Thread: Using household/domestic Miele vacuum as dust extractor?

Originally Posted by Danster

I have a Shop Vac and a cyclone which provides reasonable suction for most purposes, but nothing exceptional.

My household vacuum is a Miele S771 which could suck a watermelon thorugh a garden hose and wondering if I could use it for stronger dust extraction? I have destroyed about 3 vacuums over the years from inappropriately vacuuming up fine dust (like plaster dust from spakfilling wall holes, or other sanding dust) but they didn't have the filtration and build quality of the Miele.

Just wondering if I'd ruin the Miele by sucking up fine dust? I'd obviously hook it up to the cyclone.

Just because a Vacuum has lots of suck doesn't mean it will have enough flow for wood dust extraction applications.
For example a decent vac has a flow of about 100 cubic ft/min whereas most WW machinery needs about 8-10x that.

Vacuums (high vacuum low flow) work better on power tools and small point dust sources where as regular dust collectors (Low vacuum high flow) work better on machinery and general shed ventilation.

Fence Furniture has a secondary dust extraction system like you envisage running from some tools, PM him for pics, I am sure he will oblige.

I use a high spec Electrolux domestic vac similar to your Miele as my shed vac. It works well with some provisos. Like you're proposing I use it with a small cyclone. If using it to collect reaĺly fine dust, from a ROS for example, you do need to clean the vac filters more often. Clean them when you notice the suction starting to drop off. If you leave it till the motor overheats you'll be risking the life of the vac.

I wouldn't use the wifes vac in the shed.

I don't know what your prices are like but my Miele cost me a grand. A Festool costs the same and it is made for the work. Now if you have extra Miele's around then what the heck use it but if you are thinking of buying one. Mine does have strong suction when the hose is covered but doesn't move all that much air through as Bob said. It does have great filtration though.

Pete

AFAIK, domestic vacs rely on the vacuumed air for motor cooling, so as the filters/bag get full, less air goes through and you get less cooling. Proper workshop vacs have a separate channel for cooling air, so you can run them as long as you like, even if they're completely blocked.

Also, if you break your fancy Miele vac by using it for shop work, you WILL NOT be covered under warranty.

I went the opposite way - had a CT 26 AC in the shed and bought a CT 17 for the house so it can double for outdoor tool use (CT 26 is sorta built in). It ROCKS as a domestic vac!

Had to cheat their system though - no longlife bag for the 17 so I have to suck it out into the 26 every now and then

I recently picked up a small cyclone to run with my 1100w shop vac in the hope less dust would get through to clog the filter. I had been using a plastic drum as a chip collector so figured a cyclone would improve things. Wrong! More dust and shavings ended in the vac. In fact the plastic drum acted as a pretty good cyclone on it's own.
This is only for small power tools as the tablesaw,bandsaw thicknesser and router table hook up to a 2hp extractor and even then some say that is barely enough.
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W394
Is that less than the cost of a Miele?
Regards
John

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

I went the opposite way - had a CT 26 AC in the shed and bought a CT 17 for the house so it can double for outdoor tool use (CT 26 is sorta built in). It ROCKS as a domestic vac!

Yep, I was using a CT MIDI from work (it was mine, just lived there) for a while at home when we were renovating; easily as good as the fancy domestic brands

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Yep, I was using a CT MIDI from work (it was mine, just lived there) for a while at home when we were renovating; easily as good as the fancy domestic brands

I'd say better.