Why I think cleaning with shop vacs is overrated for most jobs

Had a talk with an old timer named Mike at a trade meetup last Saturday. He said using a shop vac on every job just pushes soot deeper into the brick pores over time. He showed me his method using just a stiff brush and a drop cloth, takes 10 minutes more but the firebox looks way cleaner. Made me rethink all the hours I spent lugging that vac up ladders for nothing. Has anyone else tried going back to basic hand tools on certain types of fireplaces?

2 comments

2 Comments

price.jake20d ago

So you're saying that vac just blasts the crap deeper into the brick? That actually makes a ton of sense.

ivan_fisher9920d ago

Have you tried hitting the brick with a wire brush first to see if that loose carbon actually comes off without a vac? I'm wondering if the vac is fine for surface ash but just makes a mess when you hit the porous stuff deeper in. Mike's drop cloth method sounds like it catches the soot before it settles back in the first place. What about those old fireplaces with the soft red brick that flakes easy - would a stiff brush wreck those worse than a vac?