Shop Vac - FOMQ

Shop Vac Vacuums Come In Handy!

Shop Vac 12 Gallon

Here Are The Key Elements For The Shop Vac Vacuums.
1) What Is A Shop Vac?
2) Practical Uses.
3) How Do Costs Compare?
4) My Experience With Low Horsepower Models.

Introduction

Shop Vac vacuums are unique because they have greater suction power to pick up liquids, dust and screws than regular household vacuums. They are affordable too. So, you should find one that is best for your situation.

Have you ever burned out the motor of your Shop Vac or similar vacuum? I have done this twice. The first time I was using my 2.5 HP Shop-Vac to sand drywall as I finished our basement. The second time I was using a 2.5 HP Shop-Vac to pick up water from a failed 40 gallon water heater. Finally, I have learned that I must plan how I will use a Shop-Vac and buy one that has enough HP/AMPS for the job for which I intend to use it for. I don’t want you to experience what happened to me. So I am writing this article to help you understand what a Shop-Vac is, what it can do, and what you can add to make it more versatile, so you will make a better decision when buying.

What Is A Shop Vac?

A Shop-Vac is a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, but is different than your standard household vacuum cleaner. The Shop-Vac has a powerful motor that sucks up things through a large sized hose into a large canister. It has no belts or rotating brushes that get entangled with carpet strands. The Shop-Vac picks up dry and wet materials. It is designed to suck up both fine dust and larger items such as nails and screws. The more horse power the more intense the suction is. This technology has been around for over 50 years. The Shop-Vac is unique and will do things your standard household vacuum cleaner is not designed to do.

Practical Uses

Here are some practical uses for the Shop-Vac:

Removes excess moisture from your carpets after shampooing.
Sucks up sawdust and wood shavings, ashes in the fireplace, and drywall dust as you sand.
Eases the frustration of picking up spilled objects like nails, screws, paper clips. If you clean the canister before sucking the objects into the canister you can easily scoop them up from the canister into a storage container.
Sucks up water if a water pipe or water heater should leak.
Unclogs drains.
Has a powerful blower for removing debris from hard to reach areas.
Cleans up Christmas tree needles and trimmings.
Sucks up cat litter.
Cleans up dirt from spilled flower pots.
Sucks up leaves and converts them into mulch.
Cleans up grass trimmings from a mower deck.

All homes will find a Shop-Vac to be very handy. It can be used in so many ways and certainly makes life easier when an emergency water event occurs.

How Do Costs Compare?

As with any appliance, costs will vary depending upon which model is purchased. Generally, the higher the horsepower and capacity size in gallons, the more expensive they are. Shop-Vacs and other dry/wet vacuums vary in costs from below $50 to over $200 for home use. Shop-Vacs used for commercial or industrial use are more expensive.

So, with proper planning you can buy a dry/wet vacuum that is affordable to your budget. You may also need to consider on how the vacuum is to be used. If you are planning a remodeling of a room or basement, you might want to consider getting a dry sander attachment. This attachment helps keep the dust from sanding the drywall to a minimum.

If you should have lots of cleaning in the workroom or basement, you should consider getting a dry/wet vacuum with a horsepower of 5 or more. This will provided enough power so the motor will not burn out due to heavy use.

My Experience With Low Horsepower Models

I used a 5 gallon 2.5 HP Shop-Vac for my drywall sanding project and burned out the motor. I had to pick up water because my water heater leaked. I burned out the motor again using a 2.5 gallon Shop-Vac. I would buy a Shop-Vac movel that will handle all types of jobs that may come up. Selecting a Shop-Vac with the right horsepower and size will be your most important decision to make. I would recommend purchasing 12 gallon 5.5 horsepower model or better. These models will be able to handle sanding, mulching and sucking up water very well.

Shop Dry/Wet Vacuums

You can shop for the best dry/wet vacuums below. You will be taken to Amazon to place your order. While there, you can read the customer reviews and answered questions for the model you are thinking about buying. The vacuums below will include Shop-Vac and other top brand dry/wet vacuums for your consideration.

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