That $90 ash vacuum I swore I'd never buy ended up saving my Saturday

3 comments

3 Comments

Bought the same one after my third shop vac filter clogged in a year. That was six months ago and it's still going strong. Ash vacuums feel stupid expensive until you're trying to vacuum a cold fireplace and realize you're just blowing dust everywhere.

fisher.thomas11h ago

Not enough people talk about how these things actually save you money on drywall repairs lol. The first year I used a shop vac on the fireplace I ended up with these tiny black scuff marks all along the ceiling and walls from the ash dust settling. Had to repaint the whole living room ceiling because you could see the outline of where the dust cloud landed. One coat of mud and paint was like $80. That's almost what I paid for the ash vacuum on clearance at the end of winter. Plus you're not breathing that fine silica dust that gets kicked up when you try to sweep cold ashes into a dustpan either. The health angle alone makes it worth it if you burn wood all winter.

paige16612h ago

Agree with what ward.anna said about feeling stupid expensive. I put off buying one for two years because I couldn't justify the price for something that only gets used a few months out of the year. But after the third time I had to wait half a day for the ash to cool down before I could even touch the regular vacuum, I finally caved. Now I can clean out the stove first thing in the morning without worrying about burning up the vacuum or filling the house with fine gray dust. That little metal bucket and the special filter have honestly made winter mornings a lot less frustrating.