Shop Vac

Bone Saw

anyone else here use a big a$$ shop vac for cleaning out the bottoms of your holes, I have been contemplating this since you just cant get it all cleaned out with the clamshell. I find alot of times since I am using the auger/skid that everything gets churned and churned into such a loose consistency that it would just be easier to throw a shop vac hose down there prior to tamping, or would the vac just get trashed???

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mickeyco

I have thought of this before, never tried it, I used to work for a company that among other things made huge vacuum cleaners to clean out valve boxes and the like. I think the large ones would work great, I don't know about a shop vac though. I have a venturi vacuum shop vac that runs off compressed air, it works without needing the canister, meaning it looks like a vacuum cleaner hose with an air hose attached to it (I will look for it and post a picture), I have used it to pick up a spilled box of screws and empty them directly back into the box. I think this type of vacuum in a larger size would work well because you would just be vacuuming the debris out to the ground and not into a vacuum canister. The problem, I don't know were to find a larger diameter version. Might be worth looking into.



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mickeyco

Here is something similar:


Link to site

The hose is only 1-1/4" diameter, maybe big enough if the debris is small enough. You wouldn't believe how much vacuum power these thing have.

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Bone Saw

THAT looks like it would do the trick, just a longer more robust version. funny you mention this thing, back in my diving days we used 2 variations of an identicle concept for heavy duty hand dreadging. air lifting and the more powerfull water lifting, while both were the same in concept to the device you posted, the airlift rig was nothing more than exactly what you posted and used the injected airs boyancy to create the venturi, the more powerfull water lift was essentially the same rig but used a HP water source (heavy duty submersible electric or hydraulic volute style pump or firehose supply) and would dig to china and back. I'm guessing you need some serious volume to run that thing, large upright compressor???

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mickeyco

The one I have is smaller and I ran it off a 5 hp 20 or 30 gallon tank, you couldn't use it continuously but it kept up pretty good, I didn't see any cfm/psi requirements listed but they have a form to fill out for more info but I doubt it would run off a small pancake compressor, maybe one hole at a time with the pancake till it replenishes.

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RobertCDF

I use a large shop vac for clean out all the time. Just dont let it get too full or its hard to empty. I have done it on a number of jobs with no real ill effects on the shop vac. I do pull the filter otherwise I think it would get shreded.

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Bone Saw

That was my biggest concern, filter or not, does the filter get majorly clogged if used, or does the impeller blades get trashed from rocks and crap shooting through it??? mabey creating a baffel over the blower inlet without filter??? thanx 4 the feedback

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Teetorbilt

If the exhaust dust is not a problem, something like a Billygoat may be your answer. It's a vacuum used for industrial purposes. All of the vane plates are made of steel and made to pass rocks, gravel and dust. They will last for years and capture a good portion of the dust but not all.

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onhitch

ever try using a small hoe like you would use to mix crete with and scrape the bottom of the hole clean that way? works good for me. then just tamp it.

neolitic

We have used the big (6hp?) shop vac
when the dirt is really dry, or sandy.
Wet or heavy clay...not so good.
Even used it to drive 2"PVC pipe
as sleeve for conduit under
walks and patios.

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(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

hbiss

That was my biggest concern, filter or not, does the filter get majorly clogged if used, or does the impeller blades get trashed from rocks and crap shooting through it??? mabey creating a baffel over the blower inlet without filter???

You would use a Shop Vac to suck up gravel, sand and broken pieces of concrete and sheet rock sanding dust wouldn't you? What's the difference here? The filter is supposed to keep everything out of the blower so it drops into the drum. If it's a decent vac it will. Only problem I can see is if the soil is clay or muddy, then it will just clog the hose. Filters do clog too with damp/fine material like sheetrock dust then you lose suction. Good vacs will have a pre-filter that helps.

-Hal

mdshunk

They use vacuum excavators to uncover pipes and such in the streets all the time. Basically just a big truck mounted shop vac. I've used shop vacs to remove the flowable fill material around conduits that have been dug up for repair. No problem. No different than all the other flotsam and jetsam you'd normally clean up with a shop vac. Certainly not nearly as bad as drywall dust.

mdshunk

I saw some restaurant hood cleaning guys using one just like that to suck up the grease and greasy water as they were scrubbing out the hoods and ductwork. They connected it to a 55 gallon drum on a dolly.

Greg Di

I had a guy helping me a few months ago who told me that he actually used the shop vac to dig the holes. He cut teeth into the tube/wand of the vac and would just twist and chop down to the bottom of the hole.

I didn't see him do it, but he swore by it and a couple of the other tidbits he told me about, we used and they worked out swell.

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mickeyco

Just ran across it and happened to have a camera handy (only took a couple of months).

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