Can we talk about using shop vacs to clean out flues instead of brushing?

I spent 15 years just brushing everything down the chimney until last winter when a customer in Cleveland asked me to try his industrial vac setup, and now I never go back to the old way. Has anyone else switched methods and noticed less mess or is it just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

price.gavin10d ago

@wendysanchez was dead right about the cyclone separator, I used to think it was overkill till I tried one myself.

anthony_campbell8810d ago

That industrial vac didn't clog up on fine ash?

wendysanchez10d ago

Not quite fine ash that clogs is the problem with those, it's more the super dry powdery stuff that acts like cement when it hits any moisture inside the drum. The fine ash will pack into the filter pleats something fierce too, way faster than you'd think. A good cyclone pre-separator makes a world of difference for that kind of job, keeps the main filter from choking out after fifteen minutes.