5 Gal. 3.0-Peak HP Cool/Dry Ash Canister Shop Vacuum, HEPA Media Filter, Hose and Accessories

I bought a new pellet stove in September 2021. With the necessary permit acquired, I had it installed by October 2021. One week later, I ordered the Rigid Ash Vac online for in-store pickup. (Home Depot associates couldn't find the product when I arrived to buy in person... or subsequently when I tried initially to obtain my online purchase... had to return to the store three times.) Now, less than six months later, my ash vac is broken... with no replacement parts seemingly available... and a seemingly useless lifetime warranty. I used it weekly, and yes, experienced the spewing of dust from the canister recently (I have two brand-new, unopened filters that I was going to try... prior to the newly broken hose.) And, yes, I also experienced the loss of suction. The season is almost ended. But, I would like a resolution... immediately. Rigid, please don't reply with a Customer Service number. I already have it in my phone. You can mail a refund/replacement to: P.O. Box 384, Albion, RI 02802-0384. Thanks.

I just moved into my new home which has a built in pellet stove in the living room, so I needed a good ash vac to keep the stove clean and the area around and in front of the stove and this vac works great. I would recommend it to everyone looking for one.

My new home came with a pellet stove and this vac. It worked great the first week then no suction. I took it apart, cleaned out the ash and replaced the filter. The suction was great again however it was blowing dust out the back. I took it apart and checked that i put it back together properly with no luck. I purchased a new one on clearance at the end of last winter thinking I did something wrong. I’ve had the same luck with this one

Do not waste your money filter plugs after vacuuming pellet stove twice

I heat my house with wood, so vacuuming up ash around the stove is a common task for me. This ash vacuum works as well as any I have tried, but I still find cleaning ash vacs a pain. I also have conerns about finding replacement filters (see the end of the review for details on the filter). This ash vac (like others I have tried) is constructed similarly to a shop vac, but it's use is pretty much restricted to vacuuming ash. (It can't handle anything wet.) Its filters are designed a bit better for ash than a standard shop vac, and it's a little more tolerant of vacuuming up a coal than a standard vac (although the instructions still clearly state that it is not to be used with hot materials), but otherwise it functions similarly. (I used to use a shop vac for cleaning up ashes, but that gets the vac so dirty it was hard to use it as a shop vac anymore.) The instructions say to empty and clean this after every use, and as you can see from the photos, even one use of relatively little material leaves a lot of fine dust to be cleaned off. This ash vac was mostly easy to assemble: you push in the 4 supplied casters (this unit does roll, unlike some other ash vacs I have used), and the hose connects to the vacuum with a nice twist-lock mechanism. For some reason they decided to design this so attaching the nozzle to the hose requires two screws. (I don't know why they couldn't put a twist-lock on it as well.) The hose/nozzle does include a LED light powered by two 2016 coin-sized batteries (included). My first impression was that this was a rather useless feature given how small the LEDs are, but after using it the light put out does help to see where you are vacuuming. This vacuum (like most shop vacs) is quite noisy, and because I'm usually quite close to it when I'm vacuuming ashes, I usually do wear hearing protectors when using this. My biggest concern about this vac is finding replacement filters, as the manual is quite specific about only using Ridgid filters. Currently the only place I've been able to find a filter for the DV0500 is on the Home Depot website, but they are currently only sold online and are out of stock. Perhaps this is just because this is a fairly new product (and I haven't yet called Ridgid to ask), but spare parts availability should always be a concern when you are shopping for a tool. So assuming replacement filters become available, I can recommend this product if you are looking for a dedicated ash vacuum (at least until I find an ash vac that is easier to clean).

