average is $120 a month...last year’s average was $114...
one of the best investments made a couple years back.

I was in the chimney cleaning business 15 years ago and a good vacuum that has enough filtration to keep soot out of the house is $1200 or more. Look for one made by August West or Sootmaster on EBay. You can probably find a used one under $500.

 

[Doug Rice]

What about using one of the accessory fine particulate bags for sheet rock dust etc. but only for cold ash though?

 

[Dolly Llama]

good vacuum that has enough filtration to keep soot out of the house is $1200 or more

HEPA shop vacs are available now for half that .
donno about chimney sweeping, but any decent shop vac with good filter should be able to handle plain ole ash

Yes cold ash.

Home Depot Ridgid brand are the best "regular" shop vacs.
The blue filter is also available for them ...better filtration than the standard white one

until I made the mistake of vacuuming a little bit of hot

ummm...Raf, that ain't "cold" ash, Brother
ash shovel and bucket if you can't stick your hands in all of the ash

never used vac rated/safe for warm/hot ash.
No clue if worth the cost and effort or not compared to shovel and bucket
(which ain't sheeit and can be done anytime hot or cold)


..L.T.A.