Shop-Vac Setup

[Ferrino]

Rookie alert.

So I've had a shop-vac in the garage for a few months now and really like it for cleaning up my workbench etc., but it's a pain to have to remove from it's holder, plug it in, unravel the hose etc... every time. I remove it from it's holder because the exhaust would obviously blow half the mess around the garage.

Is it possible to hook the exhaust port to blow outside so that the shop-vac can be permanently mounted and then just use a long hose to move around the garage?

If so, advice on how to route it through the wall and vent outside would be great!

Thanks!

 

[shannonw]

They have bags you put in them to stop the dust,etc if that is what you're referring to...I think you're supposed to use that anyways when not sucking up water just to keep debris,etc out of the motor,etc though i rarely use it unless i'm doing dust like drywall.

 

[On1Wheel]

I've considered doing the same thing but don't know if I should do what I'm thinking.

Inside one of my garage walls is the vent for the dryer which sits on the other side of the wall, inside the house. I thought about tapping into the dryer vent for my shop vac. It seems easy enough and repairing the drywall would be a piece of cake, I think. The only problem is that the water heater is kind of in the way, but I bet I could work around it.

If your dryer vent is fairly close to your garage, you could do the same by just running a tube into the wall and up into the attic, connecting it up there. I think it would be wise to run the exhaust hose up the dryer vent a little way to be sure you aren't forcing that air down & into your dryer.

 

[jasonreck71]

If you have $ burning a hole in your pocket check out the GUV wall mount vac

 

[eldirector]

I've got a wall-mount vac, though not the one posted above. Hung it in a convenience spot, and left it plugged in. With an extra length of hose, I can reach everywhere in the garage, and even a car parked just outside. If I keep the filter clean, the exhaust isn't dusty.

I've got a rolling wet/dry as well for bigger messes or to roll somewhere else. It also has a filter, so the discharge is pretty clean air. You still have to point it AWAY from your mess, though!

 

[Ferrino]

Sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear enough - I use bags inside the vacuum to collect fine particles (drywall dust, sawdust etc.), but the problem is that the exhaust air will blow debris around the garage when it's switched on. Unfortunately I can't tap into the dryer outlet because it's on the opposite side of the garage. I guess I just need to make a new hole in the garage and feed the exhaust outside.

 

[On1Wheel]

I knew what you meant, Ferrino. The wind coming out of my vacuum is pretty strong, too.

Since it's just air, maybe vent it into your attic and be done with it?

 

[eldirector]

Sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear enough - I use bags inside the vacuum to collect fine particles (drywall dust, sawdust etc.), but the problem is that the exhaust air will blow debris around the garage when it's switched on. Unfortunately I can't tap into the dryer outlet because it's on the opposite side of the garage. I guess I just need to make a new hole in the garage and feed the exhaust outside.

Ah.... I misunderstood! How about just directing the exhaust up? Find a 45* or 90* PVC elbow that fits the exhaust port.

They also make mufflers/diffusers for vacs:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...1&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=22-194747268-2

 

[Zeke]

Doesn't someone make a diffuser/silencer for these? No direct blast of air.

 

[Thruxton]

I've considered doing the same thing but don't know if I should do what I'm thinking.

Inside one of my garage walls is the vent for the dryer which sits on the other side of the wall, inside the house. I thought about tapping into the dryer vent for my shop vac. It seems easy enough and repairing the drywall would be a piece of cake, I think. The only problem is that the water heater is kind of in the way, but I bet I could work around it.

If your dryer vent is fairly close to your garage, you could do the same by just running a tube into the wall and up into the attic, connecting it up there. I think it would be wise to run the exhaust hose up the dryer vent a little way to be sure you aren't forcing that air down & into your dryer.

IMHO this would be very risky. Much of the dust from the vac would be flammable, and I wouldn't want that going into a dryer vent- there is enough chance of trouble just from the dryer alone (I think it's one of the biggest causes of house fires- correct me if I'm wrong).

OTOH I see no problem at all with a separate through-wall vent to the outside, just make sure the elements and random creatures can't get in.

 

[ket-tek]

How about just directing the exhaust up? Find a 45* or 90* PVC elbow that fits the exhaust port.

Kinda the same thing I was thinking..

 

[jwith68]

I have a Vacmaster VWM510 mounted on the wall in my shop. It has an outlet filter/diffuser that may be just what you are looking for. Upper RH corner of the unit - plugs in just like the hose so they can be switched for "blowing".

http://www.vacmaster.com/product.cfm?p=16

 

[Steevo]

Whole-house vacuums do exactly what you are suggesting. They plumb a PVC exhaust pipe to the outside, which keeps all airborne dust that isn't trapped by the vacuum from re-entering the house.
It should be simple to do, if you have a permanent spot for the shop-vac, but make sure your setup is designed so you can still get the canister off to empty it.
Also, if you have wasps/hornets that like to get into openings, they will find their way into that exhaust pipe, so a mesh screen on the end is a good idea.

 

[kruzin]

I wouldn't worry about the screen. Turn on the vac and give them a ride!!

 

[uncletater]

One suggestion if venting outside. Buy a 45 to angle it down an put some steel wool in the end. We did this with a central vac that we hooked up and didn't do anything at first. They guy next door was not happy when we turned it on and it sounded like a small jet getting ready to take off. The 45 and the steel wool made it much quieter.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[PECVD2]

I would not recommend anything on the exhaust side that would create or lead to the creation of backpressure on your vacuum system.

 

[Ferrino]

Thanks all! I decided to go with the $12 muffler from Sears - that will hopefully stop the fierce blowing and quieten it down a bit.