This is a very task specific vacuum, with that said, don't expect to use it for other wet/dry vac purposes Pros: Construction is almost all metal in the event you have some hot ash remaining LED light works great Small foot print Filtration system stellar. Not a spec of dust left the unit Powerful On the quiet side Good weight Cons: Task specific tool Short cord Please see video for demonstration

This Ridgid ash vacuum cleaner is the perfect product to clean out the wood stove. Up until last winter, I used to shovel out the ash into a bucket. This Ridgid vacuum cleaner makes much more sense then scooping out the ash and getting it all over. This product is made of metal and it is only for dry pickups. It is not a wet vac. It holds 5 gal of ash. It has a HEPA filter and should be cleaned outside the house often with a brush. There is a LED lighted nozzle and an extension and a wand. The casters make it easy to move around. All of the accessories can be stored on the top of the unit. It is very easy to use. Snap the latches on the top of the lip of the power head, then put in the hose into the side opening and rotate clockwise to lock. Add the nozzles to the end and plug in. There is a switch on the LED nozzle. Use the on-off switch and get cleaning.

I ordered this model for use as a garage shop-vac, knowing that it was specifically an "ash vacuum cleaner". I didn't realize that would mean it was really best used for that purpose. Overall, I'm still pleased with it, but it's not a general-purpose shop-vac. A few things to know about this model: (1) at 18" high, it is really quite small - you can't quite tell that from pictures, but it's basically a miniature version of a typical shop-vac (2) because it's so small, it's easy to store and move (3) unfortunately, due to the relatively short hose, the reach of this vacuum is quite limited - using it for high locations will be impossible, and it even requires you to bend over to reach the floor, since the vacuum is so low. (4) the power cord is just 8-feet long. Expect to need an extension cord if you're actually going to be using this anywhere that requires you to move around at all. (5) there's only one attachment for this model, a narrow metal suction head. I believe it's metal to prevent it from melting on hot ash. Unfortunately, a metal head isn't the greatest for using on a cement floor, for instance, because it sounds a bit like nails on a chalkboard as you pull it across the floor. (6) while rated at 3HP, I believe the built-in HEPA filter, a big benefit when dealing with small ash particles, cuts suction power significantly. It didn't seem much more powerful than my regular house vacuum. So, overall, I think this is a quality model, but for cleaning up dust and debris around my garage tracked in by my car, it isn't quite ideal. Not that this is all that different from ash, but it's clear that this model was specifically intended to be used for fire pits, fireplaces, and ovens, i.e., small areas with lots of light-weight, extra-fine debris to be collected. And that does call into question its value - it has fairly limited uses, and for most people, a more traditional shop-vac might be better.

This vacuum is designed primarily to vacuum ash from fireplaces or stoves. It is designed with a metal canister, attachments, and hose so that it can withstand higher temperatures than a standard vacuum. The filtration system is also upgraded to a very high efficiency HEPA system with a metal fine mesh shield as the primary cover to prevent embers form entering the HEPA pleated removable filter. The filter can be cleaned by brushing or banging it on a hard surface, and is reusable. This is a fairly light and compact unit with a good design, cord and hose store on top of the unit, with the metal extension and crevice tool store on the sides. The 5 gallon bucket is mounted on castors for easy movement. A nice feature is the hose end that attaches to the metal extension has a built in LED light ( see photos) to help illuminate dark areas. This vacuum worked great in cleaning out my fireplace, as no “visible” ash was discharged into the room. Motor noise is about that of any smaller shop vacuum. I cleaned a good amount of ash from the fireplace and did not notice any clogging of the filter or reduced suction. I also tried it as a dust control unit for sanding drywall, holding the nozzle just below the sanding pad, and I did not notice any visible dust related to the sanding process. Sanding drywall inside is a messy job, and this unit will surely help control the dust. It has plenty of suction given its 3 HP peak motor, and with its overall compact and lightweight body, it can be used on a multiple number of jobs where you don’t want to spew dust around, including vacuuming a car. It is NOT designed to pick up liquids – so you can’t use it as a wet/dry vac. Hose is long enough for most applications, and while a bit longer would be nice, it would limit the ability to store the hose on top of the vacuum, a nice feature, so it’s a good compromise. Overall, a very nice high filtration vacuum for uses beyond cleaning ash. Ships in the original box - so if giving this as a gift - distract them when the delivery happens.

This vacuum has a nice steel canister and a reinforced hose. The motor seems powerful and does a nice job picking up dirt & dust. The filter does a good job keeping the dust in the canister. The hose even has a light at the end. The attachments are metal (not plastic) and the canister has slots to hold the attachments when not in use. The canister is a nice size - not so big, so it does not take up a lot of room.