Using Vac without a bag

[Robbo60]

I just bought a wet & dry vac from Lidl £30. Only came with one bag. Are the bags fairly generic? Could I use it for sawdust etc without the bag and just empty into bin?
Vacuuming has never been in my area of expertise!

 

[Rorschach]

you will wear out your filter prematurely. I don't use a bag but I have a cyclone.

 

[Robbo60]

Educate me please. Why will it wear the filter out more? as the filter is before the bag?

 

[lexi]

I just bought a wet & dry vac from Lidl £30. Only came with one bag. Are the bags fairly generic? Could I use it for sawdust etc without the bag and just empty into bin?
Vacuuming has never been in my area of expertise!

Search your vac number on Ebay for bags. I have that wee vac and been great for 4 yrs now

 

[Rorschach]

Educate me please. Why will it wear the filter out more? as the filter is before the bag?

The filter is after the bag in any hoover I have seen.

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

I bought the same vac, only because it was so cheap and so far (2 days of use in) I'm impressed.
I don't use the supplied bag at all. Use the filter bag (not the foam one, that's for wet work) over the motor and just accept that you'll need to take it off and shake it out occasionally, depending on use. If you don't use that filter, then large amounts of dust exit the exhaust which pretty much negates its value.
I attached it to my track saw when cutting a cut list out of 12mm MDF and was happily surprised at how nearly full the bucket was after a dozen or so cuts.
Great value, and if it doesn't last then returns are easy.
So in answer to your question, yes you can very much use it for sawdust without the bag and empty into the bin.

 

[Jameshow]

Another thing I have tried is to get a wet wipe / builders wipe and wrap it round the filter. That way all the larger dirt clings to that and when you empty it you just peel off and replace.

Cheers James

 

[Rorschach]

I bought the same vac, only because it was so cheap and so far (2 days of use in) I'm impressed.
I don't use the supplied bag at all. Use the filter bag (not the foam one, that's for wet work) over the motor and just accept that you'll need to take it off and shake it out occasionally, depending on use. If you don't use that filter, then large amounts of dust exit the exhaust which pretty much negates its value.
I attached it to my track saw when cutting a cut list out of 12mm MDF and was happily surprised at how nearly full the bucket was after a dozen or so cuts.
Great value, and if it doesn't last then returns are easy.
So in answer to your question, yes you can very much use it for sawdust without the bag and empty into the bin.

...

 

[AES]

If it's any help I have a Kaercher W&D vac for the shop. When using it dry I usually use it with the bag. But from the internet I got the following idea:

Take the sleeve from an old T shirt and get SWMBO to elasticate one end (any elastic will do, quite thin is best - I'm tempted to say "knicker elastic"!). Sew the other end together, all dimensions to suit a reasonably tight fit around the filter that fits over the motor housing itself (mine is pleated paper). End result is a not too thick cloth cylinder, closed at one end and the other open which, with the elastic, is a snug fit over the filter). Remove the filter from it's housing (mine's a sort of bayonet type fitting) then put the filter with the T shirt cylinder back over the motor housing and lock.

This does seem to keep a bit of the lighter dust out of the bag (but not a lot) but certainly does reduce the clogging and eventual replacement of the pleated paper filter. These are quite expensive for Kaercher.

When the bag is full you're supposed to clean the paper filter as well, which I do. But now first I also remove the T shirt sleeve, turn it inside out, empty the worst dust into the bin then give it a quick going over with the household vac (when SWMBO isn't looking)! It certainly does seem to reduce the frequency of replacing the pleated paper filter. But as the paper rubbish bags are quite big for my Kaercher I haven't tried using it without the bag. I GUESS that without the bag the T shirt sleeve would certainly reduce frequency of pleated paper filter replacement when using it without the bag (I only use mine without the bag when using it wet - that's seldom).

FWIW, HTH

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Sorry Rorschach, do you mean if you don't use the supplied filter, or as I am using with the filter in place? Thanks

 

[Rorschach]

Sorry Rorschach, do you mean if you don't use the supplied filter, or as I am using with the filter in place? Thanks

EDIT: my apologies, I misread your first post. You are doing the correct thing though I would recommend using the bag as well if you can, though a cyclone is better.

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Thank you for the swift reply. I am using the supplied filter, not the foam one. As I understand it from the instructions, the foam one is when the vac is used as a wet vac, which isn't something I intend to do.
Without any filter, the exhaust is indeed full of fine particles (making the vac pretty useless) but with it I haven't (yet) had any dust coming from the exhaust at all. I will monitor and check/replace the filter as necessary.

 

[Rorschach]

Thank you for the swift reply. I am using the supplied filter, not the foam one. As I understand it from the instructions, the foam one is when the vac is used as a wet vac, which isn't something I intend to do.
Without any filter, the exhaust is indeed full of fine particles (making the vac pretty useless) but with it I haven't (yet) had any dust coming from the exhaust at all. I will monitor and check/replace the filter as necessary.

I shouldn't have read and replied while cooking lunch! lol.

 

[Robbo60]

The filter is after the bag in any hoover I have seen.

you are absolutely correct and I am a plonker. Thanks

 

[Robbo60]

Thanks all. My plan is to put a fixed extraction system system in with a cyclone eventually but still thinking about workshop layout. Any good, budget cyclones out there?

 

[Rorschach]

I'm using a dust deputy but that was because at the time they were the only one available (10 years ago or so). Now you can get identical clones for under £20. They are definitely worth it, I am still on my original filter and it gets washed out about once or twice a year just to keep it in tip top condition, it barely needs it to be fair.

 

[Robbo60]

Thanks mate. I had no idea they were that cheap. Just been on Amazon. "Surepromise" £18 with good reviews? Then have to buy about 15 adaptors for all the different size ports!

 

[Rorschach]

Not having used one of the cheapo ones myself I can't offer too much advice there I am afraid but I have seen plenty of people using them online with generally favourable feedback.

I can certainly recommend a dust deputy though and it comes with buckets and pipes etc. Not cheap though, about £100.

 

[Robbo60]

Just ordered one from E-bay for £17. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to make a box for the output it as I want to mount on the wall to save floor space. Got an extraction plan from another member. Need blast gates now

 

[Rorschach]

Keep us updated.