# Using a vacuum bag in shop vac



## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Has anyone tried this?
Make Cleaning a Shop Vac Easier - Woodworking | Videos | Plans | How To


----------



## xxaquadogxx (Dec 14, 2016)

chessnut2 said:


> Has anyone tried this?
> 
> Make Cleaning a Shop Vac Easier - Woodworking | Videos | Plans | How To




Shop Vac makes vac bags. I have a bucket style separator first and then a vac bag inside my sears shop vac. It helps keep the filter clean and also helps to contain the really fine dust. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

chessnut2 said:


> Has anyone tried this?
> Make Cleaning a Shop Vac Easier - Woodworking | Videos | Plans | How To


Jim I am doing this , but I also still use the centre filter. The reason is , I'm vacuuming up drywall dust which is notorious for destroying motors . Plus I'd like to keep the house as free of drywall dust as possible . No use sucking it up , just to shoot it out the shop vacs exhaust . 
I have a Rigid shop vac , and I don't believe I've noticed a drop in suction because of a two filter system.
The price of filters sucks though


----------



## xxaquadogxx (Dec 14, 2016)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> Jim I am doing this , but I also still use the centre filter. The reason is , I'm vacuuming up drywall dust which is notorious for destroying motors . Plus I'd like to keep the house as free of drywall dust as possible . No use sucking it up , just to shoot it out the shop vacs exhaust .
> I have a Rigid shop vac , and I don't believe I've noticed a drop in suction because of a two filter system.
> The price of filters sucks though




I am also using a filter, I use a goretex filter because it is washable and filters finer dust. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

xxaquadogxx said:


> I am also using a filter, I use a goretex filter because it is washable and filters finer dust.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had no idea they made a washable one . I'm wondering if it works with fine particles as well ? 
I shouldn't really complain about the bags , it's that dang centre filter that is priced ridiculously.
I guess when I bought them together , that it was a bit of sticker shock . But the benefit I can justify , especially if your drywalling


----------



## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

I have a Ridgid shop vac and use a bag in it. It makes cleaning and emptying the vac easier.


----------



## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

I use a dust deputy and a bag. If I remember to dump the pail before it gets full you never
have to change the paper bag. I believe this shop vac bag has been in the vacuum over
a year.


----------



## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Glad I'm not the only one that "forgot" to empty the dust deputy until it was too late. Only happened once. Funny how that sticks in your memory.


----------



## CAD-Man (Apr 28, 2013)

I use a shop vac to clean my pellet stoves (After they have cooled down) I use a sheetrock vacuum bag plus a hepa canister filter. Pellet ash will destroy a motor in a couple of uses, my shop vac is going on it's 4th year and no problems. As a side note the shop vac sheetrock bags rip real easy if you get them too full, shop vac has come out with a new non rippable vac bag at almost twice the cost and I have only seen them on their WEB Site.

CAD-Man


----------



## Northerner26 (Jan 2, 2010)

i have been using the shop-vac bags for several years, i would really like to have a dust deputy but i just dont have the room for it in my small shop. but the bags work great and keeps dust down when emptying.


----------



## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Kevin I have the dust deputy mounted over the shop vac on a wheels. Don't take up much more room than the vac.


----------



## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

A few months ago I put together a dedicated setup for sanding. I bought a 12 gallon shop vac along with a 1 micron filter and a filter bag. There is a hepa filter available as well, and at some point I may switch to that one as well. I did not put in a separator. The vac itself is hidden under one of the TS wings, and it is on an automatic switch that the sander plugs into. This spring, after a few projects have been sanded I am going to take a look at the filter. Depending on how clean or dirty may help make a decision on whether I add a separator. However I think the filter bag as it stands is catching the vast majority of the dust.

For now, this setup seems to work very well. There is NO sawdust left behind from sanding. I also have not noticed the vac blowing out any dust as I am sanding.

A little further background. The above is actually shopvac #2 for me. ShopVac #1 is a 16 gallon that got used for everything. I did have a filter bag in that for awhile, with a well used filter that had been cleaned out a few times. The bag seemed like it did a very good job keeping the filter clean. I moved to having a dedicated setup as the shop vac got used for everything, including sweeping out cars, and other stuff around the house, so the bag filled up very quickly. I could also see general usage clogging up a 1 micron filter very quickly as well. So the larger shop vac is now just using a standard filter, no bag, and is used for general use, while the smaller one is completely dedicated and setup to deal with the fine dust from sanding.


----------



## stanzee (Dec 9, 2010)

xxaquadogxx said:


> Shop Vac makes vac bags. I have a bucket style separator first and then a vac bag inside my sears shop vac. It helps keep the filter clean and also helps to contain the really fine dust.
> 
> 
> The same for me. I have two vacs, a small one for cleaning bench and such with bag. I also have a larger one with bag and cyclone for dust collection. They work fine


----------



## Oakwerks (May 9, 2013)

I use a bag, and a pleated filter in my 30 year old Shop-Vac.....
The outside of the vac always had dust near the exhaust....
After installing the bag, and a new pleated filter,
there is no more dust outside the vac, no dust buildup in the filter,
and no reduction in vacuum power....


----------



## firstmuller (Aug 28, 2014)

I have a Sheetrock bag in my vac and it work well BUT if you vac around were you have hardware and suck it in, it is very hard to get back out so just be carefull:surprise::frown:


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

honesttjohn said:


> Glad I'm not the only one that "forgot" to empty the dust deputy until it was too late. Only happened once. Funny how that sticks in your memory.


On a sunny day when the light comes through the window I can see the dust level in my Dust Deputy bucket.


----------



## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

I use a Dust Deputy couple with my Shop Vac. I also use the cylinder filter that fits in the top. It is also washable! I shake it out and tap it on a metal post to get the big chunks out then I run water from the inside to rinse it. Then I use a bit of Dawn and water to finish the job. I then set it over the register to dry. I have used the yellow bag for sheet rock dust.


----------



## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

hawkeye10 said:


> On a sunny day when the light comes through the window I can see the dust level in my Dust Deputy bucket.



I just check it now before I start something new.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Hoser*



Oakwerks said:


> I use a bag, and a pleated filter in my 30 year old Shop-Vac.....
> The outside of the vac always had dust near the exhaust....
> After installing the bag, and a new pleated filter,
> there is no more dust outside the vac, no dust buildup in the filter,
> and no reduction in vacuum power....


I've used the bags for at least 40 years (no, not the same bag).
When I clean the chimney and airtight fireplace, _that_ bag goes straight into the garbage...I leave the shop vac _outside_ the patio door while I'm doing the soot cleanup, and just use a long hose extension. Then I hose out the hoses before putting them away.


----------

