Vacuum's do any you guys use them?

[The Duke]

Do any of you guy's use vacuums to clean your stoves? What happens if you suck up some red hot ash? Any info would be great before I make the purchase.

 

[Highbeam]

I vacuum cold ash with a plain old shopvac. If I even think that the stove might have some hot coals then I scoop it out. Either way, I dump the shopvac out before putting it away and haven't melted one yet. The plain old pleated paper air filters from walmart seem to prevent ash from being blown into the house just fine.

 

[Tfin]

The only time I use my shop vac is at the end of the season when I'm cleaning out all the cold ash.

Other wise its a stove shovel and metal pail for me.

 

[The Duke]

So far I have been shoveling. I use my shop vac to get around the door frame of my Lopi. It seems a little expensive to buy a fire proof vac just for the door thing and I to empty it after each use.
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Gooserider]

Unless you have a vac that is rated for use on fires, do NOT use it on ashes unless you KNOW they are stone cold totally dead - like out for at least a week... An ember can stay lit for an incredibly long time in a bed of ashes, and if you suck it up, that paper filter makes a really great tinder to turn your vaccum into an impromptu flame thrower...

Remember that the vaccum moves an awful lot of air through it, and what you do to get a stubborn fire going - like blow on it....

If you search the threads, you will find multiple first person oops tales... Note that most modern vacs are made of plastic, which is VERY hard to put out once it gets going good. This is one of those actions that falls in the "high risk / low brains" category, sometimes associated with the Darwin Awards.

Gooserider

 

[carpniels]

I do exactly the same as Tfin. Vac after the heating season. Otherwise shovel and pail.

Carpniels

 

[colebrookman]

Unless you have a vac that is rated for use on fires, do NOT use it on ashes unless you KNOW they are stone cold totally dead - like out for at least a week... An ember can stay lit for an incredibly long time in a bed of ashes, and if you suck it up, that paper filter makes a really great tinder to turn your vaccum into an impromptu flame thrower...

Remember that the vaccum moves an awful lot of air through it, and what you do to get a stubborn fire going - like blow on it....

If you search the threads, you will find multiple first person oops tales... Note that most modern vacs are made of plastic, which is VERY hard to put out once it gets going good. This is one of those actions that falls in the "high risk / low brains" category, sometimes associated with the Darwin Awards.

Gooserider

Exactly, best advice. Also don't throw ashes in cardboard or plastic boxes and put them on your deck; don't throw hot ashes outside onto dry leaves or into plastic bags stored in your garage for trash pick up. Darwin Awards, been there, put out the fires.
Ed

 

[myzamboni]

The only time I use my shop vac is at the end of the season when I'm cleaning out all the cold ash.

Other wise its a stove shovel and metal pail for me.

I do the same. I also put some water in the bottom of the shopvac and a a wet sock on the outlet to prevent any errant ash from getting blown into the room. A white sock turned grey is all I needed to see as proof that it works.

 

[fossil]

I'll use a shop-vac during summer cleaning...no other time. My stoves will have been cold for 2 months before I'll vacuum them out. All the rest of the year, it's rake, shovel, and double-bottom bucket with a lid, always stored outside on concrete. Rick

 

[Gooserider]

I agree, shovel and bucket if needed is the best way. I am lucky in that the VC ashpan setup is really slick, so I don't need either, but the idea doesn't change. I have two 20 gallon galvie garbage cans outside that are standing on firebrick. I alternate filling them, emptying the first when the second gets close to full. (I also use the ashes in the full one as a traction aid / snow melter when needed, messy but works good and it's cheap...)

I don't even get a lot of visible embers, most of the stuff that falls through the grate on the VC tends to be either ash of very fine (rice size?) charcoal - but still better to be safe.

On the basement stove, which I almost never use, I do work with a shovel and bucket since that one doesn't have an ashpan setup.

Gooserider

 

[gweldgen]

Bought a "Ash-less warm ash vac -Cheetah II from Copperfield Chimney supply. Used it on both stoves last weekend -still cold from last season so NO chance of sucking a hot coal. Worked very well and did not blow ash around the house at all. One drawback was the motor is VERY noisey so had to use the chainsaw ear protectors!! The hose terminates in a metal pipe that restricts the size of the pieces it will pick up. It was able to handle all of the creosote crunchies from sweeping the chimney. I added a 1 foot section of pvc plastic hose to get in to some of the smaller openings for the primary and secondary air channels. I too prefer to be safe and use the shovel and metal bucket in season but the vac makes quick work of a thorough preseason cleaning .

 

[bill*67]

i use a shopvac and empty it every time.

 

[Boozie]

I purchased an ash vacuum, especially for use with fireplaces/stoves, a couple weeks ago. The first time I used it the little window said that it was "FULL" after a very short time. When I emptied it this morning, it was NOT full, just a few inches in the bottom of the can. But, the FILTER was FULL. It was coated with ash. I emptied what was in the vacuum into a can I have on the concrete patio outside. I then had to take the filter off and shake out all the ash before putting it back together again. A LOT of work for so little vacuumed. I guess I will do as others now .... shovel. My stove has an ash tray underneath. I've been pushing the ashes into it and then when I get that full I will empty it directly into my can outside. I caught the vacuum on sale at Mennard's, paid $50 for it. It worked good until it said it was FULL ..... liar.

 

[New Fire Guy]

I bought the Cheetah II and have used it 4-5 times. A couple of times the vac sucked up some hot coals... by mistake before I realized there were still some red hots. I haven't checked the two filters yet, but the vac continues to pick up ash without a problem. Will be emptying out the vac in the next couple of days and will see if the filters sustained any damage from the hot coals. I have been happy with the machine.

 

[firefighterjake]

Zombie thread . . . but for the record . . . I pretty much only use my Shop Vac to clean things up in the Spring after the fire has been out for a long, long time.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree with Jake. The only time to vacuum is after the fire has gone out for good in the Spring or Summer. Even then, wait 2 weeks before cleaning.

 

[Jutt77]

The only time I use my shop vac is at the end of the season when I'm cleaning out all the cold ash.

Other wise its a stove shovel and metal pail for me.

and a a wet sock on the outlet to prevent any errant ash from getting blown into the room. A white sock turned grey is all I needed to see as proof that it works.

Nice, I'm going to have to try the wet sock exhaust filter..

 

[bogydave]

I use a shop vac to clean the Catalytic honey comb.
Then empty the vac & check the filter, it just in case.
Never vacuumed the ashes. Seems to be a good way to ruin a vacuum or start a fire.
Figured the ashes in the cracks of the fire brick were good insulation.
Gonna get ashes a few minutes after a fire anyway.
Maybe I'm just lazy

 

[bsticks]

Shovel and pail for me. At the end of the year it's a shop vac for me too.