After many years of abuse, my old Shop-Vac was finally dying. So I bought a new one a decided to convert the old one into a dust collection bin. In this article I will show you the steps I took to create a dust collector that hooks up to the new Shop Vac.
Step 1: Prepare the old Shop-Vac
- I removed the wheels
- Cut-off the power cord
- Cover all the holes with duct tape to create a vacuum.
- I Tried to remove the engine but in the end decided to keep it because it was i) difficult to remove and ii) it was connected to the output hole
Step 2: Assembly required
- I used ABS tubes to merge the two Shop-Vacs together
Step 3: Testing the system
- Once I hooked up the two machines and turned on the new Shop-Vac, I noticed many air leaks in the old machine. So I covered up all the leaked with more duct tape
- Tested the strength of the vacuum and the collection of dust
- All works well
UPDATE: 1 Year Later
After using this system for almost one year now, I must say that I really like it. Although it’s more cumbersome to have 2 shop-vac units in my small garage, it nevertheless provides more range. I can usually leave the engine-part at one place and simply move the dust bin-part around.
I will need to replace the duct tape because it’s starting to dry out and peel off… which weakens the vacuum.
Overall, it’s also saving me money because I don’t need to buy bags all the time. Imagine how many bags I would have needed to fill this much dust…
I must say, thats a pretty good way to convert that thing. One of my old craftsman vacuums is about to go out, I’ll probably end up doing the same thing…
Good post!
Steven-
Thanks Steven.
After using it for a few months now, I can say that it works very well. But you really need to plug all the possible air leaks to create an efficient vacuum.
Take care, Araz