The debate over using shop vacs vs traditional soot vacuums for cleanup...

I spent 3 hours on a routine flue cleaning last Tuesday because my shop vac clogged on fine ash and now I'm wondering if dropping $400 on a proper soot vacuum is actually worth it or if I just need a better filter setup, what's your take?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_perry2410d ago

Yeah my shop vac clogged something awful on my first proper flue job too. I swapped to a HEPA bag and a microfiber filter and it helped some but the fine dust still got through after an hour or two. For routine cleaning a good filter setup might work if you clean it out OFTEN but for anything heavy that $400 soot vac is a lifesaver honestly.

kai_burns7310d ago

Pretty sure my shop vac is plotting revenge after the last flue cleaning I did. Took me a solid 20 minutes to pick caked-on dust out of the filter with a screwdriver. Swapped to a HEPA bag and a microfiber pre-filter too, and yeah, same deal - works great for an hour then you're basically vacuuming with a clogged straw. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've learned to just bite the bullet and rent a proper soot vac for the big jobs.

kimw5710d ago

My last big job was a wood stove cleanout on a 1900s farmhouse and the shop vac situation got so bad I was emptying it every 10 minutes, no joke. The fine ash just cakes into the filter pores no matter what bag or pre-filter you use, and honestly the HEPA bags help but they still choke out fast with this stuff. I finally broke down and bought a used soot vac off Craigslist for like $280, and the difference was night and day - it handled three full buckets of ash without a single slowdown. For routine flue cleaning where you're only pulling out a few cups of ash, a good filter setup might be fine if you're patient about cleaning it mid-job. But for anything heavy or if you value your time at all, that $400 is worth it for the peace of mind alone (and your back will thank you too).