 

[JohnMcD348]

My craftsman vac came with one of the diffusers and works pretty well, but, it's not perfect. If you're looking to totally prevent air from blowing around where the exhaust is currently directed, consider doing that diffuser and possibly redirecting the current with the PVC piping. The added length of tubing might also help reduce noise some. Maybe even buy 2 and put them together using a "T" or "Y" end fitting on the pipe.

 

[PECVD2]

Bringing this one back to life.
I searched and found a reference to Shop Vac bags.....NEVER knew they made those.
After trying to dump my shop vac today and getting dust all over me and the surrounding area outside I am headed over to KMart to pick these up (gift card).
http://www.kmart.com/craftsman-20-gallon-wet-dry-vac-high-efficiency-filter/p-00916809000P
Anyone else use these?
I for one will never try to dump the cannister into a trash bag after the fact again. Ridgid 16 gallon WD1851 with the caddie is just too difficult to invert into etc.
Maybe there is a better way.
Please help.

 

[MFolks]

It's loud with the shop vac on:

 

[djjsr]

I've been using bags for a couple of years. They're great. Mine are ShopVac brand and they have 2 different types. One is general purpose and the other is for fine particles like drywall dust. I'll never clean or replace a filter again.

 

[PECVD2]

djjsr, great to hear.

I don't know how I missed these bags. I typically use my shop vac to pick up sawdust (I have a DC system but I always have sawdust around) and as you know sawdust will plug the filter quickly.

thanks again.

 

[jhasafety1]

Don't connect to your dry vent it would blow into the dryer, that would lead to a fire very quickly.

 

[CharlestonJoe]

I use the high efficiency bags as well. I was a little confused by the op's problem. Was he sticking his vac in the middle of the dust pile and it blowing dust everywhere or what? With the bags in, it doesn't blow dust out of the exhaust at all yet he was saying his still blew dust all over?
I do like the idea of mounting a vac somewhere and just having a hose to use, but my garage/shop is 40 ft long, I would have to have a 20 ft + hose to reach even from the middle of the garage. I would have to to do some kind of central vac system with ports to hook into.

 

[Crazy68Dart]

I have a wall hanging shop vac. It works well and has a nice long hose with a lot of suction/power. Not sure if you can get a bag for it, that would be nice. I am not a huge fan of the cartridge filters. But, it has been okay.

 

[djjsr]

I have a wall hanging shop vac. ....... Not sure if you can get a bag for it, .............

Looking at ShopVacs' website, it looks like the bags are available in all sizes, but I haven't seen that much of a selection in any stores.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've considered doing the same thing but don't know if I should do what I'm thinking.

Inside one of my garage walls is the vent for the dryer which sits on the other side of the wall, inside the house. I thought about tapping into the dryer vent for my shop vac. It seems easy enough and repairing the drywall would be a piece of cake, I think. The only problem is that the water heater is kind of in the way, but I bet I could work around it.

If your dryer vent is fairly close to your garage, you could do the same by just running a tube into the wall and up into the attic, connecting it up there. I think it would be wise to run the exhaust hose up the dryer vent a little way to be sure you aren't forcing that air down & into your dryer.

That is patently a BAD idea. You'll be pressurizing your dryer vent when you run the vacuum, running the vacuum exhaust tube up into the vent line will almost definitely cause a restriction & collect lint, causing a blockage & maybe a dryer fire. That's why it's illegal to tie anything into a dryer vent. The same goes for a water heater stack.

The GUV is a nice piece, but it's not a wet/dry vac. I have the older version of the Craftsman wall mounted wet/dry vac. I ordered an additional long replacement hose for it & now it reaches everywhere including out into the driveway for vacuuming the car.

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-...p-00916825000P?prdNo=9&blockNo=9&blockType=G9


For REALLY fine dust pickup I copied what a lot of guys do for their blast cabinets. I took an old 5 gallon spackle bucket, cut two PVC bulkhead fittings that are the same size as the vacuum hose into the lid. On one I put a piece of PVC that runs down to within an inch or so from the bottom. The other has a foam filter on it & is hooked to the vacuum hose. Fill the bucket with about 4"-5" of water. All the dust is trapped in the water as the air is pulled through by the vacuum.

Not my diagram, but you get the idea:





Tommy

 

[gjz30075]

I have a diffuser/filter on my exhaust port of my 12 gal Rigid shop vac. It looks like an air filter for a small motor and it definitely keeps dust and debris from blowing out the exhaust. Does nothing to quiet it, though.
Hope this helps

 

[zable9]

That is patently a BAD idea. You'll be pressurizing your dryer vent when you run the vacuum, running the vacuum exhaust tube up into the vent line will almost definitely cause a restriction & collect lint, causing a blockage & maybe a dryer fire. That's why it's illegal to tie anything into a dryer vent. The same goes for a water heater stack.

The GUV is a nice piece, but it's not a wet/dry vac. I have the older version of the Craftsman wall mounted wet/dry vac. I ordered an additional long replacement hose for it & now it reaches everywhere including out into the driveway for vacuuming the car.

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-...p-00916825000P?prdNo=9&blockNo=9&blockType=G9


For REALLY fine dust pickup I copied what a lot of guys do for their blast cabinets. I took an old 5 gallon spackle bucket, cut two PVC bulkhead fittings that are the same size as the vacuum hose into the lid. On one I put a piece of PVC that runs down to within an inch or so from the bottom. The other has a foam filter on it & is hooked to the vacuum hose. Fill the bucket with about 4"-5" of water. All the dust is trapped in the water as the air is pulled through by the vacuum.

Not my diagram, but you get the idea:





Tommy

Cool. Thx for the share