bosco Posted October 21, 2015 Author Report Posted October 21, 2015 I have left the shop vac in the box. Once I get my hands on the KKs I will have a better understanding of depth etc. If I can achieve the same results with a pan and brush then so be it! If not, I got one heck of a deal on a great vacuum!!!
MacKenzie Posted October 21, 2015 Report Posted October 21, 2015 Just remember, it doesn't have to be spotless at the bottom of the fire pit. The KK will still perform flawlessly even if there are a few ashes in the bottom.
tinyfish Posted October 21, 2015 Report Posted October 21, 2015 Like MacKenzie said doesn't have to be flawless. There is a lot of room below the charcoal basket and the bottom of the KK. Here is my push stick for pushing the ashes to the back of the KK through the vent door and below the heat deflector. 1
tony b Posted October 22, 2015 Report Posted October 22, 2015 I basically use a plastic juice jug that I cut open on the bottom as my dust pan and use an old paint brush to push the ashes into the jug. While it works, it's not very efficient. So, I scored the shop vac. Should arrive tomorrow. Grill needs a good clean out, so we'll give it a test drive and report back.
Homepro01 Posted October 22, 2015 Report Posted October 22, 2015 Tony b, Hope you like the vac. It has a pretty long hose and I usually clean from the vent on the bottom but have also cleaned from the top of the cooker.
Hogsfan Posted October 22, 2015 Report Posted October 22, 2015 I don't like having a shop back permanently in the yard, but it is much more quick and convenient. Plus it's reversible so I've also got a handy blower available any time which is great.
Cookie Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 Just everyone please remember the efficiency of the KK. I've found warm coals 36-48 hours after a low and slow where I forgot to shut her down. How did I know? Because I use the bare hand brush with leftover plastic grocery bag method.
Cookie Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 Just everyone please remember the efficiency of the KK. I've found warm coals 36-48 hours after a low and slow where I forgot to shut her down. How did I know? Because I use the bare hand brush with leftover plastic grocery bag method.
tony b Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 Shop vac arrived yesterday on schedule. However, it's raining today, so not a good time to test drive it on the KK. Forecast for the rest of the weekend is better, so I'll likely test drive the vac tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the tip, Cookie. One of the nice things about this particular vac is that it's designed to handle warm coals, too. Not that I plan to test it out intentionally; just a nice "safety net" feature. 1
tony b Posted October 26, 2015 Report Posted October 26, 2015 Took it for a test drive yesterday. Worked great. Surprisingly quiet. Only complaint is that the hose, including the metal nozzle extension, is about 4 inches too short. The canister wanted to tip on its side when I was reaching in from the top and trying to get into the back of the firebox. But, it's very light, so holding it by the handle while vacuuming out the KK was no big deal. I could have used one of the plastic hose extensions, too, which would have been plenty of slack. Will likely go that route next time.
