Using a wet vac to blow dry the car?

[mikebai1990]

Many people on the forums use blowers to dry their cars. This prevents marring caused by possibly improper drying techniques and faulty MF or WW towels. I`ve always been using an Absorber followed up with a WW. But I`ve been looking to use my wet/dry vac and use it as a blower (you can connect the hose onto the other side). However, my question is will particles be blown onto the car if I use the vac as a blower? Will the filter be enough to block the microscopic dirt particles from coming out of the blower end?

[coupe]

People actually use leaf blowers and compressors to blow water out of crevices, not actually to dry the whole car.



I wouldnt use a wet/dry vac, who knows what was sucked up in it.



You should try the free flowing water technique.

[mikebai1990]

I use the free flowing water technique all the time. I was just looking to see whether using a wet/dry vac as a blower would be faster and less mar-inducing.

[BobD]

I don`t think the shop vac would blow good enough. I have a lot of customers using the Metro Vac Air Force Blaster for drying the entire vehicle.

[coupe]

I don`t think the shop vac would blow good enough. I have a lot of customers using the Metro Vac Air Force Blaster for drying the entire vehicle.

Really?

My leaf blower runs 420 CFM`s and i cant dry a whole car with it. Ive tried, i end up haveing to go over the entire vehicle with a drying towel anyways :lol



How many CFM`s does that thing push out?

[BobD]

Really?

My leaf blower runs 420 CFM`s and i cant dry a whole car with it. Ive tried, i end up haveing to go over the entire vehicle with a drying towel anyways :lol



How many CFM`s does that thing push out?

29250 ft/min. How to convert that to cubic feet per minute I have no clue. :lol

[BigAl3]

i use just the hose and sheet the water off as much possible, then i use the leaf blower to blow out water from the tires, side mirrors, window seals, front dash vents/wiper blades, in & around emblems, in between panel cracks, etc.. then i follow up with a viking x-large mf towel or waffle weave to dry off the rest of the car. if the weather is really hot (summer) where it can water spot quickly, i`ll dry the car off first and then use the leaf blower and follow up and wipe away any left over water. i use a 150mph leaf blower and it works more than adequate to get water off. imo, you don`t need anything more, and it`ll do just fine (used 200mph and there wasn`t much difference so i returned it and saved $20 and not to mention it`s lighter)....

[tom p.]

Mike, you could purchase a modest electric leaf blower to see if that would fit your style.



I would not be over-concerned about things "bouncing" off the car. Think about what happens as you travel 65 mph on a busy highway.

[AutoCadillac]

I have a shop vac dedicated to sorta blow drying my car. It is the most powerful one Home Depot had with a blower port. As I said, it is dedicated to this use. The hose has never sucked in a grain of dirt. However, it really doesn`t do a great job. I first use a CWB then finish up with the shop vac. It would be better to use a leaf blower but I like to start on my cars early in the morning and don`t want to disturb the neighbors that sleep beyond sunrise on the weekends. The shop vac I bought is much quieter than a leaf blower.

[3Dog]

I don`t think the shop vac would blow good enough. I have a lot of customers using the Metro Vac Air Force Blaster for drying the entire vehicle.

:2thumbs:

I prefer filtered air!

[mikebai1990]

Hm... I guess I`ll try it for myself, then. I have the Ridgid WD4050 5 hp 12 gallon wet vac. I`m not sure how much air it puts out in terms of MPH, but since the filtered air should be pretty clean, it can`t hurt. Obviously I can`t do it these few days, though. The Northeast is starting to get cold

[MorBid]

I have one of these that I found at Big Lot`s for $40.00 bucks (mine wasn`t made by the same company but is the exact same thing). Strange.



Anywho I already had a Sears Wet/Dry vac for the car but I wanted something for just blowing air of the panels and the crevices. Was looking at the Metro Air Force blowers but figured at 40 smackers what do I have to lose.



It has a filter inside but I`ve never used it for vacuming so there isn`t and dirt to be blown on the panels.



I blow down all the panels not just the nooks and crannies and it does the job rather well and I just follow up with a WW MF to get the panels completly dry.



Does take a while though but I don`t mind. I would not reccommend using the same vacum you clean with as a blower for drying.



MorBiD

[David Fermani]

Really?

My leaf blower runs 420 CFM`s and i cant dry a whole car with it. Ive tried, i end up haveing to go over the entire vehicle with a drying towel anyways :lol

That *might* be worse if particles of dirt got stirred up on the ground and got blown onto the water drops on your car. Then drying it, is like wet sanding it into the finsih. It`s almost like coming home from the car wash and wiping the water spot off your car.

[paul34]

People actually use leaf blowers and compressors to blow water out of crevices, not actually to dry the whole car.



I wouldnt use a wet/dry vac, who knows what was sucked up in it.



You should try the free flowing water technique.

Actually, I do use a leaf blower to dry the whole car, and I think others do as well. I do still need to use a small MF towel to blot up some spots (like near the lower panels where some water never seems to blow off... it just blows in from another area of the car), but most of the car is dried via leafblower.



However, I personally would see how people would use a compressor to get water out of crevices - it`d be a drag using a compressor to dry a whole car! Wash water stands no chance against my trust Craftsman "240 mph" leaf blower :chuckle:

[JohnZ3MC]

I use a Toro two speed leaf blower to dry the bmw and the success depends on a couple of factors.

One is how well the lsp is holding up. No lsp and the blower is useless. Great lsp and the water just flies off the car and the m coupe is always well protected.

Another factor is the speed/power of the blower. My Toro is listed somewhere around 180 - 190 mph so it works really well.



The air up here in BC is pristine so only pure northern air blows onto the car. Apparently LA air has huge clumps of dirt and dustbunnies in it so heed my warning. LA guys should not use a leaf blower.



In addition to blowing water off the car, it also gets the cracks, the mirrors, the wheels, and the tires. That alone is a bonus.



The issue of microscopic water remaining is moot. Most of us apply a QD with a MF immediately after anyway.



I`d hesitate to use the shop vac in blower mode for a couple of reasons. The possible debris factor and the awkwardness factor.



The leaf blower is good. It`s light, so when fall comes, the wife can blow leaves.

-John C.