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dkheckmanl
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 134 Middleton, ID
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2005-08-20          115167

Any opinions on a good quality shop vac. I went the big box route and bought a contractor series from Lowes. It sucks pretty good but one of the wheels keeps falling off and the intake hose kinks easily. I am about ready to take it back and get my money back under their satisfaction guaranteed policy.

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2005-08-21          115182

I have 4 or 5 Sears Shop vacs from 2.25 hp up to the 6+ hp(I think one of the boys have borrowed it). We use them in her shop, on the wood cutting stuff, cleaning cars, and the main vac for the house. Little sissy house vacs do not like dog hair.

They all seem to suck the same. (No Pun) The only difference I can see is the amount and size of material they will pull thru the hose. ....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-08-21          115186

I have the 16 gallon/2+HP Rigid brand from Home Depot. It has worked very well for more than 4 years now. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-08-21          115188

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but has anyone used one of those quiet shop vacs that some manufacturers make? Do they suck well and are they much less noisy than standard vacs? ....

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dkheckmanl
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 134 Middleton, ID
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2005-08-21          115190

Good question about the quiet shop vacs. I was thinking of going that route if they the suction is about the same. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-08-22          115230

I've got a 'silent' shop vac, but I had to silence it myself.

I ran plastic pipe all around the woodworking shop with self-closing outlets for each machine and then ran the pipe through the wall to the storage area next to the woodworking area.

It is a standard Craftsman (Sears) but with a dust seperator barrel thing in front of the vacuum itself.

Just putting it in the next room made a huge difference in the noise level.

Best of luck. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-08-22          115232

Just wondering if any of you have a static electicity problem with a portable vac? Once in a while it will snap me pretty good. My permanat vac system has a copper wire inside the tubes that is grounded so I don't have a problem with it. thanks. Frank. ....

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AC5ZO
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 928 Rio Rancho, NM 87144
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2005-08-22          115249

Here in NM, the humidity can get down to the single digits. When that occurs, my shop vac can make some pretty long sparks.

I have also used the technique of placing the shop vac in the next room and running 2" PVC pipe to all my machine tools it works great.

I have three Sears shop vacs and a Rigid. They all seem to work pretty much the same regardless of HP rating. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-08-22          115251

I recall reading somewhere, woodworking mag.?, about a fellow who made a plywood box, lined with sound deadening insulation, to muffle his shop vac., the only problem he seemed to have was with the vac. wandering to the side of the box and creating a vibration/rattle noise from the contact with the wood. I remember he had an outlet hose that vented the output side to the outdoors.

If I was working in the basement I might be tempted to do something like that but the shop is a good 100' from the house.

Best of luck. ....

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AC5ZO
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 928 Rio Rancho, NM 87144
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2005-08-22          115252

re: vac in a box

Don't make the box too tight. The motors put off a good bit of heat. This is often not picked up by the discharge hose. My shop vac would heat up a double sized closet that was used for storage as well. ....

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AnnBrush
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 463 Troy OH
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2005-08-22          115262

I bought my first shop-vac brand shop-vac about 4 years ago now. Here are my observations: It says it's a QSP: Quiet Super Power - well they got the last two right but it is definately not quiet. I have been VERY impressed with its sucking ability and hardiness, to wit: I cleaned out my cistern (8' by 13' by 10')last year, it looked like it had never been cleaned in the 45 years this house has stood. I sump pumped out all but the last 5 inches of water. The remainder was sediment which was the consistancy and color of black yoghurt (with chunks). I was at a bit of a loss as what to do as the sump pump just wouldn't pump it (no flow). I chose to use the shop vac and decided it would be a cheap solution if all I had to replace was the filter ($8). I was amazed it just sucked it all up and I poured the crud into a trash can and lifted it up out of the cistern. A couple of hose downs inside followed by vaccing up the water/crud solution got it all pretty clean again. The filter was washed but not replaced. Now we use the cistern to provide water for our outside faucets so we can water lawns and beds etc without worrying about pumping the wells dry. It collects rainwater (not very much this year) and is supplemented by a slow trickle from one well and a basement sump pump, which in concert fill it up over time. I have often thought about writing shop vac and telling them how great I think their product is. ....

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JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2005-08-22          115272

I have a ridgid 16 gal and a sears 8 gal.
both work well but the sears has a bad design , it is not very freindly to clean it out or taking the power unit off.
But I do spend the money and buy the good HEPA filters for them both, take them out and a couple of taps and your back in business.
....

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2005-08-23          115273

A concern about venting a shop vac outside is the tightness of the house.

Intake air might have to come in from a chimney or other waste vent stack.

Just a thought. ....

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psimonson
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 57 Northeastern Tennessee
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2005-08-23          115276

Sears sells a simple outlet muffler for about $8. I've found these to be well worth the cost. ....

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