Washable shop vac filters?

[Nick1911]

Does anyone have any experience with washable shop vac filters?

I usually try to knock debris out of them and reuse them a few times, which helps.  New ones flow much better of course, but I've gotten rather tired of how expensive they are.  Anyone have a solution for this?

[cordex]

Not really the answer to your question but when I was doing a lot of work on the new house I got one of those cyclonic separators that mount to a 5 gallon bucket and sits between the hose and the vac. Not nearly as convenient to travel with or move around, but if you are doing a lot of work in a house or shop then you can do an awful lot of vacuuming without clogging your actual filter. It is amazing how much junk the separator keeps out. I was going to build a rolling caddy to hold the bucket and the vac but got done with the worst of the remodel before I got to that.

[WLJ]

Wash them out in the sink all the time. The filters are surprisingly durable

[Brad Johnson]

Are you talking about the paper dust filter, or the foam "wet" filter? The foam filter can be washed, but it's not meant for use with dirt. It's there to keep water from spraying out the exhaust when in wet vac mode.

I double up on my shop vac... filter bag plus paper cone filter. Bags have a ton of capacity and are relatively inexpensive (3 for $12 on Amazon). The cone filter rarely, if ever, needs changing. It's mostly there as secondary filtration should the bag tear for some reason.

Brad

[Nick1911]

Are you talking about the paper dust filter, or the foam "wet" filter? The foam filter can be washed, but it's not meant for use with dirt. It's there to keep water from spraying out the exhaust when in wet vac mode.

I double up on my shop vac... filter bag plus paper cone filter. Bags have a ton of capacity and are relatively inexpensive (3 for $12 on Amazon). The cone filter rarely, if ever, needs changing. It's mostly there as secondary filtration should the bag tear for some reason.

Brad

Dry filter.  I've never used a filter bag - neither shop vac came with that.  Is that an aftermarket accessory?

Wash them out in the sink all the time. The filters are surprisingly durable

Tried that once, but it disintegrated.   

I will take a look at the cyclonic filter, though an additional bucked attaced would make the vac much less portable.  It would be good for around the woodshop tools though.

[Brad Johnson]

Dry filter.  I've never used a filter bag - neither shop vac came with that.  Is that an aftermarket accessory?

Bags are The Win. Don't know what size you need, so posting the search rather than a specific product.


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=shop+vac+filter+bag&rh=n%3A228013%2Cp_89%3AShop-Vac&dc&ds=v1%3AfOfRACCvLFa2nY7MBnoNqhN8NIozMUGUM7lS8ddzwyM&crid=3GMHH7X087HR1&qid=1675888267&rnid=2528832011&sprefix=shop+vac+filter+bag%2Caps%2C116&ref=sr_nr_p_89_1

Brad