For x-mas I received a sears combination shop-vac/air-raid siren.
My first impulse was to return it and buy something else.
but alas i figured that I would never probably have the 250$ to buy a Fien (at least have the $ and not want to buy some other tool more)
So now I am in the midst of my media room project and I am using the beast regularly.
I wear hearing protectors and it is not that bad.
My wife and kid go up stairs & shut the doors.
My dogs go to the back of the yard and howl.
My neighbors go to the south-east corner of thier basement.
all the local firemen show up at the fire house.
And NORAD scrambles thier interceptors.
So my question is this: Do those mufflers for shop vacs work or are they a waste of 25$
Everyone in a 5 mile radius thanks you.
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
Replies
I don't know if store bought ones work; keep meaning to plunk down the $10 or whatever to find out. Just not drink as much the next time out. :) But I also saw plans in Shop Notes or some WW mag for a homebuilt one out of PVC scrap and fittings. Looked good on paper, will build it if store bought doesn't work. If I can find the issue in the next several days, I'll post which one, and/or the basics.
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
Old guy I worked with built a ply wood box for one and used rigid foam board on the inside, hole just big enough to accomadate the hose and wired an outlet on the inside with a switch on the outside, used those ball bearings you can buy to put on out feed tables to keep it close the ground but still roll worked quite well, pain in the rear when you wanted to empty the thing though.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professional build the Titanic.
Mr T, I've got a Ridgid 4.25 HP vac. Sears is made by Emerson, just like Ridgid, although the designs are somewhat different.
Without the muffler, my vac will disorient animals within a 5 mile radius.
With the muffler, only animals within the house are stunned.
Yeah, mine works. I wouldn't use the vac without it. (Although I'm pi$$ed that it's an OPTION...as though being able to hear was an OPTION). I carry foam ear plugs in a little plastic case in my pocket, ready for use.
Regards,
Tim
I have the muffler, it definitely helps, but it's still loud. I use it when I will need to keep the vac fairly portable. If, however, I'm inside and the vac will be relatively stationary, I attach an extra hose (or two) to the exhaust and snake it out a mostly closed window. The noise level goes down dramatically and any dust kicked up that doesn't get caught in the filter goes outside.
-Lee
Wow, I am glad that I bought Shop Vac ESP.
I've got the great big, yellow one, which is still pretty loud, and also the little black hand held one and that one is very quiet, barely louder than the house vacuum mom uses.
Maybe Sears/Emerson hasn't heard about how to design a fan properly for noise control. It's a pretty complex science, but certainly not new (submarine propellers probably the most advanced).
Every time I am around someone using a non ESP portable shop vacuum I run away as fast as I can, hands over ears.
Norm
any ideas on cheap and simple home made mufflers?
What about a length of pipe insulation for 2" pipe fed from a length of vac hose? Probably would not need but about 24". Another thought, wire basket lined with foam like furnace filter stock, lid from drywall bucket with hole for vac hose feed. Could use a drywall bucket with many holes cut with hole saw or spade bit instead of wire basket. Main issue is to not restrict too much.
Norm,
I'm with you. I had a great, big, Sears brand shop vac and it was loud as heck, and actually never worked that well. I bought a small, 6 gallon Shop Vac ESP and have been glad ever since. I bought it because a friend of mine had one and it was sooo quiet. Also it had great suction. Mine works great...and just the right size for transporting to jobsites.
Davo
We have a 16-gallon ShopVac "QSP" which uses the 2.5" diameter hose.
It serves mainly as general household cleaning and the occasional project cleanup.
(However, most project messes are broomed and swept before the vaccuum is used to pick up the fine stuff.)
Equipped with the pre-filter bag and CleanStream HEPA cartridge filter, it's a great rig that is reasonably quiet.
Compared to the 1-1/4" hose QSP ShopVacs, this unit has a more tolerable loud hum without the screaming high pitch noise.
I believe the larger diameter hose and hose inlet makes a big difference.
With eight 6' hose sections and connectors, it can reach just about anywhere in the house with the cannister situated far away enough or near an open door if the cannister needs to be in a separate area. This is mainly to prevent the exhaust turbulance from kicking up the dust that we're trying to vaccuum.
(We have hardly any carpeting in the house.)
Also, there is a PVC pipe that runs along the basement handrail so the basement can be vaccuumed with the cannister near the open kitchen door.
The 5-hp vaccuum has plenty of suction for all our cleaning needs, even with all the hose sections connected.
With the CleanStream and pre-filter bag, the exhaust is very clean.
However, heat is generated by the blower motor and can warm up a room in a hurry.
The only thing lacking compared to a Fein is the bypass cooling for the motor and perhaps the noise level isn't as low.
Supplies are far less expensive (compared to Fein) and is also great for sucking up huge volumes of water with a handy drain on the bottom.
I have my eyes set on a Festo, which will be purchased with several of their tools.
However, they don't seem to tout any micron figures for how fine a particle the vac will collect.
Even with the HEPA cartridge, I suspect the ShopVac is spewing out carbon dust from the motor....
Maybe someone can shed some light on this ?
I have a Sears, for which I bought the muffler. IMO, the noise level and exhaust disturbance do drop dramatically, but you also lose a bit of suction power, probably as a result of restricting the outflow slightly.
Are they really worth the money? Well, as far as I can see, none of the accessories for shop vacs are reasonably priced!
A Fein came to me UPS yesterday. I fired it up and tested the suction.
"$ucks pretty good" I said.
The electrician standing there said, "Wow, That thing is quiet."
"Yeah" I said, "We wouldn't be having this conversation if it was a normal shop vac." I turned it off and haven't used it yet. After the rough in stage of the job I plan to use it more.