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SESZOO

Member
Nov 30, 2013
44
NORTHERN NY, Almost Canada.
Looking for thoughts on a new Ash Vacuum , for both hot and cold ash . Had a green Powersmith vac, ,Used twice a week usually with and three times a week during the cold weather in Jan,Feb and into Mar. . Never seemed to work as good as was advertised and now the motor burned up , Was not quite 2 yrs. old ,but always taken care of and just normal duty ,.. For the price I figured it should have lasted longer than that ,so am looking for another make and model , Don't mind spending the money for quality ,but not for another piece of junk .. . So what models do most of the rest use .. Recommends ..?
 
I was planning on getting an ash vac... buuuut I'm still using my black Friday special Ridgid shop vac ($40 at Home Depot!) with the standard (1 layer) filter it came with and it works just fine. Of course I let my stove shut down completely and scoop out a bulk of the ash before vacuuming. But I never had a problem with dust or anything. I see HD is selling a Ridgid ash vac, but I'll likely keep the $80 they're charging and maybe buy a better filter for my cheap vacuum.
 
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I had the same experience with PowerSmith - lasted a month or two over the 1 year warrantee and it quit working. I also never thought to highly of the suction and didn't like how hot the motor got when it did work.

I picked up a Shop Vac ash vac a couple of months ago and have been happy with the suction. Have only used it a couple of times so can't tell about durability. Don't like the short hose but I'm sure I could get an extension if it really bothered me.

Hint: if you are somewhat handy, you can use the dolly portion off the PowerSmith and use it for the next ash vac you get. I went the cheap and redneck route of using leftover thermostat wire to create a cradle but you could fashion a wood bottom if you wanted to.
 
I had the same experience with PowerSmith - lasted a month or two over the 1 year warrantee and it quit working. I also never thought to highly of the suction and didn't like how hot the motor got when it did work.

so it isn't just mine that gets really hot when it runs. Wasn't sure if mine was a bad unit, but seems like it might just be normal?
 
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