Warning: 6 months of sweeping with a shop vac changed how I look at every job

Simon Perry · 2026-10-08T19:30:05.950013+00:00

I know everyone here swears by their full brush and rod kit, and I get it, I really do. But last summer I picked up a used 6 gallon shop vac for $40 at a garage sale in Grand Rapids and started using it on light jobs, just to save time on setup. The first month I thought it was a gimmick. By month 6 I realized I was finishing small ranch homes in half the time, and the dust cloud inside the living room was basically gone. My old setup left a fine grey film on every surface no matter how careful I was with the drop cloths. The vac pulls it straight into the drum and the HEPA filter catches what the bag misses. I still break out the rods anytime I hit a real creosote buildup or a tricky flue, because the vac will not touch hard glazed stuff. But for yearly maintenance on a clean-burning stove, I am never going back to full manual. Am I the only one who thinks the old school guys are leaving an easy win on the table here?

Topic Shares

Loading…

Warning: 6 months of sweeping with a shop vac changed how I look at every job | Chimney Sweeps - Topic Shares