Ash Vacuum Fire

[MKinHB]

Has anyone had this problem?
I was vacuuming my grill Saturday and I noticed 1 little pellet get sucked up that was still red hot.
Then I see smoke and sparks shooting out of the exhaust on the Shop Vac.
I unplugged it and carried it to the back where my trash is.
The inside was smoldering good, the foam filter melted, the cloth filter was still burning and the plastic insides were melting!
This could have been a disaster if something caught fire or if I put the vacuum away without noticing that it was on fire inside!
The moral of the story is, Make sure your fire pot is completely cold and no pellets are under the ash and still burning when you vacuum it out.
I always like to clean it up before covering it and putting it away, but I may start waiting until the next day to vacuum the thing out.
Be careful guys, this could be dangerous!

 

[MKinHB]

I am looking for a new ash vacuum.
Anyone have any recommendations?
I saw one online from Walmart for 30 bucks, don't know about the quality but it's better than nothing and it's Walmart so you can return it if it's not good.

 

[david_ski]

Has anyone had this problem?
I was vacuuming my grill Saturday and I noticed 1 little pellet get sucked up that was still red hot.
Then I see smoke and sparks shooting out of the exhaust on the Shop Vac.
I unplugged it and carried it to the back where my trash is.
The inside was smoldering good, the foam filter melted, the cloth filter was still burning and the plastic insides were melting!
This could have been a disaster if something caught fire or if I put the vacuum away without noticing that it was on fire inside!
The moral of the story is, Make sure your fire pot is completely cold and no pellets are under the ash and still burning when you vacuum it out.
I always like to clean it up before covering it and putting it away, but I may start waiting until the next day to vacuum the thing out.
Be careful guys, this could be dangerous!

Camp Chef's patented ash cleanout system is almost reason alone to go down the Camp Chef pellet grill path. It safely allows one to get rid of any smoldering pellets at the end of a grill cycle, or in the case that you need to empty the burn pot in the case of a flame out.

 

[MKinHB]

So I just went to Walmart to get a new vacuum.
The Hart 6 Gallon, 5 HP Stainless Steel Wet/Dry vacuum, Saw it online for $29.oo.
Rang up for $59.oo so I showed them the picture I took from their own web site.
Manager said it was a different model so I showed her the pic, same skew# how can it be different?
I think it is a web site error. But they honored the price so It's in the back seat of my truck now.
Can't beat $29.oo
I will not be sucking up anything hot with it so it should work out fine.
Gonna get one of those fire pot cup things so I can dump the ash in a metal ash can from now on.
Safety First!

 

[david_ski]

Has anyone had this problem?
I was vacuuming my grill Saturday and I noticed 1 little pellet get sucked up that was still red hot.
Then I see smoke and sparks shooting out of the exhaust on the Shop Vac.
I unplugged it and carried it to the back where my trash is.
The inside was smoldering good, the foam filter melted, the cloth filter was still burning and the plastic insides were melting!
This could have been a disaster if something caught fire or if I put the vacuum away without noticing that it was on fire inside!
The moral of the story is, Make sure your fire pot is completely cold and no pellets are under the ash and still burning when you vacuum it out.
I always like to clean it up before covering it and putting it away, but I may start waiting until the next day to vacuum the thing out.
Be careful guys, this could be dangerous!

Another approach would be the smoke daddy ash removal ladle to get any smoldering pellets out of the burn chamber.

The Original Ash-Away - Ash Removal System - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

The Original Ash-Away - Ash Removal System - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

smokedaddyinc.com

 

[MKinHB]

Yes, I am getting one of those

 

[GeekChef]

That is what I love the Series 4 Pro V2.....the whole pot comes out and I dump it into foil and water it down to kill the red pellets left...then crumple up the foil and toss. Great design here by Pit Boss to ease clean-up.

 

[MikeInFla]

I normally don't vacuum out my fire pit until several hours after a cook or even the next day. I think you got a steal on that Hart shop vac!

 

[MKinHB]

I normally don't vacuum out my fire pit until several hours after a cook or even the next day. I think you got a steal on that Hart shop vac!

good idea Mike, I usually do it after dinner but I will wait until the next day.
I have one of those metal cookie cans with a lid that everyone gets at Christmas, gonna use it for the ash and spent pellets once I get that ash ladle thing or make my own.

 

[Elfcane]

Anyone else learned about smoke tubes the hard way? I keep my PB in the garage and roll it out when cooking. A couple of weeks ago I pulled a smoke tube out after cooking and set it on the driveway. About 4 hours and countless beers later I came out to dump the pellets thinking they would be out by that time. This was before before bed so I was wearing boxers. As soon as I tipped it over, winds with Godlike power caused the ash to cover my feet and legs. I still wonder if any of my neighbors saw an overweight guy in his boxers dancing up and down the driveway...

 

[MKinHB]

yes, those things look like they are out then you dump them and find out they are not.
I dumped mine once on the backyard lawn and a little later the grass was glowing with little red spots.
Had to get the hose and wet it down.
That's going in the metal can from now on too!

 

[MikeInFla]

Yeah I leave a smoke tube alone until the next day! Luckily being in Florida we have sand. When I first dumped them a few on the ground there were some that were still red hot so I just covered them in sand.

 

[BUDDY]

I am looking for a new ash vacuum.
Anyone have any recommendations?
I saw one online from Walmart for 30 bucks, don't know about the quality but it's better than nothing and it's Walmart so you can return it if it's not good.

SHOP VAC

 

[Elfcane]

 

[david_ski]

if you don't have an ash cleanout, i use smoke daddy ash removal ladle in case I need to pull pellets out of the burn pot. I dump any questionable ashes from burn pot and all ashes from the smoke tube into either an old metal coffee can (remember those), or a small ceramic plant pot.

The Original Ash-Away - Ash Removal System - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

The Original Ash-Away - Ash Removal System - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

smokedaddyinc.com