yeah, the dust and dirt and ash is thicker in the garage, and a layer of it has settled almost everywhere n here, including areas i wouldn't really vacuum. i'm starting to change my analysis from the ash being caused by the vacuum to the ash breaking the vacuum. and i'm starting to realize it smells like cigarettes. 

it's second hand smoke from upstairs. 

that's utterly disgusting. 

i'll have to just keep cleaning and keep getting that aluminum up. and i hope that canadian tire replaces the vac.

i expected the stalker to come in here when i was sealing up the hole. it's why i did the work outside before i bought groceries. it's possible they tracked their dirty boots in here and it's a part of the problem. it's also possible that some of it is dust from mixing concrete.

but this filth is dark black, it's thick and it's ashy. it looks like it was created from burning something.

i suppose it might have also been partly caused by the wildfires.

whatever the cause, the solution is to get the shop vac in the garage and then to reclean everything. and this needs to be the priority. i guess it will give me the chance to reclean some spaces i recently cleaned and finish setting them up.

i've lost the day unfortunately. 

i noticed last night that my shop vac appears to have developed a short in it and exploded, which is slowing down the cleaning and requiring me to reclean everything. i'm going to try to get it replaced as defective. right now, i have a layer of black ash all over my floors, walls and stuff. 

the motor doesn't look damaged. it may have sucked up some cleaning supplies, but it's a dry/wet vac. i tried to clean it but it looks like it was too late. it was running loud and smelly, then generating smoke, generating bright green light, throttling, dying and then dead. i've never seen a motor act like that, but the idea that it had a short circuit does seem to explain it.

the switch and fuses are totally clean and brand new. there's no obvious blown component, which is why it looks like a short in the motor. it's only a few months old. in fact, the fuse even gave me a mild shock, which i believe is evidence it's working and there's a short in the motor. there must be a burnt out connection somewhere inside the motor.

i have a multimeter on order, which is something i should have but don't. it should prove the fuse is not blown. but if i'm wrong i'll try to swap it out.

i actually think there's enough evidence to decide i should throw out the motor but i'll wait for the multimeter.

my understanding is that the only likely causes of this are factory defect and exposure to chemicals or moisture. i was cleaning up dirt off the crumbling old concrete floor in the garage when it started smoking. the concrete strangely dried dark black, like asphalt. and now there's black filth all over the floor.

if i can fix this i will and then leave it in the garage. i'll get a new device for the inside areas.

i had also bought a floor scrubbing device so i guess it's time to use it. 

i will need to do some further serious cleaning in here before i do anything else.