I also liked that it’s got an indicator that tells you when the filter is clogging, once it’s 100% covered a light turns red that lets you know it’s time to empty and clean the filter.

I’m afraid not, neither shop vacuums or household vacuum cleaners are up to the job of vacuuming up ash which involves big chunks and small dust particles at the same time. Not to mention residual heat. Not a huge problem, even if you use the fire every day you can just vacuum it before you light it and it should be cool enough. This is a nifty little ash vacuum, it’s cheap and with that comes a price of how good it is so you might find the filter tends to slip off and you need to take some extra care, and you’ll need to wash the filter more often.The whole thing is nice and lightweight so lugging it out the cupboard is easy. Yet the suction is powerful and the HEPA filter allows for effective clean up with no fine dust getting sprayed around your room. Compared to the Karher or the Deville it doesn’t quite hold up, they have better filtration systems and more capacity but for the price I’m impressed. Overall: The best ash vacuum cleaner you can buy in the UK, it comes at a higher price but when you factor in it doubles as a regular vacuum you’re on to a winner.

Please don’t vacuum up ash that is still on fire, or is still smouldering, no vacuum can have a fire inside it. Hot ash vacuum cleaners can be used the next day when the fire has gone out but some areas are still warm. Warm so you don’t want to touch them but not so warm they will light a fire. Pellet stoves can create a lot of ash so you need a good quality vacuum to help you deal with it and clean it out. As with all ash vacuums they are only designed for cold ash, the next day when you’re getting ready to light the fire again. But, the Karcher is made with flame-resistant material and heat-resistant metal so that if your ashes are still warm in the morning you’ll be able to vacuum them up no problem. Best wait till they’re as cool as possible but this provides that extra safety net and won’t ruin your vacuum. Hot ash vacuums, on the other hand, are designed to handle hot ashes, but this normally means up to about 50 degrees Celsius. So please don’t try and vacuum up ashes while they’re still on fire! Overall: A great choice for vacuuming up a wood stove or even a fireplace. And a long enough power cable that you could take it outside too.

You’ll want to empty the ash vacuum and hand wash it in the sink, don’t put it in the dishwasher, run it under the tap and rub down with a brush or your hand to clear out all the dust. So you can use it on the BBQ, a fire pit, wood-burning stove, coal fire, and some you can even clean the bottom of your chimney. But I wouldn’t recommend cleaning the chimney just in case, always get a professional chimney sweep to do it. A chimney fire isn’t worth it.