I am thinking of buying a shop vac ash vac because I cant find a powersmith in Canada . Has anyone tried the shop vac ash vac ?? dose it work well ??
shop vac ash vacume ? any good ?
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I use a standard shop vac with a HEPA filter on it. I also have an ash vac, but I find it doesn't have nearly the suction power of my shop vac. Obviously you can't vac hot ash with your standard shop vac, but my stove takes only like 20-30 minutes to cool anyways. If you have a shop vac already, just get a HEPA filter and save some money IMO.
reallyte
Feeling the Heat
Shopvac with a bag is the way to go. No HEPA filter? Just put a towel over the exhaust, works well for me.
lol. The wife was not impressed 
DneprDave
Minister of Fire
I use a standard wet/dry vac. I bought a filter for it from Home depot, that I can hose off to clean.
It traps all of the dust and ash. I never vacuum the stove unless it is stone cold.
Dave
It traps all of the dust and ash. I never vacuum the stove unless it is stone cold.
Dave
Bioburner
Moderator
I try and scrape and clean as much with a scraper and brush with the stove exhaust fan running before using a vac with sheetrock bag to finish then set the vac outside. We have the luxury now of a second stove to fire while waiting at least 2 hours before cleaning.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Women...The wife was not impressed
I had always used a shop vac, too. But after a few encounters with errant embers, sometimes days after the stove had gone "cold," and reading the accounts of several horror stories (shop vac bursting into flames 12 hours after use), I went out and bought a real ash vac. Won't you feel like an ass, when your shop vac catches fire in the middle of the night, hours after using it? Hopefully you'll be lucky enough to get your kids out of the house alive. Some things just aren't worth chancing.
Women...
I had always used a shop vac, too. But after a few encounters with errant embers, sometimes days after the stove had gone "cold," and reading the accounts of several horror stories (shop vac bursting into flames 12 hours after use), I went out and bought a real ash vac. Won't you feel like an ass, when your shop vac catches fire in the middle of the night, hours after using it? Hopefully you'll be lucky enough to get your kids out of the house alive. Some things just aren't worth chancing.
Yup I agree 100 % that's why im looking for a good ash vac that can take the heat ...... but cant seam to find a hole lot of good options in Canada
OK I just found a powersmith ash vac for $107.00 shipping included to Canada
! is this a fair price ??
Bioburner
Moderator
Ashful
Minister of Fire
That's the one I bought earlier this summer for $86, on Amazon. I see they now sell it for $93, here. I can't say if it's good, since I haven't even opened the box, yet. It got good reviews on Amazon, for whatever that's worth.OK I just found a powersmith ash vac for $107.00 shipping included to Canada
CTguy9230
Feeling the Heat
please don't tell me you people are leaving your vac's in the house after you clean your stoves...
I use an ash vac after my stove is cold to the touch and STILL put the vac outside for a day before bringing it back into
the house
I use an ash vac after my stove is cold to the touch and STILL put the vac outside for a day before bringing it back into
the house
Bioburner
Moderator
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I vacuum around each stove twice per week. Using your method, the vacuum would just spend the whole winter outside? I have actually considered putting it in a Rubbermaid shed on the patio, for the whole winter.
Bioburner
Moderator
I have thought of getting an old vac and plumbing it outside and letting it just blow disperse the ash. I live out in the country and spitting out a little ash with the average of near 60 inches of snow won't much be a problem.
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I was putting it outside in the driveway over night as well but the spark out the back happened wile I was doing the cleaning .. I know you still need to let it cool before using a ash vacuum but I still think the ash vacuum is allot safer then a plain shop vac ...
DneprDave
Minister of Fire
I put mine in the garage, with the lawnmower gas and the barbeque propane.
Dave
Dave
subsailor
Minister of Fire
The only thing I vacuum is under the burn pot and spillage from removing my ash pan. All the other ash gets scraped into the ash pan. I have an ash vac, but it doesn't suck crap, so it's shop vac for me.
I won a cheetah or cougar(can't remember) used it once or twice and its been in the basement since.
What sucks about it is it's inability to suck.
Someday I'll get around to posting it up on craigslist.
What sucks about it is it's inability to suck.
Someday I'll get around to posting it up on craigslist.
Even the so called ash vac's have warnings about hot embers in the manual. Elements/filters are still flammable. So if your sucking up hot ash and leaving the ash vac by the stove? Read the Owners Manual(RTFM). 
I live in Canada as well. Purchased the PowerSmith Ash Vac in the middle of the last heating season due to my initial purchase of the Hearth Country Ash Vac being a big piece of chit. PowerSmith through Amazon.com....with the current purchase price of a little over $100, you won't have any regrets.
P.S. Read my signature.
P.S. Read my signature.
I just ordered me a powersmith- Status
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