Ash cleanup (shop vac)

[Owly 22]

My 10" titan kamado has no provision for ash cleanout except to  lift out the firebox and scoop ash.  I've been using briquettes quite a bit for slow fire.... along with mesquite chunks for smoke.  This morning I used a wet and dry shop vac with no filter in it, and an exhaust hose as well as a suction hose installed.  Worked great!!  I laid the exhaust  hose out pointed over the garden & yard, and all the fine ash blew out, leaving only the heavier courser ash in the vac.   A fast easy cleanout.   I could have simply left the firebox in, and cleaned down through it, and sucked through the intake.   The fine ash does't even show in the lawn.  This was a cheap $20 Craftsman shop vac that I bought a year ago on sale at Ace Hardware.......... I bought an extra hose just for this sort of thing.

 

                                                                              H.W.

[Chasdev 317]

As long as the wind does not change direction and blow all that ash back at you..should be fine.

[keeperovdeflame 9,574]

I use an Ash Vac designed to remove fine ash from indoor fire places. It has a very fine filter to block ash blow back, a metal can to hold the ash, and a metal lined hose to prevent ash from igniting inside the plastic hose. Wasn't too expensive on Amazon, and does a very quick non messy clean up for my fire box and kettle bottom. I used to use an old shop vac, as you do, but the mess it made was a constant problem and always an  issue. The ash vac  does not produce the slightest ash blow back. Definitely worth the cost IMO.

 

This is the one I use

https://www.homedepot.com/p/PowerSmith-10-Amp-3-Gal-Ash-Vacuum-PAVC101/203656953?mtc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-B-D25T-25_14_WET_DRY_VACS-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-WetDryVacs&cm_mmc=Shopping-B-F_D25T-B-D25T-25_14_WET_DRY_VACS-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-WetDryVacs-71700000034362736-58700003947733511-92700031998221693&msclkid=0a9384d6877e10908955d91375bf64be&gclid=CP2h76Xb2-UCFUT2DQodESsKeg&gclsrc=ds

[Family_cook 177]

i use this 4-5 mornings a week and have been for a couple months.  I use a filter and haven't had to clean it out yet but I just moved it for this picture and it is getting heavy:).  I only vac cold ash.  It is the fastest easiest way to manage a Kamado.  Shake the ash basket, lift the grate and vac everything out.  Less than 1 minute, no mess and back to re-lighting.

[Owly 22]

I pulled the filter out specifically so the ash would blow through and distribute across the yard.... it's not a lot of ash, and it vanishes into the grass immediately.  As Family Cook wrote.......... less than a minute.     I would not even remotely consider this with warm ash.

 

                                                H.W.