Shopsmith Forums

After a project I was trying to clean up and the vac suction wasn’t strong enough. It’s a Rigid pro model. I changed the filter, changed the bag, checked the exhaust and no problem. I was ready to get another as this was an old unit and had reached the 500 hour warranty. DUH, then I checked the hose and found a partial blockage.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution.

Learn from this dumb mistake and almost a costly one.

I did remove the hose and hooked it to exhaust to see if it was clogged and only minor sawdust came out then reinstalled and tried with still only less than effective suction.

When I finally found clog was when I again removed hose and beat, for lack of a better word, the hose and the partial clog came out.

I guess I should have followed the KISS method, keep it simple stupid!

I've encountered that in the woodshop before. I learned that small wood scraps should be picked up by hand before vacuuming as they like to get stuck in the hose.

LOL I do not know what to say !! {{{{ insert smiley face here !!!!!}}}} ?

Cardinal rule of troubleshooting---check the easiest most likely thing first. In the case of a vacuum that would be a plugged hose. Also a partially plugged input will result in a reduced output (exhaust). Also with a plugged input you will hear an increase in the motor RPM since the impeller is working less because there is less air to move.

If the hose seems hopelessly clogged and you grab a broomstick to push out the clog make sure the broomstick is longer than the hose.

That's right - centrifugal fan impeller speed goes up when clogged. Most people would think it should slow down.

Impeller speeds up because as it is throwing air away from itself, impeller creates a partial vacuum around itself (when upstream air is blocked) and spins faster because of less air resistance. Who knew?

Yes. It's not so much lowered air pressure, the motor will speed up even if you block both the inlet and the outlet because the impellor is doing less work. A synchronous motor won't speed up much but I think most vacuums use universal motors and you'll hear the difference.

The Secret Life of Machines

https://youtu.be/CJlrbMHLBd4?t=1157

In a wet-dry vacuum, the air sucked in is not used to cool the motor. The motor is cooled by a separate fan attached to the opposite end of the motor.

I was watching a video on youtube where they made a vacuum for removing bees called a bee vac , they claim that it does not harm them , the first thing that came to mind was what a mess it would be to have a clog .