Introduction: $5 Drywall Dust Water Filter Gadget for Shop Vacuums
Drywall dust will either frequently clog filters, or rip your filter. Drywall dust will also wreck your vacuum motor.
Typically vacuuming drywall with a shop vacuum will also end up being redistributed through the air from your vacuum.
This is a cheap gadget to filter drywall dust without needing a cyclone, or hepa filter, or an external water filter bucket.
You will need:
- A wet/dry shop vacuum cleaner to connect this gadget to.
- Two 1 1/2" ABS elbow pipes (measure to fit )
- A small length of 1 1/2" ABS pipe to fit your vacuum (measure to fit).
- Water
- A few drops of soap.
Step 1: Measure Available Width of Vacuum Host Inlet.
For shop vacuums, this seems to be about 1 1/2" available if your hose is about 2".
The fit does not need to be exact, and ABS pipe comes in many sizes, just find the closest fit.
Since shop vacuums tend to be angled (so that debris doesn't go flying into the filter), you need to measure what's available to you, not the total inner diameter. In my vacuum I've got about 1 1/2" available.
Use this measurement to buy the appropriate ABS elbows and appropriate ABS pipe.
For my shop vacuum my buy list was:
Two 1 1/2" elbows (about $1 each ).
Small length of 1 1/2" pipe (about $1.50/foot ).
Step 2: Cut ABS Pipe to Be Approximately Height Between Outlet and Bottom of Canister
Cut your ABS pipe to be slightly less than the distance from the inside of the bottom of your vacuum to where the hose connects.
Inside your vacuum canister the hose inlet will be angled to deflect debris from your filter, just find an angle that works best with your vacuum.
The length can be in-exact, it will be angled slightly downwards, and the angle does not matter.
Step 3: Connect the Elbows to the ABS Pipe
Connect one elbow pipe to each end of your cut ABS pipe.
Do not glue the ABS pipe together, the pieces will be snug enough together for this gadgets purpose, and you may need to adjust the angles of the pipe.
Step 4: Push Your Pipe Into Your Vacuum Canister
It should feel snug, but does not need to fit exactly.
Step 5: Fill Canister With Just Enough Water to Slightly Go Over the Bottom Elbow.
Put in a couple of drops of soap. The water will churn like crazy and make many bubbles. Some bubbles is good (traps the dust), too many bubbles is bad (will shoot out of your vacuum).
Then, put in just enough water to just cover the bottom elbow.
Step 6: Turn on Vacuum for a Few Seconds to Test Foaming
You want some foaming, it will help trap the dust.
This picture shows what a good level of foaming will look like. This is with only a few drops of soap.
Step 7: Vacuum Your Drywall Dust
That's it, just make sure your shop vacuum water filter is on (usually just a foam sleeve) and start vacuuming your drywall dust.
All of the dust should end up being trapped in the water ( instead of the air, your lungs, and your vacuum motor ).
The video in this step shows the muddy water after vacuuming the drywall compound dust.