Question about using a shop vac vs a dedicated soot vacuum

Last week I had a big job at an old house in Nashville, and I had to choose between my regular shop vac with a fine filter and my buddy's $600 HEPA vac. I went with the shop vac to save time hauling gear, but the fine filter clogged up after three flues and I spent 45 minutes cleaning it. The dust still got everywhere, and the homeowner wasn't thrilled. Has anyone else tried getting away with a shop vac on heavy creosote jobs, or is it worth the extra money for the proper setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper7d ago

Did you try doubling up on the filters?

the_sean7d ago

Double layering does help for a while but you gotta make sure the fit is right. If there's any gap between the two filters it just defeats the purpose and you end up with bypass anyway. I usually put a heavier prefilter before the fine one to catch the big stuff first, saves the main filter from clogging up too fast. Just keep an eye on the pressure drop because too much resistance can burn out the motor on some units. Learned that the hard way with an old system I had in my garage. If you're still getting particles through after that, might be time to check if the housing seal is even holding.

troychen7d ago

Funny you mention that @abby_cooper, seems like a lot of folks are trying to band-aid problems instead of just replacing the whole thing. Reminds me of how everyone tries to patch things up one cheap fix at a time.