10 Creative Uses For Shop Vacuums

Creative Uses for Shop Vacuums :

Most people either own a wet/dry vac (sometimes called shop vacuums) now, in the past, or have at least used one. A wet/dry vac is a highly versatile vacuum that can safely pick up liquids as well as dirt and debris of various sizes. These tools can be used around the house or in the garage, but they are also ideal for construction and Do-It-Yourself clean up.

However, they can be used for more than you may have dreamed! Here are the top 10 Creative Uses for a wet/dry shop vac.

Creative Vacuum Use #1 :

Clean Out A Barbecue Pit

We all love grilling and barbecuing throughout the year. Before pouring in the charcoal or lighting the fire you need to clean the grill out of the ash and debris from the previous event. This helps the fire breath, and helps the chef know how to regulate the temperature.

• Scrape the grill removing particles and debris.
• Remove top grill and anything else required that may impeded progress.
• Make sure your vac is using a fine dust filter so that the ash will be captured. Note: If your vac is not equipped with a fine debris or HEPA material filter to capture ash, any vac can throw the ash out the exhaust.
• Install Dust Bag if not already installed. While this job does not require a dust collection bag, it is recommended to keep disposal quick, easy, and clean.
• Collect cold ashes and debris.  DO NOT PICK UP HOT ASHES (This is never a good idea).
• Open shop vacuum and dispose of the dust bag.

Creative Vacuum Use #2:

Pump Out A Flooded Basement

It is not a secret that wet/dry vacs are ideal to suck up and clean large amounts of water, and if your pipes break or your basement floods it is likely the first place you turn. Many of the larger wet/dry vacuums have a drain in the collection drum allowing for easier emptying. But using an accessory pump allows you to hook up a hose and pump the collected water  right back outside where it belongs!

• Remove drain cap and install pump accessory. It will screw onto the drain, and then a garden hose will attach to the pump a valve.
• With the valve shut off, collect the water in your basement.
• Once the unit is full shut off the vac, open the valve and turn on the pump.
• Turn on vac and suck item up into the collection drum.
• The water will be pumped through the hose to where you are draining this run-off.
• When the collection drum is emptied repeat process.

Note: When sucking up high-volume water-borne debris with shop vacuums make sure you are using a correct wet filter. For example for most 5-16 gallon WORKSHOP Vacuums WS24200F may be ideal. Another tool to keep in mind is the Multi-Fit Pump Accessory MP2000 to speed up this job! This allows you to pump the collected water back out a hose and outside.

Creative Vacuum Use #3. 

Fish Wire Through Pipe

Sometimes you need to run or “fish” electrical, speaker, phone or internet wire through and existing pipe or conduit. You can keep fighting with pushing it through, but as always there is an easier way. Pull it through with a wet/dry vac.

• Unwind several feet of string so that it is enough to make it through the section of pipe.
• Feed the string into the end of the pipe. (Sometimes it is helpful to tie the string around a small ball of paper to add surface area the vac can pull on.
• On the opposite end of the attach the hose and create the best seal possible.
• Turn on and pull the string through. Carefully watch the end and check for the string, so that it is not pulling too much sting into the drum.
• Tie string to wire and ensure with electrical tape, and slowly pull through the pipe.

Creative Vacuum Use #4. 

Shop Vacuums for kitchen mess

What is kitchen goop? This is all the messes that contain liquid, food, sauce, and other kitchen liquify food spills. Paper towels are not always quicker, easier, or cheaper.  The wet/dry vac may be ideal when someone spills their soggy bran cereal and milk, especially when the bowl broke leaving shards on the floor. Or if you dropped an egg drops on the floor.

• Insert Hose.
• Choose appropriate nozzle (likely utility and maybe wet).
• Turn the vacuum on, and lift away the kitchen goop and food debris.

Note: Anytime you use a wet/dry vac, especially for food or debris that can leave an odor, be sure to thoroughly clean and rinse off as a part of a good maintenance program.

 

Creative Vacuum Use #5 :

Unclog Sink Drains with a vacuum

That’s right, while many have never thought of using a wet/dry vac to unclog a pipe, it can do exactly that. Not everyone has a drain snake, and chemicals can be dangerous or cause damage. So quickly grab the wet/dry workshop vacuum, and push that clog out.

• If the sink is full of water, to help reduce splash back suck out the water in the sink.
• Insert your hose into the exhaust port.
• If applicable seal the drain of the adjoining sinks to prevent pressure loss. This may need to be held.
• Place the end of the hose into the drain, where possible. Depending on the hose you have this maybe more effective by using an adaptor to reduce the hose diameter.
• Some sinks have strainer that would need to be removed to run the hose into the pipe.

Note: Wear eye protection from anything blowing back. This can especially be possible if you do not get the hose down the drain.

Creative Vacuum Use #6. 

Inflate Pool Toys, Rafts, Etc

Blue in the face from blowing and blowing on the the kid’s pool toys? Want to lay out on a raft and enjoy the day, but can’t waste 10 minutes huffing and puffing to inflate? Or for that matter sometime items are left inflated just so they don’t have that issue, but then are hard to store and are likely to tear or pop. Use your wet/dry vacuum to do the job instead.

• Insert your hose into the exhaust port.
• Put an inflator nozzle onto hose (using adapter if required) and  insert into valve.
• If you don’t have the appropriate nozzle you can hold the nozzle over the valve while holding it open with your finger and thumb. However, this method is less effective.
• Turn on vac and inflate.
• Stop and close valve sealing air within.

Creative Vacuum Use #7. 

Clean Out A Fireplace

Not everyone has a fireplace, but cleaning out your fireplace can be messy. Instead of sweeping and scooping the ashes into the trash, and spreading the ash throughout your house Suck It Up with a wet/dry vacuum.

• Make sure your vac is using a fine dust filter so that the ash will be captured. Note: If your vac is not equipped with a fine debris or HEPA material filter to capture ash, any vac can throw the ash out the exhaust.
• Install Dust Bag if not already installed. While this job does not require a dust collection bag, it is recommended to keep disposal quick, easy, and clean.
• Collect cold ashes and larger debris. DO NOT PICK UP HOT ASHES (This is never a good idea).
• Open vac and dispose of the dust bag.

Note: When picking up fine ashes be sure your filter will capture fine dust. This means either a Fine Dust filter such as WS22200F or WS12045F depending on vacuum, or a HEPA media filter such as WS23200F

Creative Vacuum Use #8 :

Clean Out Aquariums with a Vacuum

When it’s time to clean or remove the water from your aquarium, don’t reach for a pitcher or small bucket to dip out the water, reach for your wet/dry vac and make the job quicker and easier.

        Note: On whole a vac can lift water very quickly, be careful not to over fill the vacuum’s collection drum. With some models water could be blown out the exhaust if instructions in the owner’s manual are not followed. Additionally, this would be best with on units with a drain and method to easy transport the weight (eg. Large wheels and handle or cart system)

• If cleaning, but not emptying, there are a few options. One is to use a 1-1/4” hose (may require adapter) and attach to the top of the uplift tube of your gravel filter. Turn on and off the vac to suck the nitrates from out of the gravel.
• If you don’t use a gravel filter remove decorations and place in clean bucket. Then wrap panty hose or similar material to end of hose or extension wand. Hold it in place with heavy duty rubber band. Push down to bottom to the gravel. Turn vac on and off in shore bursts to remove nitrates and debris from gravel. A vac is very powerful and removes water quickly so do not leave on. If you left fish in the tank while cleaning be careful or harm not to capture fish.
• If emptying, after removing fish (if any) remove all decorations and accessories. Insert hose and turn on vac to remove water. Note the hose may pull when engaged due to the power. Depending on size you may need to drain vac before finishing tank. If you plan to reuse gravel in the future you may also wish to collect the gravel after the bulk of the water has been removed.

Creative Vacuum Use #9. 

Remove Snowy Messes From Floors, Stairs, Or Even Sidewalks

Without question, a family can track the winter snow and salty messes from our vehicles into our homes. Instead of trying to scoop, grab, scrap and then dry such a mess why not use the wet/dry vac?

• Using your vac with a utility nozzle suck up the bulk of the snow.
• Replace the Utility nozzle with the Wet Nozzle and with its squeegee suck up the moisture left on your floor and stairs.
• If outdoor and appropriate add salt to prevent additional snowfall from freezing and creating a danger.

Creative Use Vacuum #10. 

Retrieve Items From A Sink Drain 

Most people have dropped something down the drain, whether it was a ring when doing dishes, or something you were rinsing off. If you stop the running water immediately it may have stopped in what is called the P-trap, and may be close enough to retrieve it with your wet/dry vacuum.

Do NOT run water. Shop vacuums can pull a great deal, but I’m afraid pulling it back from your city’s water treatment plant would be far fetched.

• If applicable seal the drain of the adjoining sinks to prevent suction loss.
• Seal vac hose to drain with p-trap. Determine this by looking in the cabinet and look for a “U” shaped section of pipe.
• Turn on vac and suck item up into the collection drum.

Option: If you use panty-hose on the end of hose this may filter the item out of water and prevent it from bouncing around the collection drum.

        Note: Success will vary based on sink and pipes, as well as if the item was not washed away.

WARNINGS AND NOTES :

ALWAYS keep and follow all warnings and instructions found in your shop vacuums owner’s manual. In the event any information found here conflicts with your specific owner’s manual that came with your product then that information supersedes anything found here.

Take this information with you when you read the 10 Creative Uses Of A Wet/Dry Vacuum in PDF.

Learn more about WORKSHOP Wet/Dry Vacs