Why does nobody talk about how much crap drywall dust ruins your vacuum?

I spent $300 on a decent shop vac last year thinking it'd handle the fine dust from sanding. After three big jobs, the filter was completely caked and the motor started smoking. Called around and found out you need a special dust separator attachment for another $80. Now I'm kicking myself because I could've just bought the right setup from the start. Anyone else wreck a good vacuum before they learned this trick?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee8471mo ago

motor started smoking" dude WHAT. I woulda panicked so hard if my vac started doing that, probably thrown it outside before it caught fire. Sorry that happened though, that sucks.

victor7791mo ago

Tbh, I had a similar scare with a shop vac once. Ended up just swapping the motor out myself because the rest of the unit was still solid. Honestly, if you're handy with basic tools, it's not as hard as it sounds. Ngl, I just ordered a replacement motor online and watched a YouTube video to figure out the wiring. Saved me from buying a whole new vac, so that might be worth a shot if the rest of yours is still good.

-1

phoenixw111mo ago

Read that you can also just use a cyclone separator with a regular bucket and save some cash. Might be worth looking into before you buy another expensive attachment.