You Can Turn Your Shop Vac Into a Leaf Blower
It's been known to happen: You get a sudden deluge of leaves, and you don't have access to a leaf blower (and a rake just feels like too much work). Since leaf season might catch up with you quickly, or you might not want to get a special tool to use for just once or twice a year maintenance, clearing leaves quickly can be a challenge. Luckily, you can convert your shop vac into a leaf blower with these simple steps.
Unplug and open up your vac
To start, unplug your shop vac and take the motor of the shop vac off of the base. This is usually done by opening up the vacuum the same way you would to empty it. There’s usually a latch or two around the top of the body of the shop vac that holds the housing to the motor. You can remove it by undoing these latches. Underneath the motor housing, you should see either the container that holds the waste or a filter, depending on what type of tool you have. For a backpack-style shop vac, you likely don’t need to open it up to switch ports, but you’ll still need to make sure it’s empty before you proceed. Make sure that the waste container is empty, or everything inside it will be blown back out the vacuum tube when you start blowing leaves.
Detach the vacuum hose
Next, detach the vacuum tube from the motor where it’s usually positioned. Most vacuum tubes are held in by a twist latch, but it could also have a button release to take it off. If you’re trying to clean up, you might want to do this over a trash can or a drop cloth—there will likely be debris in the tube.
Reattach the vacuum tube to the exhaust port
Once you have the tube free, you should locate the exhaust port for your shop vac. It’s usually opposite the intake port that you just disconnected the vacuum tube from. In most cases, there will be a way to attach the tube to the other port built in to the vacuum, but in the case that there isn’t, some duct tape will do to seal it off. For a backpack-style shop vac, the exhaust port is usually located on the back of the vacuum housing.
A word of caution
Because shop vacs are usually pretty powerful, make sure to keep your hair and clothing well clear of the now-exposed intake port. For those of us with long hair, it can be a painful experience to discover just how powerful a shop vac is by having our hair sucked into one.
Use your newly converted vac/blower
When you turn your shop vac on, you should be able to use the hose to blow leaves. Even smaller vacuums will be able to do decent sized areas like a garage floor or a patio, but for longer range, a bigger shop vac is of course a better option. While using your shop vac as a blower in these circumstances can be very handy, if you have larger projects, it can be a slightly unwieldy option. First, having an unprotected intake port going full bast does pose the risk that unintended items will get sucked into it. Also, it might not be the most comfortable way to hold the hose or attachments, so if you have a wide area to cover, you might choose to go with the right tool for the job, rather than a shortcut.