I've got a loft full of sawdust

[RFw3Duwrd7Yu]

I've begun prepping our loft for boarding up, and have discovered much to my surprise a huge amount of sawdust underneath the insulation inbetween the joists. The attic is a large space, around 90m2, and is apparently full of the stuff. This seems problematic on a number of levels, so I'd like to get it out as efficiently as possible. I'm wondering if anyone else has attempted this before and has some tips on kit that might do it for me efficiently. It's a 2 storey house, at about 15m off the ground for the loft, so extraction would need to have long tubing. I regularly use a cyclonic separator with power tools using a small 1hp hoover, and am wondering if I could retrofit something a big bigger to extract into bags in the garage outside... Any ideas?

 

[Tigercubrider]

I think you might be over thinking?

I'd buy a wet/dry vacuum from Screwfix or similar and some bags.
By the time you fanny about with cyclonic dust collection and long tubes you'd have it done.
£50-75 done in a weekend or sooner

 

[blup]

To clean my loft, I used the nilfisk aero 26-21, no longer available at screwfix, but great suction, a long hose and lead, and will also easily suck up small pieces of plaster, broken brick, nails etc of the kind you found in lofts. The cloth bags are HEPA equivalent. Plus a pto and wet vac facility and reasonably light.

Blup

 

[blup]

This one, 26-21

https://cpc.farnell.com/nilfisk/aer...8236&s_kwcid=AL!5616!3!426684131411!!!network

 

[mattylad]

Are you sure it's sawdust?
If it is, how did it get there and why?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Are you sure it's sawdust?
If it is, how did it get there and why?

Yes. It might be sand. In which case try finding the tunnel, first...

 

[Lower]

It’s more likely to be loose fill vermiculite insulation rather than sawdust.

 

[Koolpc]

Woodworm!

 

[Diver Fred]

How fine is the dust? Is there any holes in the timbers, about 2 or 3mm diameter?

Very fine dust. And holes is a sign of woodworm.