Ash Vacuums

[Thom Griffin]

Anybody using an ash vacuum on wood boilers?

I'd like to cut down the dust on cleaning days.

Penfrydd

 

[DexterDay]

What are you using now? Are you letting the fire go out? (Completely?)

If its a Standard Shop Vac. Then the use of a HEPA filter will help 100%. But add a HEPA and a Drywall bag (fine filtration bag) for the inside and there will be ZERO dust/ash in the air..

 

[skfire]

Warning on ash vacs, they weaken some refractory.

SK

 

[hobbyheater]

Anybody using an ash vacuum on wood boilers?

I'd like to cut down the dust on cleaning days.

Penfrydd

Have used a Cheetah ash vacuum for several years , no dust. The bottom of the Jetstream burn chamber has to be cleaned of fly ash before each firing, the original scoop shovel was very hard on the refractory . I have a bolt attached to the end of the wand keeping it 1" away from the refractory .

 

[heaterman]

I have a couple of these.

http://www.mastercraftusa.com/produ...oiler-Furnace-Dry-Steel-Soot-Cleaner-641M.php

Maybe a little pricey for personal use but the first one I bought is now over 20 years old. Fire proof hose, bullet proof motor, very high power that does not decrease as the filter bag fills up. There are lots of HVAC places going belly up and sometimes you can find a used one on an auction.

As others have said, be careful around the refractory especially if it's the fiber type stuff.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I built one years ago with a bunch of 2" pvc and a shop van with a drywall filter. I mounted a scoop attached to the pvc line above the clean out and then just simply attached the vac to the system and watched it suck the soot up as I brushed the chimney out from the basement. It worked well, and I believe the guy who bought the house still uses it. I actually had two suction points that could be shut off with valves. One was directly over the clean out, while the other was near the boiler's ash pan--put the bucket under the scoop, then shovel the ashes into it.

 

[Hansson]

I have build one myself.

http://forumbilder.se/images/7217201194107cf76.jpg


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http://forumbilder.se/images/f2172011945214da7.jpg


http://forumbilder.se/images/49172011950052104.jpg

http://forumbilder.se/images/67172011946019893.jpg

http://forumbilder.se/images/0a1720119473516e6.jpg