Filter...what filter? Dust bags...what dust bags.....Ever neglect your shop vac?

[Peter Quinn]

Its happened to me once again. I've become reacquainted with my vacuum after a falling out. Or more appropriately a falling on...dust falling on my head that is. My vac is a PC 7812, its tool triggered, has a three stage dust filtration system that is fairly effective, quiet, great suction....or at least I remember great suction. I seem to go through a cycle where I use it for extended periods until the bag inside is so full it explodes, then the secondary pleated filter clogs....then the suck stops. It spends most of its life attached to a festool sander, occasional time in another tool, like a drywall sander. So the other day i'm doing a little wood sanding...then I switch to doing some plaster ceiling repairs.......and a cloud ensues form a normally quite clean process. My children run from the house choking, my wife is ready to choke me. I'm scratching my head...but this vacuum sander usually works so well.......

So the bag is full past the breaking point...I have a case of bags I bought with the thing, plenty left given my bag maintenance schedule.....day after almost never. I pull the thing apart, bag is blown, secondary filter is jambed solid....I go to order a new one...realize they are fairly expensive...then realize they are washable...hey, fuzzy memory comes back of washing this thing before? Wash secondary filter, wash last stage foam filter, replace bag with fresh.....dry washed filter, replace filter. Holly Molly...this thing is powerful! I forgot how good it works when its not clogged. And it stays not clogged for a very long time, just not as long as I wait to empty the bag.

Am I the only one with this affliction? Or are there others? Do they make a shop vac that will text me when its full? Because the smoke signals are reaching me too late!

[Stephen Musial]

I planed a bunch of red oak and walked out of the shop and saw the top bag on the dust collector was still inflated. Went back in to get the remote and hang up my headphones. Realized I wasn't wearing my headphones and that the dust collector WAS off. Felt the top bag and it was almost halfway full. Emptying that was a little slice of heaven.

Went and dug up the cyclone lid I've had lying around for 10 years or more, ran to the hardware store and got a trashcan and life is SOOOO much easier now. Trashcan's 3/4 full and doesn't feel like there's anything in the dust collector. Will be mulching the trees tomorrow unless someone knows of some sort of press that will turn chips into something I can throw into the woodstove to burn.

[Victor Robinson]

I recently got a second Fein, and figured out the bag was full on the first one because the new one sucked so much better.

[Scott Austin]

Steven, I save every cardboard box/cardboard food container I can. I wait till I get good coals then throw in the sawdust filled box. Works great.

[Stephen Musial]

Thanks - I will try that. I take it you compress it as much as possible?

[Scott Austin]

No I don't compress it. If the shaving/sawdust are fluffy it allows more air to burn. The box's are a easier way to get the sawdust in the stove. My old stove had an opening at the top, I would just dump shavings/sawdust in